Carmen, Agusan del Norte

Carmen, officially the Municipality of Carmen (Filipino: Bayan ng Carmen), is a municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte in the Caraga (Region XIII) of the Philippines. The population was 20,839 at the 2015 census.^[3] In the 2016 election, it had 12,492 registered voters.^[4]

History

Formerly, Carmen was called Kabayawa by the Manobo natives. Carmen got its present name from the miraculous image of the Virgin of Mount Carmen, believed to have been instrumental in killing the leader of the bandits who used to inhabit the place.

A Spanish Soldier named Juan Cardoniga was supposed to have fired his rifle at the leader of the outlaws who possessed an amulet of some source. Since his rifle did not work, Cardoniga got the image of the virgin from his necklace and place it inside the hole of the barrel after which he succeeded in firing the rifle and in killing the outlaw chief.

It was Rev. Saturnino Urios, the famous Jesuit priest of Agusan, who suggested that the name Kabayawa be changed to Carmen in honor of the secret image.

Carmen was created into a municipality in 1949, when the barrios of Carmen, Tagcatong, Cahayagan and San Agustin were separated from the municipality of Nasipit and constituted into the newly created town, by virtue of Republic Act No. 380 which was approved on June 15, 1949.^[5] This law was sponsored by Congressman Marcos M. Calo. The town came into being on July 1, 1949.

Geography

Carmen is located at 9°00′N 125°16′E / 9°N 125.26°E / 9; 125.26.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 311.02 square kilometres (120.09 sq mi)^[2] constituting 7001113900000000000♠11.39% of the 2,730.24-square-kilometre- (1,054.15 sq mi) total area of Agusan del Norte.

Carmen is strategically located in the Western Agusan Corridor. It is bounded on the north by the Butuan Bay, south by Buenavista, east by Nasipit and west by Misamis Oriental. Its rolling hills are planted with different kinds of orchard, where some 500 hectares (1,200 acres) are devoted solely to mango plantations. About half of these are fully developed and are already producing sweet mango fruits which are being sold in volume in Cebu and Manila and to neighboring municipalities and Butuan City.

Barangays

Carmen is politically subdivided into 8 barangays.^[6]

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2015^[3]		2010^[7]
160204001	Cahayagan	11.5%	2,395	2,380	+0.12%
160204002	Gosoon	8.7%	1,806	1,772	+0.36%
160204004	Manoligao	6.5%	1,356	1,513	−2.06%
160204009	Poblacion (Carmen)	28.7%	5,988	5,507	+1.61%
160204010	Rojales	12.2%	2,542	2,083	+3.86%
160204011	San Agustin	5.7%	1,183	1,117	+1.10%
160204012	Tagcatong	16.6%	3,462	3,382	+0.45%
160204014	Vinapor	10.1%	2,107	2,027	+0.74%
	Total		20,839	19,781	+1.00%

Demographics

Population census of Carmen

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	15,503	—
1995	15,967	+0.55%
2000	17,307	+1.74%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2007	18,116	+0.63%
2010	19,781	+3.25%
2015	20,839	+1.00%

Source: PSA^[3]^[7]^[8]

In the 2015 census, Carmen had a population of 20,839.^[3] The population density was 67 inhabitants per square kilometre (170/sq mi).

In the 2016 election, it had 12,492 registered voters.^[4]

Local government

Former mayors
Mayor	Years of service
Honculada, Nicanor O.	1949–1951
De Guzman, Arturo	1952–1955
Malimit, Jose	1956–1960, 1964 - 1967
Degamo, Esteban	1960–1963
Calo, Tranquilino Jr.	1968–1969, 1972 - 1985, 1988 - 1993
Campos, Ernesto	1969–1971
Pacon, Dionesio	1986–1987
Aparecio, Joaquin	1987
Battad, Arnulfo	1987 - 1988 (until January only)
Luneta, Eliseo	1993–1995
(*)Calo, Ramon	1996–2004, 2007–present
Calo, Jovitte	2004–2007
Calo, Jesus	?
(*) — Incumbent ? — Currently unknown

Elected government officials of Carmen for the term of 2013-2016:^[4]

Mayor: Ramon "Monching RMC" M. Calo
Vice-Mayor: Wilfredo T. Taglucop
Sangguniang Bayan:
- Erma R. Estoque
- Maria R. P. Ledesma
- Diosdado R. Palang-at
- Marites Y. Mercado
- Gilda A. Samaco
- Raul M. Aparecio Sr.
- Francisco C. Lopez
- Leobel Tomas S. Luis
SB Secretary:
- Felomino Palisan

Attractions

Bolihon Beach

Punta Diwata Cave

Punta Diwata Reef

Carmen Municipal Hall: new municipal hall officially opened on July 1, 2011.
Plaza Beach Resort: beach covered with white sands in its coast located at Sitio Bulihon, Barangay Tagcatong.
Mount Carmel View Park: park commonly called by Carmenanons as "Marcos Park", located at San Isidro, Barangay Tagcatong. From here, one can view the entire Carmen and nearby municipalities, and the island province of Camiguin.
Punta Diwata Cave: one of the popular destinations in Carmen consisting of 43 caves, located in Barangay Vinapor.
Balite Beach Resort: located in Barangay Vinapor.
Vinapor Blue Waters: located near the Cliffs of Barangay Vinapor, this resort features carved stones formed into a dinosaurs, a reason for it to be commonly called "Jurassic Park".
Veranda I and II Resorts: a beach resort, hotel and convention venue located at Barangays Tagcatong and Rojales. It has air-conditioned rooms and suites, air conditioned cabañas and other facilities like cottages fronting beachfront, seafood and Chinese restaurants, mini-bar, convention hall and swimming pool.
Scuba diving sites: Carmen is known for its adventurous dive sites along the Punta Diwata Reefs and Balete Wall. It has six dive sites. Reef life includes soft and hard corals plus abundant reef and pelagic fishes. Profile ranges from sloping wall to cliffs with depths from 40 ft. to over a hundred, with generally sandy floors. Prime sites are located in barangays Vinapor, Tagcatong & Poblacion.
Cabatuan Beach
Kibanlag Falls

Schools

Elementary

Antonio Quiamjot ES
Cahayagan ES
Carmen Central Elementary School
Cervantina ES
Doña Josefa ES
Elpidio Salas ES
Gosoon ES
Manoligao ES
Rojales ES
San Agustin ES
San Isidro ES
Tagcatong ES

Secondary

Cahayagan High School
Carmen National High School
Manoligao High School
Our Lady of Carmen Academy of Caraga, Inc.
Vinapor National High School

References

↑ "Municipality". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
1 2 "Province: Agusan del Norte". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
1 2 3 4 5 "CARAGA". Census of Population (2015): Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay (Report). PSA. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
1 2 3 4 "2016 National and Local Elections Statistics". Commission on Elections. 2016.
↑ "Republic Act No. 380 - Act Creating the Municipality of Carmen in the Province of Agusan". PhilippineLaw.info. 15 June 1949. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
↑ "Municipal: Carmen, Agusan del Norte". PSA. Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
1 2 "CARAGA". Census of Population and Housing (2010): Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay (Report). NSO. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
↑ "CARAGA". Census of Population (1995, 2000 and 2007): Total Population by Province, City and Municipality (Report). NSO. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carmen, Agusan del Norte.

Bohol Sea

Butuan Bay

Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental

Nasipit

Carmen

Gingoog, Misamis Oriental

Buenavista

Province of Agusan del Norte

Cabadbaran (capital)

Municipalities	Buenavista Carmen Jabonga Kitcharao Las Nieves Magallanes Nasipit Remedios T. Romualdez Santiago Tubay

Component city	Cabadbaran

Highly urbanized city	Butuan (Administratively independent from the province but grouped under Agusan del Norte by the Philippine Statistics Authority.)

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