Bagac General Information
Bagac is the largest municipality in Bataan in terms of land area, with approximately 23,120 hectares (231.2 km
2) representing 16.84% of the total land mass of the province. The humble town is located in the southwestern part of Bataan facing the West Philippine Sea. It is bounded in the north by Morong, in the south by Mariveles, in the east by Pilar and Orion, Limay in south-east and city of Balanga in north-east. It was established as a regular town by the Spaniards in 1873, with St. Catherine of Alexandria as its patron saint.
Etymology
A few years after the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines some of them traveled along the seacoast looking for a place to live in. They had with them an Aeta as guide. Travelling without a fixed direction, they happened to pass by the place which is hidden between two sharp points extending to the sea. In their conversation, the Aeta uttered the word “lumbak” which meant lying between two hills. As they were crossing the place, they sighted a flock of herons flying overhead. When the Spaniards inquired about the white herons from their guide, the Aeta answered “tagak.” From these two syllables, “Bak,” from the word lumbak and “Gak” from the word tagak, was derived the name Bagac. Since then it remained and still is the official name of the town.
Background
Bagac had been in existence for a long time as a distant barrio of Mariveles, formerly a corregimiento (district) under the territorial jurisdiction of the Province of Cavite. After Morong was established as a town in 1607, Bagac became one of its barrios since the latter’s population and income cannot support a municipality. During this period, Bagac comprised of the sitios of Saysain, Banawang, Tiis, Sinapsap, Kabayo, Salmon, Paysawan and Parang na Mahaba. Later on, immigrants from different parts of the archipelago arrived in Bagac and developed its idle lands.
Mariveles and Morong, together with the barrio of Bagac became part of the newly-recognized province Bataan in 1754. Bagac finally became a regular town in 1873.
Bagac’s name was simply derived from the Visayan word “Bagak” and/or “Bagakay.” When translated to Tagalog, “Bagak” literally means “Kawayan.” “Bagakay“ means ‘kawayanan.” Bamboo tree is Bagak’s English transcription.
It is a established fact that men from the southern islands of the Visayas and Mindanao constituted the biggest number of early settlers in Luzon during the pre-Spanish time. The Visayans, specifically the Warays, also travelled north to be part of the booming barter trade in Manila. A big number of these seafarers possibly ended up in the western part of Bataan after missing the North and South Channels leading into Manila Bay. They were the ones who gave Bagac its name based on the great number of bamboo trees growing along its shores and at the foot of Mount Bataan and Mount Mariveles.
“Longos-Kawayan,” a reef jotting out of Biaan (Mariveles) used to be the unloading point and/or stockyard of bamboos cut from the Bagac forest area. The name alone fortifies the actual derivation of the name of Bagac town.
It could also be concluded that these Visayan seafarers were the ones who gave the names of Kinawan, Binuangan, Paysawan. Caibobo, Salamang, Pasinay and Saysain. These names are definitely not common Tagalog words.
Fr. Rodrigo Aganduru y Moriz de San Miguel, an early missionary from Villadolid (Spain) and recognized as the founder of Morong and Bagac, surely found these seafarers already settled in the two distant villages. He merely adapted ‘Bagak’ as the name of the thinly-populated barrio as given to him by the natives. In the case of Morong, it can only be surmised that its name originated from him (Fr. Aganduru because of its Spanish derivation.
The bamboo and other hardwood trees at the foot of Mount Bataan and Mount Mariveles suffered great devastation when the Cadwallder-Gibson Lumber Company started its operation in Paysawan from 1915 to 1928. Another conflagration of the same intensity hit the Bagac and Morong areas during World War II.
Still, the bamboo trees survived the terrible defoliation. Nowadays we still see numerous patches of bamboo groves along the plains and mountainous areas of Bagac and Morong to remind the people of their great history.
Fast Facts
Today, the town is accessible via by land through the Governor Joaquin J. Linao Highway. It is composed of 14 barangays, namely: Bagumbayan, Banawang, Binuangan, Binukawan, Ibaba, Ibis, Pagasa, Parang, Paysawan, Quinawan, San Antonio, Saysain, Tabing-ilog and Atilano Ricardo. These barangays are classified as either town center barangays, coastal and upland barangays.
This town is primarily an agricultural and also a fishing municipality. It sits on top of a vast potential “goldmine” that is rich in natural wonders and historical places. It has high tourism potentials complete with a showcase of pristine coastal and marine marvels. Heartbreaking coral reefs, white sand beaches, seaside resorts and rugged mountains beaming with rainforests, caves, waterfalls, and World War II historical markers are Bagac’s principal tourist attractions. Bagac, as far as history is concerned, is the second starting point of the 1942 Bataan Death March.
The town has a population of 25,568 as of 2010 Census with skilled workers in the field of masonry, carpentry and welding. They are also into garment manufacturing, gift, toys, housewares and lately, on processing of food products.
Demographics
Population Census of Bagac as per 2010
| Income Classification: | 3rd Class | Registered Voters (2010): 18,131 | |
| Urban/Rural: | Population : (as of May 1, 2010): 25,568 | | |
| District: | 2nd | | |
| Barangays (Number: 14) |
| Name | Code | Urban/Rural | Population |
| (as of May 1, 2010) |
| Bagumbayan (Pob.) | 30802001 | Urban | 1,766 |
| Banawang | 30802002 | Rural | 2,690 |
| Binuangan | 30802003 | Rural | 609 |
| Binukawan | 30802004 | Rural | 2,293 |
| Ibaba | 30802006 | Urban | 1,760 |
| Ibis | 30802007 | Rural | 1,407 |
| Pag-asa (Wawa-Sibacan) | 30802008 | Urban | 3,456 |
| Parang | 30802009 | Rural | 3,073 |
| Paysawan | 30802010 | Rural | 680 |
| Quinawan | 30802012 | Rural | 553 |
| San Antonio | 30802013 | Rural | 1,295 |
| Saysain | 30802014 | Rural | 2,539 |
| Tabing-Ilog (Pob.) | 30802015 | Urban | 1,223 |
| Atilano L. Ricardo | 30802016 | Urban | 2,224 |
Dialect
Tagalog is the major language constituting in Bagac. English is utilized mainly as the means of bargaining in business.
Town of Bagac is a tourism destination and rich in historical land marks, include the following:
The monument, symbolizing the renewed friendship between Japan and the Philippines after the events of World War II, was erected by Risshō Kōsei Kai, a Japanese Buddhist organization. The tower was inaugurated on April 8, 1975 and is located about 200 m (660 ft) from where the Bataan Death March started. The 27-metre (89 ft) high tower is composed of three pillars interconnected by several multi-layer rings. It located at the junction of the Gov. Linao National Road and the road to the Bagac town proper
Is a new tourist attraction and heritage park in town of Bagac. This is a private park and features a collection of 27 Spanish Colonial buildings and stone houses (bahay na bato in Tagalog), planned to resemble a settlement reminiscent of the period. These houses were carefully transplanted from different parts of the Philippines and rehabilitated to their former splendor. It also has restaurants, a beach and a pool. In Las Casas, there are also horse rides.
This is an exclusive world-class destination in Bagac. People can easily access the Montemar cove by using rental boats. It is nestled in a private cove, blessed with lush flora and fauna, white sand beaches and pristine waters of the South China Sea. The resort has Mediterranean inspired inns with 70 well-appointed rooms, two (2) swimming pools, a restaurant, conference building, tennis court, motorized bancas for island hopping and a fishing area. They offer a lot of activities for you and your family and friends. Montemar, where the mountains meet the sea.
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