Why Daet, Camarines Norte is the ‘Home of Firsts’
The historical town of Daet, the capital of Camarines Norte, is the “Home of Firsts.”
The town is approximately 365 kilometers southwest of Metro Manila, and visitors must take an eight-hour bus ride to reach it. The best time to visit is in April, when Camarines Norte celebrates Bantayog Festival. Bantayog is Tagalog for “monument,” and if you know Daet, you totally understand why they have this festival.
You see, this capital town of Camarines Norte was the first ever town to erect a monument in honor of the heroism of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. The first monument is called Bantayog ni Jose Rizal, not to be confused with the one in Metro Manila. The monument was built exactly two years after Jose Rizal was killed by a firing squad under the Spanish government.
The masonry-inspired stone pylon was built through the initiatives of Lt. Col. Antonio Sanz and Lt. Col. Ildefonso Alegre of the Philippine Revolutionary Army in 1898. In 1961, the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) declared it a national landmark. In 2008, it was given another distinction as a national monument. The monument is made from coral stones from the destroyed jail where the katipuneros were tortured by the colonialists. The monument, therefore, has the blood and sweat of all nameless martyrs from Bicol.
But this isn’t the only reason why Daet is called the “Home of Firsts.” The S is there for a reason.
Daet is also the “Home of Firsts” because it was here where the first ever revolution in the Bicol Region happened. In the same park where the Bantayog ni Jose Rizal can be found, they have a memorial for all those who joined the revolution. The revolution happened in April 14, 1898, but was short-lived and lasted only until April 18. The revolution, however, awakened the Bicolanos and was the start of the other fight for independence in the region.
Just across the Bantayog ni Rizal, the Daet Heritage Center and Museum has a surfing gallery. Bagasbas Beach, one of the most popular surfing sites in Bicol Region, has a thriving surfing community after all. Daet prides itself as the true birthplace of surfing in the Philippines. A news article dated May 12, 1970, with the headline “Surfs up in Daet,” is hung on one of the museum’s walls to support this claim. Unfortunately, Republic Act No. 11957 officially designates Baler in Aurora as the birthplace of surfing in the Philippines, where surfing began in 1972.
Daet is also the home of possibly the first local surfboard marker. In the same article, a certain Regino Guinto Jr. was mentioned. He was an engineer and a surfing enthusiast. Apparently, he had experience carving wooden surfboards.
Did you know that Fernando Amorsolo, the first national artist of the Philippines, studied in Daet? Amorsolo wasn’t born in Daet, unlike his brother Pablo. Their father worked in Daet, so the Amorsolos stayed there for a while. You may have seen Fernando Amorsolo’s sketches at the National Museum of the Fine Arts and noticed that some of them had Mayon Volcano. Now you understand his Bicol connection.
Manuel Pabustan Urbano, or Manuel Conde as he is more popularly known, is also one of Daet’s pride. If the name does not ring a bell, any film enthusiast will forgive you since we don’t get to talk about the first ever internationally acclaimed Filipino film that much. The 1950s film “Genghis Khan” was popular in Venice when it was screened there in 1952. Thankfully, copies of this film have been remastered and are available online. (Slightly related: Did you know that Daet has two national artists? Ricardo Arreola Lee, or Ricky Lee, is also a Daet native.)
There you have it. I hope all the reasons Daet is called the “Home of Firsts” have satisfied and convinced you that this town deserves a visit. When you visit, buy a pineapple from a local seller. In my honest opinion, they have the best-tasting pineapples, and I believe many of you will agree.
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