Virac, officially the Municipality of Virac, 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' ...

and capital of 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 ...

Catanduanes Catanduanes (; ), officially the Province of Catanduanes (), is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across the M ...

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 76,520 people. It is most populous and fifth largest in land area in Catanduanes.Virac
. Philippine Department of Tourism. Retrieved on June 28, 2010.

History

Pre-Spanish period

Civilization A civilization (also spelled civilisation in British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of state (polity), the state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyon ...

first touched the island province of Catanduanes in the thirteenth century, with the arrival of the scions of ten Bornean

datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous Indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, though no ...

s who were then traversing through the islets of the

Philippine Archipelago As an archipelago, the Philippines comprises about 7,641 islands clustered into three major island groups: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Only about 2,000 islands are inhabited,

. By the middle of the fourteenth century, organized communities could be seen throughout Catanduanes – a consequence of the rapid development of Southeastern Luzon initiated by the Malay settlers. Virac, the capital town of the island province of Catanduanes, started its primitive annals in pre-Spanish times when tribal chieftain Lumibao, scion of Datu Dumaguil who came to the Philippines with the 10 Bornean datus and his wife Milbigan settled near Vidak spring and founded the first civilized settlement with a score of servant followers and their wives.

Spanish period

It was the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

Juan de Salcedo Juan de Salcedo (; 1549 – 11 March 1576) was a Spanish conquistador. He was the grandson of Spanish general Miguel López de Legazpi. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish conquest to the Philippines in 1565. He joined th ...

who first brought Spanish

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

s to the waters of Catanduanes in 1573. His purpose then was to capture and punish pirates who carried on their nefarious trade in

Camarines Sur Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...

Sorsogon Sorsogon, officially the Province of Sorsogon ( Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Sorsogon''; Waray: ''Probinsya han Sorsogon''; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. It is the southernmost province in the island of Luzon and ...

and Western Catanduanes. His galleon returned a few weeks later – this time, his mission was to spread the Catholic faith. While at bay, the port guard saw smoke rising from the mountain ''Eli''. After dropping anchor, the Spaniards tracked down footprints from the shore which reached a sitio called Vidak. They eventually came upon a large kaingin in Timbean, situated between the

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 of Danicop and Calatagan. The chieftain of the village had his hut built a little above a spring which still exists today. There was a reception hall conveniently shaded by a tree known as ''sambong''. This tree eventually served as the guidon to the couple's place. It is said that the Spaniards could not approach the hut of the chieftain because of three huge fierce-looking dogs and several guards who had their spears drawn toward the foreigners. However, the Spaniards determined to succeed in their mission, returned the threatening acts of the natives with gesture of friendship. A piece of "onchita" was offered to the chieftain as a gift; but this was rejected by the chieftain when his wife said “we have many pieces of gold in our kingdom”. A silver piece was next offered, but this was similarly rejected by the chieftain and his wife. Reaching for some

refined sugar White sugar, also called table sugar, granulated sugar, or regular sugar, is a commonly used type of sugar, made either of beet sugar or cane sugar, which has undergone a refining process. It is nearly pure sucrose. Description The refini ...

, the Spaniards let the natives taste the sweetness of the substance. The chieftain's wife liked the taste. Thus begun the “sweet” relation between the natives and the Spaniards. Soon after the first encounters, the Spaniards started giving the natives provisions not found in the chieftain's hut, such as more sugar and clothing. After the seed of friendship had taken roots, the Spaniards began spreading their message of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Lumibao was baptized as Jose and Milbigan as Maria. Their son, who lived at the bank of Macacao, was converted to Christianity with the name of Mariano. Records regarding the Christianization of Virac were lost, reportedly due to

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

by the

Moros In Greek mythology, Moros /ˈmɔːrɒs/ or Morus /ˈmɔːrəs/ (Ancient Greek: Μόρος means 'doom, fate') is the personified spirit of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate. It was also said that Moros gave people the abi ...

. The history of this capital town began to be accurately recorded only from the year 1755.

Moro raids

from Mindanao conducted raids on Catanduanes. Knowing the strength of the coastal batteries of the Virac harbor, the

vinta The vinta is a traditional outrigger boat from the Philippine island of Mindanao. The boats are made by Sama-Bajau, Tausug and Yakan peoples living in the Sulu Archipelago, Zamboanga peninsula, and southern Mindanao. It is also made by t ...

s divided into groups and landed at various places or points farther from the range of the coastal batteries. Some landed at Cadaculaan and others way out to points east and west of Virac. Don Matias Soliman, a famous Moro fighter, engaged in battle and killed a Moro

Datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous Indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, though no ...

named Mohammed Abu after a bloody encounter in

sitio 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 popu ...

Hopog of Barrio Santo Domingo, Virac. He was aided by the swift-handed and hoarse voiced Don Alipio Alejandro alias Paas. The non-Christian invaders were superior in arms and number until Don Alipio, with an exotic force, turned the tide. The Moros could not move further, hence, they retreated in defeat. On the eastern end of Virac, the Moros succeeded in gaining a beach-head in Catanduanes and from there, attacked the town from the east. The

Cabeza de Barangay A ''cabeza de barangay'' ("barangay head"), also known as ''teniente del barrio'' ("holder of the barrio"), was the head of a barangay or barrio political unit in the Philippines during Spanish rule.Scott, William Henry. ''Barangay Sixteenth-C ...

of Francia, Don Pedro Tolentino alias ''Pantino'', lost no time in giving their all against the enemy. This was the first time the people of Virac totally and successfully resisted an organized invasion.

American occupation

Philippine Island - Luzon Island - NARA - 68157125

A few months after

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 ...

, the first president of the

First Philippine Republic The Philippine Republic (), now officially remembered as the First Philippine Republic and also referred to by historians as the Malolos Republic, was a state established in Malolos, Bulacan, during the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish ...

took his oath of allegiance to America after losing in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, a battleship dropped anchor in Virac. The American soldiers were on a mission to expedite the surrender of the local Revolutionists or Katipuneros. Not eager to relinquish their hard-fought freedom, the Katipuneros refused to recognize the

sovereignty Sovereignty can generally be defined as supreme authority. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within a state as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the person, body or institution that has the ultimate au ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and fled to the mountains. In the later part of 1898, when Don Leon Reyes was the incumbent ''Capitan Municipal''

own mayor OWN may also refer to: *Old West Norse, a North Germanic language *''Once Was Not'' (2005), an album by Cryptopsy *One Warrior Nation, what The Ultimate Warrior calls his fans *Oprah Winfrey Network, a U.S.-based cable and satellite television cha ...

of Virac, the revolutionary troops who refused American Administration, came down from the mountains to rally for the common cause. Don Leon Reyes readily welcomed the revolutionists and financed their cause in fighting the Americans. This state of affairs was tactfully handled by the ''Capitan'' who spent almost all of his fortunes for the cause. For his patriotic zeal, he was manacled, chained and sentenced to hard labor by the Americans in 1901. The American occupation ended in 1934 before the establishment of the

Philippine Commonwealth The Commonwealth of the Philippines (; ) was an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States that existed from 1935 to 1946. It was established following the Tydings–McDuffie Act to replace the Insular Government of the Phi ...

in 1935.

Japanese Invasion

Catanduanes was not spared by the forces of the Kamakura Regiment. Airborne planes were cited at the southern portion of Virac in the morning of December 12, 1941, while vessels dropped anchor near Nagngangang Buaya Point, Cabugao Bay. At 9:30 in the morning of said day, towns were totally evacuated. Bombs were soon strategically dropped. Later,

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

s were established in town and the municipal building was also used as a garrison. No school was regularly opened during the Japanese Occupation.

Guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

organizations came and went.

Liberation

The Liberation of Catanduanes took place in what is now the municipal building and the Virac Parish Church area. On February 8, 1945, the battle started at Km. 4 at Barangay Calatagan at about 12 noon, and ended with the Filipino guerrillas of the Catanduanes Liberation Force taking full control of the Japanese barracks. On April 20, 1945, Florencio Tacorda, the only three-term municipal president, some two and a half decades before the war, was designated mayor of Virac. He served for six months and twenty-five days during the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit regime.

Pre and Martial Law Era

From 1958 to 1970, Salvador Surtida took over followed by Jorge Arcilla from 1970 to 1986, two of the longest reigning local executives in the history of Virac. This period witnessed the ascendancy to national prominence of the Alberto brothers, Juan, Jose and Vicente, who brought progress and influenced the massive physical transformation of the municipality when Salvador Surtida and Jorge Arcilla were mayors. Foremost among the many infrastructure projects were the Catanduanes State Colleges and the Eastern Bicol Medical Center which made Virac a major educational and health center in the Bicol Region. The growth of Virac in terms of governance peaked in 1972. From the original 34 barangays in 1960, Virac was able to establish 29 new communities to upgrade to the present composition of 63 barangays.

EDSA Revolution and beyond

The

EDSA Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

in 1986 that toppled down the more than two decades of Marcos regime had a domino effect on the political structure of Virac. The replacement of the elected officials by appointed officials was in accordance with the Freedom Constitution which predominated during the revolutionary government from 1986 to 1992. Rodulfo Sarmiento, a doctor by profession, led the municipal government. The early nineties saw the alternate changing of local governance between Rodulfo Sarmiento and Jose "Cito" Alberto II, the son of Congressman Jose Alberto.

Geography

The municipality of Virac occupies the southern tip of the island province. It has a total land area of . Of its total, or 49.84% is forestland while are classified as alienable and disposable. Almost half of the area is rugged and mountainous, with hills and plains dotted with marshy land, rocky jutting

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

s and crags. The town is bounded on the east and south by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

and Bato town, on the north by high and green mountain ranges of

San Miguel San Miguel, Spanish for Saint Michael, may refer to: Places Argentina *San Miguel Partido *San Miguel, Buenos Aires * San Miguel, Catamarca * San Miguel, Corrientes * San Miguel, La Rioja *San Miguel Arcángel, a Volga German colony in Adolfo Al ...

, and on the west by the gently rolling hills of San Andres.

Climate

Virac has a Type II climate. It has no dry season and an average precipitation of between annually. Virac's position in the middle of the typhoon belt means that it is heavily affected by

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

s from July to October. The region's dependence on agriculture means that economic development has always been hampered by these weather disturbances.Virac/Catanduanes
". Diocese of Virac web page. Retrieved on June 26, 2010.

Barangays

Virac is politically subdivided into 63 barangays. 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 ...

. The growth of Virac in terms of governance peaked in 1972. From the original 34

s in 1960, Virac established 29 new communities to increase the number of barangays to the present 63 barangays. * Antipolo del Norte * Antipolo del Sur * Balite * Batag * Bigaa * Buenavista * Buyo * Cabihian * Calabnigan * Calampong * Calatagan Proper * Calatagan Tibang * Capilihan * Casoocan * Cavinitan * Gogon Sirangan * Concepcion (Poblacion) * Constantino (Poblacion) * Danicop * Dugui San Vicente * Dugui San Isidro * Dugui Too * F. Tacorda Village * Francia (Poblacion) * Gogon Centro * Hawan Grande * Hawan Ilaya * Hicming * Igang * Juan M. Alberto (Poniton) * Lanao (Poblacion) * Magnesia del Norte * Magnesia del Sur * Marcelo Alberto (Poblacion) * Marilima * Pajo Baguio * Pajo San Isidro * Palnab del Norte * Palnab del Sur * Palta Big * Palta Salvacion * Palta Small * Rawis (Poblacion) * Salvacion * San Isidro Village * San Jose (Poblacion) * San Juan (Poblacion) * San Pablo (Poblacion) * San Pedro (Poblacion) * San Roque (Poblacion) * San Vicente * Ibong Sapa (San Vicente Sur) * Santa Cruz (Poblacion) * Santa Elena (Poblacion) * Santo Cristo * Santo Domingo * Santo Niño * Simamla * Sogod-Simamla * Talisoy * Sogod-Tibgao * Tubaon * Valencia

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Virac was 76,520 people, with a density of .

Religion

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

is a deeply rooted institution in this town with 98% of the people embracing the faith. Virac is the seat of an independent

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

with Bishop Luisito Audal Occiano, D.D., at the helm. The town was once a vicarship of the

Archdiocese of Caceres In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

and later, the

Diocese of Legazpi The Diocese of Legazpi (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Dioecesis Legazpiensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church. It constitutes the entire province of Albay in the Philippines. The diocese was erected in 1951, carved f ...

. The

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the town is the

Immaculate Concepcion The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not defined as a ...

with the

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

celebrated on December 8.

Economy

The economy of Virac is sustained primarily by

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

- the farming of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – berry (botany), botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called pla ...

and

root crops Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans or animals as food. In agricultural and culinary terminology, the term applies to true roots, such as taproots and root tubers, as well as non-roots such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and ...

. The production of

copra Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...

and abaca also provide additional income for the people. Its annual income in 1979 was a little more than

₱ The Philippine peso sign (₱) is the currency symbol used for the Philippine peso, the official currency of the Philippines. The symbol resembles a Latin script, Latin letter P with two horizontal strokes. It differs from the currency symbol u ...

980,000.00 and the projected income for 1990 is more than a million pesos.

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

is also an essential industry, together with

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

and

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

. Lately, some home industries have been established while other sources of income are business and employment from the government and private sectors. This capital town has a total land area of 0.30 hectares devoted to industrial undertakings with the exception of the unused 11.2 hectares in Palnab classified as industrial area in the 1978 Official Land Use Plan and the 20-hectare declared site of the proposed Provincial Agro-Industrial Center at Casoocan. Manufacturing and processing activities are dominated by micro-industry enterprises. Of the existing industries, furniture making, being primarily wood-based, faces the gravest threat of extinction due to global concern for forest protection and conservation. Rice is the single biggest monocrop culture planted in an aggregate area of 1,019 hectares, which is about thirty three percent of the total lowland agricultural land area. Three hundred seventy five hectares are devoted to vegetables production. Upland farms are essentially utilized for cash crops such as abaca, tubers and coconut. Vegetables and other food crops are raised in the low lands on mostly seasonal basis. For 2011, annual harvests approximate 7,849 MT of palay, 3.00 MT of vegetables, 59.75 MT of corn, 7.98 MT of root crops, 1.6 MT of legumes and other perennial crops 5.445MT. Unprocessed abaca fiber and copra represent the major export products. In 2012, Virac's locally generated income reached

32.6 million, with total income (including IRA) at

117.9 million. The five major income sources: * Services * Agriculture * Tourism * Cottage Industry * Manufacturing

Transportation

Virac is served by the

Virac Airport Virac Airport is an airport serving the island province of Catanduanes in the Philippines. It is located in the capital, Virac, and is the only airport in the province. The airport is classified as a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airp ...

. The town also has a seaport, with daily ferry trips from Tabaco City, Albay. Provincial buses coming from Metro Manila often board ferries bound for Catanduanes, either going directly to Virac or passing through neighboring San Andres.

References

External links

* *

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

* {{Authority control Municipalities of Catanduanes Provincial capitals of the Philippines