Angono

Political map of Angono

Angono is politically subdivided into 10 barangays. [7] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Bagumbayan
• Kalayaan
• Mahabang Parang
• Poblacion Ibaba
• Poblacion Itaas
• San Isidro
• Santo Niño
• San Pedro
• San Roque
• San Vicente

• Bagumbayan – This barangay came from the Filipino word "bagong bayan" which means "new town".
• Kalayaan – This barangay's name came from the Filipino word kalayaan, meaning "freedom".
• Mahabang Parang – The word "mahaba" means "long" and "parang" is a type of "machete", so the name of this barangay roughly translates to "long machete".
• Poblacion Ibaba – The name of this barangay came from the Spanish word "población" meaning "town" and from the Filipino word "ibaba" which means "below". Therefore, this barangay means "town below".
• Poblacion Itaas – This is the least populous barangay with a population of 583 people. The name roughly translates to "town above".
• San Isidro – The largest and most populous barangay with a population of 31,339 people. This is also one of the largest and most populous barangays in the Philippines. This barangay is named after the Catholic patron saint of farmers named "Isidore the Farm Labourer" or "Isidore the Laborer".
• Santo Niño – This barangay's name was inspired by the image of Jesus Christ as a child garbed in royal clothing known as the "Sto. Niño"
• San Pedro – This barangay's name came from the apostle of Jesus Christ "Saint Peter".
• San Roque – The name of this barangay came from the patron saint of the sick and invalids known as "Saint Roch".
• San Vicente – This barangay's name came from the Dominican saint Saint Vincent Ferrer.

Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Clement

Christianity is the major religion in the town, and the majority of all Christian denomination is Catholicism and a minority of Iglesia ni Cristo, Members Church of God International Born Again, Jehovah's Witnesses and more.

Catholic Churches:

• Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Clement, Barangay Poblacion Ibaba
• St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Barangay Mahabang Parang
• Christ the King Chapel, Exodusville Subdivision
• San Vicente Chapel, Brgy. San Vicente.
• Sto. Niño Chapel, Constellation Homes Subdivision

The Bisperas Mayores or the day before the feast day is celebrated with a parade of marching bands, drum and lyres sponsored by each barangay of Angono held in the morning and early afternoon. The morning parade usually starts in Rainbow Village and ends at the church patio where the devotees again dance in praise and thanksgiving while the marching bands play. The afternoon parade is also joined by papier-mâché higantes, local government officials and employees, commercial establishments in Angono, schools and other Angono socio and civic groups.

The celebration on the morning of November 23 starts with a concelebrated mass with the Bishop of Antipolo. The procession follows after the mass with parehadoras, higantes and devotees joining the image of St. Isidore the Laborer, Pope Clement I and the Virgin Mary in a procession leading to the banks of Laguna de Bay in Barangay San Vicente for the fluvial procession, fishes like kanduli, tilapia and bangus which are caught by the fishermen devotees during the fluvial procession are displayed near the image of Pope Clement I. The images, devotees and members of the band ride the pagoda for the procession in the lake which will disembark at another part of the Angono shoreline side of the lake in Barangay Poblacion Ibaba. The road procession will again start with merry making of parehadoras, higantes and wet devotees which will culminate in the church. Filipino artistry is truly alive in every celebration in Angono.

The feast of Christ the King which is held on the Sunday before the 1st Sunday of Advent usually coincides with the feast of Pope Clement I. The Viva San Clemente! celebration banners usually include “Mabuhay ang Kristong Hari!” slogans to remind the people that Christ is the Lord and to proclaim Christ as the King of all nations. This is also a reminder that Pope Clement I is only a servant of God which somehow does not need adoration of the people because our Lord has already given him the highest honor – a blessing of a Saint – Angono's patron and inspiration. Viva San Clemente

Pope Clement I was the fourth pope of the Catholic Church after Pope Peter the prince of the apostles, Pope Linus, and Pope Anacletus. He faithfully proclaimed Christ during his time and until his martyrdom by being thrown into the sea attached to an iron anchor. The people of Angono celebrate Pope Clement I's feast day with a fluvial procession in the waters of Laguna de Bay as a reminder and inspiration of his faith in God.

Higantes, along Angono Municipal Hall

Angono's joyous fiesta in honor of Pope Clement I whose image, resplendent in papal vestments, is held November 22–23, and involves a procession accompanied by parehadoras devotees dressed in colorful local costumes, wooden shoes and carrying boat paddles and higantes, giant papier-mâché effigies. The street event culminates in fluvial procession at Laguna de Bay amidst revelry that continues until the image is brought back to its sanctuary.

Higantes Festival is now promoted as tourism-generating event in the country. This attracts numerous tourists from all over the world.

It was said that the higantes started during the Spanish colonial times. When Angono was once a hacienda and ruled by Spanish hacienderos The Guido. The Angono land tillers' way of protesting their struggle was by making giant effigies of their landlords whose hands are usually high up on their waist.

The body of the traditional higante is made of bamboo and colorful cloth and its faces of papier-mâché. The three oldest higantes of Angono consists of a family of giants – the father, mother and child higante, they traditionally add color and fun during the fiesta celebration. It was in the 80s when then Angono artist Perdigon Vocalan brought the idea of the Higantes Festival by going out of the traditional family of giants and advocating having more higantes in the fiesta by coordinating with the barangays of Angono to come up with Higantes that will represent their barangay. At present, the Higantes of Angono can be seen in fiesta celebrations around the Philippines and in national cultural presentations, a highlight being the Centennial Parade in the Quirino Grandstand for the Philippine Centennial celebration in 1998.

The higantes are made of papier-mâché. Higantes measures four to five feet in diameter and ten to twelve feet in height. Traditionally, it began in the last century when Angono was a Spanish hacienda. These higantes were influenced by the Mexican art form of papier-mâché brought by the Spanish priests to the Philippines.

The traditional parehadoras are group of young girls holding paddles and wearing bakya or wooden slippers and dressed in a colorful outfit which joins the procession in the feast day of Pope Clement I. They usually march at the beat of the band playing alongside them. Now with a dying lake, the tradition of the Parehadora is now just a reminder that Angono was once a fishing village and thrives at the harvest of Laguna Lake.

Black Saturday is highlighted by 3-hour presentation of “Vigilia na Muling Pagkabuhay” at the patio of the church. On Easter Sunday, a celebration is held as the reunion of the Risen Christ with Virgin Mary is reenacted. It is facilitated by a young girl inside an inverted giant paper flower suspended from a bamboo trellis who removes the mourning veil from Mary's head. The petals of the suspended flower are mechanically opened by giant birds attached to strings to reveal the girl inside. It is then followed by a religious dancing of young ladies called “Kapitana” and “Tenyenta”, to the tune of “Bati”.

The munipality is governed by a municipal mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

Sangguniang Bayan 2022-2025:[20]

• Mayor: Jeri Mae Calderon (NPC)
• Vice Mayor: Gerardo Calderon (NPC)
• Councilors:

1. Arvin Villamayor (NPC)
2. Patnubay Tiamson (NP)
3. Roberto Sison, Jr. (NPC)
4. Jhoana Duran (NPC)
5. Aurea Natividad (NPC)
6. Florinio Matusoc (NPC)
7. Maria Elena Ibañez (NPC)
8. Agustin Canlas (NPC)

• ABC / LNB President: Roberto B. Miranda
• SK President: Bernard Joecel “BJ Tolits” Forbes