Barili, Cebu

Location : 66.6 kms SW
Area : 11,517 hectares
No. of Barangays : 42
Town Fiesta : July 25-26
Patron Saint : St. Anne
Major Occupation : farming, livestock raising
Principal Products : corn, coconuts, swine and cattle
Trade and Industry : limestone and rock phosphate mining
Places of Interest : Mantayupan Falls, Boloc-boloc spring, Kabalongan and Dayao beaches beside unexplored caves, Paril 30 hectare mountain resort, Cebu Barili Golf Course, Paradise Valley Mountain Resort

Historical Notes

How Barili got its name used to be a legend. The legend, however, became the official story of the naming of the town, when in 1908, its municipal council passed an unnumbered resolution adopting the vignette as the true account. The tale goes:

Centuries ago, there was (and still is) a plateau in the middle of a swamp. A couple built their hut on this place and in fact, their daughter, Inday Balili, was born there. A big tree grew nearby with a vine locally known as loy-a loy-a or balili intertwining on its trunk.

During those times, Spaniards would go around the province to acquaint themselves with the native settlements. One group came to this particular spot and chanced upon the couple. One asked for the name of the place. Thinking that the official who was toying with the leaves of the vine was asking for its name, the two immediately answered Balili. The word was listed down as the name of the locality.

Since Balili was hard on the Castilian tongue, it was pronounced as Barili by them.

Barili has a higher status than other municipalities during the Spanish regime. It was established as a parish and the sub-capital of the province. To it belonged the towns of Bantayan, Madridejos, Santa Fe to the north and Santander to the south. It had a Court of First Instance, a Register of Deeds, a fiscal Promoter, an Administrator (now Provincial Treasurer, and Interventor (now Provincial Auditor), and other high positioned government officials.

The first Cebuano and Filipino Bishop Juan de Gorordo was from Barili.

From: Cebu In Legend and History
By: Evangeline Lavilles de Paula

Brief Profile of Barili, Cebu:

            Located southwest of Cebu is the Municipality of Barili. It is bounded in the north by the Municipality of Aloguinsan, in the south by the Municipality of Dumanjug, in the east by the Municipalities of Carcar and Sibonga, and in the west by Tañon Strait. It is 61 kilometers from Cebu City and can be reached within the hour’s drive.

            Barili, is a 4^th class municipality, with forty-two (42) barangays, allowing a total population of 51,497 and a land area of 117.15 square kilometers, the greater portion of which is devoted to agriculture. Corn, coconut and bananas are the major agricultural products of the municipality. 

            Aside from agriculture, Barili also has quite a good number of industrial and commercial enterprises. Rice and corn milling, basket making, furniture making, mat and hat weaving, livestock and poultry raising.

            Rich mineral resources abound the municipality. Like phosphate, dolomite and coal.

            Buses, jeepneys, tricycles, motorcycles & trisikads are the main types of public transport when going around the town.

            When it comes to Education, no municipality can beat Barili. It has elementary, primary and secondary schools, college and technical schools by both government and private sector. Majority of the people can speak and write English and Pilipino.

            Barili has one district hospital with a capacity of ten beds, manned by competent staff. At present, plans for renovation and expansion are on the drawing board.

Brief History:

            Records in the Cebu Archdiocesan Chancery show that the parish of Barili was established in 1614. It gradually evolved into a town, now the Municipality of Barili.

            In those days, as history provides, Barili was one of the most coveted towns in the island because of its fertile soil where excellent tobacco thrived.

            During that time, a town was run by an encomendiero / a person responsible for the protection and welfare of the town. In 1632, Doña Catalina Jiminez, the encomendiera died. When word about her death reached Captain Juan Fernandez de Leon, a Manila resident, he files a petition to become Barili’s next encomendiero. And on November 5, 1633, his petition was granted.

            In 1898, the Americans defeated the Spaniards in the Battle of Manila Bay and 400 years of Spanish rule ended. Under the new regime, primary education became universal and every Barili child was obliged to go to school.

            On December 8, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed and World War II broke out. In Barili, the Japanese imperial forces landed in Japitan on April 10, 1942. They established their barracks at Barili Central School.

            After three years of Japanese occupation was restored and independence came to Barili on July 4, 1946.

Focus of Assessment

            The focus of assessment is the physical condition of the community environment or the built-up areas of the municipality which is 70% of the criteria points taking into account its general cleanliness and urban greening including support systems provided by the municipality on programs and projects relative to clean and green, waste management and other related undertaking specifically on organizational structures, budgetary support, equipment, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Community mobilization and people’s participation in environmental protection and management are also in the focus of assessment.

Assessment Methodology

            In this year’s assessment, the Regional Search Committee (DILG, DENR, DOH, DECS, DOT, PIA and ALU-TUCP) has decided to have two assessment teams. Each team was assigned to conduct on-site assessment of local government units in Categories “A” and “B”. The two assessment teams have conducted ocular inspection of the various facilities, and programs and projects of the municipality such as public market, slaughterhouse, public park and plazas, schools, dumpsite, pocket forests and others.

            Random interviews were conducted to local officials, vendors, market stallholders and some people in the municipality to assess their level of awareness and involvement in the program. Records evaluation was also made on the presence of the organizational structure, legislative and budgetary supports such as enactment of ordinances and resolutions by the Sangguniang Bayan and Executive Orders issued by the Municipal Mayor to effect the implementation of the Gawad Pangulo sa KAPALIGIRAN.

            Assessment results were consolidated on September 21, 1999 and submitted to the committee for review and approval on September 28, 1999.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Physical Conditions

a.)    General Cleanliness

Absence of eyesores. The Municipality of Barili, Cebu is different from some other cities and towns in terms of certain aspects of general clealiness. Practically there is an absence of unsightly posters, advertisement billboards, graffiti and abandoned junks. Open space is utilized for the planting of fruits and forests trees.

Well-maintained drainage and sewerage system. Drainage system in the public market and slaughterhouse and other public places are properly maintained as can be observed during the assessment. There are no garbage or litters inside the canals. Free-flow water is evident during the evaluation. De-clogging of drainage canal is regular and done by maintenance men of municipal government. Store and market stall owners also help prevent the clogging of canals with solid wastes by maintaining the cleanliness of their immediate vicinity.

Presence of well-kept public toilets. Public toilets are generally clean. These can be found practically in all public places. Comfort rooms in the municipal hall were found to be very well maintained and the same is true with those at the market, where the surroundings were planted with ornamental plants. Water is provided in all these comfort rooms.

Clean public market/slaughterhouse. Public market is generally clean, free from garbage and litters. Fish and meat stalls are provided with water for flushing. Garbage receptacles are present where collected wastes materials are place for disposal by the garbage collectors.

On the other hand, the municipal abattoir is well drained and properly maintained. No evident of scattered carcasses trimmings, were present, foul odor inherent to slaughterhouse are reduced to the minimum.

Presence of Trash receptades. Trash receptacles are color-coded. Each set three drums, painted red (for plastics), green (for tin cans and bottles), blue (for leaves, papers etc.). These garbage are collected daily by the two garbage trucks of the LGU.

Presence of Garbage collection and Disposal System. To complement the two garbage trucks that collect the garbage of the town daily, Barili was able to acquire four (4) mechanized grass cutters and shredder machine, which sheds big masses of garbage such as leaves to be decomposed in the compost pit. The decomposed materials can be used as organic fertilizer.

b.)    Urban Space Greening

Organization Structure. Barili, Cebu has a clean and green council headed by the Municipal Mayor which oversees/monitors clean and green program of the town. Local officials and National Government representatives are involved in the program including the barangays which are responsible in the cleaning and greening of their sitios.

Budgetary Support. In 1998 the amount of P1,860,000.00 was appropriated to cover the expenses on clean and green program. This year, the municipality has appropriated an amount of P1,651,241.00 for its Gawad Pangulo KAPALIGIRAN.

Equipment. To sustain and maintain the clean and green program the town acquired the following equipment: Seven motorcycles; one jeepney and two cars for mobility; a water tanker which provides water to keep the barangays with insufficient water supply; two trucks garbage for the daily collection of garbage; four mechanized grass cutters; garden tools for plaza maintenance and use in the barangay; a shredder machine to decomposed materials.

Monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Ordinances and Executive Orders on the implementation of this program were formulated and effectively implemented.

Community Mobilization and People’s Participation. Yearly Clean and Green Contest among Puroks and Barangays were conducted and cash prizes are awarded to winners. All residents of the town are motivated and encouraged to help in the success of the program.

- Source DILG 7