History and the Present Situation of Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City

Cebu Normal University

Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City

Philippines, 6000

College of Teacher Education

History and the  

Present Situation of Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City

by:

Florevil S. Basay

BSEd-Biological Sciences

A.Y. 2016-2017

I. Rationale

The Republic of the Philippines which is an archipelago is located off the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is consisting of 7,107 islands and has three main islands which are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Each island has different origin, traditions, cultures, livelihood and history. One of the islands in the Philippines is Cebu where barangay Paknaan is located specifically in Mandaue City.

Barangay Paknaan is well-known from its Silhig Festival and broom making livelihood which is clearly proved from one of its missions which is to acknowledge the importance of livelihood programs and are projecting to procure certain resources needed to satisfy the improvement of products. Historians said that Paknaan came from the word “pana” which ancestors commonly used for hunting and fighting. Still the exact history of the barangay is still vague until now.

This study focuses on the information of the Barangay Paknaan’s history and gives answers to the vague past. Also it focuses on the comparative and connections to the development of the barangay. According to the History Department of Hanover College the study of history is vital to a liberal arts education. History is unique among the liberal arts in its emphasis on historical perspective and context. Historians insist that the past must be understood on its own terms; any historical phenomenon--an event, an idea, a law, or a dogma for example--must first be understood in its context, as part of a web of interrelated institutions, values, and beliefs that define a particular culture and era. History involves our past and the linkage to our present (Why Study History?).

Providing wealth information, this study is substantial reference material for students, teachers, and other individuals interested in the development and history of Barangay Paknaan. This study is a compilation of facts, information, documentations and interviews from different reliable sources. The materials for this studies have been selected with the objective to give a brief survey of the history of Paknaan with emphasize on origin, first inhibitors, population, livelihood and religion.

II. Introduction

Paknaan was a little village of the old village named Mandaue in the time of Spanish colonization. In the record of Spanish colonization little villages were formed and a chieftain ruled over it. There was no official territory boundary then. According to (Parkin, 1979) in Marxism, Marxian class theory asserts that an individual’s position within a class hierarchy is determined by his or her role in the production process, and argues that political and ideological consciousness is determined by class position (Parkin). Marx distinguishes one class from another on the basis of two criteria: ownership of the means of production and control of the labour power of others. From this, he defines modern society as having three distinct classes the capitalist, the workers and petite bourgeoisie. Class is thus determined by property relations not by income or status (Marx and Engels, 1848, 25). In relation to the theory of social class during Spanish colonization datu, lakan or chieftain was the highest form of social class, followed by nobles and the lowest form are the alipin.

In the Charles Darwin’s Natural Selection and Adaptation, sn adaptation is a characteristic that enhances the survival or reproduction of organisms that bear it, relative to alternative character states (especially the ancestral condition in the population in which the adaptation evolved). Natural selection is the only mechanism known to cause the evolution of adaptations; so many biologists would simply define an adaptation as a characteristic that has evolved by natural selection. The word “adaptation” also refers to the process whereby the members of a population become better suited to some feature of their environment through change in a characteristic that affects their survival or reproduction. Since people from the past had been colonized they need to survive in order to live that it why inhibitors from Paknaan used to fight using “pana” bows and arrows. The fittest survives.

In the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs, and that some needs take precedence over others. Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behaviour. Once that level is fulfilled the next level up is what motivates us, and so on. Maslow used the terms

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

"physiological", "safety", "belonging" and "love", "esteem", "self-actualization", and "self-transcendence" to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through.

As time passed by migration happened factors may be on their needs or how urbanized the place they are going to migrate. Immigration is one form of the broader movement of people called migration. According to the book “New Book of Knowledge”, migration is as old as humanity itself. In prehistoric times, when humans lived largely by hunting, groups of people migrated, or moved from place to place, following the animals on which their existence depended. Even when settled communities based on farming developed, people continued this pattern of movement, sure of neighbouring people frequently made it necessary to cultivate new lands. Although a comprehensive theory is unattainable, it remains a crucial task of demographers to explain why people migrate.

Neoclassical growth theory lays stress on capital accumulation and its related decision of saving as an important determinant of economic growth. Neoclassical growth model considered two factor production functions with capital and labour as determinants of output. Besides, it added exogenously determined factor, technology, to the production function. It emphasizes the three factors that influence the growth of an economy, which includes capital, availability of labour and technology. In relation to the theory the growth of factories, infrastructures, hospital and many establishments may one of the reasons for the developing Paknaan.

III. Presentation Proper

            Barangay Paknaan is one of the barangays in Mandaue City, Philippines. It is a commonly a plain place with coastal part. Its GPS coordinates are Latitude 10.3453⁰ longitude 123.9569⁰. The height above the sea is 12.91 meters. Estimated land is 224.5 hectares. Barangay Paknaan has 24 zones--Zone Mongos, Zone Okra, Zone Sikwa, Zone Kalabasa, Zone Patatas, Zone Gabi, Zone Kamunggay, Zone Paliya, Zone Carrots, Zone Agbate, Zone Repolyo, Zone Pechay, Zone Ube, Zone Luy-a, Zone Camote, Zone Tamatis, Zone Tangkong, Zone Camanse, Zone Sibuyas, Zone Sili, Zone Talong, Zone Batong, Zone Sayote and Zone Ahos. There are about 33,000 in population and 7,000 households. According to the data of COMELEC the number of voters in the barangays is 14, 014. Common landmarks of Barangay Paknaan is the barangay hall in Zone Ube, Paknaan Elementary-High School in Zone Kamunggay, Satellite Market in Zone Kalabasa, Velez Hospital in the Plaridel Street, Sto Ni¤o Parish, Visayas Reach Global Distributor, Twinbee and Shemberg. (See appendix for the map and latest information about Barangay Paknaan). The following data were coming from a face to face interview with Hon. Dulce G. Jumao-as, one of the true-blooded Paknaanon.

Paknaan in the Past

Etymology

Barangay Paknaan is one of the highly industrialized and fast growing barangays in Mandaue City. Paknaan got its name from the word “PANAAN”. According to the tales narrated by a true-blooded Paknaanon, the name “PAKNAAN” was derived from the word “PANA-AN” which refers to the place where a kind of weapon “PANA” was used as a defence in fighting against Moros who kept raiding the place every now and then during the Spanish era. As time brought changes to the conditions and status of the place, the name changed and was called Paknaan. No records, evidences or trace of history when was the exact time Barangay Paknaan was established but old true- blooded Paknaanon said that Barangay Paknaan was established during Spanish colonization. Aetas who were residing in Barangay Paknaan were trained to use bows and arrows as their weapon in hunting for their foods and self-defence. These bows are made of woods with 1-inch in thickness and 1.5 meter in height.

Livelihood

During Spanish colonization, ancestors’ main livelihood was broom making because the place was abundant of “Buri” or palm trees (Corypha elata). Broom making made the barangay progressive because many had finished their education and became professionals. Other livelihoods include planting bananas. sugarcanes, corn, mangroves and also fishing. In the same era, the barangay is known to be a killing place.

            The “pana” used during the old days by the inhibitors of barangay Paknaan.

Population and Education

It was recorded that the population of inhibitors of barangay Paknaan in the year 1700-1800s was around 3000 people. Paknaan was abundant in corns, sugar canes, mangroves and palm trees. The roads are rocky and Eastern is purely a sea. The houses had far distances and people walked through the road because there was no access of transportations also there was no source of electricity at that time. There is only one school made by woods in the barangay  but the school can only accommodate until in grade four level those who wanted to continue their education tends to find another school in the nearby barangays.

Religion

            Paknaanon was purely Roman Catholics in religion and was devoted through the miraculous Santo Niño. The statue of Santo Niño came from a simple wood. Stories said that an old man was fishing at his first catch he thought that it was a big fish but it was only a big wood and he never get the attention to it and he throwed the wood back to the sea but on the second and third catch it happened that what he just caught was the wood he caught on the first catch. The old man bring homed the wood and when the wood had dried he found out that the wood had formed an image of an angel. People thought it was miraculous so the old man decided the wood to be carved and the statue of Santo Niño was formed.

People

The first recorded families who are true blooded Paknaanon were Gitgano, Soco, Jisulga, Alinsug, Aligway and Dijano. On the start of 19^th century, Dr. Velez and former Councilor Dolce Jumao-as together with Jacinta Sanchez, a former principal of Paknaan Elementary School divided Paknaan into 12 zones namely Zone Sikwa, Zone Okra, Zone Petchay, Zone Kalabasa, Zone Gabi, Zone Ube, Zone Kamatis, Zone Alugbati, Zone Tangkong, Zone Sibuyas and Zone Kamote. The zones are named with vegetables because Dr. Velez was implementing the program against malnutrition in the place and he wanted Paknaan a healthy barangay. It was recorded that Paknaan was the first and only barangay in Mandaue where it uses zones rather than sitios.

Comparison to the Present Paknaan

            Barangay Paknaan is well known on its Silhig Festival held every year one week after the feast. Silhig Festival is part of the fiesta celebration of the barangay which honors the Sr. Sto. Niño. It was conceptualized last 2011 in a bid to attract more investors and showcase the barangay's main source of livelihood.on the 1^st Saturday of February. The barangay celebrated “silhig” brooms instead of “pana” bows and arrows because brooms made the barangay progressive and many became professionals because of the livelihood of broom making. Nowadays, broom making is still the man source of livelihood of Paknaanon. 15 percent of the livelihood and businesses in the barangay are related to broom-making, a skill that was passed to them by their elders.

            Unlike the past Paknaan inhibitors was around 3000 the 2016 population of barangay Paknaan ranges to 38,000 where there are 11.500 male and 21.450 females.

            The rocky roads of the barangay and the abundance of sugarcanes, corns, mangroves and bananas are now limited. The Plaridel is now a national highway and fields turned to infrastructures and factories. Two of the well-known factories are Shemberg Factory and King’s Quality Food Incorporated.

Silhig Festival in Barangay Paknaan

Source: www.philstar.com

            Fishponds are now turned to reclamation area because of the increasing population of immigrants coming from different barangays in Mandaue specially those who are near in the coastal danger zone. Those people are transferred into the reclamation to start a new living. Commonly the program involved is the urban poor. Reclamations are can be found in Zone Ahos, Talong and Sili.

            The descendants of the true blooded Paknaanon are still alive but due to migration people living in the barangay are not already a true Paknaanon by blood.

            From 12 zones it is now divided into 24 zones which are Zone Mongos, Zone Okra, Zone Sikwa, Zone Kalabasa, Zone Patatas, Zone Gabi, Zone Kamunggay, Zone Paliya, Zone Carrots, Zone Agbate, Zone Repolyo, Zone Pechay, Zone Ube, Zone Luy-a, Zone Camote, Zone Tamatis, Zone Tangkong, Zone Camanse, Zone Sibuyas, Zone Sili, Zone Talong, Zone Batong, Zone Sayote and Zone Ahos. The name of the zones are still preserved using the vegetables.

            There is now a church known as Santo Niño Parish in Zone Kamunggay though the miraculous Santo Niño that was carved in the past was not placed in the church due to some issues. Nowadays there are a lot of religions in the barangay aside from Roman Catholic there is the 7^th Day Adventist and Iglesia ni Cristo these two are the highest number of religion followed from the original religion.

            From the old governance of datus, today Barangay Paknaan Barangay Captain is Hon. Malaquias A. Soco. The barangay Hall is now located in Zone Ube.

IV. Summary

            Barangay Paknaan had transformed into a developed highly industrialized barangay in Mandaue City. Paknaan came from the word “pana” bows and arrows which were used for hunting and fighting. This activity was no longer used in the recent day still the bows and arrows are preserved in the barangay hall. The long living livelihood of Paknaan is broom making , with the aid of this livelihood many had finished education and became professionals. A true blooded Paknaanons were Gitgano, Soco, Jisulga, Alinsug, Aligway and Dijano and their religion was Roman Catholic. True blooded ancestors are slowly vanishing and new inhibitors are living in Paknaan today the major reason of it is the reclamation area for the families who are part of the coastal danger zone.

            Recent scenarios of the barangay is no longer the appearance of the old Paknaan from a field with abundance of buri, mangroves, bananas, corn and sugarcane had turned now to factories, industries, and manufactures. The old school only had until the level of grade four had been developed. There are now five educational facilities in the barangay.

            Barangay Paknaan respects and preserves the history through the annual Silhig Festival it started in the year 2011.The Silhig Festival gives honour to Senor Santo Niño and to showcase the main source of livelihood which is the broom-making.

            The study gave some information to clear the vagueness of the past. It may not answer all the questions but it gives a vision on the history of Paknaan. This study may improve and revised for the upcoming historians and researchers who are interested on the history of barangay Paknaan.

V. Work Cited

Jumao-as, Dulce G. History of Paknaan Florevil S. Basay. 12 September 2016.

Marx & Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Penguin Group, 1998.

Maslow, A.H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review. 50 (4): 370–96.doi:10.1037/h0054346 – via psychclassics.yorku.ca

Parkin, F. Marx’s Theory of History: A Bourgeois Critique. New York : New York: Columbia University Press, 1979.

The New Book of Knowledge. Vol. 9. united States of America: Grolier Incorporated, 1999.

Why Study History?". 14 December 2007. Hanover College History Department. 1 October 2016 <https://history.hanover.edu/why.php>.

VI. Appendix

Left: The new building of Barangay Hall and Right: the Santo Nino Parish in Barangay Paknaan.

An old photo on the oldest teacher in Paknaan Elementary School.

Paknaan Multi-Purpose Cooperative

The main livelihood of Barangay Paknaan is the broom making.

Source: www.sunstar.com.ph

Map of Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City

Barangay Profile of Barangay Paknaan.