[3] Barely half a century after Ferdinand Magellan set foot in the Philippines on March 16, 1521, Iriga, now a city, was only a visita of Nabua, Provincia de Ambos Camarines.

Because of the disastrous floods that occur during rainy seasons in suburban Poblacion of Nabua, Father Felix de Huertas, the then parish priest, advised the farmers to move to I-raga (donde hay tierra or where there is land) where they can plant their crops without fear of being under flooded.

The flood victims of Nabua who moved earlier and followed the suggestions of their parish priest were the fortunate beneficiaries of the harvest of their agricultural plantation coming from the rich and fertile soils of I-raga, more so, those who planted at the foot of Sumagang Mountain (Mountain of the Rising Sun, now Mt.

[5] As population spread out and evangelization progressed, the settlement at the foot of Sumagang Mountain developed in size and wealth, slowly pushing the Indigenous Agta communities up to the thickness of the forest.

That eruption brought much fear to the settlers but with their strong faith and belief a miracle happened and as witnessed by local folks, the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mother and her son Lord Jesus or "Nuestra Señora de Angustia" at sitio Inorogan saved the people from terrible earthquake and flood.

The eruption formed the cavernous gully on the side of Buhi leading to the steep gorge which was the crater of the "volcano".

In 1683, this progressive visita of I-raga was converted into Pueblo de la Provincia de Ambos Camarines with a population of 8,908 which several decades later the name I-raga was changed to Iriga by the Spanish authorities and advocated St. Anthony of Padua as Patron Saint and June 13 as the annual fiesta.

[5] In 1913, the Manila Railroad (MRR) Company Station and the public market were established in their respective present site which readily contributed to the rapid growth of Iriga making it the center of trade and commerce in Rinconada area.

Bikol Central is also commonly understood and spoken in the Rinconada area as it is used by the Catholic church and the local TV station centered at Naga.

The biggest church can be found at the center of the city (Saint Anthony of Padua) and the Lourdes grotto symbolizes the long history of Catholicism in Iriga.

The office oversees the church members in Rinconada and Partido areas in Camarines Sur, and Burias island in Masbate.

The old Public Market was redesigned and reconstructed in 2010 and now hosts LCC supermarket, many local shops and several national chain restaurants.

Salt water fresh and dried fish from neighboring Balatan coast are sold in abundance in the market.

A new convention center was built in front of the Catholic Grotto hosts important events in the city.

It is a well landscaped, Japanese-themed park with a huge spurting fountain at the center but was later replaced with a skating rink.

Surrounding the park are business establishments and landmarks such as the Lourdes Grotto which offers a great view of the downtown.

Local cuisine offering meat and vegetarian dishes with coconut milk and red chili peppers.

Iriga City is served with several nationally operating telecom companies namely Converge ICT, Bayantel, PLDT, Smart, Globe and Dito which offer telephone and internet services.