Madridejos, Cebu

Madridejos, officially the Municipality of Madridejos (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Madridejos; Tagalog: Bayan ng Madridejos), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 36,429 people.[4]

Madridejos

Lawis
Municipality
Municipality of Madridejos
Fishing boats at Kota beach
Seal
Map of Cebu with Madridejos highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Madridejos
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°16′N 123°44′E
Country Philippines
RegionCentral Visayas (Region VII)
ProvinceCebu
District4th district of Cebu
Founded2 January 1917
Barangays14 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorJohn Andre Yuson
 • Vice MayorJay River S. dela Fuente
 • CongresswomanJanice Z. Salimbangon
 • Electorate26,546 voters (2019)
Area
 [2]
 • Total23.95 km2 (9.25 sq mi)
Elevation5.0 m (16.4 ft)
Population
 (2015 census)[4]
 • Total36,429
 • Density1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi)
 • Households
8,063
Economy
 • Income class4th municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence28.07% (2015)[5]
 • Revenue (₱)97,319,068.79 (2016)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
6053
PSGC
072228000
IDD : area code +63 (0)32
Climate typetropical climate
Native languagesCebuano
Tagalog

It is one of the three municipalities that make up the island of Bantayan, which lies to the west of the northern tip of Cebu. Madridejos is bordered to the north and west by the Visayan Sea, to the east is the town of Medellin and to the south is the town of Bantayan.

There is a light station – LS Madridejos[6] – about 50 metres (160 ft) north of the mean highwater mark at Kota point 11°18′08″N 123°43′45″E.

History
Ruins of Kota at Madridejos founded in 1790

Lawis was the old name of Madridejos. Even today people still use the name "Lawis", meaning "promontory", the portion carved out to constitute the municipality of Madridejos being the peninsula located on the northern side of Bantayan island facing the Visayan Sea.

During the time of governor Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera (1635–1644), the Visayas were continually harassed by the Moros, who wreaked dreadful havoc, capturing, massacring, robbing, sacking churches, and burning everything there was.

The kota (cota or cuta = fort) also built in 1790s. Blowing of the budyong [lower-alpha 1] served as signal of the coming of the Moros. A watch tower was built in Kaongkod, a barrio about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the fort. It is the place from where the approach of the Moros could easily be seen, to give a timely warning to the townsfolk of their coming. All watchtowers on Bantayan where built by Fr. Doroteo Andrada del Rosario, parish priest of Bantayan in the 19th century (Moro attacks were worst around 1840s).

The general scenery of Lawis was that of a quiet place, of virgin grounds covered by small shrubs and lantana. When more people discovered Lawis and flocked to it, the place became a visita.[7]

In 1917 the pueblo Lawis became a municipality named Madridejos.[8] This was the name given to the third town of Bantayan island in honour of Benito Romero de Madridejos the former archbishop of Cebu. [lower-alpha 2] The town's feast day is celebrated annually on 8 December.

Immaculate Conception parish church

In the year 1600s, before Madridejos was made into a town, there was a barrio called Lawis at the tip of Bantayan island. In this barrio was a chapel built by the Augustinians who also built the parish church of Bantayan in the year 1580.[lower-alpha 3]

The chapel was located within the Spanish fort near the seashore. Inside the chapel, there was a framed picture of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which was the object of devotion and before which the Holy Rosary was prayed every afternoon. Once a month and during church feasts, the chapel was visited by the priest of Bantayan to say mass and celebrate its annual feast.

In the 1700s there was an image of La Virgen Purisima carved in the Island from batikuling wood. It was 16 inches (41 centimetres) tall and was placed on the altar of the first chapel built by the Augustinian priests near the seashore of barrio Lawis. Folklore say there would be times when the clothes of the image were wet and damp although there was no rain, and was full of amorseko (crab grass) [lower-alpha 4] – a kind of weed in the fields. During the time of the El Tor epidemic a beautiful lady was observed ministering to the sick mountain folks.

Since olden times, every October the Virgin is brought in a fluvial [sic] procession and the Holy Rosary is prayed. The feast was celebrated every eight day of December, until Lawis became a parish in the year 1928.

Second World War
  • 1942 - occupation by Japanese Imperial forces.
  • 1945 - liberation by the Philippine Commonwealth troops of the 3rd, 8th, 82nd & 83rd Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army which landed in Madridejos at the front of battles against Japanese forces in the Battle of Bantayan. The built of the general headquarters of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was stationed in Madridejos and active from 1945 to 1946 during and after the war.

Barangays

Madridejos comprises 14 barangays:

PSGC Barangay Population ±% p.a.
2015[4] 2010[11]
072228001 Bunakan 5.2% 1,888 1,870 ▴ 0.18%     
072228002 Kangwayan 3.0% 1,083 1,071 ▴ 0.21%     
072228003 Kaongkod 9.5% 3,454 3,088 ▴ 2.16%     
072228004 Kodia 5.7% 2,077 2,071 ▴ 0.06%     
072228005 Maalat 6.1% 2,212 2,042 ▴ 1.53%     
072228006 Malbago 7.1% 2,593 2,583 ▴ 0.07%     
072228007 Mancilang 13.5% 4,934 4,662 ▴ 1.09%     
072228009 Pili 6.7% 2,449 2,153 ▴ 2.48%     
072228010 Poblacion 9.6% 3,509 3,768 ▾ −1.35%     
072228011 San Agustin 6.6% 2,399 2,201 ▴ 1.65%     
072228012 Tabagak 5.3% 1,919 1,874 ▴ 0.45%     
072228013 Talangnan 9.0% 3,294 3,645 ▾ −1.91%     
072228014 Tarong 7.9% 2,879 2,212 ▴ 5.15%     
072228015 Tugas 4.8% 1,739 1,665 ▴ 0.83%     
Total 36,429 34,905 ▴ 0.82%

Mancilang: 4,662 (13.4%)Poblacion: 3,768 (10.8%)Talangnan: 3,645 (10.4%)Kaongkod: 3,088 (8.8%)Malbago: 2,583 (7.4%)Tarong: 2,212 (6.3%)San Agustin: 2,201 (6.3%)Pili: 2,153 (6.2%)Kodia: 2,071 (5.9%)Maalat: 2,042 (5.8%)Tabagak: 1,874 (5.4%)Bunakan: 1,870 (5.4%)Tugas: 1,665 (4.8%)Kangwayan: 1,083 (3.1%)

Climate
Climate data for Madridejos, Cebu
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 30
(86)		 30
(86)		 30
(86)		 30
(86)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 30
(86)
Average low °C (°F) 23
(73)		 22
(72)		 23
(73)		 24
(75)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 24
(75)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 24
(75)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 39
(1.5)		 34
(1.3)		 42
(1.7)		 36
(1.4)		 73
(2.9)		 109
(4.3)		 118
(4.6)		 108
(4.3)		 129
(5.1)		 136
(5.4)		 112
(4.4)		 89
(3.5)		 1,025
(40.4)
Average rainy days 12.6 9.7 12.0 13.0 20.5 25.3 26.2 24.8 25.2 25.9 21.9 17.9 235
Source: Meteoblue [12]

Demographics
Population of Madridejos, Cebu
YearPop.±% p.a.
1903 3,127—    
1918 3,678+1.09%
1939 8,647+4.15%
1948 14,547+5.95%
1970 16,813+0.66%
1975 18,789+2.25%
1980 18,865+0.08%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1990 25,746+3.16%
1995 26,506+0.55%
2000 29,020+1.96%
2007 30,673+0.77%
2010 34,905+4.82%
2015 36,429+0.82%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[4][11][13]

Economy
Fishing fleet leaving Madridejos, early evening.
Beach and walkway at Kota Point, with the light station visible past the end of the walkway.

The main industries of Madridejos are fishing, poultry and tourism.

Because of its rich fishing grounds, Madridejos earned the name of "Little Alaska of the Philippines": the first canning factory in the country was established here, but it lost its sustaining impact in the history of the municipality after it was bombed during World War II. At present, poultry-raising is a growing industry and Madridejos provides a substantial quantity of eggs produced for sale to the neighboring provinces.

Madridejos also hosts a fairly substantial tertiary college – Salazar College.[14]

There are two radio stations:

  • Bag-ong Adlaw DYCM-FM 99.0 MHz
  • Radyo Natin DYEE-FM 102.9 MHz

Transportation

Madridejos can be reached by boat from Cebu City via Santa Fe with 75-minutes ferry service to San Remigio (Hagnaya) via Island Shipping or SuperShuttle Ferry and also via Ceres bus from North Bus Terminal to Madridejos Vice-Versa. Bus (jeepney) travel to Madridejos via the municipality of Bantayan takes about a further hour.

There are currently NO overnight boats from Cebu City to Bantayan Island, nor are there any scheduled commercial air flights. Private air companies occasionally fly smaller Cessna and Piper aircraft into Bantayan Airport.

Notes
  1. horn – could be a conch shell or the horn of a carabao
  2. Benito Romero O.F.M. (appointed 28 January 1876 - died 4 November 1885)
  3. Thanks to: Rev. Fr. Cristobal Garcia at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, to whom this written history was submitted, as required by the Archdiocese of Cebu, on the occasion of the solemn processional of the thirty nine (39) images with the titles of "La Virgin Purisima" joining the said procession of the International Marian Year.
  4. Formal description at Kew,[9]description with photographs [10]

References
  1. "Municipality". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. "Province: Cebu". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. "Madridejos, Cebu Profile". PhilAtlas.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  4. Census of Population (2015). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. PSA. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  5. "PSA releases the 2015 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Quezon City, Philippines. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  6. Philippine Coast Guard - LIGHTSTATIONS - CENTRAL EASTERN VISAYAS
  7. Spicer 1967.
  8. Lavilles 1965, p. 91.
  9. Clayton et al. 2002.
  10. Galinato, Moody & Piggin 1999.
  11. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. NSO. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  12. "Madridejos: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  13. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. NSO.
  14. "SCSIT – Salazar Colleges and Institute of Technology". scsit.edu.ph. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

Sources

Media related to Madridejos, Cebu at Wikimedia Commons

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