Bula, officially the Municipality of Bula (Rinconada Bikol: Banwaān ka Bula; Tagalog: Bayan ng Bula), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 73,143 people.^[3]

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Bula
Municipality
Municipality of Bula
A view of native houses in Bula
Flag Seal
Anthem: TAN-AW BULA
Map of Camarines Sur with Bula highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Bula Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 13°28′10″N 123°16′39″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region
Province	Camarines Sur
District	5th district
Barangays	33 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Amelita A. Ibasco
• Vice Mayor	Nilo C. Malanyaon II
• Representative	Miguel Luis R. Villafuerte
• Municipal Council	Members Joel O. Caya Nelson P. Ballerbar Nellie P. Largo Sherlyn Joy R. Hombre Ma. France Merced S. Sedilla Gregorio L. Pontanal Ely A. Soreta Mulrey B. Parro
• Electorate	44,669 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	167.64 km2 (64.73 sq mi)
Elevation	24 m (79 ft)
Highest elevation	263 m (863 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	73,143
• Density	440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Households	15,468
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	25.05 % (2018)[4]
• Revenue	₱234,489,389.53 (2020)
• Assets	₱ 504.2 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 199 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 114.7 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Camarines Sur 3 Electric Cooperative (CASURECO 3)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4430
PSGC	051706000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)54
Native languages	Rinconada Bikol Central Bikol Tagalog
Website	www.bula.gov.ph

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The town of Bula is historically considered one of the first four mission towns of Camarines Sur founded by the Spanish conquistadores when they set foot on the Bicol soil coming from the Visayas in 1576. The other premier towns were Naga, Quipayo^{[Note 1]} and Nabua.

The Spaniards who first came to this place asked the men who were splitting bamboo about the name of the area, and since they did not understand the language, they thought they were being asked about the name of the bamboo, so they got the answer "Bu-la." And so Bula became the name of the town.

However, it was only in 1578 when the natives were Christianized, so the National Historical Commission dates back the town's history to 1578. From this, the town chose St. Mary Magdalene as its patron saint and celebrated its fiesta every 22nd day of July, which is the birthdate of the saint.

The original location of Bula's town proper was located in the now Barangay Ombao Polpog. The location had to be changed due to the town proper's isolation from other Rinconada city centers.

Bula is bounded on the north by the municipalities of Pili and Ocampo, on the east by the municipality of Baao, on the southeast by the Municipality of Nabua, on the south it is bounded by the Municipality of Balatan, on the southwest by Ragay Gulf, and on the west by the Municipality of Minalabac.

In the 2020 census, the population of Bula, Camarines Sur, was 73,143 people,^[3] with a density of 440 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,100 inhabitants per square mile.

Majority of the population are Roman Catholic members which is the biggest bulk of Bulaeños adhering to Christian faith. The rest of population are followers of different Protestant denominations.^[10]

Poverty Incidence of Bula

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[11][12]
[13][14][15][16][17][18]}

Despite staying as a 2nd class municipality, there have been improvements brought along by the Local Government Unit from the mid-2010s to the present to the year. This is because some areas need improvement of infrastructures. This also makes Bula a 1st class municipality.

The town of Bula has views of Tan-Awan Park, Nalalata Falls, and Burabod. Tan-Awan Park, located in Barangay Bagoladio atop a hill, attracts a number of tourists because of its views overlooking the areas of its neighboring towns in Rinconada.^{[citation needed]}

Bula is also home to beaches on its easternmost side, neighboring Minalabac in the north and Balatan to the south.

• Bula Municipal Building
• St. Mary Magdalene Parish Church
• Bula Catholic Cemetery
• Bula Public Market
• Bula National High School
• Nalalata Cave
• Nalalata Falls
• Bula Parochial School