Daet (), officially the Municipality of Daet (; ), is a municipality and capital of the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people, making it the second most populous in the province after Labo.
The municipality is a popular surfing spot among surfers worldwide. It is also home to the annual Daet International Aerosports Show which was first held in 2013. It is also known for its pili nuts, used in many local snacks and treats. Popular products include pili tarts, pili rolls, pili ice cream, crispy pili, and pili candies.
Etymology The name Daet was derived from the Bikol word dai-daitan which means, close to each other. Daet also originated from ancient Bicol term daet which, according to the first Bicol Spanish Dictionary Vocabulario de la Lengua Bicol, would mean "to make friend" or "to be reconciled".
History
Pre-colonial period 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 to evade the enmity of a ruling rajah.
Spanish colonial period In 1571, Juan de Salcedo, a Spanish conquistador arrived in the Bicol Region during an expedition in search of gold, particularly in the mountains of Camarines. He found Daet to be an already established and thriving settlement, with houses clustered together for safety and protection. In June 1583, the Franciscan Order confirmed the establishment of several doctrinas or mission settlements, including Daet.
Salcedo’s expedition marked the start of over 300 years of Spanish rule, combining religious conversion and colonial administration. In the early colonial period, Don Manuel de la Estrada, Marquis de Camarines, was exiled to the Philippines following a scandal in Spain. Settling in Daet, he oversaw the construction of key structures, including a church, stone bridges, and civic buildings. He also introduced abaca cultivation, which later became a key industry for the Philippines. The 1818 census showed the area had 1,449 native families and 26 Spanish-Filipino families.
During the Spanish period, Daet occasionally suffered from raids by Moro pirates, prompting the fortification of nearby communities such as Mercedes, which later became an independent municipality in 1948. At the time, Daet served as the capital of the District of Daet, which encompassed the territory now known as Camarines Norte. In 1908, the barrio of Basud was separated from Daet to form its own municipality.
In the final years of Spanish colonial rule, Daet became a center of resistance. Thirteen residents were executed by Spanish authorities during Holy Week in April 1898 for their involvement in revolutionary activities. These individuals are remembered as martyrs in local history. Before the end of Spanish rule, Filipino insurgents in Daet managed to besiege the local Spanish garrison.
American colonial period The Philippine–American War had a minimal impact on this town. American forces arrived unopposed on March 4, 1900, while most of the rest of the Bicol Region had already been subdued by Major Thomas McNamee, operating under the overall command of General John C. Bates. This period laid the foundation for the present-day progress of the current generation.
Martial law
On the evening of September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the Philippines, including Daet, under martial law. The marked the beginning of a 14-year period of one-man rule. Even though Martial Law was formally lifted on January 17, 1981, Marcos retained essentially all of his powers as dictator until he was deposed by the February 1986 People Power revolution.
On June 14, 1982 Marcos administration forces opened fire on protesters from different barrios, who were marching to demand an increase in copra prices, and to denounce "fake elections" and Cocofed. The government forces who fired on the protesters were led by a certain Capt. Malilay." Four people died on the spot, and at least 50 were injured. Two of those who were seriously wounded died two months later. This has come to be known as the "1981 Daet massacre," and four of those killed have since been honored by having their names engraved on the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial.
Contemporary The cityhood bid for the municipality began in 2011 headed by then Mayor Tito Sarion. Due to its size, petitions were made to expand it for the municipality to satisfy the requirements for cityhood.
Geography Daet is located in the southeastern part of Camarines Norte. It is bounded in the east by the town of Mercedes; in the south by the municipality of Basud; in southwest by San Lorenzo Ruiz town; in the north by Pacific Ocean; in the west by San Vicente and northwest by Talisay. The provincial capital covers a total land area of 5,861.48 hectares. The landscape of Daet is primarily composed of plains or flatlands, with no significant mountains or valleys. The average elevation of the area is approximately 10 meters above sea level.
It is from the country's capital city of Manila.
Climate
Barangays
Daet is politically subdivided into 25 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. There are 7 central urban barangay units while only six peripherally located barangay units are considered urban. 12 of its barangay are currently rural. Barangay Population Location Number of Purok Urbanization Land Area Chairman DistrictBarangay 11,969Central8Urban16.26 haPB Elaine P. MaderaSouth DistrictBarangay 2 2,416Central8Rural32.74 haPB Edwin Y. Ferrer, Jr.South DistrictBarangay 3 1,489Central6Urban12.79 haPB Erlinda c. TuringanSouth DistrictBarangay 4 6,741Central9Urban33.07 haPB Sonia K. BermasNorth DistrictBarangay 5 4,326Central7Urban37.55 haPB Pedro S. MusaNorth DistrictBarangay 6 1,785Central5Urban12.50 haPB Arthur Z. BarriosNorth DistrictBarangay 7 1,885Central7Urban30.75 haPB Botvinnik V. MagoNorth DistrictBarangay 8 2,281Central10Urban13.32 haPB William R. VillarinNorth DistrictAlawihao11,191Peripheral10Urban389.30 haPB Robert E. PalenciaNorth DistrictAwitan1,724Peripheral3Rural333.70 haPB Meliandro A. EboñaNorth DistrictBagasbas5,623Peripheral6Urban348.00 haPB Illuminador R. Abordo, Jr.North DistrictBibirao2,154Peripheral4Rural336.90 haPB Ramil E. SorianoSouth DistrictBorabod 3,697Peripheral6Rural331.40 haPB Rosito C. PanotesNorth DistrictCalasgasan4,383Peripheral6Rural884.30 haPB Estrella C. SulpaSouth DistrictCamambugan9,953Peripheral7Urban238.00 haPB Irene D. CambroneroSouth DistrictCobangbang 3,903Peripheral8Rural130.30 haPB Paz M. PacaoSouth DistrictDogongan4,580Peripheral6Rural506.20 haPB Zenaida M. EchanoSouth DistrictGahonon3,380Peripheral6Rural210.80 haPB William Carlo P. AvilaNorth DistrictGubat 6,517Peripheral5Urban288.80 haPB Nestor A. VasquezNorth DistrictLag-on6,301Peripheral7Urban291.20 haPB Franco V. SarionNorth DistrictMagang6,184Peripheral6Urban170.50 haPB Eduardo C. AsiaoSouth DistrictMambalite2,449Peripheral7Rural452.60 haPB Michelle B. OcanSouth DistrictMancruz4,874Peripheral4Rural139.30 haPB Ernesto S. TeodoroSouth DistrictPamorangon2,750Peripheral6Rural389.40 haPB Nicanor B. PalizaSouth DistrictSan Isidro 3,910Peripheral6Rural271.80 haPB Samuel L. ZalduaSouth District
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Daet was 106,465 people, with a density of .
Economy
Natural Resources
The municipality is rich in mineral resources such as diatomaceous earth (DE) or commonly called white clay. This is one of the income generating industries of the municipality. This non-metallic mineral has a total approximate reserve of 1,289,600 metric tons.
The municipality also has a viable source of sand and gravel. It is being extracted by mining concessionaires.
Banking and Finance
As the center of commercial activities and trade in Camarines Norte, the capital sustains major commercial bank and savings bank in the province to provide its population ease in accessibility of financing and convenience in business.
Bank Name Branch Name Location Barangay Banking Hours Phone Number BDO Unibank, Inc.BDO Camarines Norte - DaetJ. Lukban St. corner Moreno St.Barangay VIMonday - Saturday 08:30 AM - 05:30 PM(054) 721-4300, (054) 440-2499, (054) 571-2956, (02) 429-0034BDO SM City DaetG/F, SM City Daet, Vinzons Avenue, Purok 1Barangay Lag-onMonday - Saturday 10:00 AM - 07:00 PM(054) 885-2964, (054) 885-2957BDO SM Hypermarket DaetG/F, SM Hypermarket Daet, Vinzons AvenueBarangay IVMonday - Saturday 09:30 AM - 06:30 PM(054) 605-0170, (054) 605-0171, (054) 440-1479, (054) 440-8320 Landbank of the PhilippinesLandbank Daet BranchLandbank Building, Vinzons AvenueBarangay VMonday - Friday 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM(054) 885-2710; (0927) 424-8522; (0961) 551-8334Landbank Daet F. Pimentel BranchUCPB Building, F. Pimentel AvenueBarangay VIIIMonday - Friday 08:30 AM - 03:00 PM(02) 8429-0035 Philippine National BankPNB Daet F. PimentelF. Pimentel Ave., corner Dasmariñas St.Barangay VIIIMonday - Friday 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM(054) 571-2951PNB Daet Carlos IICarlos II RoadBarangay IIIMonday - Friday 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM(054) 721-2480Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)BPI DaetVinzons AvenueBarangay GahononMonday - Friday 09:00 AM - 04:30 PM(+6354) 721-1448BDO Network BankBDO Network Bank DaetOng Bldg., Bagasbas Road, Purok 2Barangay VIMonday - Saturday 08:30 AM - 05:00 PM(054) 605 0420, (082) 233 7700MetrobankMetrobank Daet BranchVinzons AvenueBarangay IVMonday - Friday 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM(054) 721 1676PSBankPSBank DaetG/F New Building, F. Pimentel Avenue corner Vicente Basit StreetBarangay VIIIMonday - Friday 08:30 AM - 04:00 PM(+6354) 440-5692, (054) 885-1151Development Bank of the PhilippinesDBP DaetDBP Bldg., Magallanes Iraya St.Barangay IIIMonday - Friday 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM(6354) 440-0762, (6354) 440-0757, (6354) 571-2500ChinabankChinabank DaetVinzons AvenueBarangay VMonday - Friday 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM(054) 440-0066RCBCRCBC DaetGuinto Building, Froilan Pimentel AvenueBarangay VIMonday - Friday 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM(054) 440 0161Security BankSecurity Bank DaetJusto Lukban StreetBarangay IVMonday - Friday 09:00 AM - 04:30 PM09171173353, 09989682497, (054) 885-3429, (054) 887-5358
Business Districts
Emulating the city planning and zone development of Naga City as one of its primary market catchment, the local government of Daet intends to maintain its central area for commercial activities and public events in the convergence of its primary roads where the boundaries of Barangay 5, Barangay 6, Barangay 4, and Barangay 8 meet.
Another central business district in development is located along the four-lane national road in barangay Lag-on where SM City Daet is situated in front of the central bus terminal near a local college foundation and a road going to the Cathedral of Daet.
Government
Daet as a local government unit is headed by a mayor, vice mayor, and ten councilors. It has administrative and territorial jurisdiction over its 25 component barangay units, each with their own chairman or Punong Barangay as local government chief. The current municipal mayor of Daet is Hon. Ronnie Valencia.
Public Safety and Order
Daet is one of the peaceful towns in the Bicol Region. Criminality and juvenile delinquency are minimal in spite of the fact that it is the urban center of the Province of Camarines Norte. The average monthly crime rate for the period January to December 2018 is 53.35%.