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Consolacion,Dapa, Surigao del Norte

Consolacion(officially Barangay Consolacion) is a barangay of Dapa municipality,Siargao Island in the province of Surigao del Norte,Philippines.According to the 2007 Philippine Census,it has a population of 1,780 people.

Geography

The barangay of Consolacion lies on the southwestern part of the island of East Bucas.It is approximately 8.37 nautical miles off the coast of Dapa town,Siargao's main seaport and emerging growth center.

Consolacion is geographically situated at a coordinate of 9° 41' 25" N, 126° 00' 26" E.

Among the barangays on the island of East Bucas,Consolacion is politically bounded by brgy. San Miguel to the north at a distance of 9.10 km and brgy. Sta. Felomina to the east. The latter was formerly a sitio of Consolacion locally known as Tabon-Tabon. On the adjacent island of Middle Bucas, a vast expanse of the territory also belongs to Consolacion with the rest being part of brgy. San Carlos to the far west.

The three sides of the barangay vicinity are surrounded by sea. Its eastern and southern coastlines are surrounded by the Philippine Sea whereas its western coastline by an inlet known as Port Sibonga.The inlet extends northward up to the mangrove-vegetated channel,a vital passageway between the town of Socorro in Bucas Grande Island and the town of Dapa in the main island of Siargao.The shallow channel known locally as 'Suba' is also a converging location between the islands of East Bucas and Middle Bucas.

Topography

The natural landscape of the barangay vicinity is a sandy coastal plain.Generally based on its current set up,it indicates that the place had originated from a sandbar, caused primarily by the natural forces of opposing waves and the frequent occurences of storm winds in the area. With the increased sand and coral fragment depositions for over a long period of time,eventually the built-up of sands became a dried out strip of land that connected the Tapusok tip in the northern side to the nearby southern headland called Punta which was once identified as an isolated islet.This formation is otherwise known as a tombolo. Undoubtedly,the same process albeit in its early stage is the sandbar formation between Banwanluto islet( Puyo) and Middle Bucas tip near Honop beach.

The other areas of the barangay are characterized by its rolling hills substantially covered with coconut trees and other tropical island vegetation. Its coastlines are unspoiled stretches of sands with other stretches being a swampy coastline covered with thriving mangrove trees which are now a protected area.

Nearly opposite the barangay port,on the Middle Bucas island is the scenic Mt. Sibonga, a hill straddling at 291m high above sea level.It is locally known as 'Alimbongog' and is the highest point in the entire Siargao and Bucas Grande Islands and virtually the most familiar landform for many navigators in the area.

Etymology

The name Consolacion was derived from its patron saint, Nuestra Señora Virgen de Consolacion.Local Aglipayan founders of the barrio renamed the place to Consolacion due to their great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.The devotion originated from the Roman Catholic faith,the name Consolacion was taken from Virgin Mary's earliest title as Our Lady of Consolation,the consoler of the Afflicted.

History

The original name of the place was 'Cagutsan'. The name was primarily derived from two local root word, Cagut, a hispanized word for 'Kagot' which means fishing with the use of pounded roots of 'Tubli vine (sci. name. 'Derris Elliptica Bent') and San,meaning place or location. Cagutsan waters then was a rich fishing ground having had its fringing coral reefs abundant with variety of fishes,mollusks,crabs and other marine fauna.

Consolacion was already settled sometime in the later part of the Spanish colonial era as a dotted fishing village. It was said that the first settlers were small group of families from the town of Gigaquit,Surigao province whom they sailed away from their domain to escape from the outbreak of cholera disease during that period.In subsequent years,the population of the place began to grow with the migration of many people from some Visayan provinces mainly from Leyte,Samar and Bohol.With its bountiful seas and undisturbed forests, the migrants started to clear the forests and then cultivated the lands.They lived on a very simple island life of fishing and farming.