Canaman, Camarines Sur
Encyclopedia
Canaman is a landlocked 4th class municipality centrally located in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines
. It is bounded on the North by Magarao, on the South by Camaligan, on the East by Naga City, and on the Southwest by the broad Bicol River
. It is shaped like an ocarina
or a turtle
, and is within 123°-04’-00” and 123°-11’-00” latitudes and 12°-36’-40” to 13°-36’-40”-00 longitudes. From North to South it is 6 km. and 14 km. from East to West. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 31,583 people.
The municipality which battle cry is "Bangon Canaman!" ("Rise Canaman!") is known as the Home of Purest Bicol, Citadel of Bicol Culture and Birthplace of Tancong Vaca Guerilla Unit.
Residents of Canaman are called Canamanons.
It is now part of the collective memory of Canamanons that ages before the place first entered western consciousness and recorded annals, the area that is now Canaman was very thickly forested. According to Fr. Frank Lynch, S.J., who said that Canaman is the purest among Bicol dialects: “The name Canaman is locally said to be derived from the root /kana'/ meaning ‘building materials’. The suffix /-man/ is taken as a locative, the name thus, indicating “place where there are building materials”.
Christianity Reaches Canaman
Local history says that the Cross was first implanted in Canaman soil around 1580’s when some Nueva Caceres-based missionaries apparently on their way back from gospel work in either the visita of Quipayo (now Calabanga) or of San Gabriel (now a barangay of Pamplona), got their bearings confused and, thinking they were turning eastward from the Bicol River to its Naga tributary, instead entered the Canaman creek which at the time was still a deep and fast flowing stream. Paddling deeper into the interiors of the unfamiliar territory, the men of God ended up in the timeless ambiance of a largish ancient native settlement in what is now the barangay of Poro.
In 1599, Canaman became an independent parish and was administered by Fray Pedro Matias de Andrade, a Franciscan who later became the fifth Bishop of Diocese of Caceres. The patron saint at that time was San Roque, whose image, said to have come all the way from Spain was met at its arrival by the people of Canaman in the shores of Pasacao.
Philippine-American War
In 1900, after militant Canamanons heard that the Americans are closing in, burned to the ground their own “beautiful and richly decorated church, in an act of self-immolation
and in effort to save the town’s most concrete embodiment of its Catholic faith from desecration at the hands of the new imperialists. The burning was a deliberate and intentional act: the heavy-hearted arsonists even gathered and piled on top of the church’s expensive organ dry grass and big tree branches to which they touched the match, to make certain that the fire consumed all combustible parts of the 231-year-old building and its interiors.
In 1902, during the provincial governorship of Captain George Curry, the Municipality of Canaman and its office of the presidente municipal both disappeared from legal cognizance and lost its independent existence. Canaman was annexed to Nueva Caceres (now Naga City), though some barrio were attached to Magarao and Canaman’s top position of presidente municipal was downgraded to concejal encargado. Appropriately enough, all of Canaman’s concejal enacrgados were residents of the place.
In the year 1909, Canaman regained its status as an independent municipality, when it was separated from Nueva Caceres by an act of the First Philippine Legislature. This was mainly due to the efforts of Tomas Arejola, the representative of the first district of Ambos Camarines
to the first legislature.
Public Education System
Public educational system reached Canaman in 1903 with the arrival of a certain Miss Long, an American schoolteacher. She opened the first school now known as Canaman Central School in Dinaga, at the house of Don Basilio Severo (at the spot where the Facoma building stands at present) which the government rented.
WW II - The Birth of TVGU
On March 8, 1942, three months after Japanese Imperial Forces landed in Legaspi and Naga City, the famous Tangcong Vaca Guerilla Unit (TVGU) was organized in Barangay San Nicolas, with Juan Miranda as the Commanding Officer, Leon Aureus as the Executive Officer and Elias Madrid as the Finance Officer. Among the numerous taga-Canaman who joined-up soon afterwards either in the unit’s intelligence or combat components were Jose and Antonio Madrid, Mamerto Sibulo, Andres Fortaleza, Marcos Severo, Damaso Avenilla, Federico Crescini, Nicolas Vargas, Venancio Begino, Eugenio Ragodon, Juan Pachica, Santiago Amaro, Jose Gervas, Pedro Angeles, Aproniano Lopez, Andres Alzate, Modesto Sanchez, Blas Alcantara, Andres Aguilar, Florencio Frondozo, Alfredo de la Torre and Flaviano Estrada.
In 1945, the liberation of Canaman, Camarines Sur by entering the local Filipino forces of the 5th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 55th, 56th and 57th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Bicolano guerrilla resistance fighters of the Tangcong Vaca Guerrilla Unit (TVGU) was fought to the Japanese forces at the end of Second World War.
Two agro-industrial establishments are found in Canaman: the poultry feeds and palay.
Various types of cottage industries like handicraft, furniture, fan making (made of anahaw), ragiwdiw and nipa shingles are conducted in this town.
In 1998, it was recorded that agricultural workers reached only 27.3% while 70.8% were engaged in non-agricultural activities.
Trade and Commerce
Presence of Canaman Public Market and a privately owned "talipapa" Most of the people's marketing activities are done in Naga City.
Agricultural Sector
88.38% of the total land area
Local Tourism
Lagaylay Festival - A May celebration in Canaman, Camarines Sur to honor the Sta. Cruz tradition. Women dance on the streets while chanting prayers to find the real cross. and also celebrate in San Nicolas and Bawa and you can find the true maining of Festival
Transportation Facilities
Most of the roads and main streets in the poblacion (urban barangays) are concrete with few earth and gravel roads, 4 can be reached only through water transportation while 11 can be reached either through water transportation and/or by land transportation.
s. Chairmen are included.
barangay were asked by the Japanese regarding the direction of the Filipino soldiers
There responses were, “There (pinpointing the place), the Filipino soldiers are
going in that Pawa-pawa.” Pawa-pawa is a Bikol word, which means, a small forested
and grassland area. The Japanese, pronounced the word “Pawa-pawa” as “Bawa”.
As years goes by, this place was popularly known as Bawa.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It is bounded on the North by Magarao, on the South by Camaligan, on the East by Naga City, and on the Southwest by the broad Bicol River
Bicol River
Bicol River is the eight largest river in the Philippines in terms of drainage basin size with an estimated catchment area of 3,770 km². The river drains the southwestern part of the island of Luzon and passes through Camarines Sur, Albay, and Camarines Norte provinces in the Bicol Region.The...
. It is shaped like an ocarina
Ocarina
The ocarina is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. Variations do exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body...
or a turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
, and is within 123°-04’-00” and 123°-11’-00” latitudes and 12°-36’-40” to 13°-36’-40”-00 longitudes. From North to South it is 6 km. and 14 km. from East to West. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 31,583 people.
The municipality which battle cry is "Bangon Canaman!" ("Rise Canaman!") is known as the Home of Purest Bicol, Citadel of Bicol Culture and Birthplace of Tancong Vaca Guerilla Unit.
Residents of Canaman are called Canamanons.
History
Origin of the town's nameIt is now part of the collective memory of Canamanons that ages before the place first entered western consciousness and recorded annals, the area that is now Canaman was very thickly forested. According to Fr. Frank Lynch, S.J., who said that Canaman is the purest among Bicol dialects: “The name Canaman is locally said to be derived from the root /kana'/ meaning ‘building materials’. The suffix /-man/ is taken as a locative, the name thus, indicating “place where there are building materials”.
Christianity Reaches Canaman
Local history says that the Cross was first implanted in Canaman soil around 1580’s when some Nueva Caceres-based missionaries apparently on their way back from gospel work in either the visita of Quipayo (now Calabanga) or of San Gabriel (now a barangay of Pamplona), got their bearings confused and, thinking they were turning eastward from the Bicol River to its Naga tributary, instead entered the Canaman creek which at the time was still a deep and fast flowing stream. Paddling deeper into the interiors of the unfamiliar territory, the men of God ended up in the timeless ambiance of a largish ancient native settlement in what is now the barangay of Poro.
In 1599, Canaman became an independent parish and was administered by Fray Pedro Matias de Andrade, a Franciscan who later became the fifth Bishop of Diocese of Caceres. The patron saint at that time was San Roque, whose image, said to have come all the way from Spain was met at its arrival by the people of Canaman in the shores of Pasacao.
Philippine-American War
Self-immolation
Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
and in effort to save the town’s most concrete embodiment of its Catholic faith from desecration at the hands of the new imperialists. The burning was a deliberate and intentional act: the heavy-hearted arsonists even gathered and piled on top of the church’s expensive organ dry grass and big tree branches to which they touched the match, to make certain that the fire consumed all combustible parts of the 231-year-old building and its interiors.
In 1902, during the provincial governorship of Captain George Curry, the Municipality of Canaman and its office of the presidente municipal both disappeared from legal cognizance and lost its independent existence. Canaman was annexed to Nueva Caceres (now Naga City), though some barrio were attached to Magarao and Canaman’s top position of presidente municipal was downgraded to concejal encargado. Appropriately enough, all of Canaman’s concejal enacrgados were residents of the place.
In the year 1909, Canaman regained its status as an independent municipality, when it was separated from Nueva Caceres by an act of the First Philippine Legislature. This was mainly due to the efforts of Tomas Arejola, the representative of the first district of Ambos Camarines
Ambos Camarines
Ambos Camarines , commonly known as Camarines, was a historical province in the Philippines found on the northern end of the Bicol Peninsula. It now exists as two separate provinces: Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur....
to the first legislature.
Public Education System
Public educational system reached Canaman in 1903 with the arrival of a certain Miss Long, an American schoolteacher. She opened the first school now known as Canaman Central School in Dinaga, at the house of Don Basilio Severo (at the spot where the Facoma building stands at present) which the government rented.
WW II - The Birth of TVGU
On March 8, 1942, three months after Japanese Imperial Forces landed in Legaspi and Naga City, the famous Tangcong Vaca Guerilla Unit (TVGU) was organized in Barangay San Nicolas, with Juan Miranda as the Commanding Officer, Leon Aureus as the Executive Officer and Elias Madrid as the Finance Officer. Among the numerous taga-Canaman who joined-up soon afterwards either in the unit’s intelligence or combat components were Jose and Antonio Madrid, Mamerto Sibulo, Andres Fortaleza, Marcos Severo, Damaso Avenilla, Federico Crescini, Nicolas Vargas, Venancio Begino, Eugenio Ragodon, Juan Pachica, Santiago Amaro, Jose Gervas, Pedro Angeles, Aproniano Lopez, Andres Alzate, Modesto Sanchez, Blas Alcantara, Andres Aguilar, Florencio Frondozo, Alfredo de la Torre and Flaviano Estrada.
In 1945, the liberation of Canaman, Camarines Sur by entering the local Filipino forces of the 5th, 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 55th, 56th and 57th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Bicolano guerrilla resistance fighters of the Tangcong Vaca Guerrilla Unit (TVGU) was fought to the Japanese forces at the end of Second World War.
Socio-Economic Profile
Farming, fishing, employment and small business are the primary sources of most household income.Two agro-industrial establishments are found in Canaman: the poultry feeds and palay.
Various types of cottage industries like handicraft, furniture, fan making (made of anahaw), ragiwdiw and nipa shingles are conducted in this town.
In 1998, it was recorded that agricultural workers reached only 27.3% while 70.8% were engaged in non-agricultural activities.
Trade and Commerce
Presence of Canaman Public Market and a privately owned "talipapa" Most of the people's marketing activities are done in Naga City.
Agricultural Sector
88.38% of the total land area
Local Tourism
Lagaylay Festival - A May celebration in Canaman, Camarines Sur to honor the Sta. Cruz tradition. Women dance on the streets while chanting prayers to find the real cross. and also celebrate in San Nicolas and Bawa and you can find the true maining of Festival
Transportation Facilities
Most of the roads and main streets in the poblacion (urban barangays) are concrete with few earth and gravel roads, 4 can be reached only through water transportation while 11 can be reached either through water transportation and/or by land transportation.
Barangays
Canaman is politically subdivided into 24 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s. Chairmen are included.
|
|
Bawa
During the Japanese regime, some Japanese soldiers went to San Francisco, Canaman. They were chasing some Filipino soldiers. Some residents in the nearbybarangay were asked by the Japanese regarding the direction of the Filipino soldiers
There responses were, “There (pinpointing the place), the Filipino soldiers are
going in that Pawa-pawa.” Pawa-pawa is a Bikol word, which means, a small forested
and grassland area. The Japanese, pronounced the word “Pawa-pawa” as “Bawa”.
As years goes by, this place was popularly known as Bawa.