BARANGAY OLTAMA

Working Team: ZENAIDA R. CASAMAYOR, ESTER C. BERNARDINO,

WILA JOY V. LACAMBRA

I. BEGINNINGS OF THE BARANGAY:

Barangay Oltama was a sitio of barangay Cabaruan.It was originally called

maybe because it is located on forest hills. Sitio Talocatoc was presented in the

formerly called Barrio Council of Cabaruan by two councilmen, barely seven

years after 1965. The population of Talocatoc had increase, alongside with the

same development in the community. So when Barangay Captain Esteban

Bergonia, the Barangay Captain on that time, had seen that the population of

Talocatoc had increased and meet requirements of becoming a separate

barangay, he consulted the two councilmen and residents in this sitio regarding

the proposal to make Talocatoc a separate barangay.

a. Geography

Barangay Oltama is one of the 34 barangays in Urdaneta City,

Pangasinan. It is located at the Southern part of the city, and is accessible

in a 20 minutes jeepney or tricycle ride from the poblacion. It is rounded

by Barangay Labit and Catablan in the north. Barangay Lunec and

Dampay of Malasiqui in the west; Barangay Cabaruan in the East; and La

Paz of Villasis in the south.

Barangay Oltama was a very quit and lonely place, with only

few households and inhabitants. Based from the stories from the old folks

who were the pioneers in this place, their ancestors came from the

provinces from the north, the Ilocos provinces and La Union. They

migrated to this place, cleared and cleaned the forest lands which

became their homestead. They cultivated this land, planted their crops,

and after few years they took possession of this land; worked out for the

necessary paper/or ownership of this land.

II. THE BARANGAY AS A POLITICAL UNIT

The first leader of the community was Teniente Cecilio Tomines with seven (7)

councilmen namely: Jose Buenavista, Ester Estabillo, Teotimo Lagundi, Hugo

Agas, Perigrino Estabillo, Fernando Facun and Godofredo Estabillo who were

highly respected by the community people. These leaders organized the people

and maintained its peaceful sorroundings.

III. THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE BARANGAY

a. Population:

Around 300 people were the early inhabitants of this barangay.

These people belong to the only six distinct families who were the early

settlers like the Fernandez, Lagundi, Manipon, Agas, Ringor and Estabillo.
b. Economy and Livelihood:

Elderly folks and men engaged themselves in planting rice but

during their free time they do basket weaving with the use of “baracbac”.

The weaved baskets were then sold to the market for additional family

income. Mothers were also involved in the harvesting of “lomboy” and

directly sold it to the market. Early settlers were also into cattle industry. In

fact the Manipon and Lagundi Family owned more than 100 cows and

were pastured in their six-hectare land.

c. Socio-economicdevelopment and progress:

The traditional houses were of nipa hut and bamboo but as time

goes by, houses were then transformed into bungalow type with cement

and hollow blocks as its main materials. Elementary pupils and High School

students had to go to Cabaruan to attend classes until Barangay

Cabaruan let it stand independently with the consent of of the late

Manuel Sison, former mayor of the town of Urdaneta when the Oltama

Elementary School was established through the initiative of Barangay

councils under the leadership of late Cecilio Tomines. A Day-Care Center

was also established in 1991 to cater to the educational needs of the pre-

schoolers. A Barangay Health Center was built to provide health care

services to the barangay folks since Barangay Oltama is twenty-minute

drive from the town proper. Prime means of transportation was the

jeepney with a time schedule of 6:00 o’clock in the morning until 2:00

o’clock in the afternoon with route from Sta. Barbara or Malasique to

Urdaneta Town Proper and Vice Versa. No more jeepney trips beyond 2:00
o’clock in the afternoon so people had to do their marketing and selling

of goods in the town proper during morning.

d. Social relations and dynamics:

Barangay Oltama is celebrating Barangay Night every first quarter

of the year which the community people enjoyed vey much. They ease

people get closer to each otherespecially those families who had been

staying apart from each other.

e. Language and cultural Expression:

Barangay Oltama had improved when it comes to infrastructure.

They road going to city proper had been cemented, a two-storey

Barangay Hall was constructed, street lights were lighted, day care center

were created and Barangay Health center was established. For the

Barangay people, it seems to be the beginning of everything and they felt

that their whole life is first started.

The late Ezekiel Layug-a retired Philippine coastguard donated

a piece of land where the Sagguniang Kabataan under the leadership of

Jonald Lagundi put up a whole court for basketball game.

f. Education:

Education was started in 1957 where in only one school is being

put up-Oltama Elementary school. At present it was complete elementary

grade level.
 g. Faith and Religion:

A pastoral priest comes to celebrate catholic mass under a

tree once a week since there is no established chapel until the early

nineties. Most of the church goers were the elders and mothers of the

barangay.

The Barangay At Present

Considering the vast land and hilly terrain, various camporals and jamborette

both of the Boy Scout and Girl Scout of the Philippines were being held in the

barangay. Different activities were also formed like barangay fiesta, “pasayawan”

and basketball tournament to foster unity and camaraderie among the people of

the barangay. Youth involve themselves in church activities mostly in the Born-Again

Christian churches located in Zone 4 while the elders continued their church

practices in the Catholic traditions in an open-air mini-chapel. The farm to market

road project of the government paved the way to the development of the socio-

economic status of the barangay since traveling is much easier in a cemented road

than in a muddy and stony one. Jeepney is no longer travel in the area because of

the presence of the tricycles which became the main mode of transportation.