Larena, officially the Municipality of Larena ( ceb, Lungsod sa Larena; tl, Bayan ng Larena), is a 5th class

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Siquijor Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Siquijor; tl, Lalawigan ng Siquijor), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,454 people. Larena is the former capital of the province of

. It is from

History

Canoan, which was how Larena was known during the Spanish period, had long been a flourishing township. It was mainly due to this fact that the Spanish authorities developed it into a capital town or ''cabecera'' for the whole island of Siquijor.

American Period

With the coming of the Americans at the turn of the century, Canoan still was regarded as a ''cabecera'' where lieutenant governor James Fugate, the first American governor of Siquijor, held office for 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 Demetrio Larena was a political hero and former governor of Negros Oriental (East Negros), a province on Negros Island in the Philippines. He was the vice-president of the Republic of Negros and eventually the governor of Negros Oriental from 1901 ...

, the first Filipino governor for Negros Oriental and Siquijor, changed the name of Canoan to Larena, his own name, which was duly approved by the Philippine legislature. From then on until the declaration of martial law in 1972, several people shared the mayoral seat after every four years. Albito was followed by Restituto Calibo. Then Antonio Albito again. 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 The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...

Dr. Remedios Albito served as mayor followed by Gold L. Calibo then Dean S. Villa. 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.

Geography

Barangays

Larena is politically subdivided into 23 barangays. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' ( en, district or zone) is a division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a purok often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popul ...

. Notes

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Transportation

The Port of Larena is the main gateway to Siquijor Island as it is the largest port. It can accommodate ships up to 1,000 tons. Lite Ferries provides service from Larena to

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagbilaran), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,976 people. Encompassing a la ...

in Bohol,

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

, and Plaridel in Misamis Occidental. Maayo Shipping provides service from Larena to Liloan in

Santander, Cebu Santander, officially the Municipality of Santander ( ceb, Lungsod sa Santander; tgl, Bayan ng Santander), is a 4th class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cebu, Philippines. According to th ...

and Bato in

Samboan, Cebu Samboan, officially the Municipality of Samboan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Samboan; tgl, Bayan ng Samboan), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 20,373 people. It is loc ...

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, evolved to become the Larena National Vocational School and then the Larena National Vocational College, drawing to its fold a great number of young people from all over the province and neighboring provinces. On 3 March 1995, LNVC was converted into a state college now known as

Siquijor State College Siquijor State College is the only state college in the island province of Siquijor, Central Visayas, Philippines. The province is situated east of Negros Island, and from Manila. Campuses The SSC main campus has a total land area of and is ...

(SSC). In 2006, a second campus was named SSC-Lazi campus in the town of Lazi. The public schools in the town of Larena are administered by one school district under th
Schools Division of Siquijor
Elementary schools: * Basac Elementary School — Basac * Candigum Elementary School — Candigum * New Bataan Elementary School — Cang-apa * New Corregidor Elementary School — Calunasan * Nonoc Elementary School — Nonoc * Ponong Elementary School — Ponong High schools: * Basac National High School — Basac Integrated schools: *Cabulihan Integrated School — Cangmalalag *Larena Integrated School (formerly ''Larena CES'') — Helen

Gallery

Larena Bay and Town.JPG, Larena Bay and town from Triad Hill Siquijor - Sandugan Beach.jpg, Sandugan Beach in Larena, Siquijor Larena Port 01.JPG, The ferry port of Larena Old Capitol of Siquijor Province.jpg, Old Provincial Capitol of Siquijor St. Vincent Ferrer Bell Tower.JPG, San Vicente Ferrer Church Bell Tower

References

External links

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

{{Authority control Municipalities of Siquijor Former provincial capitals of the Philippines