Jasaan, Misamis Oriental
Encyclopedia
Misamis Oriental
Misamis Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital and provincial center is Cagayan de Oro City...
in Northern Mindanao
Northern Mindanao
Designated as Region X of the Philippines, Northern Mindanao is composed of five provinces and two cities classified as highly-urbanized, all occupying the north-central part of Mindanao island, and the island-province of Camiguin...
, Philippines
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 approximately 28 kilometers eastward from the capital city of Cagayan de Oro. The municipality is composed of the coastal “barangay
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s” of Aplaya, Solana
Solana, Cagayan
Solana is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 71,475 people in 12,945 households.-Barangays:Solana is politically subdivided into 38 barangays.* Andarayan North...
, Luz Banzon (Kiog-ang), Kimaya, Lower Jasaan (Ubos), Bobuntugan, Jampason and San Antonio, and the inner “barangays” of Upper Jasaan (Ibabaw), Corrales, San Isidro, Natubo, Danao, San Nicolas (Kilumba) and I.S. Cruz. It bounds on the municipalities of Villanueva, Claveria
Claveria, Cagayan
Claveria is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 30,275 people in 5,767 households....
and Balingasag
Balingasag, Misamis Oriental
Balingasag is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 57,765 people in 9,618 households.-Highlights:...
and Macajalar Bay
Macajalar Bay
Macajalar Bay is a deep water bay located north of the Province of Misamis Oriental on the Mindanao island, southern part the Philippines. Cagayan de Oro City, being the regional center of Northern Mindanao , is located in one of its deep-water harbor...
on the north.
The 2007 census conducted by the National Statistics Office
National Statistics Office (Philippines)
The National Statistics Office is the Philippine government's major statistical agency responsible in collecting, compiling, classifying, producing, publishing, and disseminating general-purpose statistics as provided for in Commonwealth Act No...
states that the town is a second class municipality. Approximately twenty percent of its 45,310 population live in the urban center. Its land is mostly rocky. Even with rocky soil it is able to keep its lush and keep its main rivers – Cabulig and Mandangisiao - alive and healthy.
The town has retained much of its culture until the late sixties when electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
was introduced. People then were dependent of coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. Other agricultural products like corn
Corn
Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
and vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s were very minimal. Employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
was provided mainly by the government through the public school system, a few national government agencies and the local government unit. Trading and merchandising was mostly confined at Ubos (now Lower Jasaan) along the stretch that ends at the public market. Ubos had some remnant of Hispanic influence houses in its main street but this was razed by fire in the early eighties.
It used to be that the Jasaanon has a calendar of activities in mind and he keeps a tab of every activity that comes. He rejoices with the coming of every New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
and caps the end of the year with a “lubong-lubong” – a ritual which marks the death of an old year and rejoices the birth of a new one. “Lubong-lubong” (“lubong” is the vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
of the word to bury) is a mock burial. The ritual is done the town plaza. It starts with a masked old man in tattered clothes plodding around the hall where townsfolk gather in merriment to greet the coming year. As the countdown to the New Year continues, the old man in tattered clothes disappears in the dark. A little tot in diapers then appears in the midst of hall as the church tolls the knell of the dying year. Immediately, the ringing shifts to a merry peal of all the church bells in the twin belfries of the Immaculate Conception Church to mark the New Year.
The Jasaanon is then led to the main door of the church where a funeral bier
Bier
A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.In Christian burial, the bier is often placed in the centre of the nave with candles surrounding it, and remains in place during the funeral.The bier is a flat frame,...
lays. A mock person tagged with the year that passed is then laid on top of it. A man dressed in tattered black cloth then recites some Latin prayer and leads some curious people to a funeral march
Funeral march
A funeral march is a march, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession. Some such marches are often considered appropriate for use during funerals and other sombre occasions, the most well-known being that of Chopin...
which ends at the gates of the Catholic cemetery. The bier is left at the gates to end the ritual.
It used to be that the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season in Jasaan ended on February 2, to commemorate the feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus at the Temple
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante...
and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The town calendar of activities was associated with the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. After the Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
en celebration, Jasaanons used to celebrate a second town fiesta on May 5, to honor St. Augustine
St. Augustine
-People:* Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo , father of the Latin church* Augustine of Canterbury , first Archbishop of Canterbury* Augustine Webster, an English Catholic martyr.-Places:*St. Augustine, Florida, United States...
. Then a lull is felt until the All Souls Day
All Souls Day
All Souls' Day commemorates the faithful departed. In Western Christianity, this day is observed principally in the Catholic Church, although some churches of Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes several All Souls' Days during the...
when Jasaanons from all over come to pay respects for their dead. Then they become preoccupied with activities for the parochial fiesta on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September. It is the patronal feast day of the United States and the Republic of the...
and the fiesta mood extends to the Christmas season.
The outskirts of Jasaan retained much of its idyllic sights until the installation of the power lines for the electrification
Electrification
Electrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...
project and the road widening program in the early seventies. Since the introduction of these twin infrastructural improvements, the gradual transformation of Jasaan lifestyle began.
The games children played on the streets and open areas had slowly faded from sight as most of them have found a new way of entertainment in television. The allure of bright full moon
Full moon
Full moon lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun.Lunar eclipses can only occur at...
nights had vanished as the street lights dimmed its sheen. Jasaanons loved their full moon but that love affair was diminished when their streets and homes were lighted. Gone were the gaieties of moonlit nights that Jasaanons of all ages enjoyed.
At the turn on the millennium, Jasaan has gradually metamorphosed into a resort town. The entrepreneurs of the place have capitalized on the abundance of its spring water sources. The town has now spring resorts more than its local residents can dip into. People from neighboring areas have been constant visitors of those spring resorts.
Barangays
Jasaan is politically subdivided into 15 barangays, namely:- Aplaya
- Solana
- Luz Banzon (Kiog-ang)
- Kimaya
- Lower Jasaan (Ubos)
- Bobuntugan
- Jampason
- San Antonio
- Upper Jasaan (Ibabaw)
- Korales
- San Isidro
- Natubo
- Danao
- San Nicolas (Kilumba)
- I.S. Cruz
The Town Center
Poblacion (Upper and Lower Jasaan)Most of the records of the municipality were allegedly destroyed during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Recorded history of the town has been mostly Post WWII Liberation accounts. The town center of Jasaan is a picture of the Spanish Catholic concept of settlement model – "bajo de las campanas" – where people live around the vicinity of the church up to the point where the peal of the bells could be heard. There used to be a bell at the belfry of the Nuestra Senora de la Inmaculada Concepcion Church where the peal could be heard as far as the hills of Natubo. This town center used to be one big Poblacion
Poblacion
A Poblacion or Población, literally "town" or "Population" in Spanish, is the name commonly used for the central barangay or barangays of a Philippine city or municipality. Common features of the poblacion include a town plaza, church, market, school and town hall. It is sometimes shortened to...
subdivided into nine “aldea
Aldea
Aldea may refer to:* Aurel Aldea , a Romanian general and anti-communist resistance leader* Bogdan Aldea , a Romanian football player...
s” which have been tagged as Purok Uno, Purok Dos, Purok Tres, Purok Cuatro, Purok Cinco, Purok Seis, Purok Siete, Purok Ocho and Purok Nueve. Purok is a Filipino word for a village. In the 1960s these villages have adopted names, like Siga-Siga, Mauswagon and Mabuligon, etc.
In the early 70’s, when the infamous martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
was in force, then President Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
, a series of presidential decrees has made the barangay the basic political unit of Philippines
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...
. The Centro, as it used to be referred to, was then split into Upper Jasaan
and Lower Jasaan. Local residents would refer to these two as Ubos and Ibabaw, a vernacular indication of their geographical location in the slope. Ubos, being Lower and Ibabaw, Upper. Despite the partition of the Poblacion into two barangays, the old village identifications – the Purok – are still generally referred to in the present Jasaan.
Jasaan town plaza is a good example of the separation of Church and State property. A road that runs through the middle of the plaza makes the demarcation line. That portion fronting the centuries old church belongs to the Roman Catholic Church and on the other side of the road is owned by the local government of Jasaan.
Jasaan is believed to have been already a municipality during the establishment of the Immaculate Conception Parish in 1840. The old church bells (there were four of them, not to include the one now at the San Agustin Cathedral at Cagayan de Oro) of the Immaculate Conception Church of Jasaan bore these inscriptions around its outer rim - "Para El Pueblo de Jasaan 1860" [more or less], which suggests that the Spanish government has recognized Jasaan as a town. With the coming of the Americans at the turn of the twentieth century, the national government, in 1903, downgraded the political status of Jasaan from that of a municipality to a barrio (a Spanish subdivision of a municipio) and made it a part of the Municipality of Balingasag.["The Philippine Commission of 1903, Act No. 960, combined some municipalities in 1903 because the civil government had no control of these municipalities; they could not be defended by the Philippine Constabulary or the Scouts, nor could they be governed by the pro-American inhabitants!""]
Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Rivera Quirino was a Filipino politician, and the sixth President of the Philippines.A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 1925–1931...
, Jasaan regained its municipal status. On November 10, 1948, the inauguration of Jasaan as a municipality was made and a set of appointed municipal officials assumed office.(from the website of Jasaan Local Government)
Due to the absence of electricity, Jasaan lagged in development until the 70’s.
Her population was mostly composed of later generations of those who settled there in mid-1800.
Most of them are related by consanguinity
Consanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
and they speak a dialect uniquely Jasaanon.
The Outskirts of Jasaan
With the coming of electricity in the late 60’s, Jasaan slowly developed into an industrial town. Resins, Incorporated and Philippine Iron Construction and Marine Works (PICMW) established their plants at Nahalinan, a village which is a part of Lower Jasaan. The Pilipinas Kao, another industrial plant, established their plant at Luz Banzon, also in the 70’s. A substation of the National Power CorporationNational Power Corporation
The National Power Corporation , also known as the NPC or Napocor, is a state-owned company that serves as the largest provider and generator of electricity in the Philippines...
has been put up in Aplaya. Vertical infrastructure in the municipality of Jasaan improved when pavement and widening of the national highway that traverses the whole of Northern Mindanao was completed in the seventies.
A number of water resorts have been constructed in outskirts of Jasaan.
These resorts cater to both local residents and visitors from outside the town.
These establishments, including the institutions of learning, boasted employment opportunities
to the local residents and from other areas, too.
The purchasing power of Jasaan has improved since then and the demographics
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
of the town have also greatly changed. Institutions of Learning As the population grew, a rapid rise in the demand for additional educational institutions in Jasaan was observed.
The Jasaan Catholic School (later Mary Immaculate Academy, and recently Saint Mary’s Academy of Jasaan)
which has been in operation in the town by itself since the start of the 20th century until t
he mid-70’s, then found a competitor in Jasaan National High School.
The former was established by the Jesuits and later turned over to the Religious of the Virgin Mary
Religious of the Virgin Mary
The Congregation of the Religious of the Virgin Mary is a ecclesiastical community of vowed religious Roman Catholic women of pontifical right and approval founded in Manila, Philippines. The community was founded in 1684 by Venerable Mother Ignacia del Espíritu Santo, a Filipino Roman Catholic...
while the latter is a government-operated secondary school.
Schools of higher learning like the Colegio de Santo Nino and
Jasaan School of Midwifery/ Jasaan Community College (later Don Mariano Marcos Polytechnic College of Jasaan and now Mindanao University of Science and Technology
Mindanao University of Science and Technology
Mindanao University of Science and Technology commonly known as MUST is a higher education institution in the Philippines...
)
also rose in Jasaan.
Jasaan Today
As the purchasing power of Jasaan improved due to the presence of industrial firms and institutions of learning and the earnings of a decent number of expatriate Jasaanons worldwide, the disposable income of the town is now able to accommodate expenses for entertainment and leisure. A number of water resorts have now become “places to go” in the once sleepy town.The majestic Sagpulon Falls in San Isidro is an idyllic site to visit. The local tourism office of Jasaan maintains the place to preserve is natural allure.
The marine sanctuary at the pristine waters around the white sands of Agutayan Island, five kilometers off the coast of Bobuntugan is a place you must not miss.
Gone were the days when Jasaanons would wait for the quarterly harvest of coconuts and incidental cattle sale for their wherewithal.
Highlights
In 1830, the mission of Jasaan, a town to the north of Misamis Oriental, was to establish separation from Cagayan de Oro where its authority and evangelization reached to as far as the towns of Sumilao, Linabo and Malitbog in the province of BukidnonBukidnon
Bukidnon is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Malaybalay City. The province borders, clockwise starting from the north, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Lanao del Norte.Bukidnon is...
.
The center of civilization of the new parish and its first Church was at “Daanglungsod” which is now the Aplaya, Jasaan, where an old kota (watch tower)still exists. This Kota, however, has been moved a few meters from where it originally stood to allow the construction of the national highway in the 1970s.
Father Gregorio Parache, S.J., - (432 local historical sources of Northern Mindanao by Father Francisco Demetrio, S. J), was the parish priest of Jasaan at that time.
The Jesuits later built the Nuestra Senora de Inmaculada Concepcion Church in what is now the Immaculate Conception Church of Jasaan. The original facade of the church has been modified after a series of renovations.
The original altar of the church has been moved backward to allow bigger area for the faithful inside the church building. Thus, the original sacristy has been moved to the side.
The church is registered as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
External links
- Philippine Standard Geographic Code
- 2000 Philippine Census Information
- http://jattaph.comli.com