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Major Hubs 5 Major Destinations
Manila and Its Spokes
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Cebu and its Spokes
Laoag / Baguio and its Spokes
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Davao and its Spokes
Clark/Subic and its Spokes |
Others and its Spokes
Virac / Catanduanes
THE PROVINCE AT A GLANCE
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Catanduanes (opposite the Bicol Region) is bounded by the
Maqueda Channel on the west, the Pacific Ocean on the north
and east, and the Lagonoy Gulf and Cabugao Bay on the south.
The province, formerly known as "Catanduan", "Catandognan",
and finally, "Catanduanes" derived its name from the tando
trees which then abound in the island.
BRIEF HISTORY
The scions of the ten Bornean Datus who had moved on the
island of Panay and then, spread out throughout the
archipelago were the first settlers to have set foot in
Catanduanes. Meanwhile, the Spaniards came on the island
province in 1573. Capt. Juan de Salcedo and his other
conquistadores, together with some friars who were to
Christianize the island later, landed on the island in
search for local pirates who were plying their nefarious
trade between Camarines Sur, Sorsogon and Western
Catanduanes. As they moved along, the friars also conquered
the inhabitants through the gospel.
Catanduanes was not spared from the adventurous raids of the
Moros who came from the island of Mindanao. Because of these
destructive raids, many records of the past were destroyed
and lost. Thus, the complete details of the history of the
island was cut short. The only record made to proclaim about
the past was in 1755. During the American regime, the local
insurgents refused to recognize the sovereignty of the
United States. Most of them fled to the mountains. The
American occupation did not last long. In 1934, the
Americans had ceased control of the island.
During the Japanese war, Catanduanes was not spared by their
invasion. Garrisons were erected in different parts of the
island. The guerilla movement was intensely active during
this time of crisis. On February 8, 1945, the liberation of
the island province was proclaimed. In its place, a
municipal building at Virac was constructed and also the
town's Parish church. The free atmosphere has calmed the
people. The guerilla forces controlled the barracks vacated
by the Japanese forces.
On October 26, 1946, three months after the Philippine
Independence from the Americans, the island was finally
recognized as a separate and independent province.
Commonwealth Act No. 687 was enacted to create the island of
Catanduanes as one of the six provinces of the Bicol Region.
LANGUAGE/DIALECT
Bicol is the major dialect spoken although some words and
accents greatly differ the Bicol Mainland. The unique tongue
twisting similar to that of Capiz can be found only in the
capital town of Virac and neighboring municipalities of San
Miguel, Bato and Baras. Far up north, a completely different
kind of Bicol dialect is widely spoken. English however, is
widely understood and spoken among the population. People in
the north, however, can better understand and speak English
than the national Tagalog language.
MAJOR INDUSTRIES
The important industries of the Catanduanes province are
logging, fishing and cattle-raising. In Pandan, buri hats,
mats, roof shingles and alcohol are manufactured for local
consumption
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