Alcoy, officially the Municipality of Alcoy ( ceb, Lungsod sa Alcoy; tgl, Bayan ng Alcoy), 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 ...
of
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
,
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 19,186 people.
It is named after
Alcoy
Alcoy ( ca-valencia, Alcoi) is an industrial and university city, region and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain. The Serpis river crosses the municipal boundary of Alcoy. The local authority reported a population of 61,135 res ...
in Spain.
History
Spanish colonization
The old town of Alcoy, located in the current barangay of Daanlungsod, known as ''Mambaje'', becomes one of the ''visitas'' of
Carcar
Carcar, officially the City of Carcar ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Carcar; fil, Lungsod ng Carcar), is a 5th class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cebu, Philippines. Accord ...
in 1690. Mambaje is absorbed as a barrio of
Boljoon
Boljoon, officially the Municipality of Boljoon ( ceb, Lungsod sa Boljoon; tgl, Bayan ng Boljoon), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,525 people.
Geography
...
in 1692. The church in Alcoy and three ''Bantayan sa Hari'' or
watchtowers
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...
are built. The settlers choose
Sta. Rosa de Lima as their
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
.
A creation of the town of ''Mambaje'' was proposed. On July 16, 1866, Mambaje becomes a municipality. A year after, the first formal school opened in Alcoy, according to the Spanish Organic Law of 1863. In 1869, Mambaje was renamed to Alcoy. The seat of local government or the
poblacion
''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippines, Philippi ...
was moved from Mambaje to ''Hulomaynon'' (now Poblacion). In 1890, the town of Alcoy ranks first in production of
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
and sixth in
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
in the province of Cebu. Then in 1898, Alcoy joins the
Anti-Spanish Uprising.
American and Japanese period
In 1899, Alcoy, and the rest of the Philippines, is
occupied by the Americans. Resistance against the new colonizers in Cebu ceased in 1901. The town experienced a
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
and
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
epidemic in 1903. Between 1904 to 1916, Alcoy is merged to the town of
Dalaguete
Dalaguete, officially the Municipality of Dalaguete ( ceb, Lungsod sa Dalaguete; tgl, Bayan ng Dalaguete), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 74,596 people.
Lo ...
. Herminigildo Mosqueda becomes Alcoy’s first elected mayor after he wins the local elections in 1928.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Hilario de los Santos organizes and heads the local guerilla resistance against the Japanese in Alcoy. The Civil Affairs unit is formed at Nug-as with former Mayor Herminigildo Mosquedo as president.
Post-independence
The Philippines became independent from the United States in July 4, 1946. On November 11, 1947, Pedro Romanos is the first elected mayor of Alcoy in the post-war era. In 1971, Catalino de los Santos is elected mayor and remained in office during the
Martial Law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
period until the
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 ...
in 1986. The Dolomite Mining Corporation is established in 1980.
Contemporary
Eusebio Sestoso becomes the elected mayor of Alcoy after the EDSA Revolution in 1988. During the administration of Antonio Plando, the Siloy Festival is launched in 2005. Michael Angelo Sestoso wins the mayoralty election in 2016.
Geography
Alcoy is from
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 ...
.
It is bordered to the north by the town of Dalaguete, to the west is the town of
Alegria, to the east is the
Cebu Strait
Cebu Strait ( Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Cebú''; also Bohol Strait) is a strait in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines.
Geography
The Cebu Strait (and its 3 channels, the Mactan, the Olango, & the Hilutangan) connects the western part of th ...
, and to the south is the town of Boljoon.
Barangays
Alcoy comprises 8 barangays:
Daan-Lungsod and Guiwang
Daan-Lungsod, formerly known as Mambaje, is the southernmost barangay of Alcoy.
Tingko Beach is located partly in this small barangay and partly in Guiwang. A fiesta is held in Daan-Lungsod every 3 May in honor of Santa Cruz. There is a reef called ''Mabad-on'' which appears during low tide, and is completely submerged during high tide. Mabad-on is listed as Mambahi Reef in the Philippine maritime and navigation map.
The elementary school is located in Guiwang. Guiwang celebrates 13 June the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua.
Two ''baluwarti'' (watchtowers) still stand in the two barangays. The watchtowers are the oldest-surviving structures in Alcoy and they are reminders of the Spanish occupation of Cebu Island. They were used to warn the locals that
pirates
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
were coming. Originally a settlement of Dalaguete, it was founded by the Spaniards in 1880 and was developed into a stop-over station for priests going to Dalaguete. In 1869, via a royal decree, ''Mambaje'' became a municipality and was renamed to Alcoy, after a city in Spain.
Poblacion
The
Poblacion
''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippines, Philippi ...
is the principal barangay of Alcoy. It is where the main facilities of the town are located: the municipal government center, police station, and main health center.
Pugalo
The country's largest
dolomite Dolomite may refer to:
*Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral
*Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock
*Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community
*Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
quarry is mined in
Pugalo.
Climate
Tourist attractions
Alcoy's Nug-as forest is the last rainforest of Cebu. It borders the town of Argao and is connected to the town's
Lantoy Mountain. It is the home of the Black Shama (
Copsychus Cebuensis), a local species of song bird in the family
Muscicapidae
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, Bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica)'' and Norther ...
that is only found in Cebu, where it is known locally as "Siloy".
The Siloy Festival is Alcoy's nature festival and eco-tourism project. It is in honor of St. Rose of Lima. The festival takes its name from the local term of the Black Shama. The festival is a project meant to promote awareness of the Black Shama and its endangered nature and to help preserve Cebu's endemic
Shama species of birds, as well to help save
Mother Earth
Mother Earth may refer to:
*The Earth goddess in any of the world's mythologies
*Mother goddess
*Mother Nature, a common personification of the Earth and its biosphere as the giver and sustainer of life
Written media and literature
*Mother Earth ...
. It is celebrated on 23 August every year.
Demographics
Economy
Alcoy is mainly an agricultural town with Nugas, a mountain barangay, more than half of commercial crops. The rest of the communities rely on subsistence fishing and backyard farming. The country's largest dolomite quarry is mined in
Pugalo. Beaches are located in Guiwang and Daanlungsod.
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 Cebu