Sariaya (), officially the Municipality of Sariaya (), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people, making it the second most populous local government unit (LGU) in Quezon after the capital city of Lucena, and the most populous municipality in the said province.
As the only Mount Banahaw town in both Quezon and Laguna Provinces that has a sea coast, the town is famous for its pristine beach resorts and nature-trekking activities that lead adventurous hikers to the peak of mythical Mount Banahaw. With more than a hundred of cultural properties and ancestral houses mostly built in Art Deco architecture within the municipality, Sariaya is considered as the Heritage Town of Quezon and the Art Deco Capital of Southern Luzon. This heritage town has been branded by various cultural experts as a 'cultural gem worthy of a UNESCO designation.' The local government of the municipality with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines were designated to work for the heritage town's inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Etymology The origin of the word Sariaya was allegedly came from the word Sadyaya — one of the town's numerous rivers, but words of the great ancestors and legends have it that it was named after Saria, a supposedly 'illiterate' (according to the Spanish) woman who encountered the first Spaniards in the town who were asking the name of the settlement. Saria could not understand the question as it was in Spanish, which was foreign and unknown to everyone in the area during that time. She was thus branded as illiterate by the Spanish despite being highly educated through Tagalog traditional knowledge.
The woman gave her name as answer to the Spanish, assuming that they were asking her name. The Spaniards wrote "Saria" on their notebooks as the name of the settlement. And while the Spaniards were talking with each other, the natives heard them utter the words "Saria-ya". Hence, the words traveled from mouth to mouth and became a common saying until the two words were combined.
History The beginning of Sariaya's documented history occurred with the arrival of Augustinian missionary priests in a Tagalog seaside settlement in what is now Barangay Castañas on the shores of Tayabas Bay. They discovered a thriving native people and converted the majority of them to Christianity.
After years of being part of Tayabas, Sariaya became a separate town in 1631 and was transferred northwards to avoid Moro pirates.
A strong earthquake in 1743 caused the bell tower of the Tumbaga church to collapse. As a result, the fragile southwest ridge of Mount Banahaw's crater lake collapsed, destroying the ancient community referred to as "Lumangbayan," or Old Town. The surviving settlers relocated further north. A more durable combination of materials was used in the construction of the current church. These components consist of bricks, adobe blocks, albumin or egg white, stones, and masonry. In addition to being a house of worship, the church and its four-story belfry served as a lookout point for the surrounding fields and mountains as well as a citadel or last line of defense for the residents.
On May 17, 1902, Candelaria was merged with Sariaya by virtue of Act No. 402. On September 20, 1907, Candelaria was separated from the municipality to regain its independent status.
Geography Sariaya is an inland municipality in the province of Quezon, located south of Metro Manila and from the provincial capital Lucena. The municipality is bordered by Tayabas on north-east side, Lucena on its southeast, the municipality of Candelaria on its west, and the town of San Juan in Batangas on its south-west. Mount Banahaw flanks it on the north and Tayabas Bay on the south side. It has a total land area of .
Barangays Sariaya is politically subdivided into 43 barangays, as indicated in the matrix below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Currently, six barangays are urban barangays located at the Poblacion, one barangay is classified as sub-urban and six barangays are coastal barangays.
Hereunder is the list of Barangays in Municipality of Sariaya and its land area: Barangay Land Area (Ha) Area Rank Population (2020) Classification Antipolo 490.60 27.5 1,888 Balubal 560.68 19 5,304 Bignay 1 630.80 15 6,105 Bignay 2 728.90 10 3,857 Bucal 518.63 23.5 3,408 Canda 588.71 18 3,052 Castañas 876.10 8 7,120 Concepcion 1 827.00 9 5,764 Concepcion Banahaw 1,345.00 2 3,411 Concepcion Palasan 939.14 6 7,680 Concepcion Pinagbakuran 714.90 11 3,050 Gibanga 546.70 21 3,752 Guisguis San Roque 448.54 29.5 2,645 Guisguis Talon 530.65 22 4,376 Janagdong 1 518.63 23.5 3,935 Janagdong 2 672.80 12.5 3,242 Limbon 280.34 36 1,428 Lutucan 1 392.50 34 4,961 Lutucan Bata 490.60 27.5 2,498 Lutucan Malabag 497.60 26 4,847 Mamala 1 441.07 32 3,187 Mamala 2 442.00 31 6,016 Manggalang 1 1,198.43 3 6,966 Manggalang Bantilan 672.80 12.5 4,073 Manggalang Kiling 616.85 17 3,125 Manggalang Tulo-Tulo 623.80 16 3,209 Montecillo 658.79 14 4,271 Morong 434.53 33 2,098 Pili 448.54 29.5 4,196 Barangay 1 (Pob.) 8.5 40 1,867 Barangay 2 (Pob.) 14.5 39 1,206 Barangay 3 (Pob.) 7.0 42 1,184 Barangay 4 (Pob.) 16.60 38 3,545 Barangay 5 (Pob.) 7.5 41 1,037 Barangay 6 (Pob.) 6.0 43 1,207 Sampaloc 1 1,037.26 4 2,603 Sampaloc 2 1,023.24 5 6,862 Sampaloc Bogon 1,675.03 1 1,255 Sampaloc Santo Cristo 911.11 7 9,007 Talaan Aplaya 553.67 20 3,011 Talaan Pantoc 273.33 37 2,322 Tumbaga 1 518.63 23.5 4,903 Tumbaga 2 336.41 35 1,936
Topography Sariaya is situated on a flat land except for a portion on the north occupying a part of the foot of Mount Banahaw. The municipality has the highest point of elevation on above sea level at Barangays Concepcion Banahaw and Sampaloc Bogon.
Climate
Sariaya falls under Type III of the PAGASA's climatic classification system this is because it is situated on the southern portion of the province's mountain ranges characterized by seasons not very pronounced, relatively dry from December to April and wet during the rest of the year. The maximum rain periods are not very pronounced with the short dry season lasting from two to four months.
Demographics
According to the 2020 census of population, Sariaya has a total population of 161,868 people making the second most populous area in Quezon after Lucena. Barangay Santo Cristo is the most populous area in Sariaya with a total population of 9,007 people according to the 2020 census, The Poblacion ranks second and Concepcion Palasan placed in the third rank.
Economy
Commerce The trade and commerce in Sariaya is heavily concentrated at General Luna Street (Maharlika Highway), which is the town's central business district where majority of the town's commercial establishments are situated such as retail, supermarkets, banks, drugstores, bakeries, merchandising, grocery, hardware, fastfood chains, shopping center, convenience stores and others.
Income Agriculture is one of the major sources of income in Sariaya. According to the 2016 Competitiveness Index of the National Competitiveness Council or NCC, the municipality belongs to the Top 50 most competitive municipalities in the Philippines. According to the annual Audit Report of Commission on Audit (COA), Sariaya is also one of Quezon's top grossing municipalities when factoring annual income.
The table below shows the list of the total annual income, assets, expenses and equity of Sariaya since 2008: Year Total Income (COA). Assets Expenses Equity 2008 ₱139.37 million ₱141.48 million ₱112.92 million ₱101.17 million 2009 ₱154.89 million ₱198.33 million ₱141.55 million ₱109.66 million 2010 ₱164.55 million ₱202.63 million ₱158.44 million ₱101.71 million 2011 ₱183.43 million ₱243.13 million ₱172.08 million ₱106.77 million 2012 ₱183.59 million ₱237.29 ₱181.60 million ₱112.67 million 2013 ₱212.08 million ₱239.29 million ₱200.54 million ₱117.99 million 2014 ₱243.73 million ₱390.88 million ₱206.07 million ₱152.49 million 2015 ₱275.70 million ₱467.81 million ₱248.83 million ₱176.53 million
Culture Agawan Festival
Celebrated every May 15, this religious festivity pays tribute to San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers. This much-anticipated feast has close affinity with the 'Pahiyas Festival' of Lucban, Quezon. Pliant bamboo treetops and trellises (bagakay) weighed down by succulent fruits, native candies, rice cakes, and colorful rice krispies called "kiping" are deliberately pulled down on the streets by noisy merrymakers right after the afternoon procession. Festival revelers from the town's barangays, neighboring towns, and other provinces would then scramble to gather as many treats as they can snatch and carry, hence the term "Agawan."
Town Fiesta
On September 14, pious devotees from far and wide pay homage to the miraculous image of the Santo Cristo de Burgos during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. The Catholic feast is a day-long veneration of the replica of the Crucified Christ at the ancient Cathedral of Burgos, Spain long believed to be a gift of King Philip V of Spain in 1703 to the people of Lumangbayan in Sariaya. People from far-flung barangays flock to the Poblacion to attend the packed fiesta Masses. They also sell their farm products and handicrafts in the public market as they eagerly sample the gaudily-decorated and crowded venue for the annual "perya" (fiesta fair) for thrilling rides, occasional circus performances, and shows featuring human mutants, trained animals performing tricks, vendors peddling herbal medicines, and "peryantes," those hardy and itinerant peddlers of cheap clothing, toys, and kitchen utensils. The town's basketball tournament also holds its cherished championship game on the eve of this much-awaited day. Sometimes there are hired stage performances at the town plaza that feature some of the nation's stage, television and film celebrities as well as musical stars.
Government
Elected officials
Elected officials for the 2019–2022 term are: + Members of the Sariaya Municipal Council (2022–present)Position Name MayorMarcelo "Marcing" P. Gayeta Vice Mayor Alexander A. Tolentino Councilors Arlene Genove Demia Perez- Maghirang Vince Alcala Banta Renz Marcuap Minerva “Miner” Remo Ofelia C. Villapando Haidee Medina- Caringal Mario Medina Medrano
Infrastructure Transportation
Sariaya is traversed by the Maharlika Highway (N1), which passes through the town proper as the congested General Luna Street, and the newer Quezon Eco-Tourism Road (N422) which passes through the municipality's coastal areas. New highways will be South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Toll Road 4, which will have one exit west of town proper, and the Sariaya Bypass Road, which is being built to decongest Maharlika Highway through the town center.
Buses between Manila, Lucena, and Bicol stop at Sariaya town proper, and jeepneys provide short-distance transportation to nearby towns. Tricycles are used to travel between barangays.
Communication Sariaya is served by landline and mobile phone companies like the General Telephone System, Inc. (GTSi) and Digitel Telecommunications (PLDT-Digitel) as the main telecommunication services providers in the municipality. Major mobile phone providers in the area includes Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, and Dito Telecommunity. Also, Sariaya has a cable provider which is the Sariaya Cable Network.
Tourism
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church is a stone church built in 1748, located at Barangay Poblacion II. Records tell that the present church is the fifth one erected by the Spanish Franciscan Friars in the history of Sariaya. In 1938, a historical marker bearing a brief history of the church was installed on its facade by the National Research and Markers Committee, precursor of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Heritage houses