Olongapo City
OLONGAPO: A CLEAN CITY
LEGEND
According to popular legend, there once was a group of warring tribes who lived in the area in and around what is now the modern city. A wise old man, seeing the perils of disunity, exerted great effort toward uniting the warring tribes. There were, however, some who bitterly opposed his idea, and one day the old man just disappeared.
After a long search, the old man's body was found, but with the head missing. It is said that the tribesmen launched search parties to locate the severed head of the man. (To the Sambal, decapitation was the only permissible form of assassination.[5])
These efforts proved to be futile, and the search was eventually called off. A boy, however, vowed to himself that he would not stop searching until he found the elder’s head. He searched for weeks, but found nothing. Then, one day, he chanced upon what appeared to be the old man’s head, resting on top of a bamboo pole. The boy ran back to his people crying, “Olo nin apo! Olo nin apo!” (“head of the elder” in Sambal; translates as “ulo ng apo”[6] in Tagalog), running hysterically from village to village. The phrase stuck, and that, according to legend, is how the area got its name, Olongapo.
To this day, the old man’s head acts as a symbol of the unity of the people of what is now a modern city.
HISTORY
19th Century
During the late 19th century, Olongapo was a fishing village. Because of its deep, natural harbor, Olongapo became a place of interest for the Spanish explorers. The Spanish used Olongapo as a port and developed the place making it a major naval shipyard.
20th Century
It was during the 20th century that the Americans took control of the area. It was atSubic Bay that the Americans established their naval air base. They continued to have control over the region up until the Second World War.
World War II
During the Second World War, the Americans lost control of the base and the Japanese took control of the whole region. The
LEGEND
According to popular legend, there once was a group of warring tribes who lived in the area in and around what is now the modern city. A wise old man, seeing the perils of disunity, exerted great effort toward uniting the warring tribes. There were, however, some who bitterly opposed his idea, and one day the old man just disappeared.
After a long search, the old man's body was found, but with the head missing. It is said that the tribesmen launched search parties to locate the severed head of the man. (To the Sambal, decapitation was the only permissible form of assassination.[5])
These efforts proved to be futile, and the search was eventually called off. A boy, however, vowed to himself that he would not stop searching until he found the elder’s head. He searched for weeks, but found nothing. Then, one day, he chanced upon what appeared to be the old man’s head, resting on top of a bamboo pole. The boy ran back to his people crying, “Olo nin apo! Olo nin apo!” (“head of the elder” in Sambal; translates as “ulo ng apo”[6] in Tagalog), running hysterically from village to village. The phrase stuck, and that, according to legend, is how the area got its name, Olongapo.
To this day, the old man’s head acts as a symbol of the unity of the people of what is now a modern city.
HISTORY
19th Century
During the late 19th century, Olongapo was a fishing village. Because of its deep, natural harbor, Olongapo became a place of interest for the Spanish explorers. The Spanish used Olongapo as a port and developed the place making it a major naval shipyard.
20th Century
It was during the 20th century that the Americans took control of the area. It was atSubic Bay that the Americans established their naval air base. They continued to have control over the region up until the Second World War.
World War II
During the Second World War, the Americans lost control of the base and the Japanese took control of the whole region. The