Quick Facts about City of Calapan a. Brief Historical Background Calapan came from the word “Kalap” which means to gather logs. Thus “Kalapan” was supposed to be a place where logs were gathered. Founded as a parish in 1679 by a Spanish Augustinian Recollect priest, Fr. Diego dela Madre de Dios The District convent was transferred to Calapan in 1733 and began its jurisdiction over the Northern Mindoro Ecclesiastical Area. In the early 18th century, the town occupied only a strip of land stretching from Ibaba to Ilaya in a cross – formed facing the present church and cut-off by a river. In the course of the century, succeeding barrios were founded. In 1837, the capital of the province was moved from Puerto Galera to Calapan. When Mindoro became a part of Marinduque on June 13, 1902, under Act. No. 423, the capital of Mindoro was transferred to Puerto Galera under the Law. It was re-transferred to Calapan in 1903 for geographical and transportation purposes. When Mindoro was detached from Marinduque on November 10, 1902, Baco, Puerto Galera and San Teodoro were annexed to Calapan in 1905 under Act. 1280 In 1919, the boundary dispute between Calapan and Naujan was adjudicated by Presidentes Agustin Quijano of Calapan and Agustin Garong of Naujan over a portion of the territory of what is now known as the present boundary. The portion of agricultural area was awarded to Naujan, thus, making the area of Calapan much smaller as compared to that of Naujan which is now considered as the biggest municipality of the province. The year 1998 was a landmark event for Calapan when it was converted from a municipality into a component city by virtue of Republic Act No. 8475. The law was authored in Congress by Rep. Renato V. Leviste and was signed by President Fidel V. Ramos on February 2, 1998 in Malacanang Palace. On March 21, 1998, the people of Calapan ratified the creation of the City of Calapan in a plebiscite. March 21, 1998 is therefore marked as the Foundation Day of the City of Calapan. Incumbent Mayor Arnan C. Panaligan became the last Municipal Mayor and the First City Mayor of the City of Calapan. Also, it is the first and only city in the province of Oriental Mindoro. To be able to induce the economic activities and to enhance the growth and development in the region, the Executive Order No. 682 was issued on 22 November 2007, designating Calapan City in the Province of Oriental Mindoro as 1 the MIMAROPA Regional Government Center. It was signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. On July 17, 2016, another remarkable act was passed for Calapeños. It is the Republic Act No. 10879: an act establishing the Southwestern Tagalog Region to be known as the MIMAROPA Region. It was enacted by Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress. The MIMAROPA Region is composed of Mindoro Provinces, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan, Puerto Princesa City and Calapan City. It will promote administrative decentralization to strengthen the autonomy of the local government units and accelerate the economic and social growth and development of the region. b. Geo-physical characteristics Location Lies on the head of Calapan Bay, Northeastern part of Mindoro Island. longitudes. Bounded on the North and Northeast by Calapan Bay, on the South and Southeast by the Municipality of Naujan and on the West by the Municipality of Baco and overlooked inland by the towering Mount Halcon, Mindoro’s highest mountain peak. 28 nautical miles from the nearest point of Batangas Province and is about 45 kms. south of Batangas City and 130 kms. south of Manila. Total Land Area According to the Land Management Bureau, Calapan has total land area of 250.06 square kilometers or 25,006 hectares including the three (3) Baco Islets and two (2) Silonay Islets; the National Statistics Office has a figure of 265.20 sq.km. As measured from cadastral data using Geographic Information System (GIS)-based techniques, it has an area of approximately 185.99 sq. km. including the 5 islets. Topography Mountain Ranges, Slopes, Water Bodies: o Calapan is blessed with a vast flat plain from the waterfront on the Scenic Calapan Bay to the boundary lines of the Municipality of Baco and Naujan, with a range of mountains as its background topped by Mt. Halcon, the 3rd highest peak in the Philippines. o The mountain ranges are the source of all rivers and streams and creeks. 2 o The city has a coastline of approximately 34.60 kilometers from the municipal boundary of Baco and Calapan and to the municipal boundary of Naujan and Calapan. o The main sea fishing grounds are Calapan Bay and Silonay Bay. The major rivers are:Calapan River, Baruyan River and Bucayao River o Upland Land Management Units(LMUs) - Residual Terraces are level to gently sloping (0% to 3%), 15 to 80 meters in elevation and moderately well drained. These areas have slight erosion hazard, shallow soil depth and have moderate fertility. These may be found in the western, southern and eastern periphery of the Hills of Bulusan. Hilly LMUs Limestone Hill (Low Relief) - These areas are strongly rolling and with an elevation range of 10 to 100 meters. They are slightly, to moderately eroded and are moderately well drained. These may be found in the Baco and Silonay Islets. Shale/Sandstone Hill (Low Relief) - These areas are strongly rolling to hilly, with a 10 to 100 meter elevation range, slight to moderately eroded and moderately well-drained. Erosion hazard is slight, with few rock outcrops and with low fertility. These may be found southwest of the city, near Canubing II and Patas. Dacitic Hill (Low Relief) - Dacitic hills are strongly rolling to hilly, 0 to 180 meters elevation, slightly eroded and moderately well-drained. Soil fertility is moderate and erosion hazard is slight. These are found in Lazareto, Hills of Bulusan, Nacoco (Sto. Niño) and stretch from San Rafael to Guinobatan. Metamorphic Hill (Low Relief) - This LMU is strongly rolling to hilly, 0 to 100 in meters elevation, slightly to moderately eroded and well-drained. These may be found at the southwest part of the city, in Canubing II, Patas, Sta. Rita, Balingayan and Personas. Metamorphic Hill (High Relief) - High relief Metamorphic Hills are hilly to steep hilly, 100 to 500 meters in elevation, slightly, to moderately eroded and moderately well-drained. This LMU is actually part of the foothills of the Halcon-Baco Mountain Range and is found in Canubing II near boundaries of Naujan and Baco. Highland or Mountain LMUs - Mountainous, rugged, slightly, to moderately eroded and well-drained. This is part of the foot of the Halcon-Baco Mountain Range and is located at the junction of the boundaries of Calapan, Naujan and Baco in Canubing II. 3 Miscellaneous LMUs - The Caluangan Lake is classified as part of this LMU. The slope is level to nearly level (0% to 3%) and concave. It is about 150 has. and is part of three (3) barangays: Baruyan, Tawagan and Canubing I. Environmentally Constrained Areas - These are areas that are prone to weather- hydrologically and geologically induced hazards. Floodplain Areas - Most of the city has been classified as a floodplain except for the Hills of Bulusan and its vicinity as well as the southwest (Canubing II) at the boundary of Baco and Naujan. Flooding is mainly caused by the overflow of water of the PulangTubig( Bucayao) River. Other rivers that overflow include the Dulangan and Biga-Baco Rivers. The overflow of these rivers is a major concern especially if it occurs simultaneously with the high tide. There are thirty-two(32) identified barangays prone to flooding. These are as follows: Batino, Bayanan I, Bayanan II, Biga, Bucayo, Buhuan, Bulusan, Camansihan, Camilmil, Canubing I, Canubing II, Comunal, Guinobatan, Gulod, Gutad, Ilaya, Lalud, Lumangayan, Managpi, Masipit, Nag-Iba I, Nag-Iba II,Panggalaan, Patas, Personas, Puting-Tubig, Sta. Cruz, Sta. Isabel, Sta. Rita, Sto. Niño, Sta. Maria Village and Tawiran. Earthquake-Induced Hazards - The Central Mindoro Fault and its branch, the Aglubang River Fault passes through the western side of the city. A segment of the Lubang Fault lies north of the city and may well be within its territorial waters. The movement of the Aglubang River Fault in 1994 caused several areas in the city to be affected by liquefaction, among which are: San Rafael, Poblacion, Canubing, Biga, Comunal, Navotas, Gutad, etc. These are the coastal areas and alluvial plains which have “fluvial, backswamp, deltaic and beach environments underlain by relatively unconsolidated, water-saturated, moderately sorted, fine-grained sand deposits”. Areas Prone to Coastal Erosion and Flooding - The northeastern part of the city is prone to coastal erosion due to its unstable soil. Erosion follows creeps along the coast following a northwestern direction. This especially affects the areas of Navotas, Gutad, Maidlang, Silonay, Suqui as well as the Silonay Islets. Almost all the coastal areas of the city are prone to coastal flooding during high tides. The Poblacion area is flooded as the sea waters rise since the elevation of its drainage outfalls become lower than the high tide elevation.Calapan City has sixteen (16) coastal barangays namely Wawa, MahalnaPangalan, Pachoca, Balite, Tibag, Calero, San Rafael, San Antonio, Suqui, Parang, Silonay, Maidlang, Navotas, Nag-Iba, Ibaba East and Ibaba West. Steeply Sloped Areas - Areas that have 18% and steeper slopes are very difficult to use and warrant extremely cautious measures to prevent landslides and flooding of lower areas. These are located in the upper areas of the Hills of Bulusan and in some parts of Balingayan, Malamig, Malad, Canubing II and Patas.