Cabusao

Cabusao, officially the Municipality of Cabusao, is a local government municipality in the first district of Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It is a small coastal community facing San Miguel Bay, with an economy shaped by farming, fishing, livestock raising, poultry production, and other rural activities. The municipality is also associated with green agricultural landscapes, beaches, broad ocean views, and a generally quiet environment. The municipality has no formally documented establishment date in the available reference material. Local tradition places its foundation on 20 May 1911, the feast day of San Bernardino de Siena, who remains the town's patron saint. The local Catholic presence subsequently developed into parish institutions, including the parish of San Bernardino de Siena and the parish of San Pascual Baylon. Religious fiestas remain important community occasions, with barangays decorating procession routes and celebrating the feast days of their patron saints. Cabusao is politically divided into nine barangays: Barcelonita, Biong, Camagong, Castillo, New Poblacion, Pandan, San Pedro, Santa Cruz, and Santa Lutgarda. Santa Lutgarda was formerly the poblacion or central settlement. During the administration of Mayor Teofilo Santiago, the municipal government center and Catholic church were moved to neighboring Barrio Buenavista, now known as New Poblacion. Santa Lutgarda nevertheless continues to retain its historical association with the poblacion and is also known as Santa Lutgarda de Bravante. According to the 2024 census cited in the reference material, Cabusao had 18,882 residents, with a population density of approximately 400 people per square kilometer. Its climate has a pronounced wet and dry pattern: the drier period generally runs from late March through May, while the wetter season extends from June through October. Monsoon winds influence the municipality during the remainder of the year. The climate and terrain support a range of crops, although some agricultural land is affected by salinity. Rice is the principal crop, with areas served by irrigation capable of producing two harvests annually. Coconut, root crops, vegetables, and fruit trees are also cultivated. Fishing is one of Cabusao's most important longstanding activities, supported by the municipality's access to San Miguel Bay. Fishermen use both motorized and non-motorized bancas and employ gear such as hook and line, beach seines, gill nets, scissors nets, multiple hand lines, and cabiao. Bangus fry are especially abundant during the summer season and contribute to local economic activity. Livestock raising and commercial poultry, including egg production, provide additional sources of livelihood. Public and private education from elementary through secondary level is overseen locally by the Cabusao Schools District Office. Listed secondary institutions include Barcelonita Fishery School and Sta. Lutgarda National High School. In Barangay San Pedro, the Bicol Sanitarium provides care for patients with leprosy. The municipality also includes community-development initiatives connected with Catholic and civil-society organizations. After Typhoon Reming, internationally known as Durian, housing projects helped establish Dusayan Village and San Rafael GK Village in the northeastern part of Barangay Castillo. Cabusao is therefore best understood not as a commercial consumer brand but as a civic and geographic identity: a municipality whose public profile rests on local government, coastal resources, rural production, religious heritage, education, and community institutions.

Cabusao is a municipality of Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The available historical record does not establish a definitive formal founding date. Local accounts, however, identify 20 May 1911 as the town's traditional establishment date, coinciding with the feast of San Bernardino de Siena. The saint became the municipality's patron, and the date remains linked to the town's religious and civic identity. The development of Cabusao has been closely connected with its coastal geography and rural economy. San Miguel Bay provides fishing grounds that support both subsistence and commercial activity. Fishing households use small motorized and non-motorized bancas and a variety of traditional fishing methods. Seasonal catches of bangus fry are particularly significant. Agriculture is another central part of local life, with rice as the leading crop and coconut, root crops, vegetables, and fruit trees also cultivated. Irrigated land may support two rice crops per year, while salinity in some farmlands limits agricultural productivity and has encouraged efforts to improve soil and farming conditions. The municipality's settlement pattern is organized into nine barangays. Santa Lutgarda historically served as the barrio poblacion and retained the town's earlier central identity. During the tenure of Mayor Teofilo Santiago, the municipal government offices and Catholic church were transferred to nearby Barrio Buenavista, which later became New Poblacion. Santa Lutgarda continues to be identified with its former poblacion role and is also referred to as Santa Lutgarda de Bravante. Catholic institutions have played a visible role in the community's history. The parish of San Bernardino de Siena is associated with the town center and has a feast day on 20 May. San Pascual Baylon Parish in Barcelonita was established later, in 1935. Barangay fiestas remain important social and religious events, combining processions, local decoration, and patron-saint observances. Although other Christian groups are present, Roman Catholic institutions have historically had a strong social presence in the municipality. Community infrastructure and social support also developed through cooperation among municipal, religious, and nongovernmental organizations. Following Typhoon Reming, known internationally as Durian, housing initiatives helped establish Dusayan Village through Caritas International and San Rafael GK Village through Gawad Kalinga. These projects provided organized settlements for affected families in the northeastern portion of Barangay Castillo. Education is administered through the Cabusao Schools District Office, which oversees public and private institutions from primary through secondary levels. Among the named secondary schools are Barcelonita Fishery School and Sta. Lutgarda National High School. Barangay San Pedro is home to the Bicol Sanitarium, an institution serving patients with leprosy. In the contemporary period, Cabusao remains a small, active municipality whose identity combines coastal resources, agricultural production, local religious traditions, barangay governance, and community services. The 2024 census figure cited in the reference material places its population at 18,882. Its natural setting, including beaches, green landscapes, and views across the bay, also gives it a modest profile as a destination for visitors seeking quiet rural and coastal surroundings.

• 2024

  Population recorded at 18,882

  [1]Cabusaoen.wikipedia.org

  The 2024 census cited in the reference material recorded 18,882 residents in Cabusao.

• 2006

  Post-Typhoon Reming housing initiatives

  [1]Cabusaoen.wikipedia.org

  After Typhoon Reming, also known internationally as Durian, community housing projects led to the development of Dusayan Village and San Rafael GK Village in Barangay Castillo.

• 1935

  Foundation of San Pascual Baylon Parish

  [1]Cabusaoen.wikipedia.org

  San Pascual Baylon Parish was established in Barcelonita, expanding the municipality's Catholic parish structure.

• 1914

  Foundation of the San Bernardino de Siena parish

  [1]Cabusaoen.wikipedia.org

  The parish of San Bernardino de Siena was founded and became a major religious institution associated with the municipality.

• 1911

  Traditional founding date

  [1]Cabusaoen.wikipedia.org

  Local accounts identify 20 May 1911, the feast of San Bernardino de Siena, as the traditional establishment date of Cabusao, although the available material does not provide formal documentary confirmation.

• Transfer of the municipal center to New Poblacion

  [1]Cabusaoen.wikipedia.org

  During the administration of Mayor Teofilo Santiago, the municipal government and Catholic church were moved from Santa Lutgarda, formerly the poblacion, to neighboring Buenavista, now New Poblacion.

A rural coastal municipality in Camarines Sur centered on local government, agriculture, fishing, community institutions, and low-density natural scenery.

• Agricultural crop

  Rice

  Rice is Cabusao's principal agricultural crop. In areas supported by irrigation, farmers may achieve two cropping cycles each year. Production is influenced by soil conditions, including salinity in some farmlands, and by efforts to improve agricultural land.

• Fisheries

  Fish and aquatic resources

  Fishing in San Miguel Bay is a major local economic activity. Residents use small motorized and non-motorized bancas and fishing methods that include hook and line, beach seines, gill nets, scissors nets, multiple hand lines, and cabiao.

• Aquaculture input

  Bangus fry

  Bangus fry are reported to be abundant in the municipality's fishing grounds during summer. Their capture contributes to the income generated by local fisheries and aquatic resources.

• Agricultural crops

  Coconut, root crops, vegetables, and fruit

  Beyond rice, Cabusao farmers cultivate coconut, root crops, vegetables, and fruit-bearing trees. These crops diversify household production and complement the municipality's fishing and livestock activities.

• Livestock and poultry

  Poultry and eggs

  Commercial poultry raising, particularly egg production, is identified as a profitable rural activity in Cabusao. Livestock raisers and cattle operators are distributed across the municipality's barangays.

1. 1Cabusaoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official website of the Municipality of Cabusaocabusao.gov.ph