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Baras, officially the Municipality of Baras (), is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in the
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Rizal Rizal most commonly refers to: * Rizal (province), a province of the Philippines * José Rizal, Filipino national hero whom the province is named after Rizal may also refer to: People * Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli, Malaysian footballer * Atep Ri ...
,
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,637 people. Baras is from
Antipolo Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Rizal (province), Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...
and from
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
.


History


Spanish colonial era

In 1595, the
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
missionaries under the leadership of Fr. Juan de Placencia and Fr. Diego de Oropesa, founded a “visita” for Morong on the present site of Bosoboso, south of Painaan with Apostol Santiago Mayor y Matamoros as its patron saint. It was known as “Visita de Santiago” or Santiago until such time that it became Baras. Baras was then inhabited by 400 Aetas and other
mountain people Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...
. In 1636, the town was transferred to a place called Ibayo, one and one-half leagues southeast of the first site due to the hostility of the Aetas and the mountaineers who burned part of the town and church in 1635. The Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as San Salvador in Spanish became their Patron. However, the town and church of Baras was burned by Chinese rebels in 1639, who were retreating from Manila to the Sierra Madre mountains. The ecclesiastical administration of Baras was given back by the Jesuits to the Franciscans in 1679. Two years later In 1682, the town was transferred to its present site where they would not be menaced by marauding tribes of the mountaineers. Baras was under the jurisdiction of the province of Laguna from 1606 to 1853. Its administration was transferred to the newly created Distrito Politico-Militar de los Montes de San Mateo. This district was renamed to Distrito de Morong in 1857 whose capital was in Antipolo but was later transferred to Morong. In July 1895, the representatives of Katipunan came to inform the people of Morong, Tanay, Antipolo, Baras and Pililla about the cause of the secret society. The Katipunan of Baras established the Real or Military Camp at sitio of Gogo or Pamitinan. On November 21, 1896, the Katipunan attempted to capture the town of Morong but were driven by the Guardia Civil. By 1898, Baras had joined the Revolutionary Government of
Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...
. After the defeat of the Spaniards in Morong, the Aguinaldo Headquarters ordered the establishment of the municipal township. A special election was held. However, the Revolutionary Government of Aguinaldo did not last because of the outbreak of the Filipino-American War. On March 29, 1900, Military Order No. 40, by Governor General Meritt came in effect. This order was for the election of an Alcalde Municipal, Vice Alcalde, and the Municipal Council. This was implemented in October of the same year.


American invasion era

Act No. 942 was passed by the
Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The First Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Pre ...
in 1901, providing the establishment of the Province of Rizal to be comprised in part of towns from the former Distrito de Morong. Baras effectively became part of the new province. However, on October 12, 1903, it was annexed to the town of Morong. On January 16, 1906, Baras was annexed to Tanay by virtue of Act No. 1442. But as Baras was not represented as a barrio of Tanay, and previously under Morong, there was a movement for the separation of Baras as an independent town. Under the leadership of Leopoldo Digma, the clamor was realized through Executive Order No. 57, dated November 24, 1920, establishing the Municipality of Baras.


Japanese occupation era

During the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese armed forces occupied and entered the municipal town of Baras in 1942. The local guerrillas of the General Marking Unit sieged and invaded the town of Baras and attacked the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. The local Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Philippine Constabulary units liberated the municipality of Baras in 1945. The guerrillas of the General Marking Units defeated the Japanese forces, and it ended World War II. The Military General Headquarters and Camp Bases of the 53rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was established and active from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and built Camp Caparas in Baras. The military engagements of the Anti-Japanese Operations in Manila and Southern Luzon aided the local guerrilla resistance fighters and U.S. military forces against the Japanese Imperial forces. The town of Baras was razed to the ground on March 10, 1945. This signified the liberation of the town but also left many homeless. The rehabilitation of the town began. War damage claims were filed to the amount of P 300,000 to be used for the construction of new houses. Then mayor, Mariano Golla, focused on the improvement of roads and the construction of a public dispensary. Under his term, Baras was elevated to a fourth-class municipality due to an increase in income. Under the succeeding administrations, improvements of road networks were implemented; seven liberty wells were constructed; the number of schoolhouses were increased; river controls in Barangay San Juan and San Jose were constructed; rehabilitation of the existing government building continued; and a reforestation program was launched.


Geography


Barangays

Baras is politically subdivided into 10
barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
s, as indicated below. Each barangay consists of
purok A ''purok'' () is an informal 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. ''Pur ...
s and some have
sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, 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 bar ...
. There is only one urban barangay (highlighted in bold) and the rest of the barangays are classified as rural. * Evangelista * Rizal (
Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...
) * San Jose * San Salvador * Santiago * Concepcion * San Juan * San Miguel * Mabini * Pinugay


Climate


Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Baras, Rizal, was 87,637 people, with a density of .


Economy


Tourism


Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint Joseph ''(Baras Church)''

The oldest and most notable landmark in Baras is the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint Joseph, it enshrines the miraculous venerated image of San Jose de Baras. The Church was built by the Franciscan missionaries in 1682, the same year the town was transferred to its present site. It was completed in 1686 and was dedicated to
Saint Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...
, the town's patron saint. It is known for having '' paniki'' in its ceiling. The Church has been seen in well-known international and local films, TV series and commercials.


Palo Alto Falls

This breathtaking man-made falls in Palo Alto is just an hour drive from the town's population. Located in Marcos Highway (
Marikina–Infanta Highway The Marikina–Infanta Highway (also known as Marilaque Highway and Marikina–Infanta Road; formerly known under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s regime as Marikina Diversion Road, and later Marcos Highway) is a highway that connects Quezon ...
)


Kinamatayan Falls

Legend says two lovers who had family issues committed suicide at the falls so no one will be able to separate them. The Falls is now being managed by the Local Government Unit. Few minutes of hike will take you to the cold as ice falls of Kinamatayan.


Masungi Georeserve

A conservation area adjacent to Garden Cottages located in the mountainous section Marcos Highway (Markina-Infanta Highway) of Baras by its border with
Tanay, Rizal Tanay, officially the Municipality of Tanay ( ), is a municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 139,420 people. Tanay is home to the namesake Tanay–Paete dialect of Tagalog, whi ...
.


Other places

* The site of the 53rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the military general headquarters, military camps and garrison was located at Camp Caparas in Concepcion, Baras, Rizal from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946. During the Battle for the Liberation of Manila in 1945, over 15,700 Filipino soldiers, tanks, armored fighting vehicles, military trucks, artilleries and many other equipment of the 53rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were sent from Military GHQ at Camp Caparas in Baras, Rizal to support military operations in Manila from February to March 1945. * It was the site of the General Agustin Marking Guerrilla Unit which was founded in 1942 and disbanded in 1945.


Sikaran

Baras is also the home of the Philippines' native martial arts',
Sikaran Sikaran is a Filipino Martial Art that mostly involves foot fighting. As Sikaran is a general term for ''kicking'' which is also used as the name of the kicking aspects of other Filipino Martial Arts. Although originating independently, this style ...
. This ancient martial art was popular among the farmers in the village of Bara even before the Spanish conquest of the Philippine archipelago in 1521. Hari Osias Banaag, founder of the Global Sikaran Federation and diplomat for the traditional game, attended and was warmly received at the UNESCO Collective Consultation Meeting on the Preservation and the Promotion of Traditional Sports and Game (TSG). Hari Osias Banaag is an appointed member of Ad hoc Advisory Committee Traditional Sports and Games, UNESCO(TSG).Ref
/ref>


References


External links


Baras Rizal Online - Community website of the People of Baras, RizalOfficial Website of the Municipal Government of Baras, Rizal
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Rizal (province) Populated places on Laguna de Bay