NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Paete, Laguna

Paete is a 4th class urban municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines.It has a population of 23,011 people in 5,101 households (2000 census). Image File history File links Ph_locator_laguna_paete. ... A municipality (bayan, sometimes munisipalidad, in Filipino) is a local government unit in the Philippines. ... Map of the Philippines showing all the regions and their provinces. ... For other uses, see Laguna (disambiguation). ...

Paete (pronounced Pī-té, long i, short guttural ê) is a lakeside town located at the northeastern part of Laguna, along the shores of picturesque Laguna de Bay. It was founded in 1580 by Spanish friars Juan de Placencia 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". The town is made famous by craftsmen highly skilled in woodcarving and its embellishment. To this day, its inhabitants (called Paeteňos or Paetenians) continue with their centuries-old tradition in carving and painting. Their excellent handiwork is evident in statues, pulpits, and bas relief found in churches and palaces--among them the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, the Mission Dolorosa in San Francisco, the San Cayetano Church in Mexico, the St. Joseph's shrine in Sta. 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 Madrinan. The town was proclaimed "the Carving Capital of the Philippines" in March 15, 2005 by Philippine President Arroyo. It is also believed that the yo-yo, which originated in the Philippines, was invented in Paete. Laguna may refer to more than one article: Laguna, a Philipine province; Laguna, Santa Catarina, a city located in southern Brazil; Laguna de Cameros, a municipality in La Rioja, Spain San CristÃ³bal de La Laguna (also La Laguna), a municipality in the island of Tenerife, province of Santa Cruz... Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the Philippines and the largest inland freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. ... Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ... Malay can refer to: The language of Malaysia, Bahasa Melayu The Old Malay language(s), ancestor(s) of modern Tagalog, Bahasa Melayu, and Bahasa Indonesia The Malay people (Huan-na) Something from or related to Malaysia See also Cape Malays Malay nationalism Communes that begin with Malay in Yonne, France... Borneo (left) and Sulawesi. ... The Basilica of Saint Peter from Castel SantAngelo. ... Several cathedrals are named after Saint Patrick. ... Arroyo is a Spanish word that refers to a number of things: An arroyo is an intermittantly dry creek Places: Arroyo, is a municipality in Puerto Rico Arroyo Grande is a city located in San Luis Obispo County, California Arroyo Gardens-La Tina Ranch is a census-designated place located... The yo-yo is a toy consisting of two equally-sized discs of plastic, wood, or metal, connected with an axle, around which a string is wound. ...

Barangays

Paete is politically subdivided into 9 barangays: Bagumbayan, Bangkusay, Ermita, Ibaba del Norte, Ibaba del Sur, Ilaya del Norte, Ilaya del Sur, Maytoong, and Quinale. Today the town thrives mainly on the sale and export of woodcarvings and taka (papier maché), tourism, poultry industry, farming and fishing. A barangay also known as barrio (Filipino: baranggay , pronounced as ba-rang-gai, gai as in guy) is the smallest local government unit in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village,barrio, district, ward or town. ... Papier-mÃ¢chÃ© (French, chewed-up paper) is a construction material that consists of pieces of paper, sometimes reinforced with textiles, stuck together using a wet paste (e. ...

How Paete got its name

Before the Spaniards came, Paete was said to be a peaceful barangay under Gat Lacampauid. 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.

Spanish period

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 as expected, easily defeated the lightly-armed natives. Then he ventured to the lakeside barangays of Laguna de Bay on his way to Bicol. Bicol Region is one of the regions of the Philippines occupying the Bicol Peninsula at the southeastern end of Luzon island. ... Cainta is a town in Rizal province of the Philippines. ... Rizal is a province of the Philippines located in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 20 kilometers east of Manila. ...

In 1580 a pueblo was established in Paete by Frs. Placencia and Oropesa. Due to a dearth of priests at that time, Paete was first annexed to Lumban. Then in 1600, Paete became a barrio of Pangil. In 1602, Paete became independent and was christened Pueblo de San Lorenzo in honor of the town's first patron saint. The pueblo consisted not only of Paete, but also included the neighboring towns of Pakil, San Antonio, Longos and Kalayaan. In 1671, Fr. 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, Pakil became a separate pueblo, therefore the townspeople of Paete deemed it necessary to build their own crosses, located them in sitio Santa Ana, and named the site Tatlong Krus (Three Crosses). Paete achieved full township status in 1850. Lumban is one of the oldest towns and the third largest municipality in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. ... Pangil is a 5th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. ... Pakil is a 5th class urban municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. ... Kalayaan (Independence in Filipino) may refer to: Kalayaan, Laguna, a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines Kalayaan, a protectorate of the Philippines in the Spratly Islands Kalayaan, UK advocacy group (see also migrant domestic workers) Category: ...

Church history

The first church was built in the year 1646 by Paete natives under the supervision of Fr. Andres de Puertellano. In 1717, a new church was erected. It was made of adobe bricks and a mixture of egg white and other native materials to "cement" them. The building was constructed in elaborate baroque style with an infusion of oriental artistry. The intricate retablo pieces were made by Paetenian natives, among them were Bartolome Palatino and Francisco Macahumpan. The large paintings inside the church were executed by another notable son of Paete, Luciano Dans--these are the Langit, Lupa, Impiyerno (Heaven, Earth, Hell), and the large murals of St. Christopher. The church with all its ornate designs and architecture was completed in 1840. It sustained major damages in the earthquakes of 1884 and 1937. The only recorded history during this time was written under the auspices of the Spanish Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, all the credits for the church construction and reconstruction are heaped on the "men of the cloth" and made no mention of names of native Paetenians.

War heroes

During the Japanese occupation, the church served as a dungeon and torture house to many of the town's inhabitants. The prisoners were subjected to unspeakable pain and atrocities. Dozens were brutally killed, and hundreds sustained physical, emotional and mental wounds. The war has "produced countless unsung heroes and martyrs" for Paete.

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 a rookie force of less than 50 men. The natives demonstrated their unflinching valour and fierce independence by fighting against a force of superior warfare and manpower. The town was subdued but it proved to be a most costly battle for the Americans. see Battle of Paete The Battle of Paete was a small battle fought between American forces under General Henry W. Lawton and Philippine Insurgents on April 12, 1899 during the Philippine American War. ...

Holy Week in Paete

Paete's most spectacular celebration takes place during Holy Week. It begins on Palm Sunday with the re-enactment of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalam. The short procession starts at the Ermita Chapel where the priest blesses the palaspas (palm branch) of the faithful. The participants then slowly move to the church as manangs (religious women) put their balabal (shawl) on the street for the priest to walk through. This custom is called payapak. A mass is held and afterwards the 16th-century statue of the Dead Body of Christ, or Señor Sepulkro to Paeteños, is brought home to its recamadero (owner and keeper of said image). The images are owned by individual families and are passed down to succeeding generations. For five days leading to Good Friday, the faithful kiss the exposed hands and feet of the Señor Sepulkro. On Holy Wednesday, a procession is held with Paete's 46 images of Christ's Passion and Ministry on display. The procession goes through the town's narrow streets en route to the church. It stops three times to give way to the Salubong (meeting) which depicts three scenes of Jesus' passion and in which Paete's "moving saints" take part. These are: the meeting of Christ and Mary, held at the church patio; the wiping of Jesus' face by Veronica, which takes place at Plaza Edesan; and finally, the encounter between Mary and Veronica where the latter shows the miraculous imprints of Christ's face on her cloth. This is held at the town plaza.

Maundy Thursday witnesses the dramatization of the Last Supper and Washing of the Disciples' feet and a night-long vigil is observed. The Aglipayan Church meanwhile conducts its own version of the Salubong. On Good Friday the Siete Palabras (Seven Last Words of Christ) are recited until 3 pm, the time of Christ's death. A short procession then goes to the house of the Sto. Entierro (the Interred Christ) to bring the supine statue to the church in the act of burying the dead. The Sto. Entierro is borne on the shoulders of the town's male devotees. It is said that if the carroza (carriage) felt heavy you have gravely sinned, and if it felt light, the opposite was true. It is then paraded through town in a solemn manner. Afterwards, the flowers that adorned the carroza are handed down to the faithful along with a piece of thread from the pillow where the Señor laid his head. The faithful seize these in hopes of a miracle or cure. The townspeople burst out in celebration on Black Saturday and hold the Sabado de Gloria Ball. On Easter Sunday the church re-enacts another Salubong--this time the meeting of Mary and the Risen Christ. The Philippine Independent Church, officially the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) in Spanish, is a Christian denomination belonging to the Roman Catholic tradition. ...

This annual event is not only a medium for Paeteños to display their religiosity but also a means to showcase the superb craftsmanship of their art. The week-long tableau is repeated every year and attracts a handful of visitors from all over the world.

Educational institutions

External links

Contents

Barangays

How Paete got its name

Spanish period

Church history

War heroes

Holy Week in Paete

Educational institutions

External links

Further reading

Contents

Barangays GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

How Paete got its name

Spanish period

Church history

War heroes

Holy Week in Paete

Educational institutions

External links

Further reading

Barangays