Casiguran, Aurora

Casiguran, officially the Municipality of Casiguran, is a  coastal municipality in the province of Aurora, Philippines, and its most urbanized town. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,564 people. Its namesake is Casiguran, Sorsogon in the Bicol Region. 

Etymology

The name, Casiguran, is conjectured to derive from Gugurang,Espinas, M. (1996). The Ibalong : The Bikol Folk Epic-fragment. Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House. after the deity of the indigenous Ibalon peoples of Southern Luzon, from the provinces vulnerable to the turbulences of Mayon Volcano.Prado, M. G. (1981). Ibalon : Ethnohistory of the Bikol Region. Legazpi City: AMS Press. The Ibalon were Christianized by Augustinian missionaries in the 1570s.Reyes, J. C. (January–February 1979). The Ibalen Epic - A Window to Bicols Pre-history. Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas v. 53 nos. 590-591, pp. 61-92. Before being colonized, the southern regions had an ancient religious system of deities. Gugurang, the "god of Good" who dwells inside of Mount Mayon is the guardian and protector of the sacred fire — which Asuang, his brother, tries to steal. When displeased, Gugurang would cause Mayon Volcano to erupt, but the lava also made the surrounding lands fertile.

History
Casiguran was founded by Spanish missionaries on June 13, 1609. Prior to their arrival, early inhabitants  were the Dumagat, Aeta and Bugkalot followed by settlers from other parts of the Philippines. These migrants spoke different languages such as Ilocano, Visayan languages, Tagalog, Bikol languages, Kapampangan, Gaddang, Itawis and Ibanag — and from these a composite Kasiguranin language evolved. 

Highlights
 1818
 In 1818, the province of Nueva Ecija annexed the town of Casiguran from Tayabas (later renamed Quezon) province. 
 1839
 Casiguran was separated from Tayabas and became part of Nueva Vizcaya when the province was created in 1839, 
 1856
 and then separated once again and became part of the El Príncipe district of the province of Nueva Ecija. 
 1902 
In 1902, Casiguran was moved back as part of the province of Tayabas.

Casiguran, Aurora

When the Philippines regained sovereignty in 1946 — after World War II — the settlement of Aurora remained a lone northern town of Tayabas (present-day Quezon) province. Casiguran's political jurisdiction was bounded by the provinces of Isabela on the north, by Quirino province on the west, and by Tayabas itself at the southwest. 

Aurora was recognized as a "sub-province" in 1951, and finally attained its own provincial status on August 13, 1979. The province of Aurora today is politically divided into 8 municipalities, subdivided into 151 barangays (barrios), encompassed by a lone legislative district, with Casiguran, Aurora as one of its municipalities.

Casiguran Port


Casiguran Seaport, or "Port of Casiguran", in the municipality of Casiguran, Aurora Province, is designed to be a freeport zone. The port is owned and managed by Philippine Ports Authority.

Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport
The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport is a Special Economic Zone managed by the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority — as an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation regional economic forum, or APEC. Indigenous peoples of Casiguran claim approximately 11,500 hectares of the zone as part of their ancestral domain. 

References

Other websites

 Aurora history
 Casiguran (AU)
 APECO in talks with US, DND to put up Casiguran seaport

Category:Aurora (province)
Category:Settlements in the Philippines
Category:Ports and harbours of the Philippines