BAIS CITY

        Bais got its name from an elongated eel-like fish that used to abound in the locality’s streams and rivers. Legend has it that when a group of Spanish engineers and surveyors asked the natives of the name of the place, they answered Bais, thinking that then foreigners were asking the name of the fish they were catching.

Bais was once a barrio of the Municipality of Manjuyod when the village headman and his followers pledged loyalty to the Alcalde of the municipality. When the Americans put an end to the Spanish regime in the Philippines, Negros Oriental became a province with the late Demetrio Larena of Bais holding the distinction as its first governor.

       In 1901, Bais was recognized as a town. Since then, Bais contin- ued to move forward with remarkable persistence towards being a City and center of progress and development.

    The City of Bais came into being on September 1, 1968. Former President Ferdinand E. Marcos personally proclaimed Bais as a City on September 9, 1968.

      At present, the City of Bais is known for its eco-tourism develop- ment highlighting its rich and highly diverse coastal and marine eco-system as well as its pristine beaches and other well-con- served natural resources.