Rosario, Cavite: A Research

Rosario, Cavite: A Research.

Quick Facts:
Income Classification: 1st Class
Congressional District: 1st District
No. Of Barangays: 20
Land Area: 768.364 has.
Population: (Projected on NSO Census, May 01, 2010): 103, 238
Registered Voters: 77, 129

Rosario is one of the lowland coastal municipalities of Cavite. Due

to such location, it is noted for fishing. Rosario was an agricultural
town until the 1980’s with considerable portion of its land area where
prime agricultural lands were mostly planted with traditional crops such
as palay, corn crops and vegetables. Being a coastal town, fishing is
the one major source of livelihood and income in the of the people in
the area. There is a commercial fishing landing area in the municipality,
which considered as one of the major fish port in the province. Fish
sun drying, smoking or fermentation and salting of various species of
fish are among the fish processing activities of the people for livelihood
and for additional income to numerous “tinapa” vendors who sell this
product on far areas like Metro Manila, Laguna and Batangas.
 The largest major economic zone of the Philippines, the Cavite
Economic Zone is located in Rosario, Cavite. There is no extensive
agriculture development in the municipality. This may be due to the
massive conversion of agricultural land to industrial and residential
lots/subdivisions. Nevertheless, because Rosario is a coastal town,
fishing is one of the major sources of livelihood and income of the
people in the area and majority of the local people are working in
PEZA.

Historical Background
On October 22, 1845, Spanish Governor General Narciso
Claveria promulgated a Decree for the establishment of a new town
comprising Salinas-Leiton and Tierra Alta of San Francisco de
Malabon, what is now known as the town of General Trias. On the
27th October, Don Juan Arlegui, Vicar-General of the Archdiocese
of Manila informed the Politico-Military Governor of Cavite Don
Miguel Roca, that he was designated by the Governor-General to look
for a person of unquestionable integrity who will entrusted with the
money for the construction of the church building.
On November 03, 1845, Presbyter Don Mamerto Ner, who was
at that time of the best priests of the Curia of Manila, was appointed
parish priest and served until December 1866.
 The municipality of Rosario was originally a part of San
Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias, Cavite). It became an
independent municipality in 1846, one year after the founding of the
Santissimo Rosario Parish. Rosario was formerly called Tejero,
which may have originated from the word “tejer” (Spanish “to weave”)
because weaving fish nets was then the main occupation of the women.
Rosario was also called Salinas derived from the word “sal”
(Spanish “salt”) during the Philippine revolution because salt-making
was a prime industry of the town. The place was likewise called
Marcella or “Marcelles” due to its proximity to the sea (“mar” in
Spanish).
Rosario was, finally, named in honour of their patroness
Nuestra Senora Virgen del Santissimo Rosario, Reina de Caracol (or
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary). The second smallest town of the
province of Cavite, Rosario has now emerged into the “biggest” neither
in terms of its land area nor its per capita income but because of the
great transitions that occurred with the town’s political, social,
cultural and economic developments since 1845.
There three religious versions for naming the town “Rosario”.
One version says, the image of Madonna and the Child was found one
day floating on the water by a group of kids playing along the seashore.
They played with the image, using it as a toy and afterwards hid it in the
bushes near the sea. Every time they came back, however, they see the
image already floating leisurely on the water, as if waiting for them.
They thought it strange, but could not explain how the image got back to
the water.
 Not long after their elders learned about the image and took it to an
empty nipa hack. Thus began a public adoration of the Madonna and
Child. The hut was transformed into a place of worship. News of
miraculous happenings attributed to the image spread around. The
religious fervor was so great and the people were moved by the image
that they decided to adopt it as a patroness of the town and changed
the name Salinas Marcella to Rosario. However, the towns original
name “Salinas” is still cherished.
To date, the different names given to the town are remembered.
Marcella exists as one of the national roads of the town. Salinas is
associated with the finest and famous smoked fish (Tinapang Salinas)
produced by the townspeople. Rosario as an agro-industrialized fishing
hamlet along the coastlines of Manila bay, is occupied by productive,
peace-loving and God fearing people who devotedly venerate the
Nuestra Senora Virgen del Santissimo Rosario de Caracol as their
patroness.

The Barangays.
Muzon is a barrio which got its name from a Spanish word
“mojon” which was a permanent landmark placed to fix the
boundaries of country, estates, boundaries and borders. The barrio was
then the “mojon” of Rancheria of Hermanos de San Juan de Dios and
private hacienda of Don Jose Basa y Enriquez, a prominent lawyer
and teacher of San Roque, Cavite.
Muzon was a busy fishing center. During the Spanish Regime, many
boats used to drop anchor near the beach of Muzon. According to Prof.
Alfredo Saulo, a battle was in this place between the Spaniards and the
Filipino revolutionaries under Sergeant Cordillera and Valentin Vivo.
Bagbag, according to Prof. Saulo, was a thicky forested area
teeming with woodcutters gathering firewood and charcoal. All
through the day, the forest reverberated with the sound of wood
chopping. People would say “binakbakan ang mga punong kahoy.”
Soon the place was called “Binakbakan” or “Bagbagan”. At present it
is called Bagbag.
Barrios Silangan and Kanluran imply the location on the eastern
and western parts of the town.
Sapa is a Tagalog word means “small creek” as there exist a
small creek that runs between this barrio and Wawa.
Wawa is Tagalog word which means “mouth of the river”. The
barrio is located at the mouth of Canas River. This river separates
Rosario from neighboring town of Tanza. Another barrio called Paso
de Tabla was named after a wooden bridge over a small river which
connected towns of Rosario and San Francisco de Malabon.
Tejeros got its name from one of the major industries of Rosario –
abaca and cotton weaving –“tejer” is Spanish word which means
“weavers”, came from. On March 22, 1897, a convention of Filipino
revolutionaries was held at the Casa Hacienda of the Augustinians
Friars in Tejeros establishing the Philippine Revolutionary
government with Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo as the first elected
president.
 The ill-fated Tejeros Convention was the start of the deep-seated
enmity between Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio.

Major Historical Place

Casa Hacienda de Tejeros
Originally built in the 17th century,
Casa Hacienda de Tejeros was considered
the Augustinian Recollects’ largest and
grandest estate in the Philippines. The
hacienda covered 1, 125 hectares of arable
land, the casa occupying 4 hectares.
While the new building today pales in
comparison to the adobe casa it used to
have, visitors can still see ruins of the old
casa behind the new building. Descending
into the ruins, you’d discover tunnel
entrances already blocked with vine and weeds; one tunnel leads to
Tejero River, and the other to Emilio Aguinaldo’s house in Kawit,
Cavite.
In 1897, Casa Hacienda de Tejeros bore a landmark event in the
Philippine history. Known as Tejeros Convention, the assembly gave
birth to the newly elected leaders of the revolutionary government.
Among elected officials were Emilio Aguinaldo (President), Mariano
Trias (Vice-President), Artemio Ricarte (Captain General),
Emiliano Riego de Dios (Director of War) and Andres Bonifacio
(Director of Interior).

Popular Delicacy
Locally called as “Tinapang Salinas”,
this popular product of Rosario, Cavite has
brought a long list of benefits to the locals,
which include tourism opportunities and
stable jobs.

Tinapang Salinas Festival

Tinapa Festival was
celebrated every October in
Rosario, Cavite. This festival is
celebrated to promote the image of
Rosario where smoked fish also
called “Tinapang Salinas” is
originated. According to Doon Po
Sa Amin team, in Rosario, Cavite, economic improvements have
become apparent, mainly because of smoked fish.
Town’s Some Rare And Old Photos.

Researcher: Marc Jim F. Acebar