Bayong is a mountain barangay that is located at the central area of Balamban. It has a total land area of 2,189 hectares. It is bounded by Duangan, Cansomoroy, Vito, Lamesa, Matun-og, and Sunog (Magsaysay).Bayong was established as a barangay after World War II. It was politically subdivided into seven (7) sitios, namely: Amaga, Ambacon, Dao, Bagacay, Bayong Proper, Taro, & Cabatbatan.
Almost all the names of the sitios of Bayong are names of some of native plants and trees in Balamban. “Amaga”, “bayong”, and “dao” are names of trees while “bagakay” is referring to a young offshoot of bamboo usually made into a stake to kill witches in common Cebuano beliefs. It indicates that the barangay is one of the forested areas in the municipality. “Taro” is not referring to Colocasia esculenta, which is known in English as taro and locally known as “gabi”, but it is a Cebuano term for a container can used to contain liquids like water, vegetable oil, and natural gas.1
Bayong is named after Afzelia rhomboidea tree which is locally known as “bayong” but is also called as “balayong”, “baarng”, “barawng”, and “tindalo”. Afzelia rhomboidea tree which belongs to Caesalpiniaceae family is an indigenous tree to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It produces a prized lumber usually mistaken for narra because of its reddish brown color. Expert carpenters can distinguish the two because it has a deeper and richer color and retains a distinctive bean smell (maanta in Tagalog or malangto in Visayan) since it is also legume specie.2
Afzelia rhomboidea tree is very popular because of the usage of its timber for house construction, doors, interior works, high-grade furniture, handicrafts, musical instruments, tools, carts and veneer; and its felled branches for firewood and charcoal. Thus it is also called in a lot of countries as: marbau, merbau, merbo, taritih (Java); marbon, merbau asam, merbau darat, merbau pantai (Sumatra); alai, anglai, ipil, jumelai, maharau, merbau (Borneo); bayam, gefi, ipi, ipil, langgiri, ogifi (Celebes); aisele, dowora, falai, ipi, ipil, kayu besi (Moluccas); doma, fimpi, ipi, ipir (East Nusa Tenggara); bau, kayu besi, pas, sekka (Papua); go-nuoc (Viet Nam); ipil, ipil laut (Pl); kwila (Papua New Guine); lumpho, lumpaw, maka-mong(Thailand); Moluccan iron-wood (United Kingdom); mirabow (United Kingdom, USA); inzia (ltalia); Moluks ijzerhou (NI); and merbau (France, Germany, Italia, NI, Spain, Sweden).3
Afzelia rhomboidea tree is enlisted as one of the regulated trees under DENR Administrative Order No. 78. In essence, establishing regulation of harvesting or total cutting ban is a policy move directed towards the conservation of the enlisted trees. In 2001, Afzelia rhomboidea tree is top of the list of endangered tree species in the Philippines (see Table 3.4-1). It is threatened by habitat loss.4
The lumber of this tree was used as flooring in many of the old Spanish-era houses throughout the country. Wide, thick planks of the dark, almost black bayong wood are frequently used alternately with the reddish narra or pale tugas (molave) to endow the floors of these houses with an interesting design.
According to oral tradition there was once a very large Afzelia rhomboidea tree on a trail towards the mountain in the barangay. People coming down from the mountains and going down usually would rest under the said tree.
At that time only very few people settled in Bayong. But during the Japanese occupation, particularly in 1942, after a guerilla movement against the Japanese had been organized, Bayong was made into a Filipino guerilla camp which was under the command of the United States Forces of the Philippines Cebu Area Command led by the American generals, Fhenton & Cousbeng. Evacuees from other towns began to settle in the barangay. Since then the population began to grow. Around 1946 or 1947 Bayong was then established as a barangay.1
The basic economy of Bayong is agriculture. But due to the industrial progress in Balamban, most of the people shifted from farming to another skilled occupation in the ship industry. This eventually leads to a diminishing growth rate of its population which is at -2.35% (see Table 1.2-4) within 1995-2000 since mostly transferred residence nearer to the shipyards of Buanoy and Arpili.5
According to oral tradition there was once a very large Afzelia rhomboidea tree on a trail towards the mountain in the barangay. People coming down from the mountains and going down usually would rest under the said tree.
At that time only very few people settled in Bayong. But during the Japanese occupation, particularly in 1942, after a guerilla movement against the Japanese had been organized, Bayong was made into a Filipino guerilla camp which was under the command of the United States Forces of the Philippines Cebu Area Command led by the American generals, Fhenton & Cousbeng. Evacuees from other towns began to settle in the barangay. Since then the population began to grow. Around 1946 or 1947 Bayong was then established as a barangay.1
The basic economy of Bayong is agriculture. But due to the industrial progress in Balamban, most of the people shifted from farming to another skilled occupation in the ship industry. This eventually leads to a diminishing growth rate of its population which is at -2.35% (see Table 1.2-4) within 1995-2000 since mostly transferred residence nearer to the shipyards of Buanoy and Arpili.5
Garcinia
ReplyDeleteGarcinia
ReplyDeleteLt. Col. Cushing and Maj. Fenton.
ReplyDeleteGenerals Fhenton and Cousbeng were two different people from the major and the lt. col. respectively. So, which is which? Can you help me find a primary or secondary source that could identify the Americans who went to Bayong during the Japanese Occupation?
ReplyDelete