MUNICIPAL PROFILE

Cabangan is a coastal town that was originally located in Barrio San Isidro. Its strategic location near the South China Sea was very compelling that a group of few families whose principal source of livelihood was fishing decided to settle in that area.

There was a time when this town was frequently visited by Moro pirates who were notoriously known for their skill in using spears. They came by means of their swift vintas and murdered some of the inhabitants and looted their properties. Because of this the early settlers decided to go further from the sea and left San Isidro.

On their journey of finding a new settlement area, they passed through a hill were many palm trees were growing. These trees bear fruits in the shape of large pots, locally known as the “banga”.The luxuriant palm trees were abundant in the locality that they called the place “Kabangaan". When the Americans came, they could hardly pronounce the word Kabangaaan, instead they pronounced it ‘Cabangan’. Since then, the people who settled permanently in that area adopted the name Cabangan.

Cabangan was formally established in 1680. Justo Alinea (1898) was the first “Capitan Municipal,” which is equivalent to the position of the mayor at present time. The first “Presidente” Municipal was Mr. Benito Rivera, from years 1901 to 1902. He was succeeded by Mr. Antero Mora (1903-1904). In 1905, during the term of Mr. Andres Dumaplin, Botolan and Cabangan were governed by the same Presidente. The usage of the term “Presidente Municipal” ended in 1906 and Mr. Raymundo Dacoroon was elected to succeed Mr. Dumaplin. Mr. Dacoroon’s term ended in 1908. After this year, the people of Cabangan elected their officials in their town.

The Municipality of Cabangan lies on the western part of the Province of Zambales. It has a total land area of 23,980 hectares and approximately lies within 15°9’32”N latitude and 120°3’20”E longitude. The Municipality of Botolan bounds it on the north, on the east by the Zambales Mountain Ranges, the Municipality of San Felipe on the south, and on the west by the South China Sea.

The economy of Cabangan can be described to be operating mainly on subsistence. It is further characterized to be primarily an agricultural economy, with twenty of its twenty two barangays predominantly agricultural communities.

This municipality’s main source of income is fishing, followed closely by farming and self-employment as the secondary and tertiary source of livelihood. Trade activities are done usually within barangays, as well as outside or with adjacent barangays.

Agricultural activities in the municipality, composed primarily of rice farming, are done within the months of June to August. The other crops that are produced by the town’s agricultural sector are corn, root crops, legumes, leafy vegetables, fruit vegetables, and various spices. Livestock marketing is composed of pigs – hog fattening, poultry farming of broiler and native chicken, as well as carabao and cattle farming. Cabangan micro industry are characterized by basket weaving, production of bamboo products such as furniture, furniture from rattan, ashware, broom making, and nipa frond weaving for roof thatches and as local hats or salakot.

Commercial activities in the municipality are mainly those which aim only to support local economy. Existing commercial establishments are mainly located along the major roads of Cabangan. There is only one public market, located in Barangay Dolores and is about 500 meters away from the Municipal Hall. All other crop and catch sales are done either along the coasts, and there is only one bank – The Rural Bank of Cabangan, to support banking requirements of its locals.

The municipality is accessible via the provinces of Bulacan-Pampanga and Bataan along the major highway network (Figure 1). It is 186 kilometers away from Manila equivalent to 3 ½ hours ride. It is also accessible via the Province of Pangasinan. Road condition is good along the coastline, however, going inland, along the mountainside, roads are narrow, unpaved, and badly maintained.

The municipality has a varied topography characterized by high mountains to narrow coastal plains (Figure 2). The most outstanding feature observable in the municipality is the Zambales Range. It is about 180 kilometers (km) long and 35 km. wide and trends slightly west to north. The narrow strip of land along the coast and adjoining the North-South road comprises the limited plains of the municipality.

The main drainage systems in Cabangan are the Tanguay, Yabel, Kileng, Anonang Rivers, all draining westward towards the China Sea. The rivers are wide with heavy floodplain deposits. Numerous small tributaries abound the area.

Vegetation reflects the underlying rock types especially in the Central and Northern portions of the range. Gabbro supports dense forest at low altitudes while periodite is generally barren. Lowlands are planted with rice, root crops, and other seasonal crops. The rolling and moderately sloping areas are covered with fruit bearing trees.

Figure 1. Map showing the relative location of Cabangan, Zambales

Figure 2. Map show

ing the topography of Cabangan, Z

ambales

Cabangan exhibits two (2) distinct wet and dry seasons and fairly uniform temperature. The months of November to later part of May are generally dry while the rest of the year are wet and experience excessive precipitation.

Cabangan has 22 barangays of which eight (8) are coastal (Table 1) namely Arew, Camiing, Felmida-Diaz, Laoag, Lomboy, Mabanglit, Sto. Niño and San Isidro. Among the barangays in the municipality, New San Juan is the largest with 441 hectares while Barangay Banuanbayo is the smallest with a land area of only 24 hectares. The total population of Cabangan is 23, 293 with 4,644 number of households.

Table 1. Estimated Population per Barangay of Cabangan, ZambalesNo. Barangay Area (ha) Classification Population Percentage1 Anonang 1,846 Non-coastal 1,082 4.652 Apo-Apo 215 Non-coastal 683 2.933 Arew 338 Coastal 1,104 4.744 Banuanbayo 24 Non-coastal 261 1.125 Cadmang 4,117 Non-coastal 1,536 6.596 Camiing 359 Coastal 1,597 6.867 Casabaan 144 Non-coastal 631 2.718 Del Carmen 24 Non-coastal 381 1.649 Dolores 2,443 Non-coastal 970 4.16

10 Felmida-Diaz 663 Coastal 419 1.8011 Laoag 362 Coastal 855 3.6712 Lomboy 407 Coastal 579 2.4813 Longos 1,438 Non-coastal 1,099 4.7214 Mabanglit 867 Non-coastal 1,723 7.4015 New San Juan 4,436 Coastal 1,131 4.8616 San Isidro 333 Coastal 2,083 8.9417 San Antonio 1,144 Non-coastal 882 3.7918 San Juan 1,146 Non-coastal 1,759 7.5519 San Rafael 1,050 Non-coastal 815 3.5020 Sta. Rita 1,286 Non-coastal 1,786 7.6721 Sto. Nino 1,002 Coastal 857 3.6822 Tondo 336 Non-coastal 1,060 4.55

Total 23,980 23,293 100

Source: LGU Cabangan

Barangay Land Area(hectares) Land Classification Land Area

(hectares)

Anonang 1836Alienable and Disposable

4,227.75

Apo-apo 72 Public Forest 4,543.49

Arew 96Watershed Forest Reserve

517.20

Banuanbayo (Pob) 24 Timber Land

14,651.56

Cadmang - Reserva 9634 Total

23,940.00

Camiling 92Casabaan 34Dolores (Pob) 357Del Carmen 81Felmida - Diaz 84Laoag 73Lomboy 78Longos 1507Mabanglit 345New San Juan 7504San Antonio 39San Isidro 444San Juan (Pob) 993San Rafael 228Santa Rita 210Santo Niño 162Tondo 47TOTAL 23,940

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