Hagonoy, The Province of Bulacan, Central Luzon Region, Philippines

🇵🇭 Hagonoy, officially the Municipality of Hagonoy (Tagalog: Bayan ng Hagonoy), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines.

History Hagonoy was first mentioned in the history of the Philippines in 1571. Even before the "blood compact" between the Spain's conqueror Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the Philippines' Datu Sikatuna was made, the place was already known as Hagonoy. The land consists of archipelagic marsh and river tributaries going to the sea, where the first ancestors of this town probably took this way to reach Hagonoy.

Hagonoy first appeared in Philippine history when they formed part of the fleet of Tarik Sulayman of Macabebe, Pampanga that met Martin de Goiti at the Battle of Bangkusay in the initial defense of the Lusong against the Spaniards in 1571.

In the beginning, Hagonoy was part of Alcaldia de Calumpit as its visita together with Apalit. It has huge convent having founded on April 22, 1581, with Fray Diego Ordonez de Vivar as its first minister according to Gaspar's "Conquistas delas Islas" Book 2 (Fray Diego having credited for the christiniazation of Calumpit, Malolos and Bulakan). At first, it was also included in the territorial part of Encomienda de Calumpit that was given by Governor General Gonzalo Ronquillo to Sargento Juan de Moron for his good service and loyalty to Spanish Crown. Sargento Juan Moron once trusted his land to the Augustinian friars, and that's how it was handed to Fray Diego Vivar. It is also noted that on the primary sources documents such as Miguel de Loarca's "Relacion delas Islas" written in 1582 and Luis Perez de Dasmarinas report on King of Spain in June 1591 didn't mention Hagonoy as an independent encomienda or town, instead it is simultaneously with the much older town of Calumpit and it was officially established as a civil town in May 1671. According to records and old folks, there were already inhabitants in some places of this settlement.These places were Tibaguin and Pugad, coastal barrios sharing the coastline with the City of Malolos and towns of Bulakan, Obando and the City of Manila.

Magat Salamat, a revolutionary hero, and the last Prince of the Kingdom of Tondo, once headed this town. He was the ancestor of the Salamat families now living in different barrios of this town.

Geography With a total land area of 103.10 square kilometers, Hagonoy is situated at the south-west corner of the province of Bulacan. It is bounded by the municipality of Calumpit on the north, municipality of Paombong on the east, municipality of Masantol, Pampanga on the west and Manila Bay on the south. The municipality is approximately 54 km from Metro Manila or about an hour and a half drive. It can be accessed via North Luzon Expressway and MacArthur Highway.

Hagonoy is a long ridge with a lake on its edge by Manila Bay called "Wawa", which is now part of Barangays San Sebastian and San Nicolas. It is basically a fishing town with Manila Bay as its proximate fishing ground, which extends up to the provinces of Pampanga, Bataan, and Cavite. Its more adventurous fisherfolk brave the waves of the South China Sea northward and cross into the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean on the eastern seaboard where they cast their nets and haul their catch to the fishing ports of Quezon province.

Barangays Hagonoy is politically subdivided into 26 barangays grouped into 5 clusters or kumpol for statistical purposes. All barangays are classified as urban by the Philippine Statistics Authority. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Economy Hagonoy is mainly a fishing municipality with 7,837.65 hectares devoted to fish farming or about three-fourths of its total land area. It is home to about 1,423 fishpond operators and 55 registered consignacions – a venue for trading aquaculture products. The town offers a variety of harvests which includes prawns, shrimps, milkfish, tilapia, crabs, mussels and oysters.

With its abundant water resources and the coastal nature of the town, the majority of the population is dependent on the fishing industry. Even the municipal government has its own fishpond locally known as "Propyus", situated in Pugad and Tibaguin, two coastal barangays of Hagonoy along the coast of Manila Bay. It is subdivided to 7 lots with a combined lot area of 412 hectares of municipal waters.

Two local fish ports called "pundohan" – one in barrio San Nicolas and the other at the Poblacion, are the busiest commercial areas in the town. Fish traders from Lucena and Dagupan among other merchants of other provinces are regular bulk buyers the local ports or at the private "consignacions" (brokerage) of the large milkfish growers.

The coastal barrios are virtually 24/7 as fishermen go out to the sea at night for hours or even days while their loving families and relatives await them. Upon their return, their catch is immediately sorted out and sold at the local public markets and "talipapa" of the barangays. Their catch are also transported to the public markets in nearby towns and up to the public/private markets and supermarkets in Metro Manila.

Barangay Santo Niño adjacent to the Poblacion is host to the numerous brokers of prawns for the domestic and export markets. The boats that sell their prawn catch at these brokers at times come from as far as the province of Capiz. A processing plant very near the brokers prepares and packages the prawns to export quality and global standards.

There are 2 “talipapa” (flea markets) in Hagonoy that also played minor central business districts – Santo Rosario and San Agustin. Business activities include wet and dry markets, grocery stores, carinderia, and computer shops.

According to the Commission on Audit (COA) 2010 Annual Financial Report, Hagonoy ranked as the 8th richest municipality in Bulacan, surpassing the annual income of other 1st class municipalities like Bocaue, Calumpit, Plaridel, San Ildefonso and Balagtas.

Trade and commerce Trade and commerce in Hagonoy is concentrated at the town centre where the public market, municipal hall, church, schools, hospital, clinics, and commercial spaces are situated. Major business activities include drugstores, banks, financial institutions, private consignacions, restaurants/food shops, groceries, and construction supplies. • Puregold Hagonoy - a hypermarket operated by Puregold Price Club, Inc., opened on October 24, 2012. It is located at Barangay Santo Niño (Poblacion). • Super 8 Grocery Warehouse Hagonoy

Major Industries • Aquaculture • Agriculture • Flowers/Ornamental Plants • Food Processing • Furniture • Garments • Gifts/Houseware/Decors • Metalcraft; Major Products • Prawns, Milkfish, other Fishes and Crustaceans • Processed Food (bagoong alamang) • Processed Meat • Garments and Apparel • Toys and Giftware; Indigenous and raw materials • Bamboo and Sasa (Nipa) leaves

Communication Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Digital Telecommunications Philippines, Inc. (DIGITEL) are the main landline telephone service provider in Hagonoy with 2,134 and 1,700 subscribers respectively.

Many residents have subscribed to wireless phone services such as Globe, Smart, Talk 'N Text, TM (Touch Mobile), Sun Cellular and DITO. As per the Municipal Engineers Office record, there are 10 cell sites installed in strategic locations in Hagonoy to improve the signal coverage and reception.

On the other hand, telegraph and express mail services are being provided by the local post office and private companies such as LBC and RCPI-Western Union.

Culture Annual fiestas are held to honor the town's and each barangay's patron saints. The town's patron saint is St. Anne (the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary) or fondly called "Apo Ana" in the vernacular by the natives. She is enshrined at the church named after her in the poblacion. This church is a National Shrine. There are also small fiestas among the different puroks of the barangays, there are feasts for the: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of the Rosary, and other commemorative feasts of the Catholic Church. The Holy Week observance includes self flagellants on the road, zarzuelas, the "pabasa" (the passion sang as a psalm), the Good Friday and Easter dawn processions, in all parish churches. The Good Friday processions of the Parishes like the Poblacion and the Santo Rosario parishes are attended by at least 15 to 30 Lenten icons. The fiestas and Holy Week rituals are deemed as a sacred tradition. Some barangays hold their feasts with extraordinary roadside decorations and buntings so elaborate that the road is almost covered with overhead decor sufficient to screen-off the sunlight at noontime.

Major Fiestas in Hagonoy such as the Santo Niño Fiesta, Santa Elena Fiesta, & the Town’s Fiesta & Foundation Day are some of the major festivities in town.

Protective services Hagonoy is generally a peaceful community. Peace and order is being maintained by the Philippine National Police – Hagonoy Station manned by 29 PNP personnel. The Hagonoy PNP is equipped by 24 long firearms and 17 short firearms, with 2 patrol cars and 4 motorcycles as service vehicles. In 2009, there were 113 reported crime incidence in the municipality. The crime solution efficiency rate is registered at 97.26%.

Health and nutrition There are 3 hospitals operating in Hagonoy – 2 private hospitals and a government-controlled district hospital. The Emilio Perez Memorial District Hospital, situated at Barangay Santo Nino, is a 50-bed capacity hospital that offers secondary healthcare services. It is one of the district hospitals owned and controlled by the Provincial Government of Bulacan. Immediately beside it is the Mateo-Mabborang General Hospital, a private hospital which was opened on October 9, 2010. The Divine Word Hospital is a private hospital situated at Barangay San Pedro also offers secondary healthcare services.

These hospitals are being complemented by the Amado Aldaba Memorial Health Center, the main rural health unit (RHU) being operated by the municipal government. It offers primary healthcare services which also includes laboratory and dental services. Aside of this, 3 other rural health units in barangays San Juan, San Nicolas and Santo Rosario are also under the local government, headed by the municipal officer in RHU-Aldaba, and 3 other physicians are servicing the other RHUs.

The municipality also operates two (2) physical therapy and rehabilitation centers. The first is located at the municipal compound while the other is situated at Barangay Santa Monica.

The medical personnel of the municipal government is composed of 4 Rural Health Physicians, 4 public nurses, 26 midwives, 2 sanitary inspectors, 1 medical technologist and 2 dentists. These are aided by the 172 Barangay Health Workers at the barangay level.

On the other hand, nutrition program is being implemented by the Municipal Nutrition Office. At the barangay, they are assisted by the 29 Lingkod Lingap sa Nayon (LLNs) supported by 189 Mother Leaders. As of 2008, there were 35 identified very low and 565 low nutritional status in Hagonoy.

Transport In Hagonoy, the primary and most dominant mode of transportation is tricycle because of its narrow roads. In 2011, there are 4,671 registered members of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) in Hagonoy servicing all barangays except Pugad and Tibaguin. Both of those barangays are being served by passenger boats.

Other modes of transportation are jeepneys and buses. There are about 565 registered jeepneys in Hagonoy plying 2 routes – Hagonoy-Malolos Bayan, and Hagonoy-BSU-Malolos Crossing-Robinsons. Passenger buses transport passengers in Hagonoy to and from Divisoria, Monumento, Cubao and Pasay in Metro Manila via the 2 bus companies that are presently operating in Hagonoy. The Baliwag Transit having 32 buses leaving Hagonoy every 30 minutes and the First North Luzon Transit with 11 buses leaving every 45 minutes. • Baliwag Transit • First North Luzon Transit • Jeepneys (going to Paombong, Malolos Bayan, BSU, Malolos Crossing, and Robinsons Malolos) • Tricycles (most common mean of tranpostation locally)

Hanging and wooden bridges The four hanging bridges which are now in state of disrepair are located in barangays Iba, Abulalas, Carillo and San Agustin. Barangay Abulalas' hanging bridge links it to Barangay San Isidro II in Paombong town. The bridge is about 200 meters long as it crossed the downstream of the Labangan Channel. In Barangay Carillo, residents said the hanging bridge in their village linking Barangay Abulalas was totally damaged just before the 2007 elections. Its steel cable snapped while supporters of a mayoralty candidate were crossing in April 2007. In Barangay San Agustin, residents are trying to protect what remains of their hanging bridge that links with Barangay San Pablo.

Power and water supply The power requirement of the entire municipality is supplied by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) including the coastal barangays of Pugad and Tibaguin. While the Hagonoy Water District provides the water requirement of Hagonoy. It supplies the daily water use of all 26 barangays using their 24 barangay pump stations.

Cemeteries • Hagonoy Public Cemetery • Hagonoy Catholic Cemetery • Hagonoy Memorial Park • Peralta Cemetery (San Sebastian) • Santo Rosario Catholic Cemetery • Santa Elena Catholic Cemetery • San Juan Cemetery • Iba Cemetery • Cherubim of Heaven Memorial Park (San Pedro).

Education The educational institutions in Hagonoy is composed of: 29 public elementary schools, 10 private elementary schools, 4 public secondary schools, 4 private schools, 26 Day Care Centers, 1 Technical/Vocational School and 1 satellite campus of a state university.

In School Year 2008–2009, the combined elementary school enrollment is 17,934, where 9 out of the 10 students are enrolled in public elementary school. On the other hand, secondary school enrolment is registered at 10,477 students, of which 78.45% are enrolled in public high school.

Every barangay has a Day Care Center with an assigned Day Care Worker. The total number of children enrolled is 1,315 in School Year 2008–2009, composed of 629 boys and 686 girls.

Tertiary/Technical schools The Bulacan State University - Hagonoy Campus is a satellite university of Bulacan State University situated at Barangay Iba-Ibayo officially opened on June 7, 2011. The fourth satellite campus of BulSU offers courses on Criminology, Education, Engineering, Information Technology, Industrial Technology, Hospitality Management and Tourism Management.

Public schools College • Bulacan State University-Hagonoy Campus (Iba and Carillo)

High schools • Iba National High School • Mayor Ramona S. Trillana National High School • Santa Monica National High School • San Pedro National High School • Don Miguel High School; Elementary schools • Hagonoy East Central School (Santo Niño) • Hagonoy West Central School (Santo Rosario) • Abulalas Elementary School • Carillo Elementary School • Federico C. Suntay Elementary School (Palapat) • Hangga Elementary School (San Pedro) • Iba Elementary School • Iba-Ibayo Elementary School • Iba Poblacion Elementary School (Iba) • Mercado Elementary School • Pugad Elementary School • Sagrada Familia Elementary School • San Agustin Elementary School • Eugenio G. Sy Tamco Elementary School (San Isidro) • San Jose Elementary School • San Juan Elementary School • San Nicolas Elementary School • San Pablo Elementary School • San Pascual Elementary School • San Roque Elementary School • San Sebastian Elementary School • Santa Elena Elementary School • Santa Monica Elementary School • Tampok Elementary School • Tibaguin Elementary School • Don Miguel Elementary School (San Nicolas) • Sitio Buga Elementary School (Santa Elena) • Teodora Cruz Elementary School (San Miguel) • VCRaymundo Elementary School (Santa Cruz)

Private schools High schools • Godwin's Montessori School • Saint Anne's Catholic School (formerly known as Saint Anne's Catholic High School) • Saint Mary's Academy of Hagonoy (or SMA, formerly known as Saint Anne's Academy) • Mother of Perpetual Help School (offering Junior High School only); Elementary schools • Godwin's Montessori School • Hagonoy Ecumenical School • Holy Child School of Hagonoy • Jesus is Lord Christian School • Saint Mary's Academy of Hagonoy • Santiago Trillana Academy • School of Wisdom for Ideal Children • St. Anne's Catholic School • Mother of Perpetual Help School • Victoria-Vazquez Christian School; Pre-School • Kid's Lane Learning Center • Mother of Perpetual Help School