MUNICIPALITY OF BACARRA, Historical Data Part I

[SGD.] FELIPE A. BONOAN
PRINCIPAL

MAXIMINO G. SANTOS
DISTRICT SUPERVISOR

There are two interesting versions which might have been the origin of the name of the town. Any one of them is feasible although handed down to the present in the form of folklore.

First Version – Just south of the poblacion is a small river. In its placid waters abound a trout which is called in the dialect "BAC-BACARRA." This kind of fish is delicious and loved by the townspeople. One afternoon, a fisherman was catching this particular fish with a net. While he was casting his net, he did not notice a Spanish missionary come riding on horseback. As the Spaniard did not know the name of the settlement on the north side of the river, he shouted at the fisherman to tell him the name of the place. As the Castillan asked his question in Spanish, the unlettered fisherman could not understand him. He thought that the Spaniard asked what he was doing. So, he shouted back, "BACBACARRA, Señor." Evidently, he wanted to tell the name of the fish he was catching. The Spaniard nodded and repeated, "BAC-BACARRA," thinking, perhaps, that he got the desired information. The settlement was so named ever since.

Second Version – The people of the town are engaged in farming, the predominant occupation. Their most important product is rice. Rice is carefully attended to for any farmer is measured as to the number of "bakars" of rice he could raise. The weaving of this rice basket was a must-activity indulged in by the grown-ups of the household. The people needed these baskets, into which they stored their grains of rice. The missionaries loved to watch the people as they wove these "bakars" for they had become expert at weaving and their fingers literally flew as they did the "two-over-two." The bakar had been a popular word between Spaniard and Indio, and the name had been given to the place whose people were skillful in weaving.

From the folklore of the old people, the name of the first Igorot settler of the town was Bacsalandoc. He made his hut at the place where the Roman Catholic convent now stands. Other Igorot settlers followed and, very soon, the settlement became a thriving one. Bacsalandoc became the chief, he being the first settler and founder of the settlement. The growth of the village was steady until it had to be divided into three settlements, each under a chief. The western-most was called Baraniw, which name is still retained designating the place west of the poblacion. The middle one was called Par-paris, while the eastern one was called Vira. Vira is still used to designate a person who lives in the eastern part of the poblacion.

The town, due to its natural advantages like its wide, fertile plains, its numerous irrigation ditches criss-crossing its fields, the construction of which is no mean engineering feat, its river abounding with fish, had grown rapidly until it now has 40 barrios. It is now a third-class municipality according to revenue. The 40 barrios are enumerated hereunder with their corresponding patrons:

Barrio 1 2 3 4

Patron Santa Rita San Andres San Andres San Simon

Barrio 21 22 23 24

Patron San Severo Pacis San Doroteo San Rafael

Barrio 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Patron San Simon San Pedro San Pedro San Agustin San Agustin San Vicente Santa Filomena Santa Filomena San Gabriel San Gabriel San Roque San Roque Santo Cristo Santo Cristo Santa Rosa Santa Veronica

Barrio 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Patron San Luis Nuestra Señora del Carmen Nuestra Señora de la Paz San Ambrosio San Miguel San Francisco San Manuel Lazo San Benigno San Ciriaco Nuestra Señora de la Merced Albano Santa Catalina San Antonio San Valeriano San Alberto

ILOCANO	ENGLISH TRANSLATION
1. Ti agpilpili, macapili tacki.	1. He who is very selective oftentimes chooses the worst.
2. Ti agan-anus, cucua ni Apo Dios.	2. The patient belongs to God.
3. Ti nasalucag agbiag.	3. The industrious thrives.
4. Ti nanadut cabset ni bircug.	4. The indolent is brother to a thief.
5. Ti macaturog macamucat.	5. He rusts who rests.
6. Ti agmula iti ayat, Apitenna uray mabayag.	6. He who sows love, reaps love.
7. Uray mapigis ti puclo, no dayao la ket ti malagto.	7. Let inconveniences be suffered so long [as] the honor is saved.
8. Uray nalinis ti rabaw mo No niruker met ti uneg mo.	8. Beauty deceives. The inner self if the one that matters.
9. Ta ngioat mo isut pacatiliwam.	9. You are caught by your mouth.
10. Mucho sileng no ay tadem.	10. Shing bright, not all sharp.
11. Uray ubing ta ubing, no ammo na ti agdayao ken agbain.	11. Young in age but old in manners.
12. No ania ti utang isu met la bayadan.	12. One gets paid by his own coin.
13. Ta agcac-cacac isu met la ti agcutcutac.	13. You are betrayed by your own mouth.
14. Ti papanan ti asuc, isut' masunog.	14. To the guilty is directed the shafts of condemnation.
15. Uray siliaam ta nuang, nuang to latta.	15. No amount of trappings will change the true nature.
16. No nauni cencillo, no naulimec papel de banco.	16. Noise denotes shallowness, silence, depth.
17. Ti dackel a cayo a mangga, nassit a bukel ti naggapuanna.	17. Great things come from humble beginnings.
18. Bilin in Apo Dios nga matandanan ti agbannog.	18. He who labors is rewarded.
19. Shoo! Shoo! Billit! Aoan ca idi panagkaik, ngem add ca idi pannagapit.	19. You have no right to be at the eating when you were not at the working.
20. Tay nabunga a niog isut' palpalapalenda.	20. The successful is the butt of envy.
21. Agpinnarang ti lupot, bucsit ti di mabsog.	21. Beautiful cloaks, empty stomachs.
22. Ti aramid a basol, isu met la cabuson	22. One gets piqued only by his errors.

One of the most populous towns in Ilocos Norte is Bacarra. The town has 7,914 male residents and 9,890 female residents, making a total population of 17,804. It has an area of about 7,700 hectares.

In 1600 A.D., an energetic Igorot by the name of Bakalondok saw the beauty of the Bacarra River as he was hunting wild animals among the hills between Bacarra and Laoag. He took advantage of the beauty and usefulness of the river and settled north of it. Bakasalondok enjoyed the blessing of a happy and prosperous life afforded by the natural resources of the place. The other Igorots soon noticed his prosperous living and, as time went on, more of them occupied different parts of the river bank. One tribe settled on the western part formerly called Baranio, another occupied the central part called Parparis, and still another occupied the eastern part called Bira.

People are not agreed on how the name Bacarra was given the three settlements of Baranio, Parparis, and Bira. Some believe that the name originated from a fish called Bacbacarra. Sone day, while one of the inhabitants was out fishing, he was asked by a Spaniard what the name of the place [rest of this line part of torn page] understanding him, the fisher man though [rest of this line part of torn page] asking him what kind of fish was caught. [The rest of the page was torn and cannot be transcribed.]

The Roman Catholic church is located at the central part of the town. It is a building of the Roman type which is made principally of bricks. The roof is of galvanized iron, supported by wooden pillars and rafters. It is seventy meters long and twenty-seven meters wide. This building was made through forced labor. The church has, at present, about eleven thousand members.

The Phil. Independent Church is an ordinary one-story building, ten by sixteen meters, with [a] cement floor and galvanized walls and roof. It was erected in February 1912 and financed by voluntary contributions. The church was founded by Rev. Father Pedro Brillantes, assisted by Ignacio Nuriega, Mr. and Mrs. Ciprino [Cipriano?] Lagasca, Antonio Ver, Juan Sales, Antonio Madamba, Enrique Albano, and Patrona Castro.

The Church of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo) is situated in Cabulslaan, a progressive barrio approximately three kilometers northwest of the town. It is a one-story building, eight by ten meters. The frontage is of cement, the roof and walls of galvanized iron, and the floor of cement. It was erected in September 1912. The founders were Bernardo Dacuy-cuy, Pastor Eugenio Dacuy-cuy, Clemente Gumtang, Thomas Sagabaen, Juan Gumtang, Damian Gumtang, and Buenaventura Macadang-dang.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church is located in the southeastern part of the town. It is an ordinary building consisting of one story. The floor is concrete, the walls and roof are made of galvanized iron. The following persons founded the Church in 1931: Pastor Roy Hay, Emilio Valera, Thomas Dacuy-cuy, Juana Aguila, Thomas Pilas [or Polas], and Rafael Pilar.

In connection with the churches, the bell tower of the Roman Catholic church deserves mention. It is one of the edifices that reminds of the past glory of Spain in the Philippines. Before 1931, the chimes of its bell could be heard in the neighboring towns. But that commanding edifice was not to last forever. The great earthquake of March1 19, 1931 toppled it down;

The town was organized as a regular pueblo in 1778 by the Spaniards under the leaderhip of Manuel Paras, the first chief executive of the town. When the town was organized, more and more people came to settle. The population of Bacarra reached 34,000 before the Cagayan Valley offered vast opportunities for Ilocano settlers. Today, people from Bacarra are found in every town of Cagayan, Isabela, and Nueva Vizcaya.

The people of Bacarra engage in farming, fishing, wood-carving and weaving. Of these industries, the most important is farming. This is due to the presence of fertile and wide lands which are traversed here and there by irrigation ditches.

Bacarra is agriculturally self-sufficient. However, farming as it is now carried has still plenty of room for improvement. The farmers have yet to learn much about the value of fertilizers, crop rotation, and marketing. There are still plenty of farms that must be put under cultivation. The hillsides can be utilized for sugarcane, peanut, and camote; the backyards of some homes may be used for fruit-growing, vegetable gardening, or poultry-raising.

The town has a large river, several creeks and sources of dishes. In these clear and running bodies of water dwell many kids of edible fish. The seashore teems also with fishes. Thus, it is obvious that fishing ranks next to farming.

Wood-working as an occupation in Bacarra is fast progressing. There are many good carpenters but they do not as yet engage in wood-working on a large commercial scale. Time will come, however, when carpenters will receive the patronage of people in Bacarra. Generally, house furniture is ordered from well-established shops in Laoag and Manila.

Bacarra may well be proud of the improvements that have taken place during the past few years. The old order of things is fast being replaced by the new. The Bacarra Gabaldon School is one of the permanent public buildings. The town may also be proud of the modern Home Economics building. The other buildings used for school purposes are the old Central School,

The improvement in health and hygiene has [been] remarkable. There are now no epidemic diseaseas. Improvement has been made in the construction of sanitary toilets. Most of the people get their drinking water from the artesian wells and [the] water supply of Ilocos Norte.

Respectfully submitted by:
by
(SGD.) VICTORIA A. CASTRO

Just south of the poblacion is a small young river. It its placid waters abounds a trout which is called, in the dialect, "Bac-bacarra." This kind of fish is delicious and loved by the people for its good taste and for the ease of catching it.

One afternoon, a fisherman was catching fish with his net. While he was busy spreading his net, he did not notice a Spanish missionary riding on horseback coming from Laoag and was about to cross the river. As the Spaniard did not know the name of the settlement just on the other side of the river, he shouted to the fisherman to tell him the name of the place. The Spaniard asked the fisherman his question in the Spanish language. The fisherman, not knowing the language, thought the Spaniard was asking him the kind of fish he was catching. He shouted in response, "Bac-bacarra, Señor." He wanted to tell the name of the fish and not the name of the settlement.

When the Spaniard heard the name, he thought that the answer given was the name of the place before him. Then, the Spaniard reported the name BACARRA and the place became known as Bacarra.

(SGD.) Miss CLARA P. CASTRO

Idi nabiit pay daguidi cacastila wenno Español nga immay nagturay ditoy Filipinas bassit pay met laeng cadaguidi Filipino ti macaawat ken macasao iti sangcabassit nga Español nga pagsasao daguidi cacastila.

Naunget ket naturay daguidi. Daguidi Filipino nangruna no napanglao napalalo panagbutengda cacacuada. Señas ti pakisaoda no saan patpatanganda ti isungbatda gapu ti butengda.

Iti naminsan nga aldao napan nagburac iti conocon ti maeysa nga lacay. Iti nagburacanna madalanan no umay ti umay ditoy ili no aggapo sadi Laoag.

Di mabayag lumabas daguidi cacastila yandi yanga nga agburburac. Idi rugyandan ti agpabaliw iti caballoda nagsardeng da ket nagsaludsodda ti iti deydi lacay no ana nga ili ti masungadanda. Piman ta deydi lacay ti dina met naawatan ngem ti pannangipagarupna saludsodenda no ana ti lames na naburacanna, kinunana, "Bacbacarra Apo." Nagtungad deydi maysa nga castila ket kinunana "Bacarra." Idin isu metten ti nagrugayan daguidi cacastila nga inawagan deytoy ili iti Bacarra. Naipacanayon deydin isu nga ita ti ili agnagan Bacarra.

Respectfully submitted by:
(SGD.) Mrs. CANDIDA P. CRISOSTOMO

There are interesting versions which might have been the origin of the name of the town. So far, this version is common to all.

Many years ago, a Spanish missionary, riding on horseback coming from Laoag, saw a fisherman catching fish with his nets on a small young river south of the poblacion. As the Spaniard did not know the name of the settlement just on the other side of the river, he called to the fisherman and asked him for name of the place in his Spanish language. The fisherman, not knowing the language, thought that the Spaniard was asking him the name of the fish he was catching. So, he said, "Bacarra, Señor." When the Spaniard heard the answer, he thought that it was the name of the place before him. Then, the Spaniard reported the name "Bacarra" and the place became known and christened Bacarra. Bacbacarra is the name of the trout that lives in the river and the people loved to eat [it] because of its deliciousness.

From the folkloric story of the old people, the first Igorot settler was Bacsalandoe. He made his hut at the place where the Roman Catholic church stands. Other Igorot settlers followed and, very soon, the settlment became a little village with a chief int he person of Bacsalandoe, the founder and first settler. As years rolled by, the settlement grew bigger until it was divided into three divisions under each district chief or headman.

The most western settlement was called Baraniw. The name still remains by the barrio west of the poblacion. The middle settlement was named Par-paria. The eastern settlement was called Vira. This name Vira is still attributed to the people living on the eastern part of the town near the outskirts. It is believed that these settlements were named after the chiefs of each settlement.

Time advanced and that settlements were grouped into one which attracted the missionaries to come and convert the people into Christianity. In 1590, the town of Bacarra was formed. As years passed by, the municipality was divided into forty-one barrios. Each barrio had a name. It was said that they were named after

Transcribed from:

History and Cultural Life of the Municipality of Bacarra, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections. The pagination in this transcription is as they appear in the original document.