BARANGAY PROFILE OF SUA, CAMALIGAN

By: Dominador N. Marcaida, Jr.

SB-Camaligan, Camarines Sur, Philippines 4401

BARANGAY HISTORY ACCORDING TO KEY INFORMANTS

A long time ago, before the Spaniards came to the

Philippines

, the place was abundant with different kinds of sour trees, such as pomelo, lemon, oranges, kalpe, kabugao and others. These trees were planted as fences around the houses of the community.

When the Spaniards came, they called the place “Suha’, which is the local name for citrus fruit trees.

Some other names cropped up, like Tampac, which came from the word “Sangab - Tambac.” One story goes that one Spaniard climbed a dalandan tree to get some fruits. The branch was broken, so the Spaniard fell over a pile of fruits (tambak na prutas). The Spaniard asked the people around what happened. The people said, “Tambak”. Since then the place was called “Tambac.” As years went by, it was changed to Tampac.

Other names were given to the place like, Iraya, Kalye Pugot” or “Mangaho.” When the place was registered as a barangay of Camaligan, they preferred the name “Sua”, from the local word “suha”, the local name for citrus trees.

Source: Write-up submitted by Ma. Mercy I. Abarientos, Principal I – Sua Elementary School)

Two residents of the barangay, a brother and a sister, one named Alejandro and another one named Ernesta Marcaida, served as key informants for this part. They gave the following narratives regarding some historical facts about barangay Sua before and after the Japanese War in the

Philippines

These two key informants were the children of Nicomedes Marcaida and Eufemia Almendral (a sister of one Severina Almendral).

Alejandro Marcaida, born in 1923 at Sua, Camaligan, lived at Sitio Manggaho (presently part of Sitio Tampac), with his wife Alejandra Morico. Alejandra had brothers named Gregorio and Sabas, and sisters named Iluminada, Aurea and Florentina Morico. Aurea was married to Bonifacio Agdan. Gregorio, Alejandra, Sabas, Iluminada, Aurea and Florentina were the children of the spouses Simplicio Morico and Sabina Zamudio, who were then living in the land of Gertrudes Zamudio, whose husband was Rufo Madrigal, a cabeza de barangay of Sua. Simplicio Morico had another brother named Fortunato, who was the father of Victoria, Dorotea, Felipe and Melchor Morico. This was before the Japanese war.

During the Japanese occupation, Alejandro Marcaida, with his wife and children, lived at the poblacion of Camaligan, at Barangay San Mateo, in the land now owned by Jose Capucao at the site occupied by the bodega of the PMO-Camaligan. They stayed there until after liberation time, when they returned to Sua and lived at the site of present barangay Chapel. From here, they were able to buy their own land, which is where they now live. From 1965 until in 1978, where he worked at the PMO-Camaligan until 1985, he was employed with the Department of Public Works and Highways.

According to the key informant Alejandro, the residents of the barangay when he was just a child, were the following: Melecio Otor who had a daughter named Estrella (wife of Roberto Roblas), a certain Rivera of Tampac, Gil Marcaida, Severo Alinday, Florentino Aguilar, Antonio Ocbian, Doroteo Marcaida, Bruno Tablay, Maximo Laynesa (a professional carpenter), Ricardo Tawagon (father of Panfilo and Angel Tawagon), Juan Villamor, Esperidion Capistrano, Leon Abarientos (brother of Gregorio and Raymundo Abarientos. Gregorio is the father of Porfirio Abarientos).

Alejandro Marcaida recalled that the “Tribunal,” a structure made of bamboo and nipa (which served as the material for it roofing and wall) and “hamorawon” posts, served as a barangay government center and the “hermita.” The “tribunal” was located in the site presently occupied by the basketball court. This was also the structure where the first classes of the Grade I pupils was held in 1948, according to him. The “tribunal” served as a school site for almost ten years, or, in other words, from the year 1948, at the time when schooling was started, up to year 1958, when the first Gabaldon-type school building was constructed at the present school site. This was during the time of the then Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay. The first school building was called “Sua Community School.” He said that it was a certain resident named Petronilo Abias who had the original idea of putting up a primary school in the barangay and to donate a site for this purpose. But since his land was located far from the barangay proper, he exchanged this land to that one owned by a certain Florentina Decena. Florentina Decena acceded to the proposal of Petronilo Abias to land swap. Petronilo Abias (the father of Antonio Abias, and also the grandfather of Rodrigo Abias) then donated the swapped land to the barangay as a new school site. This land is now where the present site of the Sua Elementary School.

According to the key informant Alejandro Marcaida, others who served as “cabeza de Barangay,” aside from the one mentioned below by his sister, Ernesta, were Eugenio Alinday Sr., Prisco Marcaida, and Rufo Madrigal.

The other key informant, Ernesta Marcaida, sister of the previous key informant, said that the residents of the barangay when she was just a child were the following; Sarah Aguilar, Nicomedes Marcaida (her father), Teofilo Rey, Asuncion Atencia, Cipriana Almendral, Alejandro Marcaida (her brother), Rosario Altar, Juana Alinday, Doroteo Marcaida, Bonifacio Diones (father of Modesto and Vicente Diones), Marcelo Sanchez, Victoriana Marcaida, Gregorio Villere, Sabino Manait, and Potenciano Almendral.

Two cabezas de barangay whom this key informant mentioned were a certain Inocencio San Jose and a certain Abraham Alinday, whose terms of office she could not remember since there are no existing records of the terms of the past punong barangays could be found in the barangay.

This informant is also one of the pupils of the first Sua Community School in the year 1948.

(Source: Personal interviews with Alejandro and Ernesta Marcaida, 12 October 2007)

HISTORY OF SUA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

About seventy years ago, in the year 1930’s, the first batch of grade I pupils were housed in a little chapel made of bamboo and nipa. When that little chapel was destroyed by a typhoon, one resident of the barangay, named Leon Abarientos, who had a two-storey house, was kind enough to let the pupils and their teacher, the former Ms. Rufina Enguero, occupy the first floor as a temporary classroom.

When school enrolment increased, the parents asked a benevolent resident to donate a parcel of land for a school site. Because of his generous heart, Alfredo Abias donated one hectare of agricultural land situated near the bank of the Bicol River. The residents were very grateful. But since the site was a low land, very near the river, and was always under water during high tides, they though of exchanging the site to that one owned by Julio Capucao, a resident of Camaligan, whose land was near the road and the barangay center. However, this request was not granted by the owner.

Thus the new school building was built in the original site donated by Mr. Alfredo Abias. This first building was made of bamboo and nipa and built through bayanihan effort of the parents.

For almost fifteen years, the school enrolment was up to Grade IV only. When the pupils reached Grade V, they went to Gainza to pursue their schooling by crossing the Bicol River. It was only in the year 1950’s that the first Grade VI pupils graduated in this school.

When Mrs. Ma. Mercy I. Abarientos was transferred to this school in 1968 as a classroom teacher; there were already seven teachers under the school head then in the name of Mr. Mella. She was transferred to the Camaligan Central School. When she came back, however, in 1992, the enrolment increased year after year. At present, there are already ten teachers handling ten classes under a Principal-I.

(Source: Write-up submitted by Ma. Mercy I. Abarientos, Principal I – Sua Elementary School)

Barangay Sua Physiographic Profile

1. Geographical Features:

Barangay Sua is situated along the Bicol River, landlocked, and is about 3.5 kilometers from the poblacion of Camaligan. It is considered as the farthest barangay of all the thirteen barangays that comprise the municipality of Camaligan

Its boundaries include the municipalities of Canaman (N-W), Barangay Dugcal (E), and Gainza (SW).

The total land area of Barangay Sua, based from the certification issued by the Land Management Bureau of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is about 54.2640 hectares, including lands occupied by access roads and pathways. This figure however does not include the area occupied barangay waters, such as rivers, creeks, and wetlands. However, record from the Municipal Assessor’s Officer based on declared real properties shows a total land area of 60.657266 hectares which is the figure that we adopted here.

Geology and Seismicity

Being situated where flood hazard susceptibility is between 0.6 to 2.5 meters high, liquefaction susceptibility is moderate to high, and the peak ground acceleration value (G-factor) is 0.31 to 0.40 g. (soft soil is 1.39 g.), Barangay Sua, Camaligan, is a natural disaster prone area due to floods, soil subsidence and earthquakes. Hence, these factors in its topography and soil are very much considered in the design and construction of any housing, subdivision plans and other public building construction projects.

Climate

Barangay Sua, just like other barangays in the municipality of Camaligan, Camarines Sur, has a distinct climate and very pronounced rainfall. Its average rainfall is placed at 1500-2000 ml. annually.

Camarines Sur is a typhoon-prone area. As such, Barangay Sua is never spared from the weather disturbances that affect the province. The barangay is most affected during the “amihan”, when the heavy rain clouds come from the direction of the larger ocean on the east, which is, the Pacific Ocean. The cyclone pattern is that of one (1) cyclone directly hits the province in a maximum of a three (3) year interval. The climate and the weather phenomena have direct effect on the productivity of the barangay and the way of life of the barangay residents.

4. Rainfall

Its average rainfall is placed at 1500-2000 ml. annually.

Wind Velocity and Direction

The prevailing weather phenomena and patterns experienced are the northeasterly winds, or “amihan” (October-February), the southwesterly, or “habagat” (June-September), and the easterly to Southeasterly, or “hiraga”, during other months. Other wind directions that affect the local climate throughout the year are called by their local names, such as, the following: “salatan” (E-N), “timog” (S-SW), and the “dumagsa” (SW-NW).

6.Temperature

Temperature at Barangay Sua ranges between 24⁰C to 34⁰C throughout the whole year.

Humidity

Humidity in the area is between 60% - 98%.

8. Typhoons and Storm Surges

Typhoons and Storm surges regularly visit the area between the months of September to November every year when the North-east wind (Amihan) prevails. However, typhoons and storm surges may strike the area anytime during the year.

Hydrology

Highest reported incidence of critical water level was during Typhoon Loleng in October 22, 1998, which posted at 4.04 meters high.

10. Topography and Soil

Barangay Sua has mono-topographic relief-flat lowland with slopes of 0.3⁰, coupled with a rich soil (Canaman soil, Balongay soil, and the Libmanan soil) and considered to be suited for agriculture (89% is agricultural land). However, because of floods during inclement weather, its fullest potential is not exploited.

11. Demography

Barangay Sua has a total population of 1,397 individuals, distributed among 408 households or families, in seven zones. It has a total land area of 54.2640 hectares, with a present actual land use of 109,529 sq. meters for residential; 7,000 sq. meters for commercial uses; 699 for institutional uses, 19,474 sq. m. for educational uses; 476,424 sq. m. for rice cultivation and 122,275.70 sq. meters as grassland and vacant areas for agricultural uses (there is no present numerical data for roads, bridges, creek, open spaces and institutional uses.)

As to age distribution, there are 806 individuals for the age bracket of 0-17 years old; 670 individuals for the age bracket of 18-29 years old (youth); 338 individuals for the 30-65 years old (employable group); and 80 individuals belonging to the 65 years old and above (Senior Citizens), for total number of 1,397 individuals.

As to gender distribution, male individuals are 758, and female individuals are 639.

As to the number of electoral precincts, there are five precincts with a total of 925 registered voters.

12. Occupational Profile:

As to occupation/employment distribution, the following table will show the number of individuals engaged in a particular occupation or employment: