Piat, Cagayan
Encyclopedia
Piat is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cagayan, 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...

. According to the latest census, it has a population of 22,211 people in 3,975 households. Piat is now dubbed as the "Pilgrimage Center of Cagayan Valley" because of the thousands of devotees and tourists who come here to pay homage. It is the home of Our Lady of Piat
Our Lady of Piat
Our Lady of Piat is a 16th century Roman Catholic icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the central figure at the altar of her shrine in Piat in the province of Cagayan...

 which continues to be the source of inspiration and object of devotion of many Catholics in the region.

History

There are quite a few conjectures on how Piat got its name. One has it is that it derives from "piyas," an Ilokano word, in Ibanag
Ibanag
The Ibanags are an ethnolinguistic minority numbering a little more than half a million people, who inhabit the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya. They are one of the largest ethnolinguistic minorities in the Philippines. Ibanags speak the same language under the same name...

 "addulu" and in Tagalog, "kamiyas." Another has it that the word comes from "aggapiya," meaning "healer, masseuse," and a more credible version has it that it is derived from the Ibanag and Itawes
Itawes
-External links:*http://litera1no4.tripod.com/itawes_frame.htmlThe Itawes are the early natives of Cagayan. Their mode of dress is colorful, red being the dominant color. Farming is a leading source of livelihood. The average Itawes families are education-conscious. They speak Ibanag and Ilocano....

 word "piya" which means "goodness, kindness, health."

The town is located in the southwest part of Cagayan
Cagayan
Cagayan , the "Land of Smiling Beauty", is a province of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon. Cagayan also includes the Babuyan Islands to the north. The province borders Ilocos Norte...

 Province in what is known as the Itawes Region, 125 40' East, 17 North, along which the Rio Chico runs west, south, and northwest of the town until it debouches into the Rio Ibanag somewhere near Nassiping.

The original people were the Itawes; at present, there are many Ibanag. Ilokano, Tagalog, Kapampangan and other dialect speakers. There are also families of Spanish and American descent. The head of the family was called "urayan" or "baruwang" and the council of elders "Kammaranan." There were also war leaders and braves called "mengal," and priestesses called "anitera" from the Spanish word called "anito" or "minangilu" in Ibanag, "mangilut" in Itawes and "baybaylan" in Bisayan; there were few priests among the ancient people.

In 1596, the Dominican Provincial, Fr. Miguel de San Jacinto named Piat as a mission in the Itawes region comprising the towns of Tabang, Malaueg, Tuao and Piat. The encomenderos then were Pedro Barreda, Juan de Arranda and Isabel de Cardona. In 1604, the Bishop, Diego de Soria, negotiated for more missionaries for the Itawes region. To help in the pacification and evangelization of the region, the Dominicans introduced the devotion to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary: in 1604, they brought the images of Our Lady from Macau and first enshrined it in Lallo, later bringing it to Piat 1622.

Barangays

Piat is politically subdivided into 18 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.


  • Apayao
  • Aquib
  • Dugayung
  • Gumarueng
  • Macapil
  • Maguilling
  • Minanga
  • Poblacion I
  • Santa Barbara

  • Santo Domingo
  • Sicatna
  • Villa Rey (San Gaspar)
  • Warat
  • Baung
  • Calaoagan
  • Catarauan
  • Poblacion II
  • Villa Reyno


Places to See

  • Our Lady of Piat
    Our Lady of Piat
    Our Lady of Piat is a 16th century Roman Catholic icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the central figure at the altar of her shrine in Piat in the province of Cagayan...

     Basilica
A site visited by Roman Catholic pilgrims, believed to show miracles.

  • Bukal ng Buhay
A spring that allegedly gives miracles and blessings.

External links

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