Noveleta, officially the Municipality of Noveleta ( tgl, Bayan ng Noveleta), formerly known as Tierra Alta during the Spanish colonial era, is a 3rd 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 ...
of
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...
,
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 49,452 people.
With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the municipality is now included in the
Manila built-up area which reaches
Lipa City
Lipa (), officially the City of Lipa ( fil, Lungsod ng Lipa), is a 1st class component city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 372,931 people.
It is the first city charter in the pro ...
in its southernmost part.
History
Noveleta was originally a barrio of the municipality of Kawit (Cavite El Viejo) and some part of Cavite City (Dalahican). It was made an independent pueblo on January 5, 1868, by Gen. Jose dela Gandera y Navarro. Ironically, Noveleta was referred to by the Spaniards as ''Tierra Alta'' meaning higher ground in view of the fact that it was more elevated than Cavite la Punta (now Cavite City). The name Noveleta is said to have originated from ''Nueva Isla'' or (new island), a tern frequently used by the Spaniards, referring to the locality. In the early years of the Spanish regime visiting priests described the place as ''Nueva Late'' (New fate or Fortune). In the course of time these terms Nueva Isla and Nueva Lete involved of Noveleta.
But one legend tells the story of a beautiful maiden named ''Violeta'' who was betrothed by her father to a Spanish officer against her will. The unhappy girl, who was already engaged to a young Katipunero, committed suicide on the eve of her wedding to the Spaniard. The Spanish officer cried in deep anguish for the loss of his love, ''Madre de Dios'', ''no Violeta!'' The phrase ''No Violeta'' eventually became ''Noveleta''.
Noveleta has the distinction of leading a pivotal role in the Philippine revolutionary activities in Cavite. It used to be the seat of the Magdiwang Council of the Katipunan, the counterpart of the Magdalo Council under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit town (then Cavite el Viejo). The capture of the Noveleta Tribunal on August 31, 1896, was led by
Gen. Mariano Alvarez, founder and president of the Sangguniang Bayan Magdiwang. Its revolutionary name is Magdiwang, meaning to celebrate a momentous event. The revolution against the Spanish colonialism produced five brave and able military generals and tacticians from Noveleta in the persons of Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Gen. Santiago Alvarez (Son of Mariano), Gen. Pascual Alvarez (Cousin of Pascual), Gen. Luciano San Miguel. He was the Last President of the Philippine Revolutionary Government after the capture of Gen. Mariano Trias (First Vice President of the Phlippines) and Gen.
Miguel Malvar
Miguel Malvar y Carpio (September 27, 1865 – October 13, 1911) was a Filipino general who served during the Philippine Revolution and, subsequently, during the Philippine–American War. He assumed command of the Philippine revolutionary force ...
of Batangas. Another hero is Gen. Ariston Villanueva who together with Gen. Santiago Alvarez emerged as the hero of the Battle of Calero.
Geography
Noveleta is the smallest municipality of the
Cavite province
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest o ...
. It is away from
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
and is accessible by land transport modes. The municipality is bordered on the north by
Cavite City
Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people.
The city was the c ...
, on the west by
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phili ...
and
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
. It is flanked by
General Trias
General Trias, officially the City of General Trias ( fil, Lungsod ng General Trias), is a 1st class component city
A city ( fil, lungsod/siyudad) is one of the units of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are char ...
on the south and
Kawit
Kawit, officially the Municipality of Kawit ( tgl, Bayan ng Kawit), is a first-class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...
on the east.
Land area
Noveleta has a total land area of 16.43 km
2, which is roughly 5.41% of the total land area of the province of Cavite. The municipality has 16 barangays. Based on the 2007 Annual Report of the Municipality, the major land use include, residential, agricultural, saltbeds and fishponds and industrial.
Barangays
Noveleta is politically subdivided into 16
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
s.
Climate
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Noveleta was 49,452 people, with a density of .
Religion
Christianity
The majority of the people of Noveleta are
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
,
Aglipayan Church
, native_name_lang = fil
, icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg
, icon_width = 80px
, icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church
, image ...
is the second majority and third is
Iglesia Ni Cristo but there has been fast growth of other
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
denominations including
Members Church of God International
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
,
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
,
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement ,
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...
,
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ev ...
and
Born Again Christian
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
.
Islam
With the influx of migrants from other provinces especially from Mindanao other non-Christian faiths particularly
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
is practiced in the town.
Other faiths
Non-Abrahamic faiths include native-Tagalog
Anitism
Indigenous Philippine folk religions are the distinct native religions of various ethnic groups in the Philippines, where most follow belief systems in line with animism. Generally, these indigenous folk religions are referred to as Anito or An ...
,
Animism
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...
and with the local Indian communities
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
are followed.
Irreligious and atheist
A small minority of residents who class themselves as
irreligious
Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and ant ...
,
agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
or
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
also reside peacefully alongside people of faith; demonstrating the diverse and tolerant attitude towards personal or group belief in the town.
Economy
The agricultural sector in Noveleta centers on crop production, fishery, livestock and poultry raising. Fishery is a major source of livelihood in the municipality. Around 100 hectares are utilized for aquaculture and fishpond activities, most of which are in Barangay San Rafael II, III, and IV. The main products of Noveleta include milkfish, prawns, crabs, tilapia, mussels and oysters. The fishponds are converted to saltbeds during the dry season. A big enterprise, which spurs the output in the service sector, is the presence of the Noveca Industries in Barangay Santa Rosa II. Manufacturing is limited to light and medium industries such as sash factories and several garment factories. Other activities are the manufacture of furniture, iron gates and grills, and hollowblocks. The construction boom, on the other hand, is due to the mushrooming of residential subdivisions in the area. A number of commercial establishments are located along Noveleta's major thoroughfares. Small retail stores, service firms, and some medium scale enterprises, dot the municipality. There are specialty stores engaged in the trade of construction supplies and materials, auto parts, furniture and home decors, sportswear as well as fresh food items like meat, fruits and vegetables. Also based in the town are three pharmacies, eleven bakeries and two gasoline stations. The tourism industry in Noveleta relies mainly on its coastline with the Manila Bay bordering its western portion. Restaurants, cottages, conference rooms, and social halls/pavilions are situated along the beaches of Barangay San Rafael III and IV.
Communication
The Philippine Postal Corporation manages one post office situated in the municipal building. The Bureau of Telecommunications of the Department of Transportation and Communication presently operates its office at the Old Noveleta Tribunal. PLDT, Globe and Digitel Telephone Company provide telephone services in the municipality.
Banking
Five banks operating in the town of Noveleta are GSIS Family Bank, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Family Bank, the Unlad Rural Bank of Noveleta, the Luzon Development Bank and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). There are other financial institutions in the area extending credit for investment ventures.
Investments
The agricultural activities in the municipality are gradually decreasing due to urbanization. The current trend in Noveleta is in conversion of land from agriculture use to urban settlements. This may be attributed to its growing population and its proximity to Metro Manila and the Cavite Economic Processing Zone in Rosario, a 10-minurte drive from Noveleta. Majority of Noveleta's population is involved in commercial and industrial activities. Historical and tourism landmarks include the Noveleta Tribunal, Calero Bridge, Villamar Beach Resort I, Villamar Beach Resort II, Lido Beach Resort, TIP Beach Resort and the New Noveleta Cockpit Arena. The strips of beaches in Noveleta combined with the town's proximity to major urban centers make it an ideal tourist attraction. Noveleta is included in the "Manila Build-up Area" which makes it ideal for housing and commercial developments. It is only 3 kilometers from Cavitex exit and also 3 kilometers to Sangley Point in Cavite City, the next International Airport.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Noveleta is best accessed through jeeps, and mini buses that frequently ply its major thoroughfares, specifically the roads that lead to Rosario, Bacoor, and Cavite City. Tricycles and pedicabs service the tight and cool backroads of the municipality.
Electricity
The Manila Electric Company (
Meralco
The Manila Electric Company (), also known as Meralco (, ), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 22 cities and 89 munic ...
) distributes the power supply of Noveleta from the Luzon Grid of the National Power Corporation (NPC).
Water supply
The Metropolitan Waterworks System in Noveleta provides the water requirement of Noveleta.
But majority of the people in Noveleta uses Deep Well, specially on the remote area where the waterworks can't reach.
Education
There are 39 schools in the municipality.
Public primary schools
*Noveleta Central Elementary School
*Ambrocio S. Robles Memorial Elementary School
*San Antonio Elementary School
*Gen. Luciano San Miguel Elementary School
*Salcedo Elementary School
*Pacifico O. Aquino Elementary School
*San Juan Elementary School
Public secondary school
*Noveleta National High School
*Noveleta Senior High School
Private schools
*Abraham's Flock Christian Academy
*Atheneum School
*Gospel Light Christian Academy
*Saint Therese Catholic School
*Holy Cross Catholic School
*Montgard Learning Center
*Unida Nehemiah Christian Academy
*Patnubay Academy
College
*Columbia College and Computer Technology Center
*Mother Theresa Colegio de Noveleta
*Cavite State University- Noveleta Campus
Healthcare
Noveleta has ten government health centers and one private clinic as of 1996. There is one private medical hospital located at Salcedo II. The municipality also has three ambulances to support the medical practitioners in responding to the needs of the populace.
Government
Elected officials
The following are the elected officials of the town elected last
May 13, 2019 which serves until 2022:
References
External links
Noveleta at the Official Website of Cavite Province*
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 ...
br>
Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Cavite
Populated places on Manila Bay