Paete

Paete
Municipality
Seal
Nickname:  Woodcarving Capital of the Philippines
Map of Laguna showing the location of Paete
Country	Philippines
Region	CALABARZON (Region IV-A)
Province	Laguna
District	4th district of Laguna
Founded	1602
Barangays	9
Government
• Mayor	Rojilyn Q. Bagabaldo
Area
• Total	55.02 km2 (21.24 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• Total	23,523
• Density	430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4016
Dialing code	49
Income class	4th
Website	www.paete.gov.ph

Paete is a fourth class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 23,523 people.

The town, pronounced Pī-té, long i, short guttural ê, is 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 Plasencia 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".

Barangays

Paete is politically subdivided into 9 barangays:

• Barangay 1 - Ibaba del Sur
• Barangay 2 - Maytoong
• Barangay 3 - Ermita
• Barangay 4 - Quinale
• Barangay 5 - Ilaya del Sur
• Barangay 6 - Ilaya del Norte
• Barangay 7 - Bagumbayan
• Barangay 8 - Bangkusay
• Barangay 9 - Ibaba del Norte

Etymology

Before the Spaniards came, Paete was said to be a 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.

History

"dito nakatira si michael daves at si zaldy boy the great lover boy "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.

In 1580 a pueblo was established in Paete by Frs. Plasencia and Ongresa. 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 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, when Pakil became a separate pueblo, the townspeople of Paete wanted crosses of their own, so they built and located them in sitio Santa Ana, and named the site Tatlong Krus (Three Crosses). Paete achieved full township status in 1850.

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 an inexperienced force of less than 50 men. The town was subdued but it proved to be a costly battle for the Americans.

Demographics

Population census of Paete

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	20,579	—
1995	21,809	+1.09%
2000	23,011	+1.16%
2007	24,696	+0.98%
2010	23,523	−1.76%
Source: National Statistics Office

Woodcarving

Wood carving shop in Paete

The town has had a long reputation for its craftsmen highly skilled in wood carving and its embellishment. In 1887, José Rizal described Paete as a town where "carpenter shops" were issuing images "even those more rudely carved" (chapter VI, Noli Me Tangere). Even now, its inhabitants (called Paeteños or Paetenians) continue with their centuries-old tradition in carving and painting. Its statues, pulpits, murals and bas relief are found in churches, palaces and museums all over the world, including the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, the Mission Dolorosa in San Francisco, the San Cayetano Church in Mexico, the St. Joseph's shrine in Sta. Cruz, California, various churches in the Philippines and the Ayala Museum in Makati, Philippines. The official town hero is not a statesman nor a soldier but a woodcarver, the master artisan Mariano Madriñan, whose obra maestra, the lifelike Mater Dolorosa, was honored by the King of Spain with a prestigious award in Amsterdam in 1882. The town was proclaimed "the Carving Capital of the Philippines" on March 15, 2005 by Philippine President Arroyo. It is also believed that the modern yo-yo, which originated in the Philippines, was invented in Paete.[1]

Many descendants of these artisans have found a niche in the culinary world. Ice sculptures and fruit and vegetable carvings done by Paeteños abound on buffet tables of cruise ships and world-class hotels and restaurants. Today the town thrives mainly on the sale and export of woodcarvings and taka (papier maché), tourism, poultry industry, farming and fishing.

Holy Week in Paete

A Spanish colonial church in Paete, Laguna, with the Sierra Madre mountain range at the background.

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 53 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 p.m., 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 believed that if the carroza (carriage) felt heavy on the devotee's shoulder, he had 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.

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

Elementary:

• Paete Elementary School (PES Central)
• Quinale Elementary School (QES)
• Ibaba Elementary School (IES)
• Papatahan Elementary School (PaES)
• Tubog Elementary School (TES)
• Paete Nativity Montessori School
• San Antonio Abad School (SAAS)
• NTBC-Paete Christian Academy (PCA)
• Liceo de Paete (LDP Elementary)
• Paete Science and Business College (PSBC) formerly Eastern Laguna Colleges

High schools:

• Paete Science and Business College (PSBC) formerly Eastern Laguna Colleges
• Liceo de Paete (LDP High School)
• Poten and Eliseo M. Quesada Memorial National High School (PEQMNHS)

See also

• Battle of Paete
• Tatlong Krus (Paete, Laguna)
• J. V. Quesada St. Paete, Laguna

References

• Madridejos, Sancho. Zonification of Paete. copyright@2003,paete.org
• Madriñan, Virgil. Lanzones. copyright@2003, paete.org.
• Pruden, Marie Cagahastian. Paete on My Mind. copyright@2003,paete.org
• Quesada, Eugenio C. Paete. 1956. Manila, Philippines
• Quesada, Frank Col. Freedom at Dawn: 7-part series. copyright@2003,paete.org
• Quesada, Frank Col. World War II in Paete. copyright@2003,paete.org
• Quesada, Juan, Jr. Paete: The Once And Future Village. copyright@2003,paete.org

External links

• The Home of Paetenians on the Net
• Pamahalaang Bayan ng Paete