BRIEF HISTORY OF MIAGAO

Miagao became an independent Municipality in 1716. It used to be a part or arrabal of four (4) different towns. Record shows that before Miagao became a town, it was anarrabal of Oton until 1580; of Tigbauan until 1952; of Suaraga or Suaragan (now San Joaquin) until 1703; and of Guimbal until 1716 when it became an independent town. It was until 1731, however, when Miagao had its own head. The first capitan and teniente mayor (equivalent to mayor and vice mayor in present day set-up) of Miagao were Nicolas Pangkug and Diego Sale, respectively. Their "election" was held in Guimbal under the supervision of Victorino C. Ma., authorized representative of the governor. Nicolas Pangkug served for three consecutive terms of one year each from 1731-1733. Before he became town capitan, Nicolas Pangkug was teniente mayor of Guimbal. As a resident of Miagao, he was entrusted with the care and supervision of this town until he became the head. Pangkug became capitan again in 1735 and 1739-1740. Altogether, he served for six years. From 1716 to the present, Miagao has had 133 townheads with General Gerardo N. Flores (ret.), former Deputy Director General of the Philippine National Police, husband of former Municipal Mayor Julieta N. Flores, as the incumbent Municipal Mayor. How Miagao got its name has several versions. The two popular ones, however, are on record. One popular version is that the name Miagao was derived from the name of a wild plant called "miagos" that grew abundantly in the place when the Spaniards first came here. Another version, according to Rev. Fr. Lorenzo Torres, a native priest of Igbaras, Iloilo, is that Miagao was derived from the name of an old negrito called Miyagaw, who when asked of the name of the place by the Spaniards, gave his name instead. The Spaniards mistook the answer as the response to their query. A third version is a legend which relates that the name Miagao came from the love story of two young lovers, Maya and Gao. The Municipality of Miagao is a beautiful place you won't want to miss to drop by when in the City and Province of Iloilo. Easily accesible through various modes of transportation due to its proximity to the City of Iloilo, Miagao can be reached via a 40minutes bus, air-conditioned van or jeepney ride from the City of Iloilo. It is also accessible via the Municipality of San Jose, capital town of the Province of Antique through a one-hour bus or van ride. Miagao is a mere three (3) hours away by land from Caticlan, jump off point to the Island Paradise of Boracay, passing through the scenic Province of Antique. It is home to the world famous Miagao Church, a National Shrine included in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. Constructed more than two hundred years ago in the year 1797, the Miagao Church stands as a living legacy of the culture and way of life of the people of Miagao centuries ago, anchored in a strong foundation of Christian faith.

Miagao is also the seat of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, the symbol of academic and scientific excellence in the region. It is the biggest campus of the University of the Philippines System in terms of area covering eight (8) barangays and spanning 1,200 hectares although only about six hundred (600) hectares have been acquired at present. A third class Municipality, Miagao envisions itself to become the center of education and development in the southern part of Iloilo and as one of the major tourist destinations in the Province of Iloilo.

THE MIAGAO MUNICIPAL BUILDING

Mayor Julieta N. Flores Centerpiece of Development

The Municipal Building is the seat of local governance. It may also be seen as the symbol of local autonomy, reflective of the style and manner on how local leadership manage the affairs of the local government unit. Before World War II, (1940) the municipal building stood on the lot where the Justice Ramon Britanico Hall (Miagao Cultural Hall) now stands. It was a big structure made of concrete, iron roofing and wood. The Hall serve the purpose of Session Hall, Court Room and Social Hall. A big water tank made of concrete located at the back collect and store rain water for cleaning purposes. At the outbreak of the Japanese invasion the Municipal Building together with all the houses in the town was burned. After World War II, (1945) a temporary building made of nipa and bamboo was constructed at the present site. This was once the site of the Elementary School with the Home Economics Building also destroyed during the war. In the early 1950s under the Administration of Mayor Dioscoro Mueda, a new Municipal Building was constructed made of concrete, wood and iron roofing. It was one of the best in the Province of Iloilo. The Session Hall still serve also as the Court Room. It was already during the administration of Mayor Erlinda N. Britanico when the court room was given its own place at the ground floor in the room once occupied by the library. In the early part of 1985 to accommodate the growing need for space to house the different offices, it was decided to construct a new municipal building. Mayor Erlinda N. Britanico was able to receive an aid of One Million Pesos from the National Government through the efforts of Assemblyman Salvador B. Britanico for the construction of the new building. The old building was completely demolished to give way for the new construction which was immediately implemented. Before the construction was finished, EDSA I occurred and the mayor was replaced by an Officer-In-Charge Mrs. Gloria Jaen. When funds were used up and there was no more additional aid from the national Government the work was temporarily stopped.

In 1992, Mayor Erlinda N. Britanico was re-elected Mayor. It was an obsession on her part to finish the project she started. Out of local funds and contributions from other agencies of the government construction was continued. The first to be rehabilitated was the Police Department. Then the Chief of the Philippine National Police General Ramon Montao thru the efforts of General Gerardo N. Flores released an amount of Php100,000.00 for the construction of the office of the Miagao Police Force. Other offices followed until finally in 1992 when it was turned over to the Administration of Mayor Julieta N. Flores. The new municipal building that houses the three branches of government, the executive, legislative and judiciary is the product of a creative mind and ingenuity of Mayor Julieta N. Flores. Her intention to improve the Municipal Building began after she won her last term of office in the local election of 1998, thinking that this could be the most precious legacy she could leave behind her constituents whom she had served for almost a decade. Her dreams for this noble project showed traces of reality when Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago extended financial assistance for Miagao in the amount of Two Million Pesos which was consequently added with another Five Million Pesos. The first plan was to construct a legislative building besides the Justice Ramon Britanico Hall. But Mayor Flores thought for a while that local governance will be more effective if the offices of the executive, legislative and the judiciary are located near each other. Aside from the fact that it will be more convenient to the public, coordination among the three branches can be established easily. Then finally, a new building was constructed annex the old municipal building which is called as the legislative building. The municipality now has a twin municipal building constructed parallel to each other. The one located in front which is the executive building houses the Office of the Mayor, a briefing room formerly used in the SB Session Hall and the offices of the Municipal Administrator, Budget Officer, Planning and Development Officer, Engineer, the General Services Officer and the Personnel Officer at the second floor, while the offices of the Municipal Treasurer, Assessor, Accountant, Legal Officer and Licensing Officer are in place at the ground floor. The building at the back which is the legislative building houses the Sangguniang Bayan Session Hall and the Office of the Vice Mayor, individual cubicles for SB Members, the Court Room, the Judge chamber and office space for the staff at the second floor, while at the ground floor are the offices of the Civil Registrar, MSWDO, PopCom, BIR and the COMELEC. The PNP and the detention cell also occupies space at the ground floor. The Miagao Municipal Building is a precious achievement Mayor Julieta N. Flores can give the people of Miagao which she considers as the centerpiece of development during her time.

HISTORY OF THE MIAGAO CATHOLIC CHURCH

from: The Miagao Church Bicentennial Yearbook, 1797-1997 by: Randy Madrid and Jorge Ebay

The town's first church building was constructed in Ubos by Nicolas Pangkug, first capitan of the town. The church was completed three years before the first Spanish priest came in 1734, but this was burned by the Muslim pirates in 1741. Miagao was officially created as a parroquia on May 15, 1734. The second church was constructed under the leadership of Parish Priest Fray Fernando Camporedondo (1746-1747). This church was also burned and looted by the pirates. The raids discouraged the people from building another church. But they needed one not only as a house of worship but also as a stronghold against pirate attacks. So they decided to build a third church in Tacas where the townsfolk have a commanding view of the mouth of the Miagao river, the usual route followed by the pirates in entering the town. This church still stands after defying elements and catastrophies for two centuries. Construction of the present Miagao Church was started on a Saturday, the town's market day, in December 1786, half a century after the founding of the Miagao parish. The parish priest at the time was Fray Francisco Maximo Gonzales and the town head was Capitan Domingo Libo-on. When it was finished in 1797, Fray Gonzales was still parish priest and Tomas Paguntalan was the town capitan. The blocks of stones used in the construction of the church were quarried at Sitio Tubog in nearby San Joaquin town and in the mountains of the town of Igbaras. Work was supervised by a certain Matias, a foreman from Igbaras who later on ws replaced by a certain Aquino from Alimodian, Iloilo, when the former was called to direct the church construction in his own town. In baroque-romanesque style, the church sinks six (6) meters deep into the ground with walls one-and-a-half (1 1/2) meters thick and buttresses thrice thicker in size. A truly 'Philippine Church', it exudes a native touch. Its artistic facade is decorated witha relief sculpture of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child amidst coconut, papaya and guava shrubs. A large stone image of St. Thomas of Villanova, parish patron saint, dominates the center. Carved life-size statues of the Pope and St. Henry with their coat-of-arms above them flank the main entrance. Supporting the facade are the twin belfries, one towering two-storeys and the other three-storeys high. When finished in 1797, the left tower was lower than the right. In 1830, thirty-three (33) years after it was finished, an additional structure was added to the left belfry to make them equal in height. Fray Francisco Reyes was then the parish priest and Capitan Bernabe Paguntalan was the townhead. Now 206 years old, Miagao Church is one of the few remaining old churches in the country. The earthquake of January 24, 1948, the strongest ever to hit Panay, toppled the bell tower of Jaro and the old church of Oton as well as many other Spanish-built churches in the island, but not the Miagao Church. Only a small portion of its concrete beam gave way sending some stoneblocks loosened by heavy tremors. While Miagao Church stood the test of time and calamities, it did not somehow escape the trauma of two wars. It was burned during the revolution against Spain in 1898 and during the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1944. When liberation came in 1945, the people of Miagao undertook the herculean task of reconstructing the church. Led by then Reverend Father now Msgr. Wenceslao Enojo, parish priest, contributions came readily and it was not long after that the church was put back in shape. When Msgr.Fernando Javillo took over as parish priest in August 1959, he not only continued the rehabilitation work but also expanded the repairs and renovations. Msgr. Javillo renovated and restored the church facade and the twin tower taht were left untouched for more than one century and a half.

On February 16, 1963, the Miagao Church was awarded a historical marker by the Philippine Historical Commission headed by Director Luis Montilla. Speaker Cornelio Villareal and Archbishop Jose Ma. Cuneco of Jaro attended the unveiling of the marker. Director Montilla was represented by Dr. Nicolas Zafra, member of the commission and noted historian and author. In 1970,the Miagao Parish Council organized a reconstruction committee to work specifically on the renovation and improvement of the interior part of the church. Through the efforts of this committee headed by Col. Solomon N. Flores and assisted by the heads of all mandated parish organizations, the church was provided with three concrete altars and a modern sanctuary, the lighting and sound system was improved and new long benches were donated and the old ones repaired. In recognition of the people's love and devotion to their faith, Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos, through Presidential Decree No. 260 dated August 1, 1973, declared Miagao Catholic Church a national shrine. The church is now being restored to its original form by the National Historical Institute headed by Chairman Esteban A. de Ocampo. The Miagao Church is so wellknown that its pictures could be found in stamps, calendars, books and magazines. The Miagao Church was made popular by former First Lady, Human Settlements Minister and Metro Manila Governor Imelda Romualdez Marcos, while she was at the Vatican in Rome. After attending the installation of Pope John Paul II, she presented the new Pontiff a painting of the ancient church of Miagao, Iloilo. Since the founding of the Miagao Parish in 1734, some thirty seven (37) parish priests have been assigned here -- 31 Spaniards and 6 Filpinos. Fray Francisco Reyes served the longest (35 years). Next to him was Fray Francisco Gonzales, the "Builder of the Miagao Church", who served 32 years from 1777 to 1809. The third lonest was Rev. Fr. Pedro Ma. Tiangson, a Filipino, with 30 years from 1916-1931 and 1935-1948 until he died. Rev. Fr. Tiangson, who died at the age of 91, was considered as one of the most learned Filipino priests in his time. He was a writer and orator of note. The creative and aesthetic abilities of Sapnish colonizers are reflected in many colonial churhes in the Philippines. This is especially true in Miagao Church - a world-renowned religious structure now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Miagao Church is one of the Spanish colonial mission churches in the Philippines. The building of the church was executed not by real architects but by friars who came as missionaries via the galleon trade between Acapulco and Manila. The absence of European and Mexican architects in the mission allowed the idealistic friar-builders to try their hands in orchestrating the design and construction of mission churches with the help of native maestro de obras or master builders. There is no engineering innovations in the structural composition of these churches because they are simply built to withstand the destructive forces of nature. It was an architecture which took into account the tropical climate, the frequent earthquakes and typhoons and fire. Like any other foreign influences, the architecture of many colonial churches has undergone the process of indigenization. This process is carried out by incorporating the prevailing HispanoAmerican and Medieval Sapnish architecture with local as well as Muslim and Chinese touches. Thus, the synthesized topology which is anachronistic with the unmindful sue of decorative elements. It had no distinction in terms of periods or orders. Stability and massiveness along with durability associated with sound architecture, was very common. Thus, mission churches were mostly fortresses built for military purpose with some concessions on their facades.

The present Church of Miagao is actually the third church constructed in the town. The first two churches wre built in Ubos, due to frequent piratical raids, it was transferred to Tacas, the highest elevated area in the town. The new church was built like a fortress in consonance with the provision of the Royal Decree 111 of 1573 (Law of the Indies).

OURIST ATTRACTIONS OF MIAGAO, ILOILO

Miagao Church, Barangay Tacas

Stone Watch Tower, Barangay Baybay Norte

Stone Bridge, Barangay Kirayan Sur

University of the Philippines in the Visayas

Bugsokan Falls, Barangay Dalije

Sinuhutan Cave, Barangay Onop

Valley of Ferns, Barangay Dalije

Tinagong Dagat, Barangay Onop

Hidden Castle, Barangay Onop

Irik-ikan Falls, Barangay Alimodias

Rice Terraces, Barangay Alimodias

Sunset, seen along 22 kms of beaches

SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MIAGAO

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBLITY Miagao is one of the seven towns comprising the First District of Iloilo Province. It is situated 40 kilometers southwest of Iloilo City and 58 kilomenters from San Jose, the capital town of the Province of Antique. Overlooking the Island of Negros towards China Sea, Miagao is bounded by the towns of Igbaras to the Northeast, by Guimbal to the East, by San Joaquin to the West and by Sibalom, Antique to the Northwest. How to get there:

40-minutes by bus, van or jeepney ride from Iloilo City 1-hour ride by bus, van or jeepney ride from San Jose, Antique 55-minute ride by plane from Manila to Iloilo City 30-minute ride by plane from Cebu City to Iloilo City 18-hour ride by ship from Manila to Iloilo City 12-hour ride by ship from Cebu City to Iloilo City

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION Miagao belongs to the First District of Iloilo Province. It has one hundred nineteen (119) barangays divided into nine (9) legislative districts. The poblacion, with eight (8) barangays, is the smallest in terms of land area, but with the biggest population. The rest of the districts have at least a cluster 13-15 barangays each. PHYSICAL RESOURCE PROFILE The Municipality has a total land area of 15,722.04 hectares. The poblacion, composed of eight (8) barangays, has an area of 299.54 hectares and the remaining 111 barangays has a total area of 15,422.50. Land Use

Built Up - 1,037.60 hectares (6.60%) Agriculture - 6,250.00 hectares (39.75%) Forest - 2,975.00 hectares (18.92%)

Special Land Use [for Mining/Quarrying, Grassland/Pastureland, Agro-industrial, Tourism, etc] - 5,459.00 hectares (34.72%) Topography Miagao is partly coastal and partly mountainous town. In general, its terrain is rolling with mountain ranges serving as border between Miagao and part of province of Antique and other neighboring towns of Iloilo. The poblacion is situated in a hill overlooking the sea and public institutions are located in a plateau. The low and high mountains lying close to the river, plus the narrow coastal plains stretching 16 kilometers are the varied topographical features of Miagao. Soil Type

Alimodian Clay Loam Sta. Rita Clay Loam Umingan Fine Sandy Loam Alimodian Soil Undifferentiated Beach Sand

Natural Resources Miagao is rich in natural resources. It has vast forest reserves at Tabiac and Tulahong forestry areas. It has metallic and non-metallic reserves as indicated by the grains of sand found on the beaches. It has abundant source of ceramic clay used for pottery and mixtures of sand and lime stones called "Miagao Stone" used as building material like the one used in building the Miagao Church. The inland bodies of water are composed of three main rivers, namely: Tumagboc, Oyungan and Bacauan. The other smaller rivers are Naulid, Oya-oy and Narat-an. They all flow to the Panay Gulf. The Oyungan River has colored stones. Climate Miagao has two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. The maximum temperature stands at 32.2C and the mimimum is 22.9C. There are two (2) prevailing winds in the locality: the southwest monsoon known as habagat and the northeast monsoon called amihan. Demographic Profile Miagao has a total population of 55,904 people based on the 1995 report of the National Census and Statistics Office. The poblacion which is considered the urban area composed of eight (8) barangays has a total population of 8,949 persons while the rural barangays has 46,955. Of the total population, 50.59% are males and 49.41% are females. Exactly 35% belong to the 0-14 yearold category; 42% compose the bracket of 15-44 years-old and the remaining 23% belong to the age group 45 years and older. The poblacion has a density of 246.88 persons per square kilometer, which is higher than that of the rural areas which is 28.74 per square kilometer. Only 14.3% of the population resides in the poblacion while 88.7% resides in the rural areas. Social Profile Miagao is a nice and relatively peaceful place to live in. Ninety percent (90%) of the people are Catholics and this factor contributes a lot to the peaceful condition of the community. There are many professionals, seamen and overseas Filipino workers from the Municipality, indicative of its high literacy rate. GENERAL INFORMATION

Region: VI Province: Iloilo Creation: February 1716 Income Classification: 3rd Class Municipality

Municipal Income: Php 38,881,655.75 (FY2000) No. of Barangays: 119

GEOGRAPHY

Location: First Congressional District of Iloilo Total Land Area: 157,220.4 sq.km. (15,722.04 has.) Land Classification: Agriculture: 52.3% Built-up/mixed use: 21.3% Forest Land: 20.3% Open Grassland: 6.1%

Climate: Type I, characterized by two pronounced seasons -- Wet and Dry -- influenced by the Northeast Monsoon from November to March and by the Southwest Monsoon from June to November Water Tributaries: Six(6) Rivers and Ten(10) Creeks Mountains: Mount Tulahong, Mount Anoy and Mount Dalije Topography: Sixteen (16) kilometers of shoreline but generally mountainous with five (5) slope classifications ranging from 0-30 above sea level PEOPLE

Population: 62,967 persons (CY2000 Municipal Annual Development Plan) No. of Households: 10,555 (CY2000 Municipal Annual Development Plan) Dialect: Kinaray-a, Ilonggo Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic

EDUCATION

Literacy Rate: 96% University: 1 - University of the Philippines in the Visayas [UPV] Miagao Campus

College: 1 - Western Visayas College of Science and Technology Miagao Campus [WVCSTSIPC] (nee: Southern Iloilo Polytechnic College) Public High Schools: 5 - Kirayan National High School [KNHS],WVCST Miagao Campus/SIPC Laboratory High School, Alejandro Firmeza Memorial National High School [AFMNHS], Palaca-Damilisan National High School [PDNHS], San Rafael National High School [SRNHS] and Miagao National High School [MNHS]

Private High School: 1 - St. Louise de Marillac School of Miagao [SLMSM] [formerly Marillac Academy] Public Elementary Schools: 30 - District of Miagao East (16) and District of Miagao West (14) Private Elementary School: 1 - Kaunlaran Learning Center [KLC] Private Pre-Schools: 3 - SLMSM, KLC and St. Thomas of Vilanova

Government Pre-Schools: 22 - Day Care Centers(22), Miagao East (xx) and Miagao West (xx) PUBLIC UTILITIES/TELECOMS/INFRASTRUCTURE

Electric Power: Iloilo-I Electric Cooperative (ILECO-I), small generating sets in remote barangays Water Supply System: Miagao Water District, UPV Water Supply System, deep and shallow wells, etc. Telephone: Landline - Southern Iloilo Telephone Company (SITELCO) and Islacommunications (ISLACOM); Cellular Sites - Globe Telecom and Smart/Talk and Text Cable Television: Southern Iloilo Cable, Inc. (SICI) Internet Cafes: eleven (11) Internet Cafes

Ticket Sales Outlets: Negros Navigation Co. (NENACO), WG&A Superferry, Air Philippines, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air Transportation: Public Utility Jeepneys - 105; Airconditioned vans and taxis - 10; Tricycles 435; Buses, vans and jeepneys passing through Miagao - variable and undocumented. Roads: National Road (asphalted/concreted) - 15 kilometers; Provincial Road (all weather/gravel) - 31 kilometers; Municipal Road (concrete) - 11.2 kilometers; Barangay Road (all weather/gravel) - 82.3 kilometers.