Carmen is a 4th class municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. As of June 2010 census, it has a population of 18,431 people in 4,188 households.

Geography

The municipality of Carmen is the first town of Agusan del Norte that is strategically located in the Western Agusan Corridor. It is bounded on the north by the Butuan Bay

Butuan Bay

Butuan Bay is a bay in the northeast section of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is part of the Bohol Sea. The Agusan River empties into the bay. Butuan City lies at the base of the bay....

, on the South by the municipality of Buenavista

Buenavista

Buenavista may refer to:*Canary Islands, Spain:**Buenavista, Breña Alta, La Palma a settlement in Breña Alta, La Palma**Buenavista del Norte, a municipality in Tenerife*Colombia...

, on the east by the municipality of Nasipit and on the west by the province of Misamis Oriental

Misamis Oriental

Misamis Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital and provincial center is Cagayan de Oro City...

.

Carmen has a total land area of 21,142 hectares. Its rolling hills are planted with different kinds of orchard, where some 500 hectares are devoted solely to mango plantations. About half of these are fully developed and are already producing sweet mango fruits which are being sold in volume in Cebu

Cebu

Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...

 and Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

 and to neighboring municipalities and Butuan City

Butuan City

The City of Butuan is the regional center of Caraga, serving as an administrative region of the Philippines; it is a highly urbanized city. It is located at the northeastern part of Agusan Valley, Mindanao, sprawling across the Agusan River. It is bounded to the north, west and south by Agusan del...

.

Town Officials

Elected Government Officials of Carmen for the term of 2010-2013

• Mayor: RAMON "MONCHING RMC" M. CALO
• Vice-Mayor: WILFREDO T. TAGLUCOP
• Sangguniang Bayan:
  • 1. Diosdado R. Palang-at
    2. Raul M. Aparecio
    3. Delia B. Cabatingan
    4. Francisco C. Lopez
    5. Apolinario F. Estoque
    6. Leobel Tomas S. Luis
    7. Zacarias S. Bago
    8. Dionesio A. Yumo

• SB Secretary
  • Felomino Palisan

History

Formerly, Carmen was called Kabayawa by the Manobo natives. Carmen got its present name from the miraculous image of the Virgin of Mount Carmen, believed to have been instrumental in killing the leader of the bandits who used to inhabit the place.

A Spanish Soldier named Juan Cardoniga was supposed to have fired his rifle at the leader of the outlaws who possessed an amulet of some source. Since his rifle did not work, Cardoniga got the image of the virgin from his necklace and place it inside the hole of the barrel after which he succeeded in firing the rifle and in killing the outlaw chief.

It was Rev. Saturnino Urios, the famous Jesuit priest of Agusan, who suggested that the name Kabayawa be changed to Carmen in honor of the secret image.

In 1949 the barrios of Carmen, Tagcatong, Cahayagan and San Agustin, formerly part of the municipality of Nasipit

Nasipit, Agusan del Norte

The Municipality of Nasipit is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. The town has the major seaport in the province, the Nasipit International Port or Port of Nasipit...

, became the town of Carmen by virtue of Republic Act No. 380 which was approved on June 15, 1949. This law was sponsored by Congressman Marcos M. Calo. The town came into being on July 1, 1949.

Barangays

Carmen is politically subdivided into 8 barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

s.

Barangay	Land Area (sq km)	Barangay Captain
Cahayagan	6.2328	Baltazar, Jimlan
Gosoon	6.89136	Pepito, Danilo
Manoligao	67.12396	Cabatingan, Alfreda
Poblacion	92.97312	Samaco, Gilda
Rojales	14.24656	Lauro, Ricardo
San Agustin	6.00078	Cabiltes, Ernesto
Tagcatong	14.48	Coñado, Anabelle
Vinapor	6.49244	Calo, Elizabeth Marie

Municipal Mayors from Past to Present

MAYOR	Years of Service
Honculada, Nicanor O.	1949 - 1951
De Guzman, Arturo	1952 - 1955
Malimit, Jose	1956 - 1960, 1964 - 1967
Degamo, Esteban	1960 - 1963
Calo, Tranquilino Jr.	1968 - 1969, 1972 - 1985, 1988 - 1993
Campos, Ernesto	1969 - 1971
Pacon, Dionesio	1986 - 1987
Aparecio, Joaquin	1987
Battad, Arnulfo	1987 - 1988 (until January only)
Luneta,) Eliseo	1993 - 1995
(*)Calo, Ramon	1996 - 2004, 2007 - ?, 2010 - present
Calo, Jovitte	2004 - 2007
Calo, Jesus	?

Note:

(*) - Incumbent

? - Currently unknown

Elementary

• Carmen central Elmentary School
• Antonio Quiamjot ES
• Rojales ES
• Elpidio Salas ES
• Manoligao ES
• Tagcatong ES
• San Isidro ES
• Doña Josefa ES
• Cahayagan ES
• San Agustin ES
• Gosoon ES
• Cervantina ES

Secondary

• Carmen National High School
• Carmen Academy
• Manoligao High School
• Cahayagan High School
• Vinapor National High School

Carmen Municipal Hall

Carmen has its new municipal hall which has a glamorous palace like architectural design. Officially opened on July 1, 2011

Plaza Beach Resort

It is a beach covered with white sands in its coast located at Sitio Bulihon, Barangay Tagcatong.

Mount Carmel View Park

A park, commonly called by Carmenanons as "Marcos Park", located at San Isidro, Barangay Tagcatong. In this you can view the whole Carmen

Carmen

Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...

and its nearby municipalities, and the island province of Camiguin.

Punta Diwata Cave

One of the Popular destinations in Carmen which consists of 43 caves. Its caves, friendly people around it and the spectacular view of the sea in which you can alse see the nearby Camiguin Island are more then enough to make tourists go back again and again. It is located in Barangay Vinapor.

Vinapor Blue Waters

Located in near in the Cliffs of Barangay Vinapor, this resort which consist of carved stones formed into a dinosaurs, that's why it is commonly known as Jurassic Park. Its picturesque view of the blue waters of the sea makes tourists attracted and relaxed. It has facilities that would suit to your relaxation needs like restaurant, open cottages, air-conditioned cottages, air-conditioned dormitory, sea pool, etc..

Veranda I and II Resorts

A beach resort, hotel and convention venues which is located at Barangay Tagcatong and Barangay Rojales. It has air-conditioned rooms and suites, air conditioned cabañas and other facilities like cottages fronting beachfront, seafood and Chinese restaurants, mini bar, convention hall and swimming pool.

Scuba Diving Sites

Carmen is known for its adventurous dive sites along the Punta Diwata Reefs and Balete Wall. It has six dive sites. Diving in Carmen is an excellent 80 ft. of visibility. Reef life is rich with soft and hard corals plus abundant reef and pelagic fishes. Profile ranges from sloping wall to cliffs with depths from 40 ft. to over a hundred, with generally sandy floors. Prime sites are located in Brgys Vinapor, Tagcatong & Poblacion. These sites makes divers explore these reefs because of its beautiful coral reefs and abundance in marine wildlife like sea turtles, coral reefs, etc..

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• Editor's fact book.
• Editor: Taglucop, Francis Ben D.
• Editor: Nimitz Batioco Jr.