Larena, Siquijor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Larena
Municipality
Map of Siquijor with location of Larena
Larena
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 09°15′N 123°36′E / 9.250°N 123.600°E / 9.250; 123.600Coordinates: 09°15′N 123°36′E / 9.250°N 123.600°E / 9.250; 123.600
Country Philippines
Region Central Visayas (Region VII)
Province Siquijor
Congr. district Lone district of Siquijor
Barangays 23
Government[1]
  Mayor Dean Samson Villa
Area[2]
  Total 38.13 km2 (14.72 sq mi)
Population (2010)[3]
  Total 12,931
  Density 340/km2 (880/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code 6226
Dialing code 35
Sunset, Sandugan Beach, Larena

Larena is a fifth class municipality in the province of Siquijor, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 12,931 people.[3]

Larena's port is the gateway to and largest port on Siquijor Island. It can accommodate ships up to 1000 tons and is serviced by five shipping companies, providing passenger and cargo service to Cebu City, Tagbilaran in Bohol, Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, and Plaridel, Misamis Occidental.[4]

Barangays

Larena is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.

  • Bagacay
  • Balolang
  • Basac
  • Bintangan
  • Bontod
  • Cabulihan
  • Calunasan
  • Candigum
  • Cang-alias
  • Cang-apa
  • Cangbagsa
  • Cangmalalag
  • Canlambo
  • Canlasog
  • Catamboan
  • Helen (Datag)
  • Nonoc
  • Poblacion North
  • Poblacion South
  • Ponong
  • Sabang
  • Sandugan
  • Taculing

History

Canoan, which Larena was used to be known during the Spanish period, had long been a flourishing township. It was mainly due to this factor that the Spanish authorities developed it into a headtown or "cabezera" for the whole island of Siquijor.[5]

American Period

With the coming of the Americans at the turn of the century, Canoan still was regarded as a "cabezera" where Governor James Fugate, the first American governor of Siquijor, held office for some sixteen years ending in 1916. In the same year, the authorities in Manila, acting on the recommendation of local authorities officially declared Canoan as a capital town. During his term which began in 1901, Governor Demetrio Larena, the first Filipino governor for Negros Oriental and Siquijor, changed the name Canoan to Larena, his namesake, which was duly approved by the Philippine legislature.

In 1918, Donato de los Nieves was appointed the first municipal mayor of Larena, serving until 1922. He was followed by Timoteo Lomongo who won in the 1922 election. In 1926, Timoteo R. Yurong became the third elected mayor of Larena. In the following election of 1930, Leoncio Quijano got the majority of the electoral votes and won the mayoralty seat. Mayor Quijano was followed by Cornelio Padayhag in the later part of 1937. From 1937 on through the war years, Mayor Padayhag served his office without break until he was replaced by Francisco Marti during the early months of the liberation period.

Post-war

In the first post-war elections of 1946, Nepunoceno Calibo who ran under the Liberal Party, was elected to office as mayor. In the 1949 election, Conrado Cayongcong,Sr. was elected to office. He was followed by Antonio Albito in 1953.

From then on until the declaration of martial law in 1972, several personalities shared the mayoral seat after every four years. Mayor Albito was followed by Restituto Calibo. Then Antonio Albito bounced back to serve as mayor, his second time. In the following election, he was replaced by Herbert Calibo, who in turn was followed by Soledado Lumosad. Juanito Calibo followed and stayed for most of the martial law era and again succeeded by Herbert Calibo.

The post-EDSA Revolution saw Mayor Remedios Albito at the helm of the mayoral office until the present, besting other political aspirants for the office in 3 successive elections since then.

All through the years, spanning the time before and after the war, Larena maintained its position as the hub of business activities in the province. The small but safe port of Larena is a strategic port of call for merchant ships from major cities in Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao. It is home to two commercial banks and a rural bank. Nationally known commercial establishments usually set their shops here.

Demographics

Population census of Larena
Year Pop.  ±% p.a.  
1990 11,010    
1995 11,212+0.36%
2000 12,281+1.84%
2007 12,550+0.31%
2010 12,931+1.00%
Source: National Statistics Office[3][6]

Education

One of the remaining bright spots of the town of Larena is the continuous evolution of one of its educational institutions. The Larena Sub-Provincial High School, another landmark, established during the time of Governor Vicente Villanueva evolved to become the Larena National Vocational School and eventually as the Siquijor State College, drawing a great number of young people all over the province and neighboring provinces to its fold.

References

  1. "Official City/Municipal 2013 Election Results". Intramuros, Manila, Philippines: Commission on Elections (COMELEC). 11 September 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013. 
  2. "Geography". Provincial Government of Siquijor Province. Retrieved 2012-10-15. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City, and Municipality Region VII - Central Visayas: 1990, 2000, and 2010", 2010 Census of Population and Housing. National Statistics Office
  4. "Infrastructure Profile". Provincial Government of Siquijor Province. Retrieved 2012-10-15. 
  5. "Municipality of Larena". Provincial Government of Siquijor. Retrieved 2012-10-15. 
  6. Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City and Municipality: Central Visayas: 1995, 2000 and 2007. National Statistics Office

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.