Mercedes, Catbalogan

Geography

Mercedes is a progressive and well populated barangay north of the poblacion of Catbalogan City. It nestles at the foothills which form the backdrop of the barangay. It is long in terms of length as it begins from the Antiao Bridge in the east and ends at the Iglesia ni Cristo Church in the north, roughly 1.5 km.

Puroks and Sitios

Barangay Mercedes is subdivided into eight puroks, along the Maharlika National Highway and 2 sitios in the mountains.

Education

Educational institutions situated in Barangay Mercedes are the following:

Preschools:

Elementary School:

Secondary School:

University/College:

History

Cruising north along the national road just after one crosses the Antiao Bridge, one sees a long line of houses hugging the shore and skirting the mountain slopes. These are the homes of simple, sturdy and fun-loving folks, the people of Barangay Mercedes, Catbalogan City, Samar.

Barangay Mercedes is bounded on the south by the city proper of Catbalogan, on the north by the (Maharlika) National Highway, on the east by a chain of mountains, and on the west, by the beautiful Maqueda Bay. As it is, Mercedes has no chance of expansion unless the government spends quite a sum of money to level the mountains on the east or fill a part of Maqueda Bay.

Among the barangay folks and the knowledgeable, Barangay Mercedes is "Borak or Burak," and its inhabitants "Boraknon or Buraknon." Burak in the dialect means "Ilang-Ilang". The Barangay has always been closely associated with these sweet-scented flowering trees which dominated the area long before the Americans came to the country. The exotic Ilang-Ilang are no more but its native appellation "Borak" has stuck in the barangay.

But Mercedes is the official name of the barangay. According to historical data, that portion of land separated and yet adjacent to the City of Catbalogan, with only the Antiao Bridge separating it from the township. Mercedes was established during the reign of Governor Enrique Erenas. With the establishment of the barangay, there arose the question of selecting the saint to bestow her special patronage on the barangay. Governor Erenas' wife, Doña Mercedes, endowed the village chapel with an image of the Virgin of Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercy/ Our Lady of Ransom), thus establishing the official name Mercedes.

Mercedes is a big barangay. Many years ago, its boundaries included the sitios of Maulong, Payao and Capatagan. After the barrio charter was implemented, Maulong and Payao became independent barangays. But the same does not hold true for the sitio of Capatagan. Nestled among the hills a short distance from Mercedes, going east over mountains, Capatagan was once a flourishing community of farmers who reaped good harvest and had a ready market for their crops in the City of Catbalogan. But due to the crude method of farming and having limited knowledge of fertilizers, the soil gradually lost its richness until, one by one, the farmers abandoned their farms, taking their families and livestock with them and the sitio of Capatagan became a shadow of its former prosperity.

About Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes

The Feast of our Lady of Ransom which is celebrated on September 24 every year in Barangay Mercedes, commemorates the role attributed to the Blessed Virgin in freeing of prisoners who had been captured by the Moslems or Seracens in the thirteenth century.

In 711 D.D.the Moslems under Tariq entered Spain from Africa and within a few years completed the conjugation of the country. They even pushed farther than the Pyrenees towards France. In 732 A.D. the Franks led by Charles Martel, defeated them at Tours, thus preventing the further expansion of Islam in Southern Europe.

At the height of the incursion of the Moslems and later during their rule many Christians in Southern Europe, particularly in Spain and Southern France were held captives by the infidels. It was about this time that the Blessed Virgin, in separate visions, appeared to Peter Nolasco, a native of Languedoc, France and Raymund of Peñafort, a Spaniard, and instructed them to found an order ransoming enslaved Christians from the Moors, with the aid of King James I of Aragon.

Peter Nolasco founded the order which was named the Order of Our Lady of Ransom in about 1218. The members of the order were commonly known as "Mercedenian" from the Spanish "Merced" meaning "Mercy".

The headquarters of the order was established in Barcelona, Spain and soon there were French, German, English, Portuguese, and Spanish followers. Peter Nolasco, the first Master General set an example by ransoming many Christians and by converting numerous Mohammedans. About 400 Christians were freed as a result of his journey to the Spanish cities of Valencia and Granada, the Moors. For sometime, Peter was imprisoned in Algiers, Algeria in North Africa, his attempt to free the Christians imprisoned there. Before his death, he resigned from his position.

Raymund of Peñafort, Nolasco's collaborator in the establishment of the Mercedenians, preached throughout Spain to the Moors, to those who had lapsed into the Albigensian heresy, and to the Christians who had returned from captivity in Africa. He succeeded in making thousands of converts.

In the remaining years of his life, Raymund continued to preach against heresy and displayed great interest in the conversion of Moors and Jews.

St. Peter Nolasco was canonized by Pope Urban VIII in 1628, St. Raymund of Peñafort, in 1601, by Pope Clement VIII.

The feast of Our Lady of Ransom was established at the request of the Order of Our Lady of Ransom. Both feast and order are frequently referred to by the word "Mercy" instead of "ransom" The feast of Our Lady of Ransom is no longer observed universally.

Landslide Incident

At around 7:30 a.m. December 30, 2014, a landslide incident happened in Barangay Mercedes, Catbalogan City, Samar. Meanwhile, rescue and retrieval operations for the remaining three residents believed to be trapped in the rubble and mud resumed Thursday morning after operations were stalled on Wednesday due to heavy rains. Eight more residents injured in the incident were still in the hospital, the report said. According to the city government, the site had earlier been declared a danger zone and that the residents were advised to evacuate. The report, however, said that forced evacuation was not implemented by the local government as it prioritized the evacuation of those living near the Antiao River.

Bishop Isabelo C. Abarquez officiated mass on January 3, 2015 at Mercedes Church for the landslide victims at Barangay Mercedes brought about by Typhoon Seniang. Sixteen (16) bodies remained at Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Parish out of the twenty-two (22) recorded casualties. The City Government of Catbalogan headed by City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan along with several city councilors paid their respects to the bereaved families during the said mass.

Notable Religious Celebrations and Events in Barangay Mercedes

Historical sites and Landmarks

The Supreme Pupil Government (SPG)

New Hymn

The New Hymn is sung after the final blessing of the priest during the Sunday Mass in honor of Our Lady of Ransom, Nuestra Señora De Las Mercedes.

Cofradia de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes

Cofradia de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes is a confraternity of Buraknons and Past Hermanas of Our Lady of Ransom who help to assist every fiesta celebration since the 1950s.

Current Hermana

Incoming Hermanas

Old Cofradias

The following are the list of cofradias (confraternities). The following dates or year are taken from the record book of the church.

Newly Established Cofradias

Past Barangay Captains (Spanish Era - present)

Barangay Captain

Barangay Councilors (Kagawad)