This is San Vicente.
our adopted community. our second home.
Barrio San Vicente was formerly a fraction of the Municipality of Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur. It was in the year 1941 that the Teniente del Barrio Alfonso Cartalla together with five counselors namely Claudio Gella Sr., Rico Entrina, Anastacio Sanchez, Sergio Maputi, and Eleuterio Alagenio, managed San Vicente and formed a political system. In the first quarter of the year 1960, when Mahayag was legitimately declared as a municipality, certain parts of Aurora were adopted into the newly created local government. The term barrio later changed to barangay through a Presidential Decree. In 1989, barangay election was held and the highest barangay elective position was called Punong Barangay or Barangay Chairman; members of the legislative body were called Sanggunian Pambarangay. To date, the Barangay Chairman is Hon. Apolinar G. Sebandal.
Barangay San Vicente has a land area of 392.14 hectares and has fairly warm temperature throughout the year ranging from 26.5° to 29.7° Celsius.
As determined by the National Statistics Office census 2007, the total population of Barangay San Vicente, one of the 29 barangays of Mahayag, is 684. Among the total population of the Barangay, 49% are males and 51% are females.
Barangay San Vicente, as the basic political unit, serves as the principal planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities in the community, and as a forum wherein the collective views of the people may be expressed, crystallized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled. Barangay San Vicente is governed by the Barangay Chairman Hon. Claudio Gella, together with seven (7) Barangay Kagawads namely Hon. Beatriz P. Gumba, Hon. Walter, Hon. Almer P. Villarmino, Hon. Tito T. Sebrero, Hon. Pacita, and Hon. Petros G. Alison; Barangay Secretary Rendy Janologue; and Barangay Treasurer Peter. Each kagawad is designated as head of action and information center in each of the five (5) puroks for the intention of providing the community access to information concerning the services, programs, projects and activities of the government.
Barangay San Vicente is a rural barangay comprised of five (5) puroks. The barangay is composed of approximately 85% of the houses and 53% of the lots in the community are owned whereas the remainders are either rented or rent-free. Most houses are composed with light materials constructed out wood and nipas.
The environment generates a flamboyant portrait of a rural area wherein a great deal of the territory is dedicated to agriculture. Moreover, two major puroks of the barangay are situated along the national highway to Dipolog City.
Barangay San Vicente’s main source of livelihood is farming. Their crop productions are from coconut, corn, bananas, vegetables, and livestock and poultry. Coconut as one of their major agricultural products has undoubtedly elevated the economic condition of the people, and other products have supplied other basic needs of the people.
Barangay San Vicente has one health station located at the base of the two-storey building being manned by the barangay officials. They have one (1) midwife, Mrs Leticia Arambala; one (1) Barangay Health Worker Mrs Merlyn Razon; and one (1)Barangay Nutrition Scholar, Mrs. Lourdes Ala genio. It is cheerless to mention that their barangay health station is not equipped with instruments for evaluating health status and lacks materials for documenting health records. Succinctly, their BHS isn’t stock with equipments to serve health needs of residents in the barangay.
Located at Purok 3 is the San Vicente Elementary School which administers primary and elementary education to pupils living within the barangay.
Most of the residents in Barangay San Vicente are principally Roman Catholic. 100% of the population are Christians: 78.1% belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, 10.5% to the Protestant Church, 5.3% to the Philippine Indaependent Church, 3.5% to the United Church for Christ in the Philippines, and 2.6% to the Seventh Day Adventist. Only two Roman Catholic chapels are located within the barangay, which caters to the wide array of spiritual needs of its community.
The people of San Vicente celebrate the feast of San Vicente Ferrer, their patron Saint, annually every April 8.
Transportations in the area available are the local public utility buses, tricycles, and the single motorcycle ride they term as habal-habal. Since, the national highway is situated within the barangay, most residents are adopted to riding habal-habal as a daily mode of travel. Water buffalos with rear wagons and horses are also being used as conveyance of crops.
Among local barangay residents, there are various popular sports being played for amusement and leisure which includes basketball and volleyball. In Barangay San Vicente, there are 2 basketball courts located at different puroks of which two are cemented and being utilized for basketball leagues during festivities. The courts are also being exploited as pseudo volleyball courts where most women of the community participate into. An open multi-purpose covered court is also being manipulated for the various barangay assemblies and activities. A lot of residents are also fond of spending their time with their families and considers this gesture as a form of their family recreation. Individuals are also keen on listening to the radio, watching television broadcasts of daily Filipino drama series, drinking sprees with their neighbors and singing the videoke among others.
