Katipunan: A barangay with two legends

By Myra Yoro Madayag

Contributor 

Katipunan from the root word “tipon” means merging or joining of two or more species. Katipunan formed from a two legend Sitios of Cangitingitan and Ganonggong. As I have the privilege to do a research for my personal curiosity and by the special request of Mr. Danny Agsalog, son of Mr. Vitaliano Agsalog, it gave me the determination and the urge to discover for myself and to get a fact-finding research to establish a record for history about the merging of Katipunan which is also my place of birth.

I left Katipunan and moved to La Union after dropping from my second year in Sinait National High School to look after my blind grandfather and my grandmother who were suffering from breast cancer. And during my 15 years in Sinait, I never heard from anybody and I didn’t dare ask my parents why and how our place was named Katipunan.

Through chatting with Mr. Amado Yoro via Facebook, a son of Tapao, Sinait, Ilocos Sur, now a resident of Ewa, Hawaii, a writer himself, it came into my knowledge about his best friend, Mr. Danny Agsalog. Here I came up with a beautiful chance and perhaps a nice coincidence that Mr. Danny Agsalog, who once sponsored Timpuyog Journal for the feature story of his boss—Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa. I came back to my birthplace and to find the people who can unfold the history.

I found an old man named Mariano Villegas (born February 10, 1933) and made a record of his statement as I have my cellphone, ball pen and a bond paper ready in my purse. But I preferred recording his voice than to write while he was talking for me to be more convenient.

According to Mariano Villegas, the merging of the two sitios happened during the terms of Mayor George Cabacungan in the 1960s. Sitio Ganonggong was part of Barangay Sabangan and Sitio Cangitingitan was part of Barangay Cabangtalan. There were two people involved in the merging of the two sitios whose names were Bernardo Villegas and Jose Ramos. The two agreed to propose the making of one barangay by joining the two sitios wherein there was only one road under construction leading to the town proper. After the official joining of the two sitios, there was a feast to celebrate the birth of Barangay Katipunan. And it is now traditionally celebrated every year during the second week of May.

Bernardo Villegas was voted as the first Teniente del Barrio (Barangay Chairperson) by election thru raising of hands. Vitaliano Agsalog was duly elected after the term of Bernardo Villegas which he did not finish because that was the time he moved to Hawaii. Jaime Yacap being the second officer of the barangay succeeded to finish the term of Vitaliano. Vitaliano, according to Mariano Villegas, was an active barangay chairperson and he had a strong commitment in administering his people successfully. At the end of the interview, I asked the 80-year-old man who was the person that played a vital role behind the resolution of joining the two sitios that gave birth to the Barangay Katipunan and when it was officially registered but he wasn't able to give the answer. He said he couldn't recall anymore and suggested that I instead ask somebody to gain more details. I knew I needed more credible and more accurate information. He suggested to look for Lydia Villegas, the daughter of Bernardo Villegas, who is presently working at the Municipality of Sinait. I shook hands with the old man. After I bade goodbye, I immediately went to the municipal hall, to the library, to the Municipal Planning Office, to the Mayor’s Office, to the Sangguniang Bayan’s office, but I did not see Lydia. Somebody in the corridor told me she went to Vigan City for a field work. But thanks to my cousin Analyn Yoro-Laino and to Vigie Villegas, they provided a printed copy of the profile history of the Barangay Katipunan.

According to history, Katipunan is a barangay of the Philippine municipality of Sinait in the province Ilocos Sur in Ilocos Region which is part of the Luzon group of islands. Katipunan is one of the barangays which is in the outlying area of Municipality of Sinait. Sinait with a population of about 24,896 and its 44 barangays belong to the partly urban areas in the Philippines. While some of the barangays developed modern urban structures, some others, especially those seated in the outlying areas, remained rural. By the end of 2007, Katipunan had 962 residents. Other barangays of Sinait are: Aguing, Baliw, Ballaigui (Poblacion), Baracbac, Barikir, Battog, Binacud, Cabangtalan, Cabarambanan, Cabulalaan, Cadanglaan, Calanutian, Calingayan, Curtin, Dadalaquiten Norte, Dadalaquiten Sur, Dean Leopoldo Yabes (Pug-os), Duyayyat, Jordan, Macabiag (Poblacion), Magsaysay, Marnay, Masadag, Nagbalioartian, Nagcullooban, Nagongburan, Namnama (Poblacion), Pacis, Paratong, Purag, Quibit-quibit, Quimmallogong, Rang-ay (Poblacion), Ricudo, Sabañgan (Marcos), Sallacapo, Santa Cruz, Sapriana, Tapao, Teppeng, Tubigay, Ubbog, Zapat.

Brief description of Barangay Katipunan

A long time ago, the place was not yet named Katipunan. It was established after World War II. It was established by ex-Barangay Captain of Katipunan Vitaliano Agsalog who is now residing in Hawaii. Katipunan is located at the western part of the town proper. It is bounded by Barangay Ballauigi and Macabiag at the east, at the north is Barangay Cabangtalan, at the south is Barangay Sabangan and at the west is the West Philippine Sea. The place is surrounded by both land and water because it has agricultural land and the south-western part is the sea where some people derive their source of living. It is where at this place we can find Mt. Centinela wherein it became the cemetery during the Spanish times. The place also has a housing project that was built by the former First Lady Imelda Marcos, which is found at the south-western part of the place. It has a distance of 1 1/2 kilometer from the poblacion and it has a total land area of 129.6301 hectares with a population of 1,024 as of 2010.

How the place was named Katipunan? Well, it was divided into two sitios which is Sitio Cangitingitan and Sitio Ganonggong and it was in the 1960's that the place was changed into one barangay and so they called it Barangay Katipunan until the present time because the two sitios were put together as one. Indeed, the ex-Barangay Chairperson Vitaliano Agsalog has played a vital role in the merging of the two sitios Cangitingitan and Ganonggong as Danny Agsalog put it by saying, "My father keeps telling me that he worked very hard in getting the petitioned signed; doing the census list of all the voters of both villages so it will not be futile as what happened in the previous attempt for the merger". Truly, the man should be duly recognized for his legacy in making Katipunan a part of history.