Gainza, officially the Municipality of Gainza (; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Camarines Sur Camarines Sur (; ), officially the Province of Camarines Sur (Central Bikol language, Bikol: ''Probinsya kan Habagatan na Camarines''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its ca ...

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. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 11,584 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province. Gainza is one of the oldest municipalities in Camarines Sur. Gainza is a part of Metro Naga Urban Area

History

The town is not a young

neither it can be counted among the

ancient Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...

towns and

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the Bicol Region. However, its origin is as old as “Ciudad de Caceres” – Naga City today. The municipality was formerly a barrio of Ciudad de Caceres founded by Captain Pedro de Chavez. The barrio of Ciudad de Caceres was called Sto. Domingo, after its patron saint, Sto. Domingo de Guzman. Because the natives of this farming and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

village had progressively clung to the fertile lowland

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

and fish- rich meandering rivers and creeks in the central part of the province, its people earned the benevolence and recognition of Bishop Francisco Gainza, O.P. of Nueva Caceres. On December 10, 1863, the Bishop gave the village of Sto. Domingo its Ecclesiastical Charter as a municipality. The feast of the parish patron saint, St. Dominic of Guzman is celebrated annually on 8 August. It was named after the late bishop of Nueva Caceres, Francisco Gainza of the Dominican Order. He selected the barrio Sto. Domingo for the construction of a canal or passageway originally planned by two Franciscan Friars and by Governor Norzagaray as early as the first half of the 17th Century. The canal was to serve two purposes: one to connect the river of Naga to the sea of Pasacao which would shorten the route from Naga City to

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avoiding the treacherous San Bernardino Strait, and the other is to serve as another outlet for the flood waters of the lower plains of the province. If the Bicol River Basin Development Program had pushed through the building of the canal, the flooding of towns along the Bicol River could have been avoided. The death of the bishop overcame the ambitious project shortly after the work begun. This canal was called “Via Gainza” in honor of the courageous builder in whose name the town of Gainza was named. This canal is still discernible at present, and it is called in the place “''napuhong salog''” (abandoned canal). His death also meant the end of its development. For political reasons (there were few voters) the town had been neglected in the matter of road building. After three centuries, a good road connecting this town to Naga City was never developed.

Geography

Barangays

Gainza, a municipality in the Philippines, is politically composed of eight (8) barangays. Each barangay comprises smaller administrative units known as puroks, and some include sitios. The barangays are: *Cagbunga *Dahilig *Loob *Malbong *Namuat *Sampaloc *District I (Poblacion), also known as San Juan *District II (Poblacion), also known as Sto. Niño

Climate

Gainza borders Milaor to the south, Pamplona to the west, Canaman to the north, Camaligan and Naga City to the east. Gainza generally is in a plain land.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Gainza, Camarines Sur, was 11,584 people, with a density of .

Economy

Majority of the land is devoted to rice, vegetables and other root crops. Agricultural Sector: ▪ Rice (44%) ▪ Carrots (3%) ▪ Cabbages (25%) ▪ Root crops (28%) Urban areas have small businesses and also fishing like rural areas do.

Infrastructure

Construction is currently underway for a new road and bridge connecting Gainza to its nearby municipality. At an earlier stage, access to more remote barangays was limited to either boats or a suspension bridge. However, significant progress has been made with the completion of three bridges: (1) the Brgy Loob-Malbong Bridge, (2) the Sampaloc Bridge, and (3) the Gainza-Patong Bridge, Pamplona. These bridges, along with a connecting road linking to its nearby municipality will improve transportation options, making it easier for residents and travelers to move between these areas. This development is expected to greatly enhance local connectivity and support regional growth.

Healthcare

* Rural Health Center 1 (Cagbunga) * Rural Health Center 2 (Sampaloc) * Rural Health Center 3 (Malbong)

Gallery

File:Gainza Monument, Camarines Sur, June 2021.jpg, Bishop Francisco Gainza Monument File:Gainza Church, Camarines Sur, June 2021.jpg, St. Dominic of Guzman Parish Church

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Official Site of the Province of Camarines Sur
{{Bicol Region Municipalities of Camarines Sur Metro Naga