Maragondon

Maragondon
Municipality
Municipality of Maragondon
Town plaza
Nickname:  Historic Town & a Wildlife Sanctuary
Map of Cavite showing the location of Maragondon
Maragondon Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°16′N 120°44′E
Country	Philippines
Region	CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Province	Cavite
District	7th District of Cavite
Founded	1727
Barangays	27
Government
• Mayor	Reynaldo Rillo
• Vice Mayor	Ireneo C. Angeles
Area
• Total	164.61 km2 (63.56 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census)
• Total	40,687
• Density	250/km2 (640/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4112
IDD : area code	+63 (0)46
Income class	3rd class
Website	www.maragondon.gov.ph

Maragandon, officially the Municipality of Maragondon (Tagalog: Bayan ng Maragondon), is a third-class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. It is located 54 kilometres (34 mi) south-west of Manila. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,687 people.

Barangays

Maragondon is politically subdivided into 27 barangays. 

2

History

Our Lady of the Assumption, Maragondon

Maragondon Parochial School

The name Maragondon was derived from Tagalog word madagundong or maugong, meaning much sound. Actually the sounds come from a noisy river called Kay Albaran in the barrio of Capantayan. This area was the first townsite selected, but because the river frequently overflowed and flooded the place, the town was later relocated to its present site. The word madagundong not being pleasant to the ear, the people had it changed to marigundong in honor of the town's patron saint, Nuestra Senora Maria de la Asuncion (Our Lady of The Assumption).

Soon after the establishment of the American regime, Lope K. Santos, an authority on Tagalog language and member of a geographic committee created to "investigate and revise" the names of Philippine towns and provinces, recommended the change of Marigundong to "Maragondon" definitely more pleasing to the ear, the present name of the town

Incidentally, Maragondon has three foundation dates; namely, 1. ) 1611 when the Franciscan Fathers from Silang established their first visita or chapel; 2.) 1690, the Fundacion Ecclesiastica or founding of the regular parish by the Jesuits, dedicating it to Our Lady of the Assumption; 3.) 1727, the Fundacion Civil, when the original barrio of Maragondon was separated from Silang during the administration of the Recollects and converted into an independent municipality with Gregorio Silvestre as the first gobernadorcillo. Maragondon belonged to the corregimiento of Mariveles (now Bataan province) until 1754 when Spanish governor General Pedro Manuel de Arandia (1754 A- 1759) abolished the politico A- military administration and restored Maragondon Cavite Province.

Andres Bonifacio's monument at the foot of Mount Nagpatong and Mount Buntis in Maragondon, Cavite where he was believed to be martyred; where his execution took place upon orders of Emilio Aguinaldo's administration last May 10, 1897.

In the second half of the 19th century the towns of Ternate, Magallanes, Bailen, Alfonso, and Naic were mere barrios of Maragondon. Ternate was separated from Maragondon on March 31, 1857, under an agreement signed by Tomas de Leon, Felix Nigosa, Pablo de Leon, Florencio Nino Franco and Juan Ramos in behalf of the people of Ternate.

Furthermore, Bailen (now Gen. Aguinaldo) and Alfonso seceded from Maragondon in 1858. Magallanes followed suit on July 15, 1879 under an agreement signed by Crisostomo Riel presenting Maragondon, and by Isidro Bello and company representing Magallanes.

Maragondon played a significant role in the Philippine revolution. Although the town belonged to the jurisdiction at the Magdiwang Council, its brave sons like the three Riego de Dios brothers ( Emiliano, Vicente and Mariano), Esteban Infante, Crisostomo Riel, Vicente Somoza and Antero C. Reyes proved their unflinching loyalty to the Aguinaldo government.

All of them stuck to the revolution headed by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Emiliano and Mariano Riego de Dios became top ranking generals; Vicente, a colonel, commanded the revolutionary troops as signed at Noveleta, the Magdiwang headquarters. Gen. Emiliano Riego de Dios was one of the three provincial governors of Cavite under the revolutionary government; and Mariano became the Taong Aguila (Eagle man) who saved Aguinaldo from certain death in the battle of Naic. Gen. Mariano Riego de Dios, Colonel Crisostomo Riel and Colonel Esteban Infante were members of the council of war that tried and convicted the Bonifacio brothers (Andres and Procopio) of sedition and treason against the duly established the revolutionary government of Aguinaldo.

The Bonifacio brothers were sentenced to death by the council of war owing to their supposed counter revolutionary activities. Mariano Riego de Dios and Esteban Infante believed that the sentence was quiet harsh and abstained from signing the death verdict. Aguinaldo agreed with them and ordered commutation of the sentence from death to banishment to the mountain of Pico de Loro in Maragondon. Before this would happen, a few of the generals, including Gen. Mariano Noriel, thechairman of military court, and Gen. Pio del Pilar, had convincted Aguinaldo to withdraw the commutation sentence and carry out the original verdict. Both the Bonifacio’s were executed in Mt. Nagpatong, not Mt. Buntis as erroneously stated in most history books on May 10, 1897, and a monument and marker stand there at the spot where the sentence was carried out.

ANOTHER VIEW--from the Veterans of the Magdiwang Faction of Maragondon, Cavite-- handed down few generations: Historic records failed to indicate that Bonifacio had a MOCK trial. He was ordered to be executed as he was hunted long before the said TRIAL at the Reyes Residence. His named Defender, Gen. Noriel, acted as his Prosecutor during the Mock Trial. At the time, Treason was allegedly a crime under the laws framed by the KKK under the leadership of Bonifacio, as the President of the Philippines. Here, Aguinaldo and the Magdalo Faction would be found guilty of Treason. Nonetheless, the Aguinaldo government, in the absence of an established legal document found that the Bonifacio brothers were guilty of Treason.

Reportedly, without the benefit of the Aguinaldo commutation, the seriously wounded Andres Bonifacio was carried in a cradle across the River through the Riel Property by the river, now partly housing the contested Pob. 1B Barangay Hall and squatters area, while Procopio was required to walk to cross the river and march to the Execution location in Mt. Nagpatong, owned by Don Jose Reyes (Piping), brother of one-time Maragondon Governadorcillo Don Eduardo Reyes (Capitan Nining). Don Piping heard only one shot and was satisfied to find only one fallen Bonifacio to be buried in his land. To his disappointment, he was later informed that there were two brothers executed and Don Piping later surmised and concluded that the shot heard was for the missing Procopio while Andres expired after multiple stabs by the executioner Macapagal.

The Magdiwang faction had for years maintained that Andres was the First President of the Philippines while Aguinaldo was the First president of the First Philippine Republic. They maintained that Andres Bonifacio was intelligent and highly educated, truly informed although lacking in certificates or diplomas for schooled individuals. Unfortunately, he was invited by cousin-in-law Gen. Mariano Alvarez to come to Cavite to try to unite the feuding Magdalo and the Magdiwang Factions to be better combatants for the cause of the KKK, ultimately to be executed by landed and highly aristocratic Cavite leaders who coveted his leadership of the KKK. Maybe the Manila Council under Mayor Estrada would succeed in according Bonifacio the respect and recognition he had long-time deserved as the First President of the Philippines.

Demographics

Population census of Maragondon

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	7,191	—
1918	7,266	+0.07%
1939	9,449	+1.26%
1948	8,465	−1.21%
1960	9,994	+1.39%
1970	12,743	+2.46%
1975	14,785	+3.03%
1980	18,018	+4.03%
1990	22,814	+2.39%
1995	25,828	+2.35%
2000	31,227	+4.15%
2007	33,604	+1.02%
2010	35,289	+1.80%
2015	37,720	+1.28%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

In the 2020 census, the population of Maragondon was 40,687 people, with a density of 250 inhabitants per square kilometre or 650 inhabitants per square mile.

Images

• 
  Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church
• 
  Welcome arch
• 
  Barangay Poblacion 1-B
• 
  Public market
• 
  Bonifacio Trial House
• 
  Mt. Pico De Loro Monolith
• 
  Silyang Bato of Mt. Marami

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information