Naujan

Naujan, officially the Municipality of Naujan, is a first-class, partially urban municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It occupies the largest municipal area in the province, covering approximately 52,804.15 hectares, and lies about 26 kilometres from Calapan. Its territory extends from inland and mountainous areas to the coast and is bounded by Calapan, Baco, Victoria, Pola, and Sablayan, as well as waters associated with the Verde Island Passage and Tablas Strait. The municipality is politically divided into 71 barangays and had a population of 109,122 in the 2024 census cited by the reference material. The place is particularly associated with Naujan Lake, identified in the reference material as the fifth-largest lake in the Philippines. The lake is a defining geographic and ecological feature and contributes to the municipality's public identity, environmental significance, and local economic context. Naujan also contains extensive agricultural, residential, institutional, coastal, and mountainous areas. Its public facilities include a town plaza, a conference center, and the Oriental Mindoro Sports Complex in Barangay Santiago. Naujan's history predates Spanish colonial rule. Archaeological finds in areas including Dao and San Jose have included Chinese objects associated with the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods, indicating historical links and settlement activity before the Spanish period. Mangyan communities, described in the reference material as the area's earliest inhabitants, continue to live in designated reservation areas, including portions of Metolza, Caburo, Balite, Paitan, Magtibay, and Banuton. The history of the municipality therefore includes both precolonial cultural exchange and the displacement of Indigenous communities toward interior and mountainous areas as Christian settlements expanded. A formal town was established in 1639 under a royal decree issued during Spanish rule. In the seventeenth century, a Recollect priest built a stone church at Barrio Bancuro. The structure served both religious and defensive purposes, functioning as a refuge during attacks by Moro raiders. The fortification was captured and burned in 1824. Historical population records from the nineteenth century recorded a much larger native population than Spanish-Filipino population, reflecting the colonial social structure of the period. In the late nineteenth century, the cessation of major Moro raids was followed by the transfer of the settlement to Matandang Naujan, also known as Lumangbayan, along the coast. The period coincided with revolutionary activity against Spanish rule. Francisco Manalaysay led an insurrectionary force, while Valeriano Gasic, identified in the reference material as the municipal president at the time, later resisted American authority, was labelled a bandit by the colonial administration, captured, and imprisoned. His sentence was subsequently reduced to a period of exile in Culion, Palawan. Naujan also participated in resistance during the Japanese occupation. The local guerrilla movement was associated with Esteban Beloncio, Felix Boquio, and Gomersindo Dela Torre. During the Martial Law period in the Philippines, Father Ed Dela Torre became a prominent Naujan-born opponent of the dictatorship. These episodes form an important part of the municipality's civic and political narrative. The modern municipality received formal recognition under Act No. 1280 on January 4, 1905. Its boundaries were permanently established in 1919. Today, Naujan is administered through municipal government and barangay institutions, with education overseen by the Naujan East, Naujan South, and Naujan West school districts. Its identity combines a large rural and coastal territory, a notable lake environment, Indigenous heritage, agricultural and local-service activity, and a continuing role in the political and administrative life of Oriental Mindoro.

Naujan's historical record extends from precolonial settlement and regional exchange to Spanish colonization, American administration, Japanese occupation, and postcolonial local government. Archaeological discoveries in Dao and San Jose include Chinese artifacts associated with the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods, providing evidence of contact and material exchange before the arrival of Spain. Mangyan communities are identified as the area's earliest inhabitants and continue to reside in several interior and mountainous reservation areas. The town was established in 1639 under a Spanish royal decree. During the seventeenth century, a Recollect priest constructed a stone church in Barrio Bancuro. The building served not only as a place of worship but also as a defensive refuge during attacks by Moro raiders. It was captured and burned in 1824. Nineteenth-century population records described a predominantly native population alongside a much smaller Spanish-Filipino community. By 1898, after the Moro raids had subsided, the settlement was moved to Matandang Naujan, or Lumangbayan, on the coast. This period overlapped with revolutionary opposition to Spanish rule. Francisco Manalaysay organized forces against the Spanish, while Captain Valeriano Gasic, then associated with municipal leadership, went underground after American rule began. American authorities classified him as a bandit; he was captured and sentenced to life imprisonment, later receiving a reduced sentence involving exile to Culion in Palawan, where he died. During the Japanese occupation, Esteban Beloncio, Felix Boquio, and Gomersindo Dela Torre were associated with the local guerrilla movement. In the Martial Law era, Father Ed Dela Torre became a prominent Naujan-born activist opposing the dictatorship. These figures connect the municipality to broader episodes of Philippine resistance and political change. Naujan was recognized as a full municipality under Act No. 1280 on January 4, 1905. Its boundaries were permanently fixed in 1919. In the contemporary period it functions as a first-class, partially urban municipality with 71 barangays, a substantial population, and a broad territory that includes the Naujan Lake area, coastal zones, agricultural land, and mountain communities. Its municipal institutions include local government offices, public facilities, schools administered through three district offices, and the Oriental Mindoro Sports Complex.

• 2024

  Population recorded at 109,122

  [1]Naujanen.wikipedia.org

  The population reached 109,122 according to the 2024 census figure cited in the reference material.

• 1919

  Municipal boundaries established

  [1]Naujanen.wikipedia.org

  The municipality's boundaries were permanently established.

• 1905

  Formal municipal recognition

  [1]Naujanen.wikipedia.org

  Act No. 1280 recognized Naujan as a full-fledged municipality on January 4.

• 1898

  Settlement transferred to Matandang Naujan

  [1]Naujanen.wikipedia.org

  After the decline of Moro raids, the settlement was transferred to the coastal area known as Matandang Naujan or Lumangbayan.

• 1824

  Destruction of the Bancuro fortification

  [1]Naujanen.wikipedia.org

  The stone church and defensive refuge at Barrio Bancuro were captured and burned during a Moro raid.

• 1639

  Establishment of the town

  [1]Naujanen.wikipedia.org

  Naujan was established as a town under a royal decree during Spanish rule.

A large, historically significant municipality of Oriental Mindoro whose public identity is anchored in Naujan Lake, diverse geography, Indigenous heritage, and local government services.

• Natural and ecological landmark

  Naujan Lake

  Naujan Lake is the municipality's best-known geographic feature and is described as the fifth-largest lake in the Philippines. It shapes Naujan's public identity and contributes to the area's environmental, cultural, and potential nature-based tourism significance.

• Local government services · 1905

  Municipal public services

  As a municipality, Naujan provides local administrative, civic, infrastructure, education-support, public-facility, and community services through its municipal government, barangays, and related institutions.

• Public sports facility

  Oriental Mindoro Sports Complex

  Located in Barangay Santiago, the Oriental Mindoro Sports Complex is a recently built public facility serving athletic, recreational, and community functions within Naujan.

1. 1Naujanen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official Naujan municipal websitewww-naujan-gov.blogspot.com