Buenavista (Buenavista)
Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista (Bayan ng Buenavista), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Marinduque, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,043 people.
The town was named "Buenavista" by Don Cornelio Sadiua, due to its "good view." Its former name was Sabang, which is the river that runs through it. The majority of Buenavistans trace their ancestry to the Don Cornelio Sadiua family.
In 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Buenavista at Patay Ilog before making their way to the capital. Due to its rugged terrain, relative isolation, and fierce pro-American sentiment, Buenavista was the headquarters for the resistance movement. Japanese forces and the Resistance and guerrillas frequently engaged in skirmishes within the town borders. Occupying Japanese forces burned the school and municipal building, after holding captives composed a member from each Buenavista family. Guerrilla forces eventually re-captured the town.
The 'Libas Ambush, known locally as Pinag Labanan, was a joint guerrilla-Buenavistan effort in which Filipino guerrillas and Buenavistans ambushed and killed a troop of Japanese soldiers. After which the Japanese commandant issued a proclamation that for 1 Japanese soldier killed by the Filipinos in Buenavista, 10 Filipinos will die within a 5-mile radius.
In spite of the Japanese threats the Buenavistans continued their fight against Japanese occupation throughout the war, including rescuing and hiding several the combined Filipino and American military personnel during the war. One such rescue occurred shortly after the fall of Bataan, when the lighthouse keeper found an American seaman hiding among the shoreline rocks. These rescued Filipinos and Americans were clothed, fed and hidden by the Buenavistans, even though they risked execution if the Japanese found out about it.
In 1945, the combined U.S. and Allied Philippine Commonwealth military forces landed at Caigangan beach in Buenavista and attacked from the Japanese Imperial forces in the Battle of Marinduque. The Buenavista Campaign was the first major offensive fought during the Battle of Marinduque. It culminated in a bloody firefight between the Japanese and a joint Allied- Filipino guerrilla offensive. The Japanese, who were headquartered in the Municipal building and elementary school, were soundly defeated.
Buenavista was chosen as the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the U.S. Army Signal Corps due to their record of anti-Japanese actions during the war. The U.S. Army Signal Corps and the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were quartered in Pablo Pe's bodega in the town.
The longest-serving mayor was Recaredo Sarmiento. His term was interrupted during World War II. The first Chinese-Filipino mayor was Wilfredo Sadiua Pe.
The town was named "Buenavista" by Don Cornelio Sadiua, due to its "good view." Its former name was Sabang, which is the river that runs through it. The majority of Buenavistans trace their ancestry to the Don Cornelio Sadiua family.
In 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces landed in Buenavista at Patay Ilog before making their way to the capital. Due to its rugged terrain, relative isolation, and fierce pro-American sentiment, Buenavista was the headquarters for the resistance movement. Japanese forces and the Resistance and guerrillas frequently engaged in skirmishes within the town borders. Occupying Japanese forces burned the school and municipal building, after holding captives composed a member from each Buenavista family. Guerrilla forces eventually re-captured the town.
The 'Libas Ambush, known locally as Pinag Labanan, was a joint guerrilla-Buenavistan effort in which Filipino guerrillas and Buenavistans ambushed and killed a troop of Japanese soldiers. After which the Japanese commandant issued a proclamation that for 1 Japanese soldier killed by the Filipinos in Buenavista, 10 Filipinos will die within a 5-mile radius.
In spite of the Japanese threats the Buenavistans continued their fight against Japanese occupation throughout the war, including rescuing and hiding several the combined Filipino and American military personnel during the war. One such rescue occurred shortly after the fall of Bataan, when the lighthouse keeper found an American seaman hiding among the shoreline rocks. These rescued Filipinos and Americans were clothed, fed and hidden by the Buenavistans, even though they risked execution if the Japanese found out about it.
In 1945, the combined U.S. and Allied Philippine Commonwealth military forces landed at Caigangan beach in Buenavista and attacked from the Japanese Imperial forces in the Battle of Marinduque. The Buenavista Campaign was the first major offensive fought during the Battle of Marinduque. It culminated in a bloody firefight between the Japanese and a joint Allied- Filipino guerrilla offensive. The Japanese, who were headquartered in the Municipal building and elementary school, were soundly defeated.
Buenavista was chosen as the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the U.S. Army Signal Corps due to their record of anti-Japanese actions during the war. The U.S. Army Signal Corps and the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were quartered in Pablo Pe's bodega in the town.
The longest-serving mayor was Recaredo Sarmiento. His term was interrupted during World War II. The first Chinese-Filipino mayor was Wilfredo Sadiua Pe.
Map - Buenavista (Buenavista)
Map
Country - Philippines
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| Flag of the Philippines | |
Negritos, some of the archipelago's earliest inhabitants, were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples. Adoption of animism, Hinduism and Islam established island-kingdoms called Kedatuan, Rajahnates, and Sultanates. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer leading a fleet for Spain, marked the beginning of Spanish colonization. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain. Spanish settlement through Mexico, beginning in 1565, led to the Philippines becoming ruled by the Spanish Empire for more than 300 years. During this time, Catholicism became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade. In 1896, the Philippine Revolution began, which then became entwined with the 1898 Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the territory to the United States, while Filipino revolutionaries declared the First Philippine Republic. The ensuing Philippine–American War ended with the United States establishing control over the territory, which they maintained until the Japanese invasion of the islands during World War II. Following liberation, the Philippines became independent in 1946. Since then, the unitary sovereign state has often had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a decades-long dictatorship by a nonviolent revolution.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHP | Philippine peso | ₱ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |
| TL | Tagalog language |
