Katrina Buenaventura

Final Examination in GE 2

History of Barangay Abar 1st

Barangay Abar derived its name from the giant “Abar Trees”

that were lushly abounding in the banks of the river traversing the

barrio. Its first name was Union Moncada, because the first settlers

came from Moncada, Tarlac. During the Spanish Regime, Barangay

Abar was a hunting ground due to the abundance of wild boars in

what was then a forested area. It was also once a refuge for Filipino

resistance group led by Kapitan Cirilo Gomez struggling against

Spanish domination.

It was during the American occupation in the 1930’s when the

residents started to pour in the barangay. The first rice mill was

constructed in the area from 1936 to 1940. It catapulted the

prominence of the barangay in the municipality as its coffers

increased so as the income of its residents, and the population grew

even bigger. As a result of the fast migration of people, Barangay

Abar was divided into two – the eastern part towards the townhall
was named Abar Primero and the western part going to Cabanatuan

was named Abar Segundo.

During the Japanese War, the whole municipality of San Jose

was razed into the ground as a result of the bombings. Residents

fled into the nearby towns to seek refuge from the devastating

effects of the war. It was during the liberation after the war when

the residents returned into Barangay Abar 1 st. The war brought

unprecedented changes in the barangay. The previously

uninhabited, woody and forested area now teemed with people with

bright prospects of the near future. The leaders who brought

Barangay Abar 1st to what it is today includes Rufino Tagarino,

Melencio Estillore, Aurelio Gabriel, Camilo Rigos, Placido Aquino

Jr., Cornelio Tagarino, Eliseo Abello and Apolinario Buenaventura

(from 1946 to the late 1970s).

History of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija

San Jose City is a 2nd class city in the province of Nueva

Ecija, Philippines. It is the northernmost city of the province.

According to the latest Philippine census, it has a population of

122,353 people in 23,191 households. Before the city was founded

by the Spaniards, it is known as Kabaritan, named for the plant

commonly seen in the area. With its wide plains, agriculture is the

main source of livelihood in the city. It is part of the rice granary of

the Philippines. But the agricultural produce of the city also

includes vegetables, fruits and onions. It is now a leading producer

of onions in the country. Every year the Tanduyong festival is held

on April coinciding with the annual fiesta to celebrate this.

Tanduyong is a variety of onion grown in the area.

San Jose, years before it became a town was a wilderness, a

veritable hunting grown for wild animals by the inhabitants of its

neighboring towns. The earliest inhabitants were known as Negritos

(Baluga) headed by Kapitan Danding, a Negrito convert residing in

Pinagcuartelan. These early inhabitants depended mostly on

hunting and fishing for their livelihood. Some hunters from the

neighboring towns found San Jose as a good place for settlers due

to its wide and uncleared agricultural land. The first group of

settlers made some clearings (kaingin) in the outskirts of the

present town.

Originally, San Jose was a part of the town Puncan, but later

on, because of its nearness to Lupao, it was made a barrio of the

latter. The early history of this town was coupled with the early

history of Puncan and Lupao. Formerly, San Jose was known as the
barrio of “Kabaritan” derived from “barit”, an Ilocano word for a

plant that belongs to the rattan family. “Kabaritan” means the place

where “barit” grows in abundance.

On March 19, 1894, San Jose curved out its own course for on

this date it became a full pledged town, with an interim government

headed by a Kapitan Municipal. “Kabaritan” (now known as San

Jose) was made an independent town from Lupao and was named

after Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the place. Several years

before the Philippine Revolution, the Ilocanos from Tarlac,

Pangasinan, Ilocos Region and some parts of Nueva Ecija, especially

the towns of Sto. Domingo, Muñoz and Lupao, came and plunged

deep into the forest of Kabaritan, and cleared its wilderness. It was

from this time then that the growth of the town really started. The

progress of the town was through the enterprise, thrift and

hardihood of these settlers, headed by Canuto Ramos.

During the Spanish Regime, the barrio of Kabaritan was a

municipal district of Lupao, headed by a Teniente Absoluto. Later,

when Kabaritan was declared a town in 1894, the head was

changed to a Kapitan Municipal. The first man appointed as

Kapitan Municipal was Canuto Ramos. He served from 1894 to

1898. One of his remarkable achievements was the Construction of

an Irrigation System which was later taken over and enlarged by

the government (now the Talavera River Irrigation System) which

irrigates vast rice fields as far as the towns of Muñoz and Talavera.

When the revolution broke out and upon the surrender of the

Spaniards in 1898, a revolutionary government was set up in San

Jose. The town remained as such until the establishment of a civil

government under the Americans in 1901. San Jose, under the

American Regime, became a progressive town. Its inhabitants

enjoyed more rights and privileges- political, economic, intellectual

and religious than before. This was due to the establishment of

various schools, churches, public buildings and the construction of

roads and bridges, which made possible the fast progress of the

town.

From 1898 to 1900, a military government under the

American Regime was established. Jose Cardenas was appointed

Kapitan Municipal. During his term, the appointment of town

officials, the town planning, and the opening of new settlements

were among his achievements. The second appointed Kapitan

Municipal during the military government (1900–1901) was

Celestino Javalde who continued the opening of new settlements

and the construction of roads in the poblacion. When the civil

government under the American Regime was established, Cornelio

Ramos was appointed Kapitan Municipal. He continued the

construction of roads in the poblacion and he also took a hand in

the construction of irrigation canals leading to the different barrios

of San Jose.

In 1904, the Filipinos were given more rights and freedom in

choosing the right man to take the reins of the government. An

election was held. The first elected Municipal President was

Crisanto Sanchez (1904–1906). Among his achievements was the

construction of roads, the naming of the streets in the poblacion

and the appointments of municipal officials. Again, (1906–1908)

Celestino Javalde was elected Municipal President. With the help of

his Vice-President and other municipal officials, he stressed land

reforms, which paved the way for equal distribution of lands. The

President-elect of 1908-1910, Valerio Escobar concentrated on the

Construction of Roads from Sibut to San Agustin. He also founded

the barrios of Sta. Barbara and Kapisungan (now Bagong Sikat).

Desiderio De Guzman had a chance to be elected in 1910 and

served up to 1912. He had many achievements but among all these,

he paid more attention on the improvements of records in the

Poblacion. During the incumbency of Municipal President Agapito

Kurameng, (1912–1916), he initiated the Construction of a Concrete

Elementary School Building (Gabaldon building) which now

comprised one of the central school buildings of the San Jose West

Elementary School. The improvement of roads, expropriation of lots

for the Municipal Hall and the Public Market were among his other

achievements. The Construction of the Municipal building and the

construction of more roads leading to the barrios were launced by

Gregorio Cadhit (1916–1919). He was re-elected to office in 1919 to

1922. During his term in 1919 to 1922, he initiated the

construction of one of the buildings of the public market.

As years went by, the town became so progressive that there

was a need for more public improvements and building

constructions for the welfare of the populace. As an answer to such

demands, the newly elected President Rafael Rueda and Vice-

President Estanislao Arquero with the help of other municipal

officials put up a Puericulture Center and a Municipal Nursery

during the period from 1922 to 1925. A second building for the

public market was also constructed. Telephone lines connecting the

poblacion with all the barrios were installed. A road to Kalbarito

(now Palestina) was constructed and more improvement of roads

was done. Another man in the person of Raymundo Eugenio was

elected Municipal President of San Jose for the period from 1925 to

1928. A third building for the public market was constructed and

more construction of roads, especially those leading to Andres

Bonifacio, were put underway.In 1928-1931, Apolonio Pascual and

Vice-President Victorino Villar were instrumental in putting up the

fourth building for the public market and the municipal dispensary.

More improvement of roads leading to the barrios was also done.

Raymundo Eugenio was re-elected to office. He served from 1931 to

1934 with Vice-President Ladislao Bunag. Raymundo Eugenio was

called the road-building President of San Jose because of the

untiring efforts that he exerted in the construction of many roads

especially roads leading to the barrios of Bagong Bayan, Porais,

Tondod and Andres Bonifacio. Apolonio Pascual was re-elected for

the 1934-1937 term. Dimas Tomas was the Vice President for the

same term. Due to a change on the set-up in 1935, which was

known as commonwealth government, the heads of the municipal

government came to be known and called Alcalde and Vice-Alcalde.

Aside from the construction of more roads, the barrios of Patacla

(now San Franscisco) and A. Pascual were founded. The water

works that provides the people of San Jose with drinking water was

constructed and installed. The home economics building of San

Jose Central School was also constructed.

Alcalde Pedro Del Pilar and Vice-Alcalde Severino Baustista,

under the Commonwealth government, established NARIC (National

Rice and Corn) buying stations in the town. This was during their

term of office from 1937 to 1940. They were reelected for another

term in 1940 to 1942. As a continuation of their policies, the

improvement of roads was continued. Due to the outbreak of World

War II on December 8, 1941, San Jose became an evacuation

center. Evacuees from neighboring provinces especially those from

Manila and suburbs sought refuge in this town. The tranquility of

the place was marred by the bombings of two Japanese planes on

December 23, 1941. The terror stricken populace, who suffered

heavy casualties fled to the remotest barrios of San Jose. An

emergency government under the Commonwealth was established

in the barrio of Porais with Basilio Duran as Mayor, appointed by

the military forces of the Commonwealth Government. The

emergency government existed for a short time, due to the arrival of

the Japanese Imperial Forces on January 26, 1942. An emergency

government, under the control of the Japanese Imperial Forces was

likewise established in Porais with Matias Bautista as Mayor. Due

to non-cooperation of the appointed Mayor Bautista, the Japanese

army was obliged to appoint Mayor Anastacio Bascos. Engr.

Casimiro Panajon succeeded him. Mayor Panajon was however

murdered by the soldiers of the Japanese Garrison of this town for

his non-collaboration with them and his guerilla activities. During

the liberation, under the Commonwealth government, Anselmo

Patacsil, Pedro Del Pilar and Basilio Duran were appointed in

succession as Mayors of this town by the PCAU (Philippine Civil

Affairs Unit) of the liberation forces. Each served for a short period

of time in 1945-1946. They strived once more for the re-

organization of the Municipal Government in cooperation with

officials to coordinate the work of the PCAU. These persons helped

in the establishment of emergency hospitals, the North Provincial

High School and the re-opening of elementary schools.

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines was granted its

independence, there came about a change in our form of

government, from Commonwealth to Republic. Under the Republic

of the Philippines, Alfonso Villamar was elected Mayor with Paulino

Margarejo as his Vice-Mayor, (1947–1951). Among their

achievements were the maintenance of evacuees, pacification

campaign, and rehabilitation of devastated government building,

the establishment of a fire department and a municipal library and

the improvement of roads.

 Why do we need to know our local history?

We need to know our local history because it will helps us to

better understand our community, as well as the inequities in

education, poverty, health outcomes and other issues that we see

around us every day. Added to that, local history contains a

wealth of details and stories that help reveal how societal

changes impacted the lives of ordinary people. By investigating

local history, we can find documents such as accounts of the

first cars in a town, what people thought of them, and how they

changed the lives of the community. Learning about our local

history can help us realize the grand scheme of historical change

is made up of countless individuals like me and those around us

who in their own ways contributed to the ongoing story of your

community. And this story likely contains fascinating

information that is worth finding and preserving.

 Do you believe, that studying local and oral history is

important in studying national history? Yes or no? Why?

Yes, I do believe that studying local and oral history is

important in studying national history because the study of

local topics allows for in-depth research to connect the past

with the present, which is done more simply and with more

meaning than studying the national, faceless masses. Local

history reflects the reality that our lives are shaped by

particular places and that our physical place in the world is a

major determinant to how our lives are lived. It allows for

greater depth in studying the history of our communities and

the relations to the people within them. While oral history is

important in studying national history because it helps

us understand how individuals and communities experienced

the forces of history. Oral history brings depth to our

understanding of the past by carrying us into experience at an

individual level. The thing is, we need to know every single

detail even the smallest so that we can connect it to better and

fully understand the National History. According to Professor

Yoon (2021), “Local news can play a big part in terms of

combatting misinformation. Local news sources enjoy a much

higher level of trust than national news sources” and I think

that same goes to history.