Paete, officially the Municipality of Paete (Tagalog: Bayan ng Paete), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 25,254 people.[6]
Along the shores of picturesque Laguna de Bay. It was founded in 1580 by Spanish friars Juan de Plasencia and Diego de Oropesa of the Franciscan Order. It is believed that the earliest inhabitants were of Malay lineage, coming all the way from Borneo in their swift and sturdy boats called "Balangay".
Etymology
The name of Paete is derived from the Tagalog word paet, which means chisel. The proper pronunciation of the town's name is Pī-té, long i, short guttural ê, sound at the end. The town was referred to as "Piety" by the American Maryknoll Missioners when they came to the town in the late 1950s.[7]
History
Precolonial era
The Spanish friars had a tradition of naming towns they built in honor of saints. Paete was an exception. Legend has it that there was once a young Franciscan priest who was tasked by his superior to visit their newly founded settlements alongside Laguna de Bay. The priest knew little about the terrain so he asked a native the name of the place. The latter misinterpreted the young friar, thinking that the former wanted to know the name of the tool he was using. He answered, Paét (chisel), thus, the name Paete.
Sargento Mayor Juan de Salcedo was the first Spaniard to set foot in Paete. He was on his way to explore the gold-rich region of Paracale in Bicol. His men first encountered some resistance from the settlers of what is now Cainta in Rizal Province, but defeated the lightly armed natives. Then he ventured to the lakeside barangays of Laguna de Bay on his way to Bicol.
Spanish colonial era
Around 1580, Paete was established as a pueblo by the Friars. Juan de Plasencia and Diego Oropesa. Due to a death of the prior of Paete at that time, Paete was annexed to the Convent of Lumban. Then in 1600, Paete became a barrio of Pangil. In 1602, Paete became independent town having its own convent and was christened Pueblo de San Lorenzo in honor of the town's first patron saint. The pueblo consisted not only of Paete, but included the neighboring towns of Pakil, San Antonio, Longos and Kalayaan.[8] In 1671, Fray Francisco Soller reenacted the Via Crucis to resuscitate the people's waning faith. He carried a cross from the town proper up to Mt. Ping-as in Pakil. In 1676, when Pakil became a separate pueblo, the townspeople of Paete wanted crosses of their own, so they built and located them in sitio Santa Ana, and named the site TatlongKrus (Three Crosses). Paete regained its full township status only in 1850.[citation needed]
American colonial era
In 1899, American forces launched the Laguna campaign to subjugate the whole province and squelch insurrection. On the last leg of the campaign on April 12, an American battalion of 200 men invaded Paete but met strong resistance from an inexperienced force of less than 50 men. The town was subdued but it proved to be a costly battle for the Americans.
World War II and Japanese occupation
In 1942, Japanese troops occupied Paete, local recognized guerrillas and ongoing troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army units were sieges and conflicts in Paete was fought against the Imperial Japanese military and local collaborators from 1942 to 1944 until retreat by local guerrillas from the Japanese hands. In 1945, combined Filipino and American soldiers and guerrillas liberated Paete and defeated the Japanese.
Culture, Events, and Festivities
Carving
The town has had a long reputation for its craftsmen highly skilled in wood carving and its embellishment. In 1887, José Rizal described Paete as a town where "carpenter shops" were issuing images "even those more rudely carved" (chapter VI, Noli Me Tangere). Even now, its inhabitants (called Paeteños or Paeteñas) continue with their centuries-old tradition in carving and painting. Its statues, pulpits, murals and bas relief are found in churches, palaces and museums all over the world, including the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, the Mission Dolorosa in San Francisco, the San Cayetano Church in Mexico, the St. Joseph's shrine in Santa Cruz, California, and various churches in the Philippines. The official town hero is not a statesman nor a soldier but a woodcarver, the master artisan Mariano B. Madriñan, whose obra maestra, the lifelike Mater Dolorosa, was honored by the King of Spain with a prestigious award in Amsterdam in 1882. The town was proclaimed "the Carving Capital of the Philippines" on March 15, 2005, by Philippine President Arroyo.[9]
Not only in wood, but Paeteños found a way to showcase the craftsmanship in different materials and medium. Ice sculptures and fruit and vegetable carvings done by Paeteños abound on buffet tables of cruise ships and world-class hotels and restaurants. Today the town thrives mainly on the sale and export of woodcarvings and taka, tourism, poultry industry, farming and fishing.
Taka (Papier Maché)
Taka, papier maché made using carved wooden sculpture used as a mold, then a layers of paper and paste was used to make the wooden mold into an art piece was also originated from Paete. It is also believed that the modern yo-yo, which originated in the Philippines, was invented in Paete.[10]
Semana Santa (Holy Week)
In Paete, Holy Week or Semana Santa is a blend of faith, culture, and artistry where the local carvers' sculpture is the center role of the tradition. Paete is known for its almost a week of Lenten Processions during the Holy Week, which starts on Palm Sunday up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.
Known as the "Town of the Moving Saints", Paete has 2 notable moving saints: the Mater Dolorosa, which is carved by master artisan Mariano B. Madriñan around 1882, and Santa Veronica. The moving saints, together with other sculptures of saints, are paraded through a Solemn Procession (Prusisyon) to the whole town of Paete, and in between the Solemn Procession, the traditional "Salubong" in different parts of the town was enacted.
Also, during the week-long tradition, locals dressed as Roman Soldiers (Hudiyo), wearing carved wooden masked, paraded through the streets of Paete for the traditional "Senakulo". This Lenten play dramatizes the life, passion, and death of Jesus Christ.
Paete Ukit-Taka Festival
The Paete Ukit-Taka Festival celebrates the town's renowned woodcarving (Ukit) and papier maché (Taka) artistry, showcasing local crafts, street dances, band exhibitions, and cultural events. It is usually held every 3rd week of September, and the event highlights Paete as the "Carving Capital of the Philippines". Ukit-Taka Festival key activities include the Art & Craft Showcasing, Street Dancing & Parade, Ginoo at Binibining Paete, and Cultural Performances.
Kasiningang Paete
The Kasiningang Paete is an event held every February, corresponds to February being the National Arts Month. Paete is known as the "Arts Capital of Laguna", to showcase the arts and crafts of the town, Kasiningang Paete highlights the skills of the locals through different art making competitions (e.g. Ice carving, Fruit carving, Clay sculpting, Poster making, etc.)
Salibanda Festival
The Salibanda Festival is a vibrant cultural and religious month-long celebration held in Paete, honoring the Santo Niño (Holy Child Jesus) by splashing water to each other. The term “Salibanda” comes from “Saliw sa Banda” meaning “dance with the band” reflecting the festival’s lively combination of faith and festivity. The celebration begins with a mass and a fluvial parade on Laguna de Bay, featuring the statue of the Santo Niño, followed by a street parade through the town accompanied by marching bands. Salibanda originated from Paete by the IFI Church (Aglipay) as an honor to Santo Niño, it is then spread and celebrated to the nearby towns and communities.
One of the festival’s most distinctive features is the water-splashing tradition, symbolizing baptism, joy, and blessings, participants often wear red attire to honor the Santo Niño. It is held every Sundays of January, the last Sunday usually the biggest and highlight of the celebration. Salibanda festival brings together the locals and visitors in a shared expression of devotion and community spirit.
In the 2024 census, the population of Paete was 25,254 people,[18] with a density of 460 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,200 inhabitants per square mile.
Paete is predominantly Roman Catholics. The only Catholic Church in the town is the Saint James the Apostle Parish Church which was first built in 1646.
Paete is also a pilgrimage site. One of the primary products of the town's woodcarving industry are carving of pu-on or images of saints.[19] The town's patron saint is St. James the Apostle, also known as St. James the Great. Residents celebrate his feast day every 25th of July. The 1st Patron Saint of Paete is St. Lawrence, the deacon.
St. Anthony the Abbot is a secondary patron of the town and his feast is celebrated by the townsfolk every January 17th. The patron has a stone chapel locally known as Ermita as a shrine dedicated to him. There is a town legend related to the saint where a town native sneaked in the chapel during a conflagration and took a statue the St. Anthony to bathe it in the river. Following this, it began to rain and the fire was extinguished, an event considered as a miracle by the townsfolk.[20]
The Paete Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.[29]
Primary and Elementary schools
Ibaba Elementary School
Paete Science and Business College (PSBC)
Paete Elementary School
Papatahan Elementary School
Quinale Elementary School
Tubog Elementary School
Secondary schools
Liceo de Paete
Luis C. Obial Senior High School
Paete Science and Business College (PSBC)
Poten & Eliseo M. Quesada Memorial National High School
Poten & Eliseo M. Quesada Memorial National High School (Papatahan Annex)
Stand Alone Senior High School No. 21 (Papatahan)
Tertiary and Higher educational institution
Paete Science and Business College (Eastern Laguna Colleges)
↑Cagahastian, Marie (April 1999). "Origin of "Paete"". About Paete. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
↑"Historical Background". Official Website of Paete. Paete Municipal Government. Archived from the original on 22 September 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
