ABUCAY ”KING BIRD”
ABUCAY is one of the 12 municipalities of Bataan, Philippines. It was the first town founded by the Dominicans on June 10, 1588. It is located in the mideastern portion of the peninsula, bounded to the north by the town of Samal; to the south by the City of Balanga; to the east by the Manila Bay; and to the west by the town of Morong which shares the mountain areas with Abucay..
Abucay was initially recognized as a pueblo of Pampanga. In 1754, when Bataan finally became a regular province, Abucay became part of it. For some years, the town was called Santo Domingo. In 1646, it was called by its original name, Abukay. It became the initial center of the Dominican mission in Bataan which covered the area from Orani to Orion, then known as Partido de Batan (not Bataan).
The town is proud of its colorful history. Tomas Pinpin, the first Filipino printer, was a native of Mabatang, Abucay. The old Saint Dominic Church is the first Catholic Church built in Bataan and was the site of the infamous massacre of 200 Pampangos who fought the Dutch invaders on June 23, 1647. During World War II, Abucay was made the first line of defense of American and Filipino soldiers against the advancing Japanese Imperial Army. The Layac-Hermosa defense line was merely a “delay phase line.” The Mabatang Defense Line, part of the so-called Abucay-Morong Defense Line, was abandoned on January 24, 1942. It eventually led to the fall of Bataan two months later.
At present, Abucay is a third class municipality and comprised of nine villages (barangays). The coastal villages of Wawa, Omboy, Capitangan, Calaylayan and Mabatang are involved in agri-aqua business, while Gabon, Laon and Salian are agricultural and pasture lands. Bangkal, an upland village, is located at the foot of Mount Natib.
A large portion of Abucay’s land area (about 3,320 out of the total 8,413.65 hectares) is devoted to farming and fishponds. The total agricultural area is 2,293 hectares of irrigated and unirrigated land planted to palay, vegetables and root crops. The existing fishpond lots cover an area of 1,027 hectares. Species raised from these fishponds include milkfish, tilapia, pla-pla, prawns and mud crabs.
These natural resources, including Manila Bay, provide the residents with year-round supply of food, both for local consumption and for export to neighboring towns and provinces.
The residents are also engaged in livestock and poultry. There are six commercial poultry farms, 2 ducks (mulland) and four broiler farms in town. Abukenos, numbering about 31,824 as per 2000 Census, are quite proud of their local products such as dried fish (tuyo, dilis) and salted, fermented shrimps (bagoong). Mussel (tahong) culture is also thriving along the shores of Abucay. The countless bamboo trellises or balag along the shorelines indirectly transformed the municipal waters into a fish sanctuary.
Broom-making is a steady source of income for a number of enterprising residents. At present, there are three registered broom making shops in Mabatang alone.
Boat-building has also distinguished Abukeños from other people living in the province. The big number of fishermen in Abucay and neighboring towns made boat-building a lucrative business. Abukeños owe this special skill to their ancestors who knew a great deal about boat-building. They were the ones who made those fast sailing boats called barangays, vireys, kumpits, tapaques, caracaos and lapis which sailed the high seas of the Pacific and China Seas during the early years of Philippine civilization.
Abucay is a developing town. The past six years (1998-2004) have brought tremendous changes in the once-sleepy locality. Under the leadership of Mayor Liberato P. Santiago Jr., three new boulevards connecting the old national highway and the Roman Expressway have been opened and are continuously undergoing improvements. Since then, new communities have sprouted where these new roads traversed, opening more opportunities for macro and micro businesses.
The Abucay Café and Restaurant, the Tourism extension office in Gabon (near the Roman Expressway), memorial park, new town plaza, clean and green programs, the beautification projects, health centers, day-care centers and other impact projects were the major contributions of Mayor Santiago to the people of Abucay during his nine-year administration (1998-2007).
Mayor Santiago, with the support of the Sangguniang Pambayan (municipal council), also opened the Abucay government center in Barangay Gabon-Salian in 2002.
There are 563 registered commercial establishments in Abucay at present which are distributed among the nine barangays. Intensification of commerce and trade is the leading and primary economic activity of Abucay for the past decade.
The San Juan de Letran College, a college system run by the Dominicans, opened its new campus in Hacienda Hills, Upper Gabon, in June 2006.
Kalayaan College, a school managed by former professors of the Universiy of the Philippines led by Dr. Jose Abueva, has been in operation in Barangay Salian since 2002. By 2009, KC-Abucay will have a new campus in Barangay Capitangan, along the Bataan National Road.
Besides the Bataan State College in Bangkal, Abucay also hosts the Bonifacio Camacho High School in Calaylayan, Mabatang High School and 11 elementary and primary schools. From the looks of it, Abucay is becoming not only as a major commercial and trading station but also as the new center of quality education in Bataan, if not in Central Luzon.
Abucay is seen as a new melting pot because of its commercial and tourism potentials. The Sibul Spring, Villa Amanda Resort, Raven Resort, RL Abucay County Resort, Bataan Greenhills and the lesser-known Capitangan water impounding dam are regular tourist destinations.
The Saint Dominic parish church is also a favorite destination of devotees from all over the country. The church, completed in 1689, is one of the first Catholic churches built by the Dominican missionaries in Luzon.
The new Abucay Mega Market and Trade Center was inaugurated in Barangay Calaylayan in 2007, complete with a modern slaughterhouse. The Catmon-Tiwala Boulevard, an on-going project, is envisioned to connect the Roman Expressway to Calaylayan, as well as to the coastal area for easy delivery of fish products from Wawa and Omboy.
A new reclamation project in Wawa is also being studied by a Manila-based contractor-builder with the vision of developing the area into a modern and high-class community by-the-sea.
Mayor Ana Dominguez-Santiago, the current mayor of Abucay, is firm in continuing her husband’s commitment to make Abucay a real progressive town.
The Abucay Legend
A legend suggested that Abucay was derived from two Tagalog words Abu and kinaykay. Abu means ash, and kinaykay means “digging” or “raking.” Put together, abu-kinaykay means “gathering ash using a rake.”
Another legend has it that Abucay was named after the herons and egresses that were abundant in the locality from the ancient period and up to the present time.
The legend dates back from the 13th century when ten datus left Borneo in search for freedom. After days of sailing north, they reached and settled in Panay. It was here where they heard tales of progressive trading centers in Luzon. This motivated Datu Puti, Datu Balensusa, and Datu Dumangsil and their families to sail northward to be part of such progress. They disembarked in Lemery, Batangas and found other Muslims already inhabiting the area. The three datus spread out to neighboring regions (Laguna, Bicol peninsula and Manila). They were most surprised to see Manila (then called Malilu) already a busy barter center. They also learned that as early as 1225 A.D., Chinese and Japanese traders were already making trips by junks to Mindoro and Manila to barter their products (porcelain wares, silk, umbrellas, jewelry and musk) in exchange for honey, shells, cotton, mats, pearls, fruits and other native products.
Datu Dumalugdog, Lubay, Paduhinog and Dumangsol also sailed from Panay to Luzon after learning from Datu Puti, who returned to Panay for a visit, that Luzon was indeed a progressive island and big enough to accommodate more settlers.
The four remaining datus left Panay and sailed northward. Upon reaching the mouth of Manila Bay, Dumalugdog and Paduhinog simply followed the sea map prepared by Datu Puti. They reached Manila without a hitch. They reunited with Datu Balensusa and Datu Dumangsil in a trading post in old Intramuros.
Datu Dumangsol and Datu Lubay, meanwhile, were fascinated by the beauty of the Corregidor Island and took the west route. Sailing northward, the two families simply followed the plight of the thousand migratory birds that were on their way back to China and Japan after spending winter in the tropics.
Te datus anf their families finally disembarked in an area where thousands of white herons and egresses were feeding and wading along the shore.
Datu Dumangsol and Lubay immediately named the place where they landed as “Abu Bukay,” in honor of the herons and egresses which were abundant in that place. Abu and Bukay are Muslim words which mean “king of birds.” They considered the herons, not the eagles, as the real “king of birds” due to their size, white feathers and capability to fly long distances. . “Abu Bukay” later on became Abukay for easy pronounciation.
In a short time, Abucay settlers began trading with Manila and neighboring provinces. When the Spanish missionaries set foot in Abucay, they renamed the place as Santo Domingo. In 1646, it was called by its original name, Abukay. The place was finally recognized as a town in 1588.
With this new information, putting up an image of a heron or an egress atop a concrete monument in every entry gate in Abucay will make more sense than installing an image of a man gathering ash with a rake.
Abucay Seal
The SEAL OF ABUCAY is the official symbol of the municipality. It is often used on important documents like communication letters, official transactions and records to guarantee its authenticity. The present seal was introduced and used after the Second World War.
The seal’s design is self-explanatory. Some of the famous landmarks of Abucay were used appropriately in the seal: The Nine Stars simply symbolize the nine barangays comprising Abucay;
The replica of the church and the date 1689 on the upper left quadrant connote the date when the construction of the Saint Dominic Church was completed;
The imitation of the municipal building and the date 1669 imply that the first municipio or presidencia of Abucay was erected in 1669;
The replication of the image of Tomas Pinpin, an Abucay native, and the date 1610 convey the year when the first Filipino printer published his first book “Librong Pag-aaralan ng mga Tagalog sa Wikang Castila” which he co-authored with Fr. Blancas de San Jose; and
The historic and gallant stand of Filipino and American soldiers against the Japanese Army in the Mabatang Defense Line which occurred on January 9-15, l942.
Wrong Date
January 9-15, 1942 is a wrong date. The US War Records Department clearly placed the date of the actual activation of the Abucay-Morong Defense Line on January 6. At the same time,the same defense line was abandoned on January 24. Meanwhile, the Battle of Hacienda ended on January 27. See BATTLE OF ABUCAY DATELINE for related details.)
Municipal Mayors of Abucay
(1901-2007)
No. Year Mayor Vice Mayor
1 1900-1901 Delfin Santos* Pedro Pilapil
2 1901-1903 Catalino Enriquez Pedro Pilapil
3 1903-1905 Leonardo Ganzon Pablo Caraig
1905-1907 Leonardo Ganzon Pablo Caraig
4 1908-1910 Pedro Pilapil Pablo Caraig
5 1910-1912 Rafael Malixi -none-
6 1912-1916 Lorenzo dela Fuente Sr. Francisco Cunanan
7 1916-1919 Leoncio Limcangco Pablo Caraig
8 1919-1922 Lorenzo dela Fuente Sr. -none-
9 1922-1925 Rufino Guanzon Pablo Caraig
10 1925-1928 Nicolas Flores Francisco Cunanan
11 1928-1931 Felix Ganzon Pablo Caraig
12 1931-1934 Francisco Cunanan Francisco Baluyot
13 1934-1937 Gregorio Ganzon Bonifacio Dominguez
14 1938-1940 Ambrosio Soriano Pedro Munoz
15 1941-1942 Mauro Ganzon Narciso Baluyot
16 1942-1943 Jose Ganzon* Mauro Ganzon
17 1943-1945 Lorenzo dela Fuente Jr.* -none-
18 1945-1946 Mauro Ganzon* Narciso Baluyot
19 1946-1947 Anastacio Valencia* Alfonso Reyes
1948-1951 Anastacio Valencia Antonio Soriano
20 1952-1955 Lorenzo dela Fuente Jr. Ciriaco Manlapid
1956-1959 Lorenzo dela Fuente Jr. Ciriaco Manlapid
1960-1963 Lorenzo dela Fuente Jr. Donato Bascara
1964-1967 Lorenzo dela Fuente Jr. Epifanio Valencia
21 1968-1971 Eliodoro Baluyot Rodolfo Salandanan
22 1972-1976 Celso V. Tagle Angel Estrella
23 1977-1979 Maxima dela Fuente -none-
24 1979-1980 Wilfredo O. Tagle* -none-
25 1980-1986 Maxima dela Fuente Sabino Baluyot
26 1986-1988 Eliodoro Baluyot** Sabino Baluyot
27 1988-1992 Vicente dela Fuente Serafin Alvaran
1992-1995 Vicente dela Fuente Carlos Valencia
28 1995-1998 Carlos Valencia Jessie Yumul
29 1998-2001 Liberato Santiago Jr. Ruben Valencia
2001-2004 Liberato Santiago Jr. Ruben Tagle
2004-2007 Liberato Santiago Jr. Ruben Tagle
30 2007-2010 Ana D. Santiago Dexter Dominguez
2010- Ana D. Santiago Cristina dela Fuente
* appointed ** OIC mayor
BARANGAY PROFILE
BARANGAY BARANGAYHOOD AREA POPULATION
(Hectares) ( 2000) ( 2007)
Bangkal 2-01-82 1154.95 485 560
Calaylayan 1903/1964 673.10 3877 4,322
Capitangan 1960 1346.20 3847 5,438
Gabon 1-20-64 841.40 4270 5,452
Laon 1-20-64 420.60 1714 2,118
Mabatang 1903/1964 1766.80 7088 7,864
Omboy 1-20-64 336.50 3140 3,265
Salian 1-20-64 1178.00 1744 2,546
Wawa 1-20-64 252.40 4549 6,989
Total: 7970.95 30161 38,554
how about SAMAL
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