13.4.09

Barangay Santa Cruz

My parents still lives in barangay Santa Cruz although they also travel to Cebu City and stay with my elder brother's family. But we always consider this barangay as home. It used to be known as Pooc, a former sitio of neighbouring barangay Guiwanon. In fact, it is still popularly referred to as Pooc by the locals in the barangay and in Baclayon. It is not surprising to hear people refer to it as Santa Cruz Pooc or Pooc Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz is one of the 17 barangays of Baclayon, Bohol. As at 2007, it has a population of 1,399 and is classified as a rural barangay. If you are coming from Tagbilaran going eastwards, it is the first barangay of Baclayon that you passed by.

I already knew it was once known as Pooc and a former sitio of Guiwanon and recently, that it was founded in the month of June. But imagine my amazement one day when I did a search on it. I found the text of the very law that founded it, Republic Act (RA) 4408 - An Act Creating Certain Barrios in the Municipality of Baclayon, Province of Bohol.

Section 1.2 of the Act states that "The sitio of Pooc in the barrio* of Guiwanon, Municipality of Baclayon, Province of Bohol, is separated from said barrio and constituted into a distinct and independent barrio of said municipality, to be known as the barrio of Santa Cruz."

Other new barrios created by this Act includes Libertad, Dasitam and San Juan Buenaventura. It sets the founding date as June 19, 1965. This means that these barangays will turn 44 this year. Click here for the full text of RA 4408.

* the term barrio had been replaced with the term barangay; both terms are still used interchangeably to mean the same thing, it is the smallest political unit in Philippine politics.

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