Bucay is the first capital town of Abra. It was chosen by Spanish authorities as the capital because of its then strategic location. The map above was drawn by Abra’s first governor, Don Ramón Tajonera. This was what the town was supposed to look like. But then the best laid schemes of mice and men often go astray. So Bucay never developed into what Tajonera wanted it to become.
According to researcher Jose Perdigon (visit his website here), only the welcome arch remains of Bucay’s colonial heritage. Sad? Yes. Surprising? No. We live in a country that does not have a sense of its past. It’s good that we have dedicated people like Jose Perdigon who are doing something about our heritage.
Today, Bucay is a 5th class municipality with 21 barangays and about 15, 000 residents. More information about Bucay here.
RELATED POST: Preserving Our Colonial Heritage. SOURCES: Jose Perdigon (photos and info) and bucay.gov.ph
The town of Bucay grew considerably since Tajonera days, but the old site north of the street that ends in Casa Real is still very much what appears in the map, particularly the layout of the streets. The street where the granaries were located is now the road to Manabo, the Church was rebuilt around 1900 across the street and a bit to the north, the Tribunal still exists as today’s townhall (brickwork at back is still the original) and one can see the road to Peñarubia to the left of the old cemetery. For higyenic reasons the cemetery had to be transferred more to the north to its present site by the road to Peñarubia.
For are project purpose only……What are the (previous and present plans) of Burikibok resort that is located at Bucay,Abra….THANK YOU… pakisend na lang poe sa e mail ko….maraming maraming salamat poe talaga….