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Municipality of Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, 423 kilometers
north of manila, is an 8 – hour destination from the
metropolis. It is accessible to almost all modes of
land transportation and a 7 – kilometer portion of the
Mc Arthur Highway passes through it. It is the 2nd
northernmost town of the long-winding province of
Ilocos Sur.
Established as a pueblo (a full pledged town) in 1781,
Cabugao is the largest (at 100 square kilometers) and
the most populous (with 32,000 inhabitants) town north
of Vigan City, the provincial capital. It is composed
of 33 barangays, four (4) of which are located in the
poblacion (town proper). Though the main occupants are
farming and fishing, Cabugao with its big poblacion is
the most urbanized town in the province.
While it is true that many natives of the town have
gone to greener pastures elsewhere in the country or
abroad, the number of our migrants has been offset by
the number of immigrants – Pangasinanses, Bataguenos,
Kapampangans and Maranaos who have come for trade and
commerce and have stayed here for good.
The
people of Cabugao are deeply religious. Majority
belongs to the Roman Catholic Church while a sizeable
number belong to other religions such as the Iglesia
Filipina Independiente, Iglesia ni Cristo, various
Protestants groups, the Church of Jesus the Latter Day
Saints, and Islam.
People’s organizations and non-government
organizations are active in the municipality
responding to the needs of their members in the
community.
Twenty-six (26) public elementary schools and primary
schools, three (3) public high schools and one (1)
private high school dot the municipality – a testament
to the high premium the people put to education.
Barangay Pug-os
Barangay Pug-os, located along the national highway
and two (2) kilometers north of the poblacion, boasts
of its fine beach – its white sand stretching to more
than half a kilometer. This attribute and the
gradually slopping seabed make it a top favorite among
town mates and tourists for swimming, picnics or fun
hiking
Two
hotel beach resorts, Ponce del Mar and restaurant, and
the privately leased municipality-owned Cabugao Public
Beach and Park (renamed Cabugao Beach Resort) serve as
venues for conventions, conferences, seminars and
social occasions such as weddings, baptisms and
birthdays
Barangay Salomague
The
historic port of Salomague located in this barangay
explains why it holds the distinction of being one of
the few Ilocos barangays printed on international
mariners’ map.
Port
of Salomague was an ancient port of call of seafarers,
merchants and traders from different Asian countries.
During the American occupation, it served as a mooring
place from boats that ferried across the Pacific where
thousands of Ilocanos worked at sugar plantations in
Hawaii and California. Now leased to a private
corporation, It is the transshipment port of goods and
products to Taiwan. It is also the unloading point of
commercial fishing vessels.
The
Salomague Island
is used to have inhabitants until the owners choose to
have it uninhabited. A 1109-hectare island, it can be
reached in less than five (5) minutes ride through a
banca.
A
municipal ordinance has declared the waters around it
a fish sanctuary area, thus making it more attractive
to sports fishers and scuba divers who regularly visit
it. Picnickers also frequent its eastern coast.
Barangay Dardarat
Eco-tourism structures were in place in Barangay
Dardarat attracting hordes of town mates and local
tourists and earning for its barangay captain a
prestigious award until typhoon “Feria” unleashed her
fury razing down to the seafloor said structures. Only
mangrove seedlings planted by teachers and Japanese
volunteers provide the contrast to a now, desolate
coastland.
At
the southern end of the place is the Dardarat
Lighthouse, a Philippine Coast Guard facility that
guides marine vessels
Barangay Sabang
Barangay Sabang is the take-off point for Salomague
Island. Members of the Saint Claire, a Roman Catholic
religious congregation, have developed a place in the
barangay facing Salomague Island.
Barangay Salapasap
During the peak season of beach-lovers, Salapasap
Beach is good alternative to Pug-os Beach. Barangay
cottages are rented out of cheap rates.
Barangay Namruangan
Barangay Namruangan is known for its rich fishing
grounds. Situated at the mouth of Cabugao River, it
shares with barangay Salapasap the “ipon” (small fish)
fishing ground. “Bugi” (bangus fries) abound in the
place.
During clear weather and fish season, fisherfolks
gracefully pull the “daklis” (a big fishing net) to
the tune of an Ilokano folksong.
Barangay Daclapan
Barangay Daclapan is also a good place for swimming
and picnics. Daclapan Coast or Cabugao Bay in local
maps, is closely guarded by the barangay inhabitants
against illegal fishers.
Other Tourism destinations
Saint Mark the Evangelist Parish Church
Built in 1772 , it lost part of its aesthetics when it
was burned in 1965. The architectural charm of its
interiors was no longer restored. However, renovation
in recent years has improved its beauty.
Municipal Government Center
Several Public buildings and structures converge in
the Municipal Government Center. Among them are the
municipal hall, the 66-year-old Lady Magarang, World
War II Veterans’ Memorial, Children’s Park and the
Cabugao Cultural and Sports Complex, Each evoking a
sense of pride and belongingness to the community.
Historic Hills and Mountains
Hills and a mountain stand out as reminders of the
valor and heroism of our people against the three (3)
colonial powers.
The
Balaywak hills hosted a military outpost constructed
by Diego Silang and his men in their bid to challenge
the Spanish might. Balaywak was also a battle site
between Gabriela Silang and her Ilocano and Tingguian
allies on one hand and the Spaniards and their
Filipino allies on the other hand.
Mount Bimmuaya, a plateau in Barangay Maradodon, was
drenched with blood of our martyrs. At least 18
Filipinos perished there during a clash against the
Americans during the Filipino-American War.
Balay-aran, a hill in Barangay Caellayan, was the
birthplace and bastion of the town’s resistance
movement against the Japanese occupation Army.
Springs and Waterfalls
The
town is blessed with springs gushing of potable clear
waterfalls that drain into the rivulets of tributaries
of the Cabugao River.
Several springs notably Magarang, Roma, Kinalian,
Baterina and Bacques have been tapped to provide
potable water to the poblacion and to some eastern
barangays.
A
popular waterfall, Kimmandela – so named because even
from a distance it resembles a candle (Kandela in
Iloco) is a remarkable sight.
The
springs or waterfalls can be reached through
hiker-friendly mountain trails an hour or two
settlements at the foot of the Ilocos Mountain Range.
Cabugao River
Cabugao River has two (2) branches: one starts in
Sitio Caset, Barangay Maradodon and another in Sitio
Rebba, Barangay Cacadiran. The two branches meet at
Barangay Alinaay and form as one big branch until its
mouth in Barangays Namruangan and Salapasap.
It
is a 12-kilometer body of water where farm animals
drink and take a bath, fishermen catch fish and crabs,
housewives do their laundry, and construction builders
quarry stone and pebbles.
The
local government’s program on Save Cabugao River
project is a recipient of the Likas Yaman Award for
Environmental Excellence as the Most Outstanding LGU-Initiated
Environmental Project in Region I was conferred
recently.
Cultural Gems
The
creativity of the people is tangibly demonstrated
through their cultural innovations, “Aweng ti Kawayan”
(Sound of the Bamboo), a musical instrument, is unique
throughout Ilocandia. “Kinnaras”, a dance reenacting
how fishermen catch fish within a fish sanctuary and “Kalapati”,
a dance that mimics the graceful and gentle movements
of the dove, have their origins in the town having
been choreographed by the Cabugao teachers.
Kawayan: Strength and Beauty of our People
The
present administration is bent on promoting “kawayan”
(Bamboo”, the tallest grass, as a prime agricultural
and forecast product. Bamboo culture from the choice
of their planting materials to the manufacturing or
fabrication of bamboo products or furniture demands
strength and beauty of the character of our people.
The
people of Cabugao can always look up to Malakas
(Strength) and Maganda (Beauty) who came from the
“Kawayan” as paragons of virtues for the development
of the town.
“DAYO” (livestock market)
During Saturdays, farmers with their large animals in
tow and animal traders meet in the “dayo” or livestock
market just across the Osmena Bridge that spans the
Cabugao River. It is the province’s lone livestock
market.
Hence, one savors the steaming culinary delight of the
town – the “imbaliktad” while listening to and being
regaled by a discussion led by a veterinarian mapping
out strategies to make Cabugao the meat center of
Ilocos Sur and the goat center of the North.
Town Fiesta
The
annual town fiesta is held in honor of the town’s
patron saint, St, Mark the Evangelist, whose feast day
falls on April 25. It is usually a weeklong festivity
led by the municipal government and the church.
Agro-industrial fairs, sports fests, indigenous
cultural shows, coordinated and implemented with the
assistance of farmers’ groups, sports’ associations,
and cultural groups enliven the merrymaking.
Semana Santa
The
town, as any other Christian town in the country,
celebrates Semana Santa from Palm Sunday (Domingo
Ramos in the dialect) to Easter Sunday (Domingo Sabet).
Because Semana Santa occurs during the hot summer
months, many natives of the town enjoy coming home to
reunite with their families, relatives and friends.
Reunions are set in their ancestral homes, at the
beaches or along the banks of the Cabugao River and
eating, drinking and exchanging notes or pleasantries
create a festive mode.
Folk
beliefs are attached to the celebration and some of
these are:
i.
The palm leaves blessed during the Palm Sunday and
placed on windows deflect the direction of lightning
away from the house or drive away evil spirits.
ii.
Coconut oil produced during Good Friday does not turn
rancid and is effective against common ailments
iii.
A
particular crab caught during Good Friday is an amulet
for commerce.
iv.
Persons engaged in quarreling during Semana Santa
would remain in a fighting mood until the rest of the
year.
Northern Ilocos Sur Trade Center
The
Northern Ilocos Sur Trade Center (NISTC), the new
municipal public market, is a promising beehive of
trade and commerce. Its strategic location on a
spacious municipal property along the national highway
north of the poblacion proper is strengthened by the
proximity of the “dayo”, fish terminal within the
slaughterhouse compound, and of course, the
municipality-owned Cabugao Ice Plant that is within
its arm’s reach.
A
Department of Health Awardee as the Cleanest and
Healthiest Public Market in Region I for 2002.
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