Infanta, officially the Municipality of Infanta (Tagalog: Bayan ng Infanta, Ilocano: Ili ti Infanta), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 76,186 people.[5]
Infanta is the largest lambanog manufacturer in the province of Quezon. The town is also known for its bayugo (giant mountain snail) dishes.[6] The town is currently undergoing preparations for establishing a bayugo breeding center that would supply bayugo to townsfolk. The move is intended to stop the decline of bayugo in the wild. Also it is the center of economic activity in the northern part of Quezon. The Infanta town fiesta is celebrated every April 25. Infanta is also known as the "Gateway to the Pacific".
Before the Spanish colonization, this place was known as Binangonan by its first peoples, the Dumagats. Binangonan is a Dumagat word pertaining to a sacred place where a bangon ("sacred name") was given by the Sobkal (Bobo a Laki) to an infant.
History
Binangonan de Lampon
In the year 1578, the venerable and zealous Fray Esteban Ortíz planted the consoling sign of the Cross in this town, who toured the east coast of the island in an expanse of more than sixty leagues, while the shortage of missionaries at that time did not allow the continued assistance of a minister until the year of 1609, with the holy martyr Fray Blas Palomino undertaking anew its conversion, formalized this town and was its first minister.
After the years of 1658, the administration of this town was ceded from Franciscan mission to the Augustinian Recollects until they ceded it back to the Franciscans in the year 1703.
The Church, dedicated to Saint Mark the Evangelist, was of bamboo cane and nipa until the year 1732, by which time it was burnt down and the existing one was built, which is made of stone, but roofed with nipa, and the same as the parish house, which serves as a tribunal. There is a school of primary education, endowed by the funds of the community; about six hundred wooden houses and many others from bamboo, distributed in its twenty-eight barrios, some of them quite far from the Church.
State Of The Parish
Spanish era writers said of the town:
This village has no limits. In their lengthy and lush forests are all kinds of woods for construction and cabinetry, of the best quality: many and good pastures for cattle and horses; variety of palms, canes and reeds, with plenty of fruit and rootcrops: abundant hunting buffalo, boar, deer and fowl, with much wax and honey. There is also a quarry of granite stone, discovered the year of 1849 by Fray Antonio del Moral. A little distant from the town exists a safe harbor for ships of high board, but its entry is dangerous to the inexperienced, and from October to March is risky to navigate the coast because of the strong northerly winds that blow. The land reduced to cultivation produces abundant crops of rice, maize, sugarcane, cocoa, coffee and sweet potato. The abaca was planted for the first time in the year 1851 by Fray Antonio del Moral, and gave so happy results that today that its increasing cultivation is continued with large activity and benefit. Its natives are engaged in agriculture, the harvest of the abaca, the nipa wine, whose palm abounds in its land; the breeding of cattle, in the hunting and fishing, whose products, with the excess of other agricultural products, is exported in medium-sized boats to the town of Mauban, in the province of Tayabas and to the towns of Paracale and Mambulao, returning gold dust after being brought to the Capital.
Below are the Religious Franciscans ministered in Binangonan de Lampon after Fray Ortíz and Fray Palomino:[8]
Franciscan Friar
Position
Year
Bernardino de la Concepción
Confessor
1617
Juan de Mansilla
Confessor
1619
Lorenzo Valdés
Confessor
1632
Vicente Pilas or San José
Preacher
1639
Dionisio de la Concepción
Confessor
1652
Pedro de Alburquerque
Preacher
1653 / 1659
Baltasar of San Diego
Confessor
1659
Juan Antonio dela Purificación
del Moral
1727-1731
Nicolás Valverde or de Jesús
Confessor
1741 / 1765
Vicente Mars
Preacher
1758
Manuel de Sacedón
Preacher
1758
José de Jesús or de San Esteban
Chorister
1759
Julián de Madrid
Preacher
1760
Manuel de San Ramón
Confessor
1768
Atanasio Argovejo de Jesús María
Preacher
1774
José Engracio de Alarilla
Preacher
1785
Juan Moveno
Preacher
1811
Tomás Pobeda
Preacher
1823
Baltasar Barceló de San Antonio
Preacher
1825
Antonio Huertas Felipe
del Moral
1848-1853
Lucas Martínez
Preacher
1864
Cirilo Sanz
Preacher
1867-1869
Francisco Arriaga
Preacher
1883
Spanish Colonial Era
In 1578, more than half a century after Ferdinand Magellan and his men landed in Cebu and thirteen years after Miguel López de Legazpi founded the first Spanish settlement also in Cebu, a Spanish priest named Esteban Ortíz arrived in Binangonan de Lampon and planted a wooden cross symbolizing the introduction of Spanish colonial rule at the place. In 1696, Don Diego Mangilaya, a native chieftain developed the settlement.[9]
Since its establishment, the area has been attacked by Moro pirates, and visited by typhoons and cholera epidemics as recent as 2004. In 1803, Captain Pedro de León affiliated Binangonan de Lampon to the province of Nueva Ecija and in 1850, Kapitan Rafael Orozco withdrew Infanta from the province of Nueva Ecija and joined it with the province of Laguna to the west.
District of Infanta
Map of the historical District of Infanta in 1856-1902 when its territories were annexed to Tayabas (Quezon).
Map of the district of Infanta in 1899.
The municipality of Infanta was part of the Distrito de La Infanta, which was established by a decree of the Superior Government issued on March 18, 1858.
On July 20, 1898, a group of Infanta Katipuneros headed by Colonel Pablo Astilla attacked the Spanish forces holed up at the limestone convent and after several days of siege and fighting, the Spanish soldiers surrendered.
American Colonial Era
By virtue of the December 10, 1898 Paris Treaty of Peace, American soldiers occupied the town of Infanta and appointed Kapitan Carlos Ruidera Azcárraga as the first "town presidente." He was followed by Rufino Ortíz in 1903 who withdrew Infanta from the province of Laguna and joined it to the province of Tayabas.[10][11] He also ordered the planting of coconut trees in the barrios (now barangays) of Infanta. During the administration of town "presidente" Gregorio Rutaquio (1911–1916), he constructed the "Gabaldón type" of school house. In 1917-1919, Agustin Pumarada served as the town president. From 1923 to 1928, Don Florencio Potes became town "presidente". He constructed the concrete municipal building and the first telegraph office of the town. From 1935 to 1939, Mr. Fabián Sollesa served as town "presidente". During his incumbency, the Infanta-Famy Road traversing the Sierra Madre from Infanta to Laguna and Rizal provinces was constructed. Also, piped water from a spring reservoir in barrio (barangay) Gumian was installed.
Japanese Occupation
In December 1941 the Japanese Imperial forces occupied the town of Infanta. On May 25, 1945, the liberation by combined Filipino and American soldiers entered in the town was supported by the guerrilla fighters fought the Japanese Imperial forces until the end of World War II.
Creation of two municipalies and religious territory
On July 21, 1949, the municipality of General Nakar was created from the territory of Infanta.[12]
The following year, in 1950, Infanta gained religious significance when it was designated as the seat of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Infanta.
Later, Infanta underwent another territorial change when barangay Real was separated and established as an independent municipality on June 22, 1963.[13]
Legend
According to the legend, the people who established the first settlement in the land that became Infanta were led by an elder named Nunong Karugtong. These settlers crossed the Sierra Madre Mountains from somewhere in what is now Rizal Province in search of better living conditions. After examining multiple sites, they eventually settled on a site near the Bantilan River, where the discovery of a huge Yam root convinced them that the site was ideal for settlement. This eventually became the site of the settlement which European colonizers would call Binangonan de Lampon which in turn would eventually become the Municipality of Infanta.
Geography
The Municipality of Infanta has a land area of 130.1 square kilometers (50.2sqmi), representing 1.5% of the area of Quezon.
Infanta is situated 129.64 kilometres (80.55mi) from the provincial capital Lucena, and 132.88 kilometres (82.57mi) from the country's capital city of Manila. It is accessible to Metro Manila through the Marcos Highway.
Barangays
Infanta is politically subdivided into 36 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. There are six barangays which are considered urban (highlighted in bold).
Abiawin
Agos Agos
Alitas
Amolongin
Anibong
Antikin
Bacong
Balobo
Banugao
Batican
Binonoan
Binulasan
Boboin
Catambungan
Cawaynin
Comon
Dinahican
Gumian
Ilog
Ingas
Langgas
Libjo
Lual
Magsaysay
Maypulot
Miswa
Pilaway
Pinaglapatan
Poblacion 1
Poblacion 38
Poblacion 39
Poblacion Bantilan
Pulo
Silangan
Tongohin
Tudturan
Climate
Climate data for Infanta (1991–2020, extremes 1949–2023)
The Infanta Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public elementary and high schools.[29]
Infanta is the center of educative learning, with four colleges that attract many students to study from nearby towns of Real, General Nakar, Polillo, Panukulan, Burdeos, Patnanungan and Jomalig.
Lucena (Administratively independent from the province but grouped under Quezon by the Philippine Statistics Authority. However, qualified voters of this city are still allowed to participate in the election of provincial officials as part of Quezon’s 2nd Sangguniang Panlalawigan district.)
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