Yano Yan Ay
- Home
- About Calauag
- Calauag Global
- CAC
- CACUSA
- CALEUSA
- CCGC
- NACS
- ROTARY CLUB
- Flowers, Fiesta & Flores de Mayo 2012
- Joeks Laang
- Usapang Iskul Bukol
- Atilas Gaualac
- Feature Articles
- Wonderful Pictures
- Facts
- Health
- Pictures. Pictures..
- Filipino Foodies
- Community News
- Inspirational Stories
- More Fun
- Overloaded
- Aldabes
- Miscellany
- Bilibid Kahit Munti
- Bilibid also
- CCC Alumni Association
- Selected videos
About Calauag
Calauag is a 1st class municipality in Quezon among its forty (40) towns and the city of Lucena which is also the capital and the seat of the provincial government. It is also the 2nd largest Municipality 4th District of Quezon in terms of Land Area. It was founded in 1851 and its foundation anniversary is presently observed together with the celebration of the annual town fiesta every May 25.
The town proper is serenely nestled between a mountain and a sea and so strategically located yet accessible to land and sea transportation. Passing by along the hilly portion of the Maharlika Highway, one could take a glimpse of the whole town with a view of Calauag Bay in the background and, further on, the Pacific Ocean. The townsfolk who are genial and peace loving still maintain the age-old tradition and customs and the close-knit family ties even at this modern age.
Calauag is an agricultural town. It has a total land area of 42,318hectares, with about 76% of that being used for planting and harvesting coconuts, rice, citrus and vegetables. Fishing is another source of livelihood for its populace living in the far-flung barangays particularly along the coasts off the Pacific Ocean. Fishponds operations have also found their way in Calauag, adding to the flourishing fishing industry. Crabs from Calauag is known as the best in the Philippines. 
The ideal peace and order situation obtaining in the town makes it a favorite stop over for travelers plying the route of Manila-Bicol Region and as far as Visayas and Mindanao. Lately, it is being dubbed as the melting pot or emerging transportation terminal in Southern Tagalog because of the three terminals being operated by major transportation companies in the country. Going to this town will have a change for travelers to experience the enchanting Quezon National Forest Park (Bitukang Manok or Eme Road) situated in Towns of Atimonan and Pagbilao. There is a mini park with man-made lagoon on top of the mountain (old zig-zag) ideal place for resting, eating and car checking.
Mosaic aerial map of Calauag, Quezon (Thanks to Sam Declaro)
Calauag is composed of originally ninety barangays and by the latest census, it has a total population of 71,621. In 2010, there were 34,158 registered voters, making its people highly politicized and well-informed of their rights of suffrage. Elections were consistently peaceful and orderly. Elected officials and career civil servants in the local government including the barangay officials are widely known for their dedication to their sworn duties to serve their constituencies.
The Municipality of Calauag is situated 233 kilometers southeast of 
Manila. Its boundaries are Lopez, Quezon on the West and South; Calauag, Basiad, and Tinig Bays on the North; Guinyangan, Quezon, Tagkawayan Quezon, and Sta.Elena, Camarines Norte on the East. It has a total land area of 42,318hectares spread over ninety barangays (including the 9 disputed barangays) with twelve barangays consisting of the town proper; twenty three barangays situated along the roadside; twenty barangays considered as inland; three barangays are directly along the path railways; and thirty two barangays are in the coastal area facing along the Pacific Ocean and inward going to the town proper, Calauag Bay.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Barangays
Calauag is politically subdivided into 81 Barangays
|
|
|
The Barangay: The Smallest Yet Greatest Political Unit
(From speech delivered by REP. EDCEL C. LAGMAN
at the 2007 Oath Taking Ceremonies of Barangay Officials of the First Congressional District of Albay)
The Barangay as a political unit is the most enduring legacy of our pre-Hispanic past. As pupils we learned that the word barangay traces its roots to balangay – th...
As barangay officials, it would be best to understand the history of this unique political unit so as to better recognize its indispensability to effective local and national governance.
In the ancient barangay, the datu was the head and under the datu was the vital Council of Elders which acted as an advisory body. It is important to underscore that the datu may either be male or female. This is a reflection of how democratic our pre-Hispanic ancestors were because gender did not matter so long as the datu had the trust and confidence of the people.
The only requirement was that the datu must have distinguished himself or herself in some way – be it in battle or as a crisis manager. The position can be inherited but only if successors possess the same traits as the predecessor. Otherwise, a new and more deserving datu was selected by all free men and women of the barangay, regardless of social class. Datus were indeed genuine public servants who gave premium to the interest and welfare of the barangay.
It is interesting to note that then, as now, the head of the barangay exercised executive, judicial and legislative powers. But back then, the barangay was completely autonomous and datus were answerable only to their people. Barangays were also very fluid and territorial borders were unimportant. This meant that a whole barangay may resettle into another unoccupied territory so long as a consensus has been reached among the people.
When the Spanish conquistadores arrived, they immediately saw the significance of these political units. But to use the barangay for their own ends they had to make drastic changes. Territories became fixed in order to be able to better control the subjugated population. They ordered forced relocations so as to combine several barangays to form a pueblo. The autonomy of the barangay was effectively curtailed and it became a mere sub-component of the pueblo which was administered by the gobernadorcillo who was in turn accountable to the alcade mayor.
The datu class became the principalia or the local elite co-opted by the Spanish to help govern their subjects. To completely erase the vestiges of the past, even the nomenclature was changed – datus became cabezas de barangay whose main duty was to supply the local Spanish authorities with forced labor and taxes in exchange for a fraction of the powers and privileges they previously enjoyed. The Council of Elders was also abolished because it became irrelevant as the cabeza de barangay was relegated to the role of tax collector and forced labor recruiter.
Moreover, a cabeza de barangay had to be a man and was elected only by male members of the principalia in elections that were, more often than not, influenced by the parish priest of the pueblo.
After the downfall of the Spanish regime, the Americans made very little changes to the structure of the barangay. They encouraged the use of the word barrio to replace barangay and the local village chief regained his functions as a village headman, minus the responsibility of collecting taxes and providing forced labor. Cabeza de barangay came to be called barrio captain but this was a superficial change because like the Spaniards, the Americans ensured that the village chief belonged to the ruling elite and can only be elected by those belonging to a few privileged families. Thus, the Spanish tradition of limiting the pool of would be chiefs to the local elite continued.
The name game continued during the Commonwealth period and the term barrio captain evolved into the name tiniente del barrio.
During the incumbency of President Marcos, the word barrio was eschewed and the term barangay was again embraced. The name tiniente del barrio went into disuse and the term barangay captain was adopted.
With the enactment of the Local Government Code in 1991, the current term punong barangay was instituted. Although the position of punong barangay may have evolved through the centuries and have undergone several changes in nomenclature, it is still anchored on the concept that public trust should be repaid by genuine public service.
The staying power of this political institution is proof of its indispensability. The barangay is key to the effective and speedy delivery of frontline services. The recent preemptive evacuations conducted in Albay magnify the importance of barangay leaders. Without your cooperation, a Herculean task such as the one you undertook would have been much more formidable.
The barangay is also the principal link of the people to the municipal, provincial and national government and vice versa. Because you operate at the grassroots level, your inputs regarding the needs of your constituents is invaluable as you are the most accurate barometer of the real pulse of the people.
Moreover, there can be no more fertile training ground for future leaders than the barangay. Because the barangay is a microcosm of national governance it is therefore the best leadership training school. The leadership skills of barangay officials are honed principally because of the unique quality of the powers they wield. You are expected to be effective channels of action at the community level even as you become trained in consensus-building. The punong barangay also performs the duties of all three branches of government. It is ironic that although a barangay official is perceived to be the lowest ranking government official, you are the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary rolled into one.
The executive powers of the barangay primarily include enforcing all laws and ordinances applicable within the barangay and the planning of programs, projects and activities in the community. Its legislative powers are vested with the Sangguniang Barangay which is mandated to enact ordinances necessary to discharge the responsibilities conferred on it by law. Finally, the barangay has quasi-judicial powers. Through the Lupong Tagapamayapa, it has the authority to mediate and amicably settle disputes between members of the barangay. In fact, a certification from the Lupon that no conciliation or settlement has been reached regarding matters within its authority is required as a pre-condition to the filing of a case in court or any other government office for adjudication.
The fusion of the powers of the three branches of government in the barangay places this small political unit a notch higher than the parliamentary system. In a parliamentary set-up, executive and legislative functions are exercised simultaneously but barangay officials also have quasi-judicial powers apart from the power to implement and enact laws.
The duties and responsibilities of barangay officials seem endless because apart from all those I’ve already underscored, the barangay also has fiscal or taxing powers and is tasked to maintain peace and order. Under Sec. 152 of the Local Government Code, “barangays may levy taxes, fees, and charges … which shall exclusively accrue to them.” Moreover, it is expressly provided in Sec. 388 of the same statute that the barangay is “charged with the maintenance of public order, protection and security of life and property, or the maintenance of a desirable balanced environment…”.
Barangay officials are akin to doctors. They are expected to be on call 24 hours a day because problems may crop up any time of the day or night that need solutions which cannot be deferred for the next day or on the availability of the mayor, governor or congressman.
You have the power to legislate ordinances; enforce laws; act as judge and jury to your peers; levy taxes, fees and charges; and maintain public order in your community, among others. I can even say that you have more powers than a congressman. But from these vast powers emanate your equally enormous responsibilities.
As public servants, you should always ensure that your personal interest and that of your family and associates do not conflict with or erode your loyalty to the very people who have installed you to your position. Having been elected by the people, you are all directly responsible and accountable to the people for all your official acts. This is why your office is a public trust. You do not have any right vested to it. You do not own your office or position. It is only loaned to you by your constituencies.
Public service is not something one does in one’s spare time. It is not a hobby that you take up during weekends. The responsibilities of this job require your full attention. They cannot be accomplished half-heartedly because public service demands your complete commitment.
Since you are the primary link of the government to the grassroots, the job of a barangay official is a sensitive one. As such you must always remember that the efficacy of governance is enhanced or worsened depending on the performance of the barangay official.
We should keep in mind that government is an institution that was established to promote the common good and in order to maintain the trust and confidence of our constituents we must remain faithful to our Oaths of Office to serve the people as best we could.
Being the smallest government unit, the barangay is the foundation on which the rest of the state’s institutions are built. If we are to progress as a nation, it is imperative that the foundation of our government be rock-solid lest the whole structure crumbles. As barangay officials, you were chosen by our people to be that solid foundation. This demonstrates the truth that the barangay is indeed the smallest yet the greatest political unit.
The trinity of governmental powers is vested in the Barangay Chairman. He is the Chief Executive of the barangay; he is the Presiding Officer of the Sangguniang Barangay; and he is the Chief Magistrate of the Lupong Tagapamayapa. In a manner of speaking, the Barangay Chairman is President, Speaker and Chief Justice. Truly, he is the greatest functionary.
Your election is an opportunity for you to achieve so much for our people. You have been chosen to be the bedrock of a progressive society, do not let this opportunity slip from your hands.
Dios mabalos po saindo gabos.
Brief History
 |
| According to the writings of Father Valentin Martin in his Ensayo De Una Sintesis de los Trabajos Realizados Sos Las Corporaciones Religiosas Espanolas De Filipinas, the first record of the establishment of a settlement in Calauag dates as far as the year 1584. However, the formal founding of the town was placed in the year 1851 with the union of the settlements in Apad and Calauag. The name Calauag was derived from an incident in which a huge turtle know locally as Kala was caught near the seashore of the town. When the people tried to kill the turtle with sticks, the fisherman who caught the turtle dissuaded and pleaded them from doing so by shouting in the native language, Kala, Huwag! Kala, Huwag! meaning don't kill the turtle and such pleadings were repeated several times they finally allowed the turtle t swim back to the sea. Since then, whenever a turtle is caught, people will warn those who would like to kill it by saying Kala, Huwag, Kala, Huwag. As time went on, people will always point to the particular settlements near the shore where turtles abound with cautious reference as Kala-Huwag, and it stuck to the minds of the natives hence, the derivation of the name Calauag. It was obvious that during the Spanish colonization, and since Spain don't have letters K and W in their alphabet, instead of KALAWAG, they wrote in all their writings and documents the name CALAUAG. The first elected Captain of the town was Juan Sunog. In 1897, the town was placed under the Revolutionary Government and Alipio Declaro became the Municipal President. In 1914, the town was destroyed by fire for the first time. On December 24, 1941, the town was occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army but was liberated by the American Forces on April 19, 1945. It was said that the first settlers of Calauag came from Perez (Buenavista) and Tikay (Guinayangan) who joined the originalinhabitants living in Pinagbayanan and Apad. |
Natural Resources
Existing land use
Calauag is one of the municipalities in the southern part of Quezon province. The municipality covers a total land area of 42,318hectares with slopes ranging from lowland, plain to mountainous. Slope ranges from 0-1% to 15% and above. It is composed of 90 barangays with Barangays I to V in the poblacion and already urbanized adjacent barangays of Sta. Maria, Sabang I and II, Pinagtalleran, Baclaran, Pinagbayanan and Pinagkamaligan. Commercial and industrial establishments are found in these areas adding to the urban feature of said barangays.
Calauag is primarily an agricultural municipality. Of the 42,318hectares of land, about 32,426hectares ore 76% is devoted to agriculture. The remaining area is subdivided to build up uses, forest, open grassland, roads, rivers and creeks, swamps and fishponds.
1. General Land Use Calauag although considered one of the major urban center in the southern province of Quezon is primarily agricultural. It is composed of 90 barangays. The urban area is composed of 12 barangays, 23 barangays are situated along major transportation routes, 3 barangays are directly along the path of the railways, and 32 are the so called coastal barangays being situated along the coasts of Pacific Ocean and Calauag-Lamon Bay. With a total land area of 42,318 and a population of 71,621 covered in the year under review, the gross population is about 1.70 persons per hectare.
2. Built-Up Areas Built up areas constitute the urban core of the poblacion and portions of the adjacent urbanized barangays. The total built up area of the municipality is 1,590hectares which is 3.75% of the total area and distributed as follows: Urban built up - 1.15 hectares; Residential - 1,286.60; Commercial - 105.50; Institutional - 38.90; Roads & utilities - 63.60; Functional Open Space - 10.00; Industrial - 4.25
Total - 1,590.00hectares
3. Agricultural Areas The agricultural area of the municipality covers a total area of 32,436hectares or 76% of the total land area. This is predominantly planted to coconuts, rice, bananas, corn, fruit trees, vegetables and others.
4. Forest Areas The forest area of Calauag is 1.278hectares or 3.30% of the total land 
area. This is not concentrated in one area alone as small portions are found scattered in the other barangays like Lagay, Atulayan, Kunalum, Talingting, Anas, Bukal and Kinamaligan. Forest products derived from the forest include lumber, mangrove, timber, nipa, bamboo, buri, charcoal and wild plants. Dipterocarp species are also found in the forested area.
5. Open grassland/pastureland Open grassland used as pastureland has approximately land area of 300hectares. It could be found in various barangays but most especially along the transportation routes for obvious reason.
6. Marginal land Marginal land comprises the rivers, springs and creeks which has a total of 15hectares. The rivers are known as Pandanan River and Sumulong River. The springs can be found in Pansol, Yaganak, Kinalin and Maligaya.
7. Swamps, marshes and Fishponds Areas There are about 2.690hectares devoted to fishponds. They are mostly located along the swamps and marshes which are easier to develop and cheaper. Majority of fishponds in Calauag are privately owned and operated by established companies involved in fishpond operations for bigger yield.
I wrote this sometime August 2007
... There is an interesting rejoinder on what we know how CALAUAG came about. I think most of us heard it from the kwento of our ninuno that Calauag came from KALA, the turtle which was KAKAWAG KAWAG. The other one was a KALA, about the be killed there was a cry not to, HUWAG or WAG, hence it became KALAWAG. But the Spaniards who landed in our shores and stayed for so long, having no K and W in their alphabet, changed K to C and W to U
I understand there was also a move, a supposedly patriotic one, in the Sangguniang Bayan to revert to the old Kalawag but there were opposition to it and the ordinance or resolution to the effect has been shelved. Note that there is at present the municipal government sanctioned Kala Leadership Award or simply Gawad KALA which is giving out awards to outstanding citizens of Calauag in recognition to their achievement in their particular field of endeavor.
Now, here comes the observation of Mr. Arturo Morato (artmorato.tripod.com) of the revered and respected Morato clan, that indeed, that there must be a concerted effort to look deeper about the history of Calauag. It's about time that we should really make a credible explanation how we got our name.
Atty. Sonny Pulgar (Katataspulong.com) joined me in this subject and he, too, has a version from what he heard among the Paang Bundok residents. Ang kwento raw noong panahon ng Kastila, our place was noted for cool or calm ( CALA) body of water (AGUAS). During the time of our forefathers, it was already Calaguas but pronounced Calauag. I have story to tell on this to support the version of Atty. Sonny.
In 1977, I headed a government's relief operation in Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur in the aftermath of typhoon Kading. Its magnitude of devastation was almost the same as typhoon Rosing that wrought havoc to our town in 1995. In Camarines Norte alone where I hold office in the Provincial Capitol in Daet for six months to oversee the operations, 60% of its agriculture and infrastructures were destroyed and there I saw an island barangay where houses were totally wiped out. I remember now that said island is the Calaguas Island which could be seen in the map. While we were there distributing relief goods, I noticed that its residents don't call their place CALAGUAS as spelled but CALAUAG! I relayed this story to others about Calaguas being pronounced as Calauag and indeed, they confirmed it as such.
This story somewhat debunked our belief na nakamalayan na natin that CALAUAG was derived from KALA, kakawag kawag or KALA, huwag!
If I will have my way, the image of PAGONG or KALA should not be our municipal symbol. Para mawala na yung kantiyaw na kaya raw mabagal ang asenso ng atin bayan, pagong ang ating simbolo kaya usad pagong din ang progreso.
A historical research on the matter should be undertaken. It is not unwise to rewrite our local history if a credible finding will come out. I am glad that through our MyHomeTown Calauag website, this story came about. As we go on, we could discover more interesting things regarding our beloved hometown's past which we are not aware of or didn't have the opportunity to discuss before.
Hope to hear comments from you, sa lahat na nagmamahal sa bayan ng Calauag.
Maraming salamat po.
Joe Seguerra
Yano Yan Ay
