Republic of the Philippinescentral luzon state universityinstitute of graduate studiesscience city of munoz, nueva ecija

ARNOLD G. ONIAMSED

Submitted to Dr. Eden G. AgcaoiliProfessor

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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BARANGAY ABAR 1 ST : THE EARLY BEGINNINGS

Barangay Abar derived its name from the giant “Abar Trees” that were lushly

abounding in the banks of the river traversing the barrio. Its first name was Union

Moncada, because the first settlers came from Moncada, Tarlac. During the Spanish

Regime, Barangay Abar was a hunting ground due to the abundance of wild boars in

what was then a forested area. It was also once a refuge for Filipino resistance group

led by Kapitan Cirilo Gomez struggling against Spanish domination. It was during the

American occupation in the 1930’s when the residents started to pour in the barangay.

The first ricemill was constructed in the area from 1936 to 1940. It catapulted the

prominence of the barangay in the municipality as its coffers increased so as the

income of its residents, and the population grew even bigger. As a result of the fast

migration of people, Barangay Abar was divided into two – the eastern part towards the

townhall was named Abar Primero and the western part going to Cabanatuan was

named Abar Segundo. During the Japanese War, the whole municipality of San Jose

was razed into the ground as a result of the bombings. Residents fled into the nearby

towns to seek refuge from the devastating effects of the war. It was during the liberation

after the war when the residents returned into Barangay Abar 1 st. The war brought

unprecedented changes in the barangay. The previously uninhabited, woody and

forested area now teemed with people with bright prospects of the near future. The

leaders who brought Barangay Abar 1st to what it is today includes Rufino Tagarino,

Melencio Estillore, Aurelio Gabriel, Camilo Rigos, Placido Aquino Jr., Cornelio Tagarino,

Eliseo Abello and Apolinario Buenaventura (from 1946 to the late 1970s).

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The Present Barangay Hall of Brgy. Abar 1st

ABAR 1 ST PRIMARY SCHOOL: TRACING THE PAST

Atty. Arturo Pascual, during his incumbency as the Alcalde Municipal in 1952 to

1963 (now the position is known as Municipal Mayor), initiated the establishment of

intermediate level schools in strategic barrios with at least a primary school in smaller

barrios. It was then in 1952 after the liberation that Abar 1 st Primary School was brought

into being. During that period, classes were held in private houses. The American

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Missionaries known as the Thomasites were the first teachers in the barangay. The

curriculum then focused on the three R’s – reading, writing and arithmetic. In 1968 to

1972, Atty. Arutro Pascual returned to local politics. It was during his second term as

ayor but his 1st term as City Mayor that he led the construction of Army Type, Pascual

Type and Marcos Type school buildings throughout the municipality. These were two

classrooms buildings made of concrete and galvanized iron roof. (It was in July 17,

1969 when then Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Republic Act No. 6051 also known

as “The Charter of San Jose City” authored by then congressman Angel D. Concepcion.

In August 10, 1969, Pres. Marcos formally organized the City Officials of San Jose City).

It was also during these years that Abar 1st Primary School was elevated to a complete

elementary school.

It was in the year 1971 when the first school building was constructed in Abar 1st

Elementary School through the initiative of the then Barangay Captain Camillo Rigos

and his councilors Lou Aquino, Romeo Villaroman, Ricardo Marquez, Remy Dela Cruz,

Eliseo Cabatit and Pedro Sanchez through the help of a civic-spirited couple - Dr.

Vicencio S. Del Pilar and Julita Velayo (now both deceased) who donated an elongated-

triangular lot measuring 5,197 sq.m. The said lot, forming part of the Marianas

subdivision owned by the couple, was donated in favor of the City government of San

Jose City under the administration of Mayor Arturo Pascual who initiated the

construction of a two classroom school building to house the classes. (The same lot

donated by Spouses Dr. & Mrs. Vivencio Del Pilar is still the present site where the

school is located.)

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Dr. Vivencio Del Pilar

ABAR 1 ST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL :

THE METAMORPHOSIS

In 1977, a three-room Bagong Lipunan School Building (BLSB) was constructed

to accommodate the increasing enrollees of the Abar 1st Elementary School. After two

years in 1979, another three-rooms Bagong Lipunan School Building was added to the

structures in the school. It was during the Martial Law and the incumbency of the then

President Ferdiand E. Marcos and Mayors Arturo Pascual (1969-1977), Demetrio

Pascual (August to November 1977), Rogelio Arevalo (November to December 1977)

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and Benjamin Saturno (1977 to 1979) when the classrooms were built. Schools were

administered then by the Secretary of the Department of Education under Presidential

Decree No. 1081 singed on September 24, 1972. On June 2, 1978, then President

Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 1397, renaming the Department of Education to

Ministry of Education and Culture headed by the Education Minister.

During the incumbency of the then Mayor Amor B. Belena, a former BIR tax man

who succeeded Mayor Saturno from December 11, 1979 to May 15, 1986, two more

school buildings with five classrooms were built at Abar 1st Elementary School. In the

year 1984, a three classroom BLSB was erected. In the year 1985, a two-classroom

Kalayaan Building was added to the school. From 1977 to 1985, four concrete buildings

housing eleven classrooms were the main facilities of the school. In the year 1984, by

virtue of the Education Act of 1982, the Ministry of Education was reorganized into

Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.

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The entire Philippine Archipelago then witnessed the assignation of Senator

Benigno Aquino in August 21, 1983. And in 1986 his widow was put into office by a

bloodless revolution known worldwide as People Power 1. Then President Corzon C.

Aquino decreed that all government position be vacated. President Aquino appointed

into office Dr. Eleuterio Violago who replaced Atty. Amor B. Belena from May 16, 1986

to May 15, 1987. The city was left without a formal leader from May 16, 1987 to

December 2, 1987 until the appointment of as Atty. Antonio Paguia as city mayor from

December 3, 1987 to January 1, 1988. During the period of the revolutionary

government of the then President Cory Aquino, no structure was ever built at Abar 1st

Elementary School. The election in 1988 brought back Amor B. Belena in the helm of

the mayoralty in San Jose City. In 1989, a Home Economics building finance thru the

Country Wide Development fund of the then Congressman Simeon E. Garcia was

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added to the existing structures of the school to serve the needs of the pupils in home

economics.

It was during the incumbency of the then City Mayor Atty. Jose C. Felimon from

July 1, 1992 to June 30, 2001 when the number of classrooms at Abar 1 st Elementary

School mushroomed. The administration of then Mayor Felimon, through the funds of

the Local School Board, constructed 2 two-story school buildings totaling 12 rooms in

the school. In the year 1993, a six-classroom two-story school building now housing the

grade three pupils was constructed on the easternmost part of the school. In the year

1994, another six-classroom two-story school building was constructed and now houses

the office, one class each from the grade four and five, and three classes from the

grade six. In the same year also in 1994, the covered multi-purpose gymnasium where

various activities in the school are held was constructed. The multi-purpose gymnasium

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was constructed through the Conutry wide Development Fund (CDF) of Congressman

Dr. Eleuterio Violago. In the year 1998, another classroom was built in the school

funded by the CDF of Cong. Eleuterio Violago. And in the year 1990, a two-classroom

Aquino Type building was again constructed. The building now houses the school

canteen and a class from the grade 1.

Felimon Type School Building built in 1994

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The mayoralty of Atty. Alexander S. Belena July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2007 added

another two buildings totaling nine classrooms at Abar 1st Elementary School. The

school buildings were funded using the Local School Board fund derived from the

Special Education Fund (SEF) of the tax collected from real property.

The Multi-Purpose

Gymnasium built in 1994

thru the CDF of Cong. Violago

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At present, the school has 12 academic buildings with 33 classrooms. Each

classroom is with complete electrical and water installations, and is fitted with toilets to

cater to the needs of the pupils. The school also has a stage built in the early 1980’s

during a fund raising activity conducted to serve that purpose of building a decent stage

for the school. A multi-purpose gymnasium was constructed during the term of the then

congressman Dr. Elueterio Violago. The gym now covers the stage and is the spot

where the various academic, extra-curricular and various ceremonies and activites are

being conducted. The school also has a library, a science laboratory, a math room,

home economics cottage and a school canteen.

The Structures at Abar 1st Elementary School in Miniatures

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THE FOUNDING FATHERS: THE LEADERS WHO STEERED INTO A SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

Abar 1st Elementary School can be called a cradle of leaders in education since it

produced four District Supervisor from its roster of Principals. The earliest known

Principal of Abar 1st Elementary School was Mr. David Datayan who served in the late

1960’s to the early 1970’s. During that time, San Jose City West District, the school

district under the Division of Nueva Ecija where Abar 1st elementary School is clustered,

was then headed by Mr. Buenaventura Eugenio. Mr. Vicente Pascual succeeded Mr.

Datayan as Principal in the early years of 1970, but was promoted as District Supervisor

from June 1975 to May 1983. Came after him as a principal was Mrs. Leonila Elisango

from 1978 to 1983 and like Mr. Pascual, she was promoted as District Supervisor of

San Jose City East District in the succeeding years. During that time, students were

nearing a thousand and the numbers of teachers were more than twenty. Classes

during that time were already departmentalized and there were multiple sections per

grade level.

In the years 1983 until 1989 for a period of six years, the school was under the

administration of Mr. Eduardo Martinez. His immediate superiors then were District

Supervisor Hilaro G. Mengala who hold the helm at the San Jose City West District from

July 8, 1983 to August 10, 1985, and Cipriano B. Pacubas who stayed at the District

Office as Supervisor from January 1988 to Janaury 1990. Mr. Gregorio Eugenio

replaced Mr. Martinez after the latter retired in 1989. Mr. Eugenio served for 4 years

until 1994 under the then District Supervisor Angelita Dela Cruz. After Mr. Eugenio

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came Mr. Eliseo Cabatit. Mr. Cabatit as Principal II. Mr. Cabatit, a proud Boy Scout and

outstanding leader, was also part of the Barangay council who initiated the construction

of the first school building at Abar 1st Elementary School in 1971. Like his predecessors

Mr. Pascual and Mrs. Elisango, Mr. Cabatit also rose from the ranks and became the

District Supervisor of Lupao District. There were thirty two personnel then the principal

and the utility worker, and around one thousand two hundred (1,200) pupils.

Following the administratorship of Mr. Cabatit for one and a half years from 1994

to 1996, came Mrs. Catalina Pascual who served for years from 1996 to 1999. She

worked under the supervision of then District Supervisor Celia Toledo, who hailed from

LLanera. Mrs. Toledo worked at the District Office from August 5, 1996 to February 1,

2002. After Mrs. Catalina Pascual at Abar 1st Elementary School, Mr. Elpidio Santos

serve the school for a period of ten (10) months, after which he was appointed as

District Supervisor of Pantabangan District. His replacement was Mrs. Pricilla Ordinario,

who stayed at the Principal’s Office for almost five years from 1999 until 2004. She

worked under District Supervisor Clarita V. Abinales who stayed at the District Office

from September 11, 2002 until June 2007. Ms. Luisa G. Divina is the present

administrator carrying the position of Elementary School Principal III. She took her oath

of office in 2004. She collaborated to uplift the academic standards of pupils and

achieved excellence in various academic fields such as English, Science and

Mathematics with District Supervisors mrs. Abinales and Mrs. Plerida P. Payawal. The

latter worked very hard to multiple the number of teachers funded by the national office

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in the district. Under the stewardship of ms. Divina, the school was recognized in

number of competitions in the Division of Nueva Ecija.

Presently, Abar 1st Elementary School is considered the second biggest

elementary school in terms of enrolment in San Jose City West District. It is now

administered by a Principal III, the only school next to San Jose West Central School in

the entire city of San Jose to have such distinction to have a Principal III in its roster of

educators.

It has 33 nationally funded teachers and 3 Local School Board Teachers, and

with present enrollment at 1,700 pupils including the pre-elementary pupils. Out of the

33 teachers permanent teachers, two are Master Teacher II, three are Master Teacher

I, ten are Teacher III, four are Teacher II and there are 13 Teacher I. The present

administrator holds a Principal III position. The school also has a utility worker in its

payroll funded by the national government.

The School is located a kilometer away from the City Hall of San Jose City and

25 meters from Maharlika Hiway since it is located in the interior portion of the Pabalan

Subdivision. Brgy. Abar 1st on the other hand is the biggest barangay in San Jose City in

terms of population and land area, and the second biggest barangay in Nueva Ecija in

terms of population. It has 21 zones with approximately 18,279 residents and 3,389

households based on 2009 survey.

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References:1. Socio-Economic Profile, Brgy. Abar1st thru mrs. Filomena pdain, San Jose City

Library2. Various School Records at Abar 1st Elementary School3. Interview Accounts of Mr. Eliseo Cabatit, Mrs. Adelaida Tanedo and Mrs.

Dorotea Ilustre