Rinconada Section
Iriga

History

The Origin of I-Raga

“Raga” meaning fertile land, “I-raga” was the phrase uttered by the explorers from the settlement of Nabua, translated literally as “there is land” in the Bicol Rinconada dialect spoken in the towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Buhi, Bula, Nabua, and Iriga City, when they first caught sight of the abundant land-plains at the foothills of the Sumagang mountain, or Mt. Iriga as it is known now. The settlement of I-raga, situated on a slightly elevated terrain, was prompted by the desire to look for new land where the inhabitants of Nabua or “Naboboa”, as it was known in the early days of Spanish colonization, can cultivate their crops without fear of the perennial flooding besetting the low marshy terrain topography of the area.
 
The inhabitants of Nabua who moved to I-raga were blessed by the bountiful harvest from the fertile soil at the foothills and the surrounding plains of the Sumagang mountain, located east of Nabua, rising some 4,823 feet above sea level (1,196 meters). Sumagang means sunrise or Mountain of the Rising Sun. It is also referred to as Mt. Asog or Mt. Iriga.

I-Raga in the Spanish Era

As the new migrants slowly spread out and occupied the new land, the original settlers, the Agtas were driven out into the uplands and forested areas of Sumagang. The newcomers settled the lowlands and population grew fast.

It was in 1578 when I-raga was officially established as a settlement, and a ‘visita’ of Nabua which was one of the four towns originally founded by the Spanish conquistadores when they set foot in the Camarines peninsula in the 16th Century. The same year saw the construction of the Parish Church of San Antonio de Padua made of a wooden structure initiated by Fathers Pedro de Jesus and Bartolome Ruiz. Five years later in 1583, the church was attacked and burned by fierce Agta warriors.

On January 4, 1614, Sumagang had a violent eruption causing death and destruction to the upland Agta inhabitants and changing the mountain’s landscape facing the Lake Buhi settlement. Today, the side of the mountain facing the town of Buhi has a scarred concave shape bearing reminder to that fateful day in the past.

Settlers of I-raga were spared from the Sumagang eruption which the residents attributed to a miracle through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose image, the Our Lady Of Angustia, was said to have been found by Agta hunters at Inorogan Hill in Sumagang. A chapel now stands at this hilltop in Sto. Domingo in Iriga City as thanksgiving for the miraculous event.

In 1683, with a burgeoning population of around 9,000 residents, I-raga was declared a ‘pueblo’ or municipality of ‘La Provincia de Ambos Camarines’. In 1710, not long after Y-raga was renamed as Iriga, the areas with large concentration of settlers were formed into four barrios: San Agustin, San Isidro, San Nicolas, and San Antonio. Some of the pioneer families in San Agustin, and San Isidro were the Dimaiwat, De Lima, and Serrano ancestries.
 
In 1823, Iriga’s population reached about 14,000 inhabitants. More barrios were organized such as Santo Domingo, San Francisco, San Juan, San Miguel, Santo Nino, San Roque, and Santiago.

The parish church was rebuilt in 1727 but it was gutted by fire in 1841. A more hardy structure made of bricks, and stones was built by Fray Tomas de Alfafara. The church underwent more repairs and improvement in 1866, and 1892.

From 1846 to 1871, a succession of calamities caused death, and destruction to the population. In 1846, a great famine affected the entire area causing hunger among the inhabitants. In 1857, a cholera epidemic, and earthquake struck resulting to many deaths. In 1871, a smallpox epidemic killed more settlers of Iriga, not to mention a swarm of locusts wiping out the crops that same year, and starving the population.

To sum up, the late 1800’s, though at times difficult, was a period of consolidation, and expansion for Iriga. And a prelude to a great economic boom.

‘Pan-Americano’ and the Americans

The defeat of the Spanish naval fleet at the hands of the American navy under Admiral Dewey at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 signaled the American occupation of the country; but not after a long and gallant war put up by the Filipino soldiers in the Phil.-American War that ensued after Spain ceded the country to the US.

The arrival of the Americans brought modern trappings to the rustic environment of the town of Iriga. Slice bread or ‘pan-americano’ slowly became a staple bread for breakfast, and snacks. With the Americans came education, healthcare, and modern transportation.

In 1901, the Iriga Central School, the first public school in Iriga, was established by the Americans to provide a center  for education, and learning in Iriga. Rail transport started in 1913 with the opening of the Manila Railroad Station at its present site. In 1914, the first bus transport company in the country - ALATCO (A.L. Ammen Transport Co.) was founded by Albert Ammen, a former American, and started operating the Iriga – Naga line, and later on established other routes to include the whole of Bicol region. ALATCO was the forerunner of what is now PHILTRANCO. Years later, Max Blouse, one of ALATCO’s drivers, started his own bus company, the Batangas-Tayabas Bus Company (BTBCo). which was later on expanded to include Laguna in its route to become the Batangas-Laguna-Tayabas Bus Co. (BLTB).

The Japanese Interlude

The turn of the century until 1940 was a time of growth for the municipality and her people. This tranquil period was cut short when WWII came. The Japanese made Calvario Hill (where the Grotto of the Our lady of Lourdes now stands) their garrison. The Central School became a concentration camp for captured Phil-American forces. Resistance to Japanese occupation by guerilla units sprang up making Mt. Iriga as their base. With the help of the Agtas, the guerilla forces were successful in harassing the Japanese who could not penetrate Mt. Iriga’s interiors.

Iriga Becomes a City

With the end of the Japanese occupation in 1945, the task of rebuilding and rehabilitation began. People lost no time in getting back to their feet. Children once again attended school with the re-opening of the Central School. Public transport began plying the roads again. Iriga became a center of learning in Rinconada with the establishment of the Mabini College and the St. Anthony College. Later on, La Consolacion Academy also opened.

Iriga in the 1960’s experienced prolific growth and progress. The municipality was converted into a city on July 8, 1968 by virtue of Republic Act 5261. And on September 3, 1968, Iriga was formally inaugurated as a city by then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, the 3rd city in the Bicol region after Naga, and Legaspi.