Iba, Zambales History

History
 
Iba was founded by the order of Augustinian Recollect priest in 1611 as the village
of Paynauen. The early inhabitants of the town are called Zambales. They were
later joined by the Ilocanos who migrated to the town which resulted in
intermingling of customs and traditions. The Aeta people settled in the hinterlands
and the majority of them dwelled in the Mount Pinatubo area. In 1860, the
administration of the town was turned over to the Dominican priests until the civil
government came to power. There are no available records as to when Paynauen was
renamed to Iba.The municipality was named after the sour fruit "Iba", commonly known as kamias.

The permanent capital of Zambales was moved from Masinloc to Iba because of its
strategic location being on the central part of Zambales. On August 28, 1901,
American Civil Governor William Howard Taft held the historic session of the second
Philippine Commission establishing the Province of Zambales under the American rule
held at Roman Catholic Church of Iba.

Geography

The municipality of Iba is bounded by the municipalities of Botolan to the south,
Palauig to the north, the province of Tarlac to the east, and the South China Sea to
the west. Like most of the municipalities in the province, Iba is geographically
bound by the coast in the west with the Zambales Mountains in the eastern portion of
the municipality. Iba is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north-west of Manila.

Religion
 
The majority of the people in Iba, Zambales are Roman Catholics. The largest
minority religion is Iglesia Ni Cristo followed by various Protestant denominations.

Ecclesiastical District

The seat of the Ecclesiastical District of Zambales North of the Iglesia Ni Cristo
is located in Iba. The INC district administration and district office oversees
several locales and extensions from different municipalities in the northern part of
Zambales province.

Diocese of Iba

The Cathedral of Iba, also known as the Cathedral of Saint Augustine, is the seat of
the Roman Catholic Diocese of Iba. The church of the diocese is a 17th-century
Baroque church built by the Augustinian Recollects. It is located adjacent to the
Provincial Capitol Building. The current bishop of the diocese is Most Reverend
Florentino G. Lavarias, D.D..

Conversion to Cityhood

The League of Cities of the Philippines has the expanding disagreement in opinion
against the conversion of sixteen municipalities into constituent cities. The LCP
had tried to influence President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to certify as call for
immediate attention a draft of a law imposing a suspension on the conversion of
additional towns into cities.

Local Government Code states that before a town could be classified as a city, it
must have an annual income of at least Php100 million and a land area of at minimum
100 square kilometres (39 square miles) or a population of 150,000.

Senator Angara advocates House Bill 24 filed by Zamboanga Sibugay Representative ANN
Hofer giving automatic cityhood to capitals of provinces without cities by freeing
the capital towns of provinces from the income needs of the cityhood.

Tourism

Tourism is one of the major economic activity in Iba during the summer period. It
has become a popular destination for summer vacationists and tourists due to the
pristine and beautiful beaches that line the shorelines of Iba, and adventure
trekking to the unique 3-series of Iba waterfalls. Its pollution-free beaches due to
the absence of industrial-polluting activities in the locality, make it one of the
best places in the Philippines.
In response to the growing number of both local and foreign visitors, investments in
beach resorts have increased in the last fifteen years. Today there are about 50
beach resorts in Iba.

Festivals

Zambales Mango Festival
The festival is a celebration of a bountiful harvest of mangoes and other
agricultural products which the province is known for. It is also aimed to highlight
the attractions and places of interest in all of its towns. As a way of promoting
and giving thanks for a good harvest, the people of Zambales annually celebrate the
six-day Mango Festival in March or April in Iba.

Paynauen Festival
A summer festival in Iba featuring local traditional arts and culture first
celebrated in the 1980s, Paynauen Festival (also spelled as Paynawen) has become a
yearly tradition and a tourist attraction lasting for about seven days. Paynauen's
festivities include street dancing, singing competition, boxing events, sports
events, sand castle building, carabao race, kite flying contests, Miss Paynauen
competition, cooking contest, barangay booth displays, products display and sales,
ballroom dancing, traditional parade, concerts and many others.

The festival is held late April, during the summer season where thousands of
visitors flock to Iba for beach activities. Led by the Iba Tourism Council, Paynauen
is supported by the local government, different civic organizations, volunteers and
the private business sector.

Pagasa Update: Typhoon "BUTCHOY"

As of 4:00 PM today, 06 July 2016, the eye of typhoon "Butchoy" was located based on the all available data at 615 km East of Basco Batanes (19.8N, 127.8E) Maximum Winds 0f 210kph near the center and gustiness oup to 245 kph. Forecast to move Northwest at 30 kph.

TCWS number 1 Batanes group of Islands.

Zambales Wikipedia

Zambales is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region in the
island of Luzon. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north,
Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, Bataan to the south and the South China Sea to the
west. With a land area of 3,830.83 square kilometres (1,479.09 sq mi), Zambales is
the second largest among the seven provinces of Central Luzon. The province is noted
for its mangoes, which are abundant from January to April.
Zambales does not have a functional airport - the closest airport is Clark
International airport. Subic Bay International Airport, which is located in Cubi
Point in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone is no longer functional for international or
domestic flights.


The Freeport Zone (SBMA) is host to many tourist attractions which include casinos,
beach resorts, parks, beachside huts and cottages and historical sites.
The province's name came from the word zambal, which is a Hispanized term for
Sambali. Zambal refers to the language spoken by the early Austronesian inhabitants
of the place. A contending version states that the name was derived from the word
samba, meaning worship, because the Spanish supposedly found the native inhabitants
to be highly superstitious; worshiping the spirits of their ancestors.

History
 
The area now occupied by Zambales was first explored by the Spanish in 1572, led by
Juan de Salcedo. Among the earliest towns founded were Subic (1572), Botolan
Masinloc became the province's first capital. However, the capital was moved among
the last three towns above during its history before settling in Iba, due to its
strategic location. Seven of the province's original northern towns, which included
Bolinao, Infanta and Alaminos were later transferred under the jurisdiction of
Pangasinan because of their distance from the capital. The first civil governor
of Zambales during the American era was Potenciano Lesaca from 1901-1903.
Zambales lies on the western shores of Luzon island along the South China Sea. Its
shoreline is rugged and features many coves and inlets. The Zambales Mountains in
the eastern part of the province occupies about 60% of the total land area of
Zambales. Subic Bay, at the southern end of the province, provides a natural harbor,
and was the location of the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay until its closure in 1992.
The summit and crater lake of Mount Pinatubo lies within Botolan municipality in
Zambales, near the tripoint of Zambales, Pampanga, and Tarlac provinces.This
volcano, once considered dormant, erupted violently in 1991. The former summit of
the volcano was obliterated by the eruption and replaced by a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide
caldera, within which Lake Pinatubo is situated. With an average depth of 800 m lahar.

Language
 
Sambal, Tagalog, and Ilokano are the three main languages of Zambales. Ilokano
has 115,337 native speakers, Sambal has 114,637, and Tagalog has 250,637 (plus
24,995 non-native speakers). More than 119,126 spoke other languages as their
parent tongue, such as Kapampangan and Pangasinense, including non-Philippine
languages such as English. About 75 percent of the population speaks and
understands English to varying degrees of fluency, and road signs are written in
that language.

Barangays

The 13 municipalities and 1 city of the province comprise a total of 247 barangays,
with Santa Rita in Olongapo City as the most populous in 2010, and Owaog-Nibloc in
Botolan as the least. If cities are excluded, Calapacuan in Subic has the highest
population as of 2010.

Expect Thunderstorm over #Zambales and # Quezon Within the next 2 hours.

Thunderstorm Advisory No. 4

#NCR_PRSD
Issued at 4:00 PM 06 July 2016

Expect Thunderstorm over #Zambales and # Quezon Within the next 2 hours.

All are advised to take precautionary measures against heavy rains, strong winds, lightning and possible flash floods. keep Monitoring for updates.

Iraq: Baghdad bombings kill more than 130

Anger is growing in Baghdad over the government's failure to protect civilians, after a devastating bombing in a crowded commercial area in the Iraqi capital killed at least 131 people, including many children.

The powerful explosion early on Sunday came near the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when the streets were filled with young people and families out after sunset.

Al Jazeera's Imran Khan
Karada is in the middle of Baghdad. It is a district people go to - and this would have been where people would gather towards the end of Ramadan, after fasting. People would have also been in the cafes watching the Euro 2016 quarter finals.

This was a deliberate attack. We've seen ISIL do this time and time again.

A few months ago, I spoke to members of the Karada business community who were setting up a neighbourhood watch because they were so angry with the government for not being able to provide security. But even they said they couldn't monitor everything, all the time, as it was such a busy shopping district.

Although the Fallujah battle may be over, it shows that if you squeeze ISIL in one area, they pop up in another. This isn't a problem that goes away by taking territory from ISIL.

You need police work, intelligence gathering - it's not just a military operation. There will always be ISIL sympathisers in Baghdad who will try to mount attacks like these ones.

Anger is coming through in Karada because the prime minister and MPs are in the Green Zone, they're fortified. Everyone else feels like they are under attack.

Although this attack was big - it was not unusual.

Sources said around 200 people were wounded when a lorry packed with explosives blew up in a busy shopping street in Karada, a predominantly Shia neighbourhood in central Baghdad.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated by its supporters online.

The group, which has claimed numerous deadly bombings in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad, alleged that a suicide bomber targeted a crowd of Shia Muslims.

Many of the victims were women and children who were inside a multi-storey shopping and amusement mall. Dozens burned to death or suffocated, a police officer said.

There were fears the death toll could rise as more bodies could be lying under the rubble of devastated buildings.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned the bombing and declared three days of mourning across the country after visiting the scene of the attack.

Video footage posted online showed people jeering and throwing objects at his convoy.

Later on Sunday, protesters marched from Karada to Abadi's house.

Many Iraqis blame their political leadership for lapses in security in Baghdad that have allowed large amounts of explosives to make their way past multiple checkpoints and into neighbourhoods packed with civilians.

"All the politicians in Iraq are responisble for these blasts, including Abadi," a woman in Karada told local media.

"We can't enjoy the Eid; if it isn't ISIL, it's al-Qaeda, and if it isn't the two, it's the filthy corrupt politics in this country.

"We are being targeted while they are sitting safe and sound in their palaces. They are the ones who are allowing ISIL to come here and murder people."


Iraqi politician Mowaffak Baqer al-Rubaie said ISIL was "resorting to classic, traditional terrorist acts" in response to losing territory in Iraq [Reuters]
Jan Kubis, the UN envoy for Iraq, said the attack was an attempt by ISIL to avenge losses on the battlefield.

"This is a cowardly and heinous act of unparalleled proportions, to target peaceful civilians in the closing days of the holy month of Ramadan," Kubis said in a statement.

READ MORE: Dramatic video 'shows destruction of huge ISIL convoy'

In a separate blast also on Sunday morning, at least five people were killed in a popular market in the mainly Shia neighbourhood of al-Shaab.

There were conflicting reports on the cause of the explosion.

Some sources said it was a bombing, while the interior ministry said it was caused by an accidental fire.


The explosion took place when the streets were filled with young people and families out after sunset [Reuters]
The Karada bombing was the deadliest in the country this year and came after Iraqi forces late last month dislodged ISIL fighters from Fallujah, the armed group's stronghold just west of the capital that had served as a launch pad for such attacks.

Despite a string of territorial gains by Iraq's ground forces against ISIL, the group has repeatedly shown it remains capable of launching attacks in Iraqi territory far from the frontlines.

ISIL still controls Iraq's second largest city of Mosul.

Iraqi politician Mowaffak Baqer al-Rubaie said ISIL was "resorting to classic, traditional terrorist acts" in response to losing territory in Iraq.

"They are so desperate to boost the morale of their fighters, many of whom are leaving the group daily. I think attacks like this will increase," he told Al Jazeera.

Rubaie added, however, that ISIL would eventually fail in its mission of deepening sectarian tensions between Shia and Sunni communities.

China defiant, Philippines softens as UN court set to rule

FILE - In this Friday, June 10, 2016, file photo, a protester has her cheek painted
with a slogan outside the Chinese Consulate during a protest against China's
occupation and island-building in the disputed Spratly Island group in the South
China Sea, in Makati city's financial district east of Manila, Philippines. A case
brought by the Philippines against China in an international tribunal deciding the
claim, represents a diplomatic dilemma for far-flung nations as Washington and
Beijing rally support for their respective positions on the use of international
arbitration in South China Sea disputes.

Zambales Governor issues executive order to suspend mining.

ZAMBALES, Philippines – In his first hour in office as the highest official of the
province, Zambales Governor Amor Deloso issued Executive Order No. 1 that
temporarily stopped all mining operations in the province.
Deloso read the contents of his first executive order in his inaugural speech on
Thursday, June 30, at the People's Park in front of the Capitol Building here.
This comes after the Supreme Court issued a writ of kalikasan recently against 5
mining firms operating in Zambales, based on a petition filed by residents of Santa
Cruz town and other neighboring towns.
By issuing Executive Order No. 1, Deloso said his administration aims to protect the
environment and uphold the dignity and integrity of the province's residents.
“Binihag ng mga minero ang Santa Cruz sa loob ng 75 taon, maraming mga negosyante na
hindi taga-Zambales ang naging milyonaryo, ngunit walang kayamanang iniwan para sa
mga mamamayan maliban sa alikabok,” he said.
(Santa Cruz town has been held hostage by miners for 75 years, and many non-Zambales
businessmen have become millionaires, but nothing has been left for the residents
except for dust.)
He added, “Mining should provide social engineering before and during their [mining]
operations...Not a single school or housing project were built for the community.”
Executive Order No. 1 stated that after the onslaught of Typhoon Lando in October
2015, thick deposits of earth were seen cascading “along bodies of water and
overflowing to farmlands, access roads and residential areas downstream,” resulting
in massive flooding throughout the province, especially in low-lying areas.
Last February, residents of Barangay Bayto in Santa Cruz town barricaded their
streets to prevent the hauling trucks of a mining company from transporting nickel
ore to the port owned by Zambales Diversified Metals Co., (ZDMC) Inc.
The residents complained that many barangays in Santa Cruz had suffered heavily from
mining operations. In the aftermath of Typhoon Lando, the residents said that their
communities were covered with reddish mud, and many farm animals had died as a
result.
The alleged inaction by municipal and provincial authorities on their plight
reportedly led residents to join the anti-mining protests.
In May, the residents filed a writ of kalikasan case against mining firms and
officials of the provincial government, accusing them of allowing irresponsible
mining practices in the province.
Included in the case was former Zambales governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr, whom Deloso
defeated in the May 2016 polls. – Rappler.com