Compostela is my dear hometown and I’m freakin’ excited to share about it today. On my previous post, I’ve shared about my home country, The Philippines, so I thought it might be a good idea to share my hometown too.
FACTS About Compostela
Compostela is one of the 11 Municipalities of Compostela Valley Province (Comval Province). It is politically divided into 16 barangays with a total population of 87,474 people according to the 2015 Census.
The 16 Barangays:
- Aurora
- Bagongon
- Gabi
- Lagab
- Mangayon
- Mapaca
- Maparat
- New Alegria
- Ngan
- Osmeña
- Panansalan
- Poblacion
- San Jose
- San Miguel
- Siocon
- Tamia
NOTE: People always confuse Compostela and Compostela Valley. Compostela is just part of Compostela Valley province, also known as Comval Province.
History
A little history, it’s development started before World War II when the region was yet a forest and the main occupants were the local Mandayas settled along the river banks of the Agusan River. There are no written records as to how it got its name. However, residents believe that it was a temporary Spanish settlement, a Kampo de Kastila (literally, “Field of Spaniards”) of Spanish that came from the Eastern Coast of Davao Oriental. Another version is that a Spanish friar from the East Coast came to the place bringing with him a statue of Senior Santiago de Apostol, patron saint of his birthplace Compostela, Spain and thus named the place Compostela.
Products
Agriculture is the main source of livelihood in my hometown. Rice, coconut, corn, and banana are the most popular agricultural products we produce.
References:
Website: www.compostela.gov.ph
FB PAGE: LGU FB
How To Get There
Traveling to this province is easy but takes some time. The closest airplane terminal to Compostela, Compostela Valley is the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City. Flight time is roughly one hour and 45 minutes.
Once you are the airport, you can either choose to ride a bus or a car (if you have). If you take the bus it will take you 3-4 hours while for private cars it will only take 2-3 hours. We have to consider the traffic in Davao city. 🙂
What to See & Experience
Like any other local places here, the Municipality features the value of agriculture and forest resources. Mostly what you will see are rice fields, banana farms, and coconut farms.
A small town away from the hustle and bustle of the city where you can really appreciate simple living.
We do have a few inland resorts like Highland Breeze Farm Resort (that I haven’t explored yet) for the locals to enjoy. I’ll make sure to feature it in my future post.
FESTIVALS
Buganihan Festival & Araw ng Compostela
Buganihan Festival is a colorful, spirited and bountiful celebration every 1st of August intertwined with the Araw ng Compostela. Locals portray its culture, heritage, and practices in honor of the native indigenous people, the so-called “Mandayas”.
It’s a week-long celebration and many visitors mostly from neighboring town visits. They all want to join and witness various activities such as Agro-Trade Fair, Binibining Compostela, Motorcross, sports activities, and the Unity Night and Fireworks Display.
Andugan Festival
An indigenous festivity of the Mandaya tribe that we always celebrate on the month of December. The activities and events focus on portraying the worth and culture of our Mandaya tribes — from their dance shows to their cultural events in different aspects of life.
Sr. Santiago Apostol Fiesta
As most locals are Christian Catholic (I am too), we will always be thankful as we celebrate the Parochial Town Fiesta in honor of Sr. Santiago Apostol. The feast day of our patron saint is on July 25th. Most houses would prepare their own huge feast and invite people to dine and celebrate with them. Everyone is welcome!
Where to Stay
There are primary inns, lodging houses, dormitory, and boarding houses can cater to locals and foreign tourists. The most popular one is Coco’s Hotel.
Where to Eat and Have Fun
We do have some restaurants, bars, and convention venus you can check out. Such as Borio’s Cafe & Restaurant, Joop’s Atlantis Pool and Bistro, Mak T Restobar, and JML Fastfood.
There is not much to see in my town and I really appreciate how our municipality is improving. Thanks to our local government!
If you plan on visiting, please do let me know! 🙂
