Bayawan, officially the City of Bayawan (), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 122,747 people. Bayawan is located from Dumaguete, the provincial capital of Negros Oriental. It is a coastal city with a land area of , the largest in the province and whole Negros island. Mabinay bounds it to the north, Tanjay and Bais to the east, Santa Catalina to the southeast and Basay to the west and it also shares a boundary with Kabankalan City of Negros Occidental on the northwest. Bayawan used to be known as New Tolong, and only had its modern name starting 1952. Bayawan has two distinct climate seasons: the dry season, well pronounced in the months of January to May; and the wet season, in the months of June to December. Bayawan became a chartered city in December 2000. It boasts its distinction as a "Character City" (International Association of Character Cities) and a pioneer "Healthy City" (DOH certified) in the Philippines. Recently, the Asian Institute of Management recognized the city as "one of the Top 10 Best Cities to Live In in the Philippines (Small Cities Category)" under its Competitive Cities Survey 2007. The town is home to the Minagahat language, the indigenous language of Southern Negros as listed by Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. The language is vital to the culture and arts of the people of southern Negros. History It was in 1751 when the Spanish friars first established their settlement. 116 years later, Tolong Nuevo (Bayawan's former name) had existed as early as 1868 as part of Tolong Viejo (now the Municipality of Santa Catalina). It was not until 1872 when she was formally organized as a pueblo. In 1953, the name Tolong Nuevo was changed to Bayawan, by virtue of Republic Act 694 as approved by the 3rd congress of the Philippines, consigning the name “Tolong” into obscurity and deep oblivion soon slowly to be forgotten by the succeeding generations. This made Bayawan a separate municipality. Cityhood Bayawan, after meeting all of its requirements for its cityhood, became a city on December 23, 2000, via plebiscite that was set by COMELEC. Geography Bayawan City has a land area of 699.08 km2, one of the largest in the Visayas. This accounts for 13% of the province's land area. Mabinay bounds it to the