Calatrava is a name of a City of La Mancha in Central Spain, an ancient fortress. It was a Religious Military order famous, of its “Cruz de Calatrava” the highest decoration given by the King of Spain.

In 1873 Calatrava was founded & became a town under the Spanish Missionaries comprising the five Barrios Toboso, Lemery, San Isidro, San Carlos and Guadalupe.

In 1895 San Carlos separated from Calatrava and became a town. During the Spanish-American revolution in 1998 Calatrava became a part of San Carlos as a barrio under the American occupation. It was on October 4, 1924 when Calatrava became a town again under the leadership of Don Antonio Menchaca, Pelagio Cabajosa & Felipe Nemenzo.

 

FRIENDLY MONKEYS

The town today is a known source of minerals such as coal, limestone, manganese and phosphate. It is also famous for woven products using Pandan leaves. Calatrava has a unique tourist attraction which is a tribe of wild monkeys friendly to people especially those w/ food to share. The town has a land area of 43, 371.75 has composed of 40 Barangays with a total population of 92, 146.

           

Prior to the year 1870, Calatrava was still uninhabited. Only in some of the beaches where the natives of this island were living, who where NEGRITOS and few fishermen who emigrated from the neighboring island of Cebu, and were in constant trouble with the Negritos who in many occasions destroyed their settlements and their lives with their bow and arrows and torch. Most of the territory was covered by dense virgin forest reaching the shoreline, and only a few small valleys were suitable for agriculture.

According to resource person the primitive name of Calatrava was Nalub-ang (low flat lands) of Buglas Island. Ipil, Ebony, Banawe, Calantas and Molave trees abound in the place with a spring situated in its middle portion of the plain which was sufficient for irrigation and human consumption. There is a remote barangay in the municipality named Hilub-ang, although about 60 or 70 years ago, this place was covered with a dense forest.

 

MUNICIPALITY OF CALATRAVA

The name of the municipality, Calatrava was given to this place by the Spaniards. CALATRAVA is a name of a city of La Mancha  in Central Spain. In the middle ages, this was an ancient fortress. It is also one of the Military Orders of Spain made famous by the so called Cruz De Calatrava, one of the highest decorations given by the King of Spain. The name Calatrava appeared only in documents about 1873. The first settlement is established by the Spaniards in Sitio Tubod (today Barangay Lemery) and with Calatrava, San Isidro, San Carlos and Guadalupe comprised the first Catholic Mission.

It was also in Lemery where in 1870 that the church was constructed by the missionaries of the Benevolent Order of Agustinos Descalzos (Recoletos), likewise the first cemetery is located at the above-named barangay. The cemetery is still exists and popularly called “Daan Lunsod” by the old residents of the town.

It was presumed that it was in Lemery where the affairs of the town were conducted and there still exist the streets “Calle Sto. Niño, Calle San Roque and Calsada de Fraile” going towards the hinterlands.

At that time the Poblacion of Calatrava did not yet exist, and what is today the City of San Carlos, was called Nabingkalan. It derived its name from “Nabingka”, a beautiful Princess who ruled this territory for many years until her death. The inhabitants of this region (the Negritos) mourned the death of their beautiful Princess for two years and to perpetuate her legendary popularity, the settlers and early rulers gave the name of NABINGKALAN to the place were Princess Nabingka ruled for a long period.

On or about the year 1877, the first settlers build nipa houses in what forms today the Poblacion of Calatrava, which is located at the right bank of the Calatrava River. For many years, the place was occupied by the aborigines, the Aetas and Negritos and was driven to the mountains by the new settlers who came from the Island of Cebu with firearms and were engaged in communal farming and fishing. Most of the newly arrival originated from the towns of Badian, Barili, Balamban and other parts of Sugbu (Cebu). The families of Tomas Carbajosa, Gregorio Broce, Catalino Broce, Pelagio CArbajosa, Eduardo CAstellanes, Eusebio Broce, Alipio Villarante, Crispulo Ulgasan, Basilio Perez, Bernabe Batohanon, Bernardino Agravante, Melecio Apurado, Lucio Contemplo, and some others like the Ejercitos, the Peromingans were among the first settlers of the new Poblacion. About that time, other settlers established their residences in other sitios or barrios farther from the ancient town, like Gregorio Laroa Minglanilla in Tigbao, Julian Luaque in San Isidro and Rufino Castellano in Lemery.

After the Revolution, CALATRAVA ceased to exist as a municipality and became a barrio of the municipality of San Carlos, the center of the growing sugar industry until the year 1924 when Calatrava was again created as a separate municipality from San Carlos.

 LILAS PANDAN FESTIVAL

Lilas Pandan Festival is a blossoming celebration in the Municipality of Calatrava rightfully recognizing the pandan not just in its contribution to the local economy but also bringing a Calatrava to the world. Aside from the manifestation of thanksgiving, joyfully excited in HUD’YAW, the festival showcases and or displays the novelty items hand-woven out of the pandan strands locally called Lilas. It also emphasizes its importance in the lives of Calatravanons economically benefitting from it.

The festival coincides with the town fiesta honoring St. Peter the Apostle. Through his intercessions, God continuously provide Calatravanons the bountiful abundance, inspiring them to progress and to prosper by their own industry and ingenuity.

The cover and the theme….

PANDAN WEAVING

A lot of things has been in focus in Calatrava but not much has been said of the pandan. Thriving in the rocky terrains, this lowly shrub is a sustainable source of livelihood of barangay folks skilled with the art of pandan weaving handed down from generation to generation. What has become of the pandan industry in Calatrava is quite remarkable. This year’s celebration is focused on our appreciation of the pandan as a gift from God that we not just utilize but in our consideration of the future generation, we nurture, as well.