Nabua, officially the Municipality of Nabua (Rinconada Bikol: Banwāan ka Nabua; Tagalog: Bayan ng Nabua), is a municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
The town is recognized as the birthplace of modern kuntaw and jota rojana. The municipality is also known for its large coconut plantations, which support its local agriculture and economy. Additionally, it is acknowledged as the mother town of Iriga City, Buhi, Bato, Balatan, Bula, and Baao.
Etymology
The municipality of Nabua traces the historical origin of its name way back during the Spanish colonial era. It was said that in 1571, an Augustinian friar named Alonzo Gimenez reached one of the rancherías called "Lupa" which was then under Datu Panga from Borneo. The good friar found persons inside the said rancheria cutting coconuts. He was offered to partake the inside shoot of coconut which the natives called “boa." Immediately, Fray Alonzo tagged the place as “Nabua” pronounced with his Spanish accent. The place is said to have been popularly known as "Nabua" since then.
In another version, the historian Fray Felix Huerta claimed that the name came from the story that the original sitio of the town was in the shape of a young coconut embryo surrounded by five rancherias named Lupa, Antacodos, Sabang, Caobnan, and Binoyoan. Others believed otherwise and said it was centrally located in the middle of said rancherias, thus closely resembling "boa." For a time, the town was called “Nabobowa" but years of long usage shortened and corrupted it to the present name.
History
In 1578, a group of Franciscan missionaries led by Fray Pablo de Jesus and Fray Bartolome Ruiz put up a church in Antacodos where they placed a big cross. These missionaries soon merged the villages of Lupa, Antacodos, Sabang, and Binoyoan into one place.
In a research mission to Spain funded by the municipality, it was learned that Nabua was officially established as a municipality on July 25, 1569.
Based on the 1734 Murillo Velarde map, one of the earliest cartographic maps of the Philippine archipelago, the town is identified as "Nava"—a Spanish name indicating a "level piece of ground." This is probably the apt description of the place at that time, and until the present time, a flat terrain stretching from the shores of the lakes of Bato and Baao and nestled in the plains between Mt. Asog and the mountains of Bula and the then Pantao.
The 1818 census showed the area had 2,612 native families and 2 Spanish-Filipino families.
Geography The municipality of Nabua ranges approximately 123.25–123.39° east longitude and 13.35–13.42° north latitude. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Baao and Bula; on the south by the municipality of Bato; on the east by Iriga City; and on the west by the municipality of Balatan. The municipality is an established growth center in the southeast part of Camarines Sur or the midsection of Bicol River Basin Area. It is located along the Legazpi–Iriga–Naga–Daet Growth Corridor or LINDGC. Nabua is from Pili and from Manila.
Climate
The municipality of Nabua possesses a climate belonging to the 4th type wherein rainfalls are more or less evenly distributed throughout the years. Its rainfall is classified as Type B or humid which is characterized by rains well or evenly distributed throughout the year with at most three dry months. General wind direction prevailing the municipality is from northeast to southwest at an average velocity of eight knots.
The municipality has a dry, a cold, and a wet season. From June to November, the town experiences heavy rains. The cold season comes every December to February. Then, from March to May, the dry season commences.
Land
The municipality of Nabua is one land mass containing a total land area of 8,854.4193 hectares. This total land area distributed among the 42 barangays, nine of which are considered as urban barangays, namely, San Antonio (Poblacion), San Esteban, San Francisco, San Juan, San Luis, San Isidro, San Miguel, San Nicolas, San Roque (Poblacion) and 33 are considered as rural barangays. Among the urban barangays, San Antonio (Poblacion) has the biggest land area of 234.1798 hectares while San Luis has the least land area of 2.1746 hectares. In the rural barangays, La Purisima has the largest land area as well as in the entire municipality of 428.1501 hectares while San Roque Madawon has the smallest land area of 76.3228 hectares.
The municipality of Nabua given its land mass is entirely classified as alienable and disposable lands. Previous land classification has its slight share of forestland but was absorbed by the adjacent municipality of Balatan which requires political solution.
Elevation and slope
Nabua has about 8,803.0600 hectares or 99.42% very low elevation or less than 100 meters elevation and remaining 51.3593 hectares or 0.58% of low elevation or between 100 and 300 meters elevation. Its slope covers about 7,927.3616 hectares or 89.53% which are level to nearly level (0-3%) while the remaining 927.0577 hectares or 10.47% are rolling to moderately steep (18-30%)
As the dominantly alluvial plain, the municipality of Nabua has the prevalent soil types classified as either clay loam or sandy loam having silty texture. These soil types are very favorable for agricultural usage.
The geological characteristics for Nabua consist of: Upper Pleistocene (Sandstone and shale), Pliocene Pleistocene (Volcanoclast alluvial fans), and Recent (Alluvium or rice terraces).
The natural drainage tributaries for Nabua consist of numerous creeks interconnected with the three major rivers namely: Bicol River, Waras River, and Barit River.
Barangays Nabua is politically subdivided into 42 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. Nabua has five districts: Antacudos, Binoyoan, Caobnan, Lupa and Sabang.
Angustia (Angustia Inapatan) Antipolo Old Antipolo Young Aro-aldao Bustrac Inapatan (Del Rosario Inapatan) Dolorosa (Dolorosa Inapatan) Duran (Jesus Duran) La Purisima (Agupit) Lourdes Old Lourdes Young La Opinion Paloyon Oriental Paloyon Proper (Sagrada Paloyon) Salvacion Que Gatos San Antonio (Poblacion) San Antonio Ogbon San Esteban (Poblacion) San Francisco (Poblacion) San Isidro (Poblacion) San Isidro Inapatan Malawag (San Jose Malawag) San Jose (San Jose Pangaraon) San Juan (Poblacion) San Luis (Poblacion) San Miguel (Poblacion) San Nicolas (Poblacion) San Roque (Poblacion) San Roque Madawon San Roque Sagumay San Vicente Gorong-Gorong San Vicente Ogbon Santa Barbara (Maliban) Santa Cruz Santa Elena Baras Santa Lucia Santiago Old Santiago Young Santo Domingo Tandaay Topas Proper Topas Sogod
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Nabua was 86,458 people, with a density of .
The municipality's total population accounts for 4.3% of the total provincial population of Camarines Sur, ranking sixth behind much larger population sizes of Naga City, Iriga, Libmanan, Pili and Calabanga.
Historically, the municipal population has experienced positive growth rate, beginning in Censal Year 1903 up to 1999. Municipal population records show only one exception in Censal Year 1970 where the municipal population decreased. This population shift in number can be attributed to migration patterns due to socio-economic reasons. Thus, from a mere population size of 18,893 in 1903, the current municipal population more than tripled in size for 1999.
Spread out among the 42 barangays of Nabua, there are 10,093 persons living in the urban barangays while 65,329 persons live in the rural barangays. Among urban barangays, San Antonio Poblacion has the largest population with 2,363 persons while San Luis has the smallest with 358 persons. For rural barangays, La Purisima has the largest population with 8,165 persons while Salvacion Que Gatos has the lowest with a population of 523 persons.
Religion
Many Nabueños are followers of Catholicism which is apparent in several barangays bearing the names of Catholic patron saints. However, culture, festivals and practices are of mixed Catholic and local beliefs of Bicolanos of the pre-Spanish period. Iglesia ni Cristo is the largest minority religion with several local congregations in the municipality and is growing rapidly.
Language
The Nabua-Balatan variant under lowland dialect (sinaranəw) of Rinconada Bikol can be considered having its base from the Bikol languages. However, there are other smaller social groups within the Bicol region where Nabua derives the foundation of its variant. The Rinconada area composed of Baao, Buhi, Bula, Balatan, Bato, Nabua and Iriga shares the same Rinconada Bikol language that the local folks are still enriching up to this day. The Nabua-Balatan variant can be easily recognized by the way they enunciate words or phrases when they talk or use the language. For being the mother town of all the municipalities and city in Rinconada area, the Nabua-Balatan variant is considered by linguistics as one of the foundation variants of Rinconada Bikol language.
Additionally, Spanish influences are frequently encountered in the languages of Nabuenos. Some examples of Spanish words embedded in the local dialect are: “Abreyā raw iton puertan.” This is a command statement, meaning “Open the door” in English or “Buksan ang pintuan” in the Filipino language. The word “abreyā” is an inflection of the Spanish verb “abrir” (to open), and “puertan” is a shorten word of "puertāhan" which is from the Spanish word “puerta”.
Other variations of Spanish words being used in the Nabua-Balatan variant can be found, but many of these words or terms due to usage over time do not follow proper Spanish language conjugations and grammar.
Culture
Nabua has a rich array of customs and colorful practices that are found up to the present day.
Pangarana
This is the Nabua version of “serenading”. When a man wants to show his intent to court a woman, the man (sometimes accompanied by his friends) armed with a guitar or possibly a karaoke machine shows up on the woman’s doorsteps unannounced late at night. The woman or her family have either the option to turn on the lights and acknowledge the serenaders or just ignore them. In some cases, the event turns into an unforgettable event as the woman’s family may come up with some unique ways to get the serenaders out of their property, such as throwing a bucketful of hot water or unleashing “bantay”, the household watch dog.
Pa-aurora
The local folks are religious in nature so it is common for them to make a religious promise or ‘panata’ expressing their exultation to God because of a bountiful harvest or they have a petition that they wish would be granted. This is manifested through the local practice of “Aurora”. On nine consecutive nights, they would decorate an improvised "carroza" for their local patron saint and then visit the households in the neighborhood with singing and prayers.
Pista sa mga Kalag
On November 1, nearly all citizens take a trip down to the cemetery. This is their practice of honoring and remembering departed loved ones. They would offer flowers and light candles in their tombstones, sarcophagus, or decorate the family mausoleum with flowers and food. The local cemetery comes alive the night of November 1 to commemorate All Saints Day until the early morning of November 2 for All Souls Day. Masses at the cemetery are often offered on both days.
Tang-gal kin Cuaresma
During the season of Lent, some of the prominent families in Nabua will sponsor a “Tang-gal”. Tang-gal is the re-enactment of Jesus Christ’s Passion and Death on the cross. After the passion of Christ is re-enacted, the “tang-gal” is concluded with “Ire-Helena”, the story of Helene and Constantine in search of the True Cross.
Pag-li-li