Santa Catalina, Philippines
Santa Catalina is a town of 26,457 people in Central Visayas, Philippines, founded in December 17, 1947.
Why visit Santa Catalina
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 20 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Weather in Santa Catalina
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Santa Catalina
Santa Catalina, officially the Municipality of Santa Catalina (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Santa Catalina; Tagalog: Bayan ng Santa Catalina), is a municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 80,382 people.
From the Wikipedia article Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Santa Catalina on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks3
Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes20
Primos Pizzeria
Restaurant · 7.4 km
Mo-Th 10:00-20:00; Fr-Su 10:00-21:00
8 more on the map.
History
The town of Santa Catalina was formerly named Tolong. In about 1572, Captain Miguel de Laorca, a member of Legaspi's expedition, sent the first Spanish mission led by Adrien Lajot, a Belgian mercenary (from Provence Liège) in order to take possession of Negros Island. During that period, there existed settlements at Lunsod (now Daan Lunsod), Secopan (now Secopong), and Cawitan ruled by three chieftains. It was said that these warring chieftains were settled and amicably fused by the Spaniards as a single settlement at Daan Lunsod. In the process of settling, the Spaniards referred to the chieftains as “Kamo Tolon”, (a mispronounced phrase for “Kamo Tolo” which means “The Three of You”). Hence, the name TOLON, and then eventually TOLONG.
According to the Definatorio of June 11, 1580, the beginning of the Christian Organization of Negros Island was due to the Augustinian Friars. Because of the lack of priests, the secular priest of the Diocese of Cebu undertook the spiritual administration of Negros Island. He placed Dumaguete, Siaton, Marabao (now Bacong), and Manalongon (the name of the river) under the Ministry of Tanjay. In 1751, Tolong and the settlements further down south were taken over by the Recollect Friars because of the distance and difficulty of transportation.
From the History section of Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship4
Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
Church · Baptist · 7.0 km
Purok 9 R. T. Diao Street, Bayawan City
Shopping8
Gas and EV charging10
Schools, colleges and libraries82
Negros Oriental State University - Bayawan-Santa Catalina Campus
School · 3.7 km
Dumaguete South Road, Bayawan
Casiano Z. Napigkit National High School
School · 12.8 km
Dumaguete South Road, Santa Catalina
H. (Bido) Jordan Memorial Elementary School
School · 14.8 km
Dumaguete South Road, Bayawan
Hunop Community High School
School · 14.8 km
Santa Catalina - Pamplona - Tanjay Road, Pamplona
Hunop Elementary School
School · 14.9 km
Santa Catalina - Pamplona - Tanjay Road, Pamplona
Kabulakan Elementary School
School · 4.2 km
Santa Catalina - Pamplona - Tanjay Road, Santa Catalina
Healthcare10
Map of Santa Catalina
148 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport (DGT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 48 km away.
- Maninihon 5 km northwest, about 5 min by car
- Alangilan 6 km south, about 6 min by car
- Bayawan 7 km northwest, about 7 min by car
- Tanjay 38 km northeast, about 38 min by car
- Sibulan 46 km east, about 46 min by car
- Dumaguete 49 km east, about 49 min by car
- Sipalay 69 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Kabankalan 73 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Siquijor 73 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Himamaylan 85 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- ISS031-E-171220 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS031-E-171219 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS049-E-2049 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
Page built November 7, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.