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Paete, Laguna

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Map of Laguna showing the location of Paete
Paete is a 4th class urban municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,011 people in 5,101 households.

Paete is a lakeside town located at the northeastern part of Laguna, along the shores of picturesque Laguna de Bay. It was founded in 1580 by the Spanish Friars Juan de Placencia and Diego de Oropesa, both of the Franciscan Order. The early inhabitants were of Malay lineage, coming all the way from Borneo in their swift and sturdy boats called "Balangay" made famous by the skilled craftsmen in wood carving and its embellishment, the Paeteños to this day continue with their traditions in carving and painting.

Contents

Barangays

Paete is politically subdivided into 9 barangays.

How Paete Got its Name

The friars have a tradition of naming towns they built in honor of saints. Paete was different. There was once a young Franciscan priest who is tasked by his superior to visit their newly-founded Baybay settlements alongside Laguna de bay. The priest didn't know so much the terrain and the place so he asked a native for the name of the place. The native misinterprets the young friar, thinking that the friar asks the name of the tool he is using, he answered Paet(chisel), therefore the name Paete.

Pre-Spanish History

Paete was said to be a peaceful barangay under Gat Lacampauid. The town thrives mainly in its woodcarving skills and emerging poultry industry, except of course, fishing. After that, not much is known, just like the whole in the whole Philippines.

Spanish Period

     Juan de Salcedo was the first Sapaniard to set foot in Paete. The great conquistador, the grandson of Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legaspi was on his way to explore the gold rich region of Paracale in Bicol. He first encountered a little resistance from the settlers of Cainta, Rizal but as expected, he easily defeated the lightly armed natives. Then, he ventured to the lakeside barangays of Laguna de Bay on his way to Bicol. 

The first to establish a pueblo in Paete were Fray Juan de Plasencia and Fr. Diego de Oropesa, both  of the Franciscan order. Due to lack of priests at that time, Paete was first annexed to Lumban. Then in 1600, Paete became a barrio of Pangil. And in 1602, Paete was finally independent and was christened Pueblo de San Lorenzo in honor of the town's first patron saint St. Lawrence the Deacon. Paete was not as small as it is today, it has Pakil, San Antonio, Longos and Kalayaan as barrions then. In 1671, Fray Francisco Soller, OFM reenacted the Via Crucis to rescusitate the people's waning faith. He carried a cross from the town proper up to Mt. Ping-as in Pakil. In 1676, Pakil became independent and the townspeople of Paete found it appropriate to build their own crosses as Mt. Ping-as had been transfered to Pakil, thus the present location of the Tatlong Krus in sitio Sta. Ana.



Church History

     The first church was built in the year 1646 by Paetenian natives under the supervision of Fray Andres de Puertellano, OFM. In the year 1717, a new church was built under the supervision of Fray Francisco dela Fuente, OFM. The church is made of adobe bricks with a mixture of some egg white and other native materials serving as the cement. The church was made with elaborate Baroque style mixed with Oriental designs. The elaborate retablo pieces was made by Paetenian native Bartolome Palatino, the master builder of the Morong Church, Francisco Macahumpan and other Paetenian natives. The large paintings inside the church was painted by Paetenian genius Jose Luciano Dans, these are the Langit, Lupa, Impiyerno (Heaven, Earth, Hell) and the large murals of St. Christopher. It was finished with all its elaborate designs and architecture in the year 1840 under Fray Luis Nambroca, OFM. The church was destroyed by the earthquake of 1884 and was restored by Fray Pedro Gallano, OFM. It was again desroyed in the earthquake of 1937 and was rebuilt under Fr. Nicomedes Rosal. It served as a dungeon and torture house during the Japanese occupation. Many Paetenians were tortured there including Fr. Francis Vernon Douglas, a priest who is murdered because of his upholding of the seal of confession. Fr. Douglas was subjected to immense torture which includes three days and three nights without food and water, the notorious water treatment, and many more attrocities done by the Japanese soldier. 



Holy Week in Paete

    Paete's most popular and most important event of the year is the Holy Week celebration. In Paete, Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with the reenactment of our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalam. The short procession will start at the Ermita Chapel wherein the priest will bless the palaspas of the faithful, the procession will now slowly move to the church as manangs put their balabal(shawl) at the street for the priest to walk thru them, this custom is called payapak. Then, the faithful proceed to attend the mass. After the mass, the 16th century image of the Sto. Entiero(Dead Body of Christ) or Señor Sepulkro to Paeteños will now be brought home to its recamadero and for the five days leading to Good Friday, the faithful will kiss the expose hands and feet of the Señor Sepulkro. On Holy Wednesday, the Holy Wednesday procession is held with Paete's 46 images of Our Lord's Passion and Ministry on display. The procession goes thru the narrow streets of Paete en route to the church. The procession stops three times to give way to paete's Salubong depicting three scenes of Jesus passion,and which Paete's moving saints take part. These are:

  • The meeting of Jesus Christ and His mother Mary, this is held at the church pation
  • The wiping of the face of Jesus Christ by Sta. Veronica, this is held at Plaza Edesan, in front of the Ermita Chapel. And finally,
  • The meeting of Our Lady and Sta. Veronica wherein Sta. Veronica shows the miraculous appearance of Our Lord's face in his cloth, this is held at the town plaza.
On Maundy Thursday, the Last Supper and the Washing of the disciples feet are reenacted and a vigil is conducted, while the Aglipay Church conducts its own version of the Salubong.On Good Friday, the Siete Palabras(Seven Last Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ while on the Cross) is said until 3 pm, the time of Jesus Christ's death on the cross. A short procession then goes to the house of the Sto. Entiero to bring the image to the church in act of burying the dead. The Sto. Entiero is borned on the shoulders of Paetenian men. It is said that if you felt that the image on its carroza is heavy you have grave sins, while if light the opposite. The image is then paraded througout the town in a silent and solemn manner. After the procession, the flowers that adorns the carroza or andas of the Mahal na Señor is given to the faithful along with a piece of thread. The faithful gets this in hope of miracles and cure thru the help of the Mahal na Señor Sepulkro. Black Saturday has the Sabado de Gloria Ball and in Easter Sundat, the church reenacts another Salubong, this time, the meeting of Our Lady and the Riesn Christ. 


Educational Institutions

Elementary

  • Paete Elementary School (PES Central)
  • Quinale Elementary School (QES)
  • Ibaba Elementary School (IES)
  • Mother of Eucharist and Grace Montessori School
  • Nativity Montessori School
  • San Antonio Abad School (SAAS)
  • Liceo de Paete Elementary School

High School

  • Eastern Laguna Colleges (ELC)
  • Liceo de Paete (LDP)
  • Mother of Eucharist and Grace Montessori School
  • Poten and Eliseo Quesada Memorial National High School (PEQMNHS)
External links








 Cities and Municipalities of Laguna


Cities: 
 Calamba City | San Pablo City | Santa Rosa City


Municipalities: 
 Alaminos | Bay | Biñan | Cabuyao | Calauan | Cavinti | Famy | Kalayaan | Liliw | Los Baños | Luisiana | Lumban | Mabitac | Magdalena | Majayjay | Nagcarlan | Paete | Pagsanjan | Pakil | Pangil | Pila | Rizal | San Pedro | Santa Cruz | Santa Maria | Siniloan | Victoria










 




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