History of Camarines Norte

From 1573 to 1829, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte formed only one political unit known as Ambos Camarines. In 1829, they were separated but reunited again in 1854. They again separated in 1857 to be reunited again in 1893. This union continued until 1919. On March 3, 1919, Camarines Norte was reestablished by the Philippine Legislature in Act 2809. When Camarines Norte was separated from Ambos Camarines in 1829, it was assigned the towns of Daet, as capital, Talisay, Indan (now Vinzons), Labo, Paracale, Mambulao (now Jose Panganiban), Capalonga, Ragay, Lupi and Sipocot. Seventeen years later, it lost Sipocot, Lupi and Ragay to Camarines Sur in exchange for the town of Siruma. Juan de Salcedo, dispatched by Legazpi to explore the island in 1571, influenced the existence of Camarines Norte. After subduing Taytay and Cainta, he marched further across Laguna and Tayabas. He visited the rich gold-laden town of Mambulao and Paracale, obsessed by them about which he heard from natives there of existing gold mines. When Francisco de Sande took over from Legazpi as Governor General, Spanish influence started to be felt in the region. He established a permanent Spanish garrison in Naga to control the region and defend it from Chinese and Muslim pirates. Capt. Pedro de Chavez was assigned to head this force. There were already native settlements here when the Spaniards arrived. The flourishing towns of Mambulao and Paracale were two of them. Indan and Daet were the other settlements besides Capalonga and others. But Paracale remained the most sought after because of its gold mines. ** The national hero Jose P. Rizal and other Filipino expatriates who lived in Madrid and other cities of Spain, called Los Indios Bravos, established La Solidaridad, their publication advocating for reforms in the Philippines from the Spanish government. One of the editors of La Solidaridad was Jose Maria Panganiban, born in Mambulao (now Jose Panganiban) on February 1, 1863. Lovingly dubbed by his compatriots the Avenger of Filipino Honor or El Vengador del Honor Filipino, this genius, nationalist, scientist and writer died on August 19, 1890 at age 27 of pulmonary tuberculosis in Barcelona, Spain. His remains were brought back to the Philippines by Dr. Domingo Abella in 1958 and to Jose Panganiban in 1985 122 years to the day since his birth to rest in eternal repose in the bosom of his beloved native town (Mambulao) on February 1 by MP Roy B. Padilla, Sr., Batasang Pambansa. The entire country and province respectively bestowed upon him a belated but rousing honors. The towns were chiefly inhabited by Tagalogs; the rests were of Visayan strain. However, most of the immigrants were from Mauban, Quezon. The Spanish missionaries did not falter in their mission to Christianize the natives. ** Daet Revolt : APRIL 14-17, 1898 - Local members of the Katipunan led by Ildefonso Moreno and other illustrious patriots staged an uprising against the Spanish

authorities here who have fortified themselves in the house of one Florencio Arana, a Spanish merchant and a long time resident of Daet. Sporadic encounters started on April 14 until April 16 when the rebels occupied Daet and surrounded the Spaniards in the house of Arana. But the Katipuneros failed to repulse the reinforcements which arrived in Barra (now Mercedes) from Nueva Caceres on April 17. Said reinforcements broke the siege of Daet. This resulted in the death and/or execution of many patriots, including Ildefonso Moreno, Tomas Zaldua and his two sons, Jose Abao, Domingo Lozada and Aniceto Gregorio, among others. While the Daet revolt collapsed, it signaled the start of a series of rebellion throughout the Bicol region. Another illustrious son of Camarines Norte, Gen. Vicente R. Lukban of Labo wrote a golden page in the history of the province in particular and the country in general. On September 28, 1901, Sunday, he led Filipino rebels, armed only with bolos and sharpened bamboo poles, in an attack against the contingent of American forces in Balangiga, Samar. Only 36 troopers of Company C, 9th Infantry Regiment of the US Forces survived the attack against 16 casualties among the Filipino rebels, giving the encounter its famous label Balangiga Massacre in Philippine history. This feat of arms is celebrated annually in Balangiga, Samar, and in Camarines Norte, with appropriate activities. By virtue of Act 2809 of March 3, 1919, Governor General F. B. Harrison separated Camarines Norte from Camarines Sur with the installation of Don Miguel R. Lukban as its first governor. In functional sense, April 15, 1920, was the date of the organization of Camarines Norte, as directed by Executive Order No. 22 dated March 20, 1920, in conformity with the provisions of Act No. 2809, according to Serafin D. Quiason, former chairman of the National Historical Institute (NHI). Presently, Camarines Norte consisted of 12 towns: Basud, Capalonga, Daet, Jose Panganiban, Labo, Mercedes, Paracale, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Sta. Elena, Talisay and Vinzons. Daet remained as its capital town. Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, Sr. - Lawyer, orator, labor leader, writer, youngest delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention and youngest signatory of the Charter at the age of 25, governor in 1940 and congressman-elect in 1941, this provincial hero, refusing to surrender, evacuated the provincial government during the Japanese occupation to the hinterlands of Labo and led a guerrilla force against the Japanese forces here, capturing one town after another in Camarines Norte; organized an all-out attack on Daet, the capital town, and captured it on May 3, 1942; ***together with his father Gavino Vinzons and then Gov. Basilio Bautista, he was captured on July 8, 1942, but he refused vehemently to collaborate with the Japanese; ***few days later his wife Liwayway and children Aurora and Alexander were likewise abducted; he and his father mysteriously disappeared on August 7, 1942; the remains of Vinzons, his father, his wife and two children had never been found; the town of Indan where he was born on September 28, 1910, was re-named Vinzons in his honor and became the venue of the province-wide annual celebration of his birth anniversary. ** First Guerilla Encounter - The first guerilla encounter in the Philippines during the second world war in the Pacific, occurred on December 18, 1941 - 11 days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 and 10 days after the attack on Clark Airbase in Pampanga on Dec. 8, 1941 - at Laniton, Basud, Camarines Norte when the Vinzons guerrilla group with some elements of USAFFE units engaged the vanguard of the Japanese Imperial Army advancing towards Daet, the capital town; a shrine was put up in Laniton to mark this historic feat of arms while surviving veterans and the sons and daughters of veterans who fell commemorate this event every Dec. 18 with fitting programs and activities in Basud and Daet under the auspices of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines Camarines Norte Chapter (VFP-CN), Basud Municipal Government and the Provincial Government.

Brief Profile
Physical Resources
Location:

Found on the north western coast of Bicol Peninsula, which form the southeastern section of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippine Archipelago. Land Area: 232,007 hectares or 2,320.07 sq. km.
Topography:

Characterized by rolling hills and mountains & fertile plains & valley along the coast. Climate: Belongs to second type of climate with no dry season and with very pronounced maximum rain period from November to January.
Land Classification:

Alienable and Disposable Land - 144,705.14 has. Forest Land - 83,587.33 has. Unclassified Public Lands 3,714.53 has.
Political Subdivision

No. of Districts: - 2 with 12 municipalities District 1 (5 mun.): - Capalonga, Jose Panganiban, Labo, Paracale and Sta. Elena District 2 (7 mun.): - Basud, Daet, Mercedes, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Talisay and Vinzons No. of Barangays: - 282 source: ppdo

Demography
Population:

(NSO 2007) 513,785

No. of Household

(2007):106,747
Growth Rate

(2000-2007): 1.22
Projected Population

(2010): 532,959
Number of Children:

3-5 Years Old - 39,016 (7.93%), 0-17 Years Old - 248,039 (46.6%)

History of Basud
The Spanish conquerors first set foot in the town of Basud in 1651. They found natives living in the clusters near the river delta. The area, formed by washed up earth and sand, was sandy so that the Spaniards named it Basud which means "sandy beach" in Bicol language. Basud was originally a visita of Daet, which governed its civil and ecclesiastical functions for years. However, the Bishop of Caceres created it as a Parish on December 18, 1894. The Parish was dedicated to St. Raphael the Archangel whose feast day is celebrated every October 24. Its local government was also separated from Daet in 1908 after Executive Order No. 114 which declared it as a separate municipality.

History of Capalonga
Founded as a missionary post, Capalonga was attached to the parish administration of Paracale. It was in 1634 when it was separated and created as another parish. The first church was dedicated to Jesus the Nazarene. Due to scarcity of priests, the parish was neglected in 1661. In 1681, with the ever-growing spiritual needs of the parishioners, the Franciscan Friars once more took the parish under their care. A second saint was adopted by the people, St. Lucy, a Virgin and a martyr, after many miraculous cures were attributed to her. In the towns fiesta celebration every May 13, St. Lucy is always a part of the procession. During the fiesta, many from the neighbouring towns come. Chinese from Manila and other devotees flock to this town. Daet was already an old community even before the discovery of the Philippines by Magellan in 1521. An ancient tomb unearthed in the Bicol region revealed references described in the Panayam manuscripts known to oriental history as corresponding to the first half of the thirteenth century. The early settlers were believed to be direct descendants of the group of datus who escaped from the court of Brunei (Borneo) to evade the enmity of a ruling rajah.

History of Jose Panganiban

The town of Jose Panganiban was formerly known as Mambulao, a word taken from mambulawan, meaning bountiful in gold. It lies on a strip of seashore off the Mambulao bay, and is bounded by a hill on the northeast of the bay, within the province of Camarines Norte. On December 1, 1934, the municipal council passed a resolution urging a change in the name of the town.

History of Labo
Before the name of Labo was known, its former name was "BUSUG-ON", a place of native inhabitants under the leadership of TARIK-KUDOOG that is was said discover by a former soldier of Capt. Juan de Salcedo in 1586 when they returned to the Bicol encomienda passing by and visited once again the place of Paracale, a Spanish flourishing gold mining site of Bicol Peninsula during those time. Busog-on most likely from where the name BUSIGON (river), the largest and upper part of Labo river got its name. Labo became a royal encomienda in 1591 owned by the King of Spain due to its abundant natural resources having 2, 992 persons or 648 whole tributes. The villages of this encomienda were closed together including the place known as "AGUETTE" except six villages having 70 tributes were up the river four or five leagues from the capital. One priest furnished the instructions in his encomienda, namely the canon Paz, but he made the following visits.

History of Mercedes
Since Spanish time this town has been called Bara of Mercedes. How these names had been chosen, the following have been given credence by the people. Since time immemorial, this place had already been a port of trading vessels both native and foreign. In those days working on ships and loading and unloading of cargos was a lucrative trade unlike now that the source of livelihood depends mainly on fishing. More often, when a vessels is entering the harbor its runs a ground due to ignorance of the pilit canal leading to the wharf or due to inclement weather. This grounding of vessels was in a native dialect NABARA, and because this incident is frequently happening in the place the word NABARA of BARRA for short became so popular. How Mercedes happened to be its present name this version is also popular.

History of Paracale
The municipality of Paracale , Camarines Norte is one of the coastal towns in this province which is located facing the Pacific Ocean a distance of forty kilometers from the capital town of Daet . It has a land area of 19, 333. 87 hectares or 194.8 square kilometers. The three main industries where the livelihood of the Paracaleos is commonly generated are: fishing, agriculture and mining. This lucky town is endowed with abundant and very rich natural resources. Different minerals such as lead, manganese, iron, silica, white clay, marble, white pebbles and gold are waiting for any businessmen and companies who are interested in mining. Among the twenty seven barangays in this municipality, there are twenty two barangays where gold is found in forms of either sand, nuggets or gold ores. Thus, the Paracale is known to be the town of gold in the whole archipelago which is even recorded in the golden pages of the history of the Philippines . Paracale is a town with a strongly resurging mining industry which is of considerable help to the national government in its thrust for economic recovery and stability. This premise makes it quite hard for Paracaleos to understand why the apparent neglect of the national leadership to give the 8 kilometer Batobalani-Paracale national road its due concern and attention.

History of San Lorenzo

The municipality of San Lorenzo Ruiz, formerly "IMELDA", is one of the twelve (12) municipalities comprising the province of Camarines Norte. Located in the southern part of the province of Camarines Norte, bounded on the eastern part by the municipalities of Basud and Daet, on the west by the Municipality of San Vicente and partly by the town of Lupi, Camarines Sur, on the north by Daet and on the south by Lupi. The geographic location is 0000 N123 00 E with a grid coordinates of 0.00 casting 500,000,000. It lies between the latitude 13 5600 and 14 0600 and between longitude 122 5700. It has an area of 20,000 hectares. There are twelve (12) barangays in the municipality namely, Daculangbolo, Dagotdotan, Langga, Laniton, Mampurog, Maisog, Manlimonsito, Matacong, Salvacion, San Antonio, San Isidro and San Ramon.

History of San Vicente

Way back in 1877, San Vicente was already a municipality even before Ambos Camarines was divided into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. The geographical location of this one barrio of Talisay, 94 years prior to its creation as a municipality, is oftentimes pointed but as the reason for its moderate development. The origin of the name of the municipality, which is in the inland part of Camarines Norte, has some religious elements; however Skeptics do not believe in miracles. Yet even in this age of moons hot and space conquest many things exist that could not be explained by the finite mind man. Things that are beyond the comprehension of man could only be ascribed to the Divine and therefore a miracle.

History of Sta. Elena

Sta. Elena before is known as "ILAYANG SANTOL", a small sitio of barrio Pulongguit-guit, municipality of Capalonga, province of Camarines Norte. Residents then were few and far from each other that in cases of emergency a tambuli is used.

The Japanese during the war and then Eastern Tayabas Bus Company played an important role in establishing the access road to the Bicol Region from Manila, now fully developed and known as the Maharlika Highway. Thus, people began residing along the road, converging on and developing it into the poblacion area. Until in one of their council assemblies, Eladio Borrio suggested to name the sitio Sta. Elena at the same time making St. Helena, The Empress, their patron saint. The motion was duly seconded and was approved unanimously.

History of Talisay
Talisay, cuddled by the Pacific Ocean on the Northeast, by the municipalities of Vinzons and Labo on the northwest, by San Vicente on the southwest and by the municipality of Daet on the southeast, lies at the heart of the province of Camarines Norte. It is located approximately between 1411 North latitude and between 12250 and 12258 East longitude. The town practically divides the province into two distinct sections. The Bicol-speaking towns of Mercedes, Basud, San Lorenzo Ruiz and Daet and the Tagalog-speaking towns of Vinzons, Paracale, Jose Panganiban, Capalonga, Sta. Elena and San Vicente. History indicates that long before the coming of the Spaniards there are already existed a village in the place where the municipality now stands. The settlement was characterized by a few isolated nipa huts surrounded by rice paddles and kaingins. Its dwellers were a group of sturdy, freedom-loving people of the Malayan stock.

History of Vinzons
There is poetical beauty in the serenity of the town of Vinzons as she lays beside the commanding vastness of pacific Ocean. Endowed with fertile land and waters teeming with aquatic life. She ever since sustained her Tagalog speaking sons and daughters. Farming and fishing were the main sources of livelihood. Although majority of the citizens are farmers and fishermen, Vinzons has men and daughters in almost all kinds of profession. Many of them held key position in various government and private offices inside and outside the province and even abroad. However, for lack of job opportunities inside the municipality most of the later generations have established their residence outside the town. CAMARINES NORTE HYMN AIMON A. BUAN - Aimon was born on August 14, 1967 in Talisay, Camarines Norte. He finished elementary in Talisay Elementary School and secondary in St. Francis Parochial School. He figured in most musical activities in SFPS such as being the choir painist and DBC band leader. He graduated receiving several awards, including Musician of the Year. To further hone his love of music, he enrolled at the conservatory of Music, University of Sto. Tomas and finished the degree of Bachelor in Music , major in Piano, minor in composition. Today he is teaching piano lessons to both kids and adults and playing piano on different occasions. One such occasion was "Happy-hapi sa Parke: - a diamond Jubilee entertainment galore at the Freedom Park.

FE. L. CALIMLIM - Fe was born on July, 16, 1934 in Talisay, Camarines Norte. Course: Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in Banking and Finance, University of the East, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Mabini College, Daet, Camarines Norte. Master Teacher I, Talisay Elementary School; Music Teacher for 23 years; Trainor of Adult and Teacher's Choir; and District Social Studies coordinator; her poetic vent and knowledge of Camarines Norte history fused to give stirring lyrics to Hymno Camarines Norte Economic Development Non Metallic Minerals (MT estimated reserves) Total Non-Metallic Minerals (MT): 72,982,800 Silica Sand: 3,800,000 Marbleized Limestone: 28,265,200 Kaoline/White Clay: 4,000 Refractory Clay: 40,000,000 Siliceous Clay: 65,000 Diatomite: 723,400 Marble (cu.m.): 90,000 Diatomaceous Earth: 35,200

Metallic Minerals (MT estimated reserves)

Total Metallic Minerals (MT): 125,276,390 Gold/Silver: 23,056,433 Iron: 16,589,974 Lead/Zinc: 377,137 Iron in Latrite: 83,129,840 Ball Quartz: 400,000 Iron Lump: Ore: 1,722,996

Livestock/ Poultry Production

Carabao: 30,624 hds. Cattle: 5,999 hds. Hog/Swine: 113,955 hds. Goat: 7,377 hds. Poultry Chicken: 395,166 hds. Broiler: 27,624 hds. Layer: Duck: 34,686 hds

Agriculture Production (2010)

Coconut: 52,941.46 MT Rice: 82,586.68 MT Pineapple: 104,789.00 MT

Cassava: 3,835.00 MT Corn: 797.00 MT Rootcrops: 4,617.00 MT Vegetables: 4,810.50 MT

Fish Production (2010)

Municipal Fishing: 23,421.43 MT Commercial Fishing: 5,609.00 MT Brackish Water Fishpond: 35,733.54 MT

About 7-8 hours by bus southeast of Metro Manila, the province of Camarines Norte often serves as one of the main gateways to the Bicol Region. And most often, to most travelers, it often just serves as that another mere stopover to the other destinations in the region. For most of Bicol which is just about getting used to the idea of tourism, Camarines Norte tends to get overlooked by travelers to the recently popular wakeboarding in Pili and island hopping in the Survivor islands of Camarines Sur, the perfect cone volcano of Mayon in Albay and the whale sharks of Sorsogon. Of course never mind that the wet and wild Pacific frontier province of Catanduanes is also home to one of the most famous international surf breaks called the Majestics. Where does this leave Camarines Norte then? Spanish explorer Juan de Salcedo marched into Camarines Norte after subduing Taytay, Cainta, Laguna, and Tayabas. Obsessed with the stories of gold mines in the area, he visited the towns of Paracale and Mambulao (now called Jose Panganiban). Later on, when Francisco de Sande took over as the new Spanish Governor General of the Philippine Islands, the wave of the Hispanic influence in the region started to be felt as he established a permanent garrison in Naga (called Nueva Caceres then) to repulse Muslim and Chinese pirates raiding the area. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, Camarines Norte had towns like Daet, Capalonga, Mabulao, Indan (now called Vinzons) already flourishing but Paracale was the crowning jewel because of its gold mines. The history of Camarines Norte is inextricably linked to that of its southern counterpart. From 1573-1829, the two Camarines provinces was only known as one political unit Ambos Camarines. And after years of splits, reunification and more separation and more unions which eventually led to the final segregation of March 3, 1919 when American Governor General F.B. Harrison separated Camarines Norte from Camarines Sur and later appointed Don Miguel R. Lukban as its first Governor. . At present, the province has 12 towns Basud, Capalonga, Daet, Jose Panganiban, Labo, Mercedes, Paracale, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Sta. Elena, Talisay and Vinzons. We didnt have any high expectations then when we rode the bus all the way to Daet, (the provincial capital) from the Camarines Sur capital Naga. We were on a rusty and rickety minibus with no air-conditioning, and dirty floors although we really didnt mind the two young girls behind us singing presumably all of what seems to be an entire album of the pop singing group Pussycat Dolls. From Naga it was 2-3 hours by our bus. We finally got into Daet around 8PM and a local restaurateur whom we met on the bus whisked us to the city center as the bus station was too dark and a tad unsafe (according to her). Contrary to what a popular guide book was saying, we actually found the capital town quite charming (save for the thousands of tricycles Daet has gained the notoriety of having the most number of tricycles in the country). At night, rows and rows of street food stalls line its main drags and it was quite fun to go around and have our yummy fill of Filipino street food. We reserved our initial comments for the town until daylight the following morning to see if we still had the same vibe of the town. And still, we found Daet as charming as it was at night: a buzzing beehive of small-town activity.

Being the provincial center, most of the provinces hub of commercial, political, religious and educational activity is in the town of Daet. Whilst it is true that it seemed like the town was swarming with tricycles, it still did maintain that provincial and charming feel that we had experienced the night before when we arrived. The people were generally friendly and warm. The first Jose Rizal monument that was ever built was built in Daet which stands at the corner of Magallanes and Justo Lukban streets which faces the Daet Municipal Hall. This monument was erected in 1898 in honor of the Philippine National Hero and consists of a three-tiered stone pylon with a square base supporting a triangle in two stages, the last one tapering to a point. It was believed that the foundation was made of mortars and boulders from the Old Spanish Jail where many Filipino patriots died, further magnifying its historical and cultural significance. Lt. Col. Ildefonso Alegre and Lt. Col. Antonio Sanz of the Philippine Revolutionary Army initiated the construction which was eventually inaugurated on December 20, 1898. A few meters away from the Rizal monument is a wall honoring the brave sons of Camarines Norte who died fighting the Spaniards during the countrys fight for its independence. With these interesting monuments, we kind of found the area not very carefully maintained despite its great significance. Aside from monuments, Camarines Norte folks are quite proud of their Provincial Capitol whose 12 columns represent the 12 towns of the province. Whilst in the Provincial Complex, dont miss the Museo Bulawan which provides a window into the provinces rich history and culture. In Vinzons town, the Baroque-style, coral-stone faade St. Peter the Apostle Church is considered to be the oldest church in the Bicol Region whilst the stone church of the Our Lady of Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles) merits a visit especially during its feast day which is every 2nd of February, Shrines to local heroes Wenceslao Q. Vinzons Shrine (Vinzons, Camarines Norte) and Jose Maria Panganiban Shrine (Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte) are also a must visit. Just on the San Miguel Bay and about 20-30 minutes (via Bagasbas) and 30-45 minutes (via Mercedes town) by motorboat are the gorgeous Mercedes Group of Islands. Composed of 7 islands, it was such a pleasant surprise how beauties like these have been kept from the national tourism spotlight for so long. First, there is the dramatic lighthouse on Canimog Island which is considered to be the oldest in the entire Bicol Region. Canimog Island also boasts of coral gardens, rich and teeming with huge and healthy coral growth and marine fauna. On several occasions hundreds of flying fish would do their aerial acrobatics around our boat while we were cruising along. By the lighthouse on Canimog (where you also camp), you will have such sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, the beautiful cliffs and rock formations, as well as an eye on the thousands of huge bats literally hanging out in the islands lush foliage.

Next to the island of Canimog are the stunning islands of Apuao Pequea and Apuao Grande (the two islands are connected by a white sand bar and you can actually walk between the two islands during low tide) whose long stretches of white sand beaches lined with pine-like agoho trees similar to the overrated Anawangin Cove in Zambales (only a million times better cleaner, significantly less people, and definitely has a white sand beach). Apuao Grande used to be the home of once a high-end resort which fell into disrepair. Now, most of the villas are leased to many expatriates who decided to settle on the island. The coves of Canton Island also beg to be explored either by swimming, or rappelling. The rest of the islands Malasugui, Caringo (Australians and Germans have been frequenting this island) and Quinapaguian all have white sand beaches, and beautiful sand bars and almost no tourists! Island-hopping is from PhP 18002000. Be responsible and demand a working life vest all the time. Aside from the Mercedes Group of Islands, the Calaguas Group of Islands is slowly making its way to one of the most promising beach getaways in the Philippines and possibly around the world for its white sand and aquamarine colored waters. Currently, the island does not have any running water, no resorts, no toilet, and of course no electricity which means, be prepared to camp out as a return daytrip by boat can cost a hefty PhP 6,000.00 at the latest rates its really a cheaper option to gather your friends and camp out instead.

Our contact, the affable and extremely helpful Melvic Brias (+63.909.2944444/ +63.922.2472111/ +63.906.5144444 melvicbrinas.multiply.com) organizes trips to the Calaguas Islands, Mercedes Group of Islands and Bagasbas (surfing and kite-boarding) area. Another must-see island is the island of Quinamanucan which is 20-35 minutes by boat from Vinzons town. The island has spectacular wall dives with drop offs shooting up from 1000 meters down as well as having impressive underwater gardens that count stony, whip, soft corals, black corals and many others. Back on the mainland, Camarines Norte has heaps of unexplored caves and mountains and waterfalls. 18 kilometers west of Daet is the Mananap Falls in San Vicente (requires a hike of 2 kilometers uphill) and the 70 feet tall Colasi Falls in Barangay Colas, Mercedes (one hour from Daet town centre by jeepney and 3 hours hike to the waterfalls). Other notable waterfalls in Camarines Norte are Pag-asa Falls, Binuan Falls, Maligaya Falls, Malatap Falls (almost equidistant from the towns of Labo, Jose Panganiban and Capalonga) as well as the Twin Falls near Sta. Elena town. 30 kilometers south of Daet in the town of Mercedes, you can also find the soda spring in Barangay Lanot. Amongst the local festivals, the biggest is the Bantayog Festival where the twelve municipalities of the province celebrate the foundation of Camarines Norte which features the various practices, folklores, and beliefs and as the name suggest (Bantayog means monument in Tagalog), it centers on the first Rizal monument built and is commemorated around the dates running up to April 15th of every year. Activities include parades, sand sculpture contests, exhibits, fireworks display and fairs.