Sasmuan

Sasmuan, officially the Municipality of Sasmuan (Kapampangan: Balen ning Sasmuan, Tagalog: Bayan ng Sasmuan), formerly known by its Spanish name Sexmoán, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 28,004 people.[3]

Sasmuan

Sexmoán (formerly)
Municipality
Municipality of Sasmuan
Municipal Hall
Map of Pampanga with Sasmuan highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Sasmuan
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 14°56′N 120°37′E
Country Philippines
RegionCentral Luzon (Region III)
ProvincePampanga
District2nd District
Barangays12 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorNardo M. Velasco
 • Vice MayorAnney May T. Angeles
 • CongressmanJuan Miguel M. Arroyo
 • Electorate21,935 voters (2019)
Area
 [2]
 • Total91.80 km2 (35.44 sq mi)
Population
 (2015 census)[3]
 • Total28,004
 • Density310/km2 (790/sq mi)
 • Households
5,584
Economy
 • Income class4th municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence15.88% (2015)[4]
 • Revenue (₱)76,929,784.78 (2016)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
2004
PSGC
035422000
IDD : area code +63 (0)45
Climate typetropical monsoon climate
Native languagesKapampangan
Tagalog

Etymology

It was known as Sexmoan until January 15, 1991.[5] The town's former name in Spanish was Sexmoán, as was initially transcribed by Spanish friars. In Spanish, the letter <x> used to be pronounced as a voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, identical to the digraph <sh> in English. It was derived from the ancient Kapampangan rootword sasmo, which means to meet, according to a 17th-century Kapampangan dictionary. Sasmuan therefore is synonymous with "pitagmuan" or "meeting place of the datus" or "meeting point". It was named "Sasmuan" because it is where the Pampangos meet when they were at war with the Chinese in Guagua.[6] In 1991, it was unanimously changed into Sasmuan, since the previous name, Sexmoán, denoted a very negative sexual connotation not only to the town, but also to the people living within the town itself due to the inculture of believing that the prefix "Sex-" had something to do with the English word sex.[7][8]

History

Sasmuan already had a well-developed system of government well before the era of Spanish colonization. It evolved to be one of the oldest and major settlements in Pampanga by the 16th century. The Santa Lucia Church was one of the first Roman Catholic churches built in the Philippines by the Spaniards with the political and financial support of the Principalia.

Geography

Sasmuan is located in the southern part of Pampanga. It is one of the three towns in the province touching the Manila Bay (Others are Macabebe and Lubao). It is bounded to the north by the municipalities of Guagua and Minalin; to the east by the municipality of Macabebe; to the west by the municipality of Lubao; and to the south by Manila Bay.

Barangays

Sasmuan is politically subdivided into 12 barangays.

  • Santo Tomas includes Sitio Santa Cruz
  • San Nicolas 2nd includes Sitio Remedios
  • San Nicolas 1st
  • Santa Lucia
  • San Antonio
  • San Pedro
  • Santa Monica includes Sitio San Francisco
  • Malusac "Sto Rosario"
  • Sebitanan "Sto Cristo"
  • Mabuanbuan "Sagrada Pamilya"
  • Batang 1st "Sto Nino"
  • Batang 2nd "Sn Vicente"

Climate
Climate data for Sasmuan, Pampanga
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 33
(91)		 34
(93)		 33
(91)		 31
(88)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 30
(86)		 31
(87)
Average low °C (°F) 19
(66)		 20
(68)		 21
(70)		 23
(73)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 22
(72)		 20
(68)		 23
(73)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 8
(0.3)		 9
(0.4)		 15
(0.6)		 34
(1.3)		 138
(5.4)		 203
(8.0)		 242
(9.5)		 233
(9.2)		 201
(7.9)		 126
(5.0)		 50
(2.0)		 21
(0.8)		 1,280
(50.4)
Average rainy days 3.7 4.1 6.5 11.2 21.2 24.9 27.7 26.5 25.5 21.8 12.6 5.6 191.3
Source: Meteoblue [9]

Demographics
Population census of Sasmuan
YearPop.±% p.a.
1903 6,981—    
1918 7,224+0.23%
1939 10,018+1.57%
1948 9,804−0.24%
1960 13,081+2.43%
1970 16,792+2.53%
1975 16,849+0.07%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1980 17,901+1.22%
1990 21,148+1.68%
1995 23,146+1.71%
2000 23,359+0.20%
2007 26,630+1.82%
2010 27,254+0.85%
2015 28,004+0.52%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[3][10][11][12]

In the 2015 census, the population of Sasmuan, Pampanga, was 28,004 people,[3] with a density of 310 inhabitants per square kilometre or 800 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy
Sasmuan Fish port

Sasmuan has a unique geography in that it is surrounded by fish ponds. Aquaculture has been the main industry that drives the local economy. The fish from ponds and other areas are sold at the Fish Port.

The town has 2 prime business ventures and both are in the food industry. These two are Sasmuan Delicacies which was founded in 1990 and Aiza's Sweets which was started in 2000. For Sasmuan Delicacies, their products are being sold in many big supermarkets and malls in the Philippines, including SM City Malls. Aiza's Sweets on the other hand, has SM City Malls as one of their primary customer, but they also sell to several popular local shops such as Susie's Sweets, Nathaniels, etc. Also, Aiza's Sweets exports to the United States and Canada.

Culture

Cuisine
  • Polvoron- Roasted flour with sugar, milk, and butter or margarine.
  • Tamales- Rice flour with shrimp gravy, garlic, and a little slice of boiled egg steamed in banana leaves.
  • Palapat- A sour fruit from a tree that grows in shallow waters. Often utilised as a condiment.
  • Tabang Talangka- fat derived from talangka, a small breed of crab.
  • Eko- a type of fish sauce.
  • Taklang Dagis - A Stool from Dakung.
  • Dulum/Sinarapan- A small fish found in rivers.
  • Pituklip- Thin sticky rice dessert.

Fiestas
  • Fiesta San Juan: Celebrated every June 24 in honour of St. John the Baptist. Customarily, visitors to the town are doused with water in imitation of the saint's biblical role. A grand fluvial parade is conducted that lasts throughout the day.
  • Kuraldal Festival: Celebrated every January 6 in honour of the town's patron saint, Saint Lucy. This saint is believed to help not only the blind but women who wish to have fertility and to bear children.

Santa Lucia Parish Church
Santa Lucia Parish Church

The Santa Lucia Parish Church in Sasmuan is the first church in the province built by Augustinian priests. It stands right beside the Río Grande, a river that connects Pampanga to Manila Bay. The structure is said to have been built by Jose Duque in the 17th century, was rebuilt in the early 1800s, and was reinforced by Toribio Fanjul in 1884.

The edifice has decorative floral carvings on its main entrance. The old town church is one of the few, if not the only church in the country where the single belfry is situated between the church and the convento. The church, which measures 45 metres (148 ft) long, 11 metres (36 ft) wide, and 6 metres (20 ft) high, also features a grotto of Our Lady of Fatima. Devotees from all over the province flock here to honor Saint Lucy, believed to be a miraculous saint.

Founded in 1590, Santa Lucia is a parish of the Vicariate of St. Joseph in the Archdiocese of San Fernando. The parish celebrates the feast day of its titular patron on December 13.

[13]

Images
  • Welcome marker
  • St. Lucy School of the Archdiocese of Pampanga
  • Covered courts and gymnasium
Panorama of the Fish port
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gollark: https://xkcd.com/1769/
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gollark: Not every topic has relevant xkcds.

See also

References
  1. "Municipality". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. "Province: Pampanga". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. Census of Population (2015). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. PSA. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. "PSA releases the 2015 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Quezon City, Philippines. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  5. Eighth Congress of the Philippines (January 15, 1991). "Republic Act No. 6976: AN ACT CHANGING THE NAME OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF SEXMOAN IN THE PROVINCE OF PAMPANGA TO MUNICIPALITY OF SASMUAN". The LawPhil Project. Philippine Laws and Jurisprudence Databank.
  6. "Sasmuan". eK! - electronic Kabalen. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  7. "Santa Lucia Church, Sasmuan, Pampanga". Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  8. Jennings, Ken (17 April 2012). Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks. Scribner. ISBN 1439167184.
  9. "Sasmuan: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  10. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. NSO. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  11. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region III (Central Luzon)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. NSO.
  12. "Province of Pampanga". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  13. "Church of Santa Lucia (Sasmuan, Pampanga)". July 28, 2006.
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