Confusing Names of Places in the Philippines

by Vince Ferreria

YOU ARE WARNED:

DON'T GET LOST!

Be aware.

In the Philippines, there are too many confusing geographical names that are bound to bewilder reporters, travelers, and most often the courier services when they are not careful.

Firstly, there are far too many pairs of places with exactly the same name which I think there must be legislation negating it.

Here are the examples:

Apo Island

Apo Reef

The first one is an island off Dumaguete City. The second is somewhere in Mindoro. The first is Apó (with stress on the second syllable) is also the Visayan and Tagalog word for grandchild, and the second is Ápo (with a long sound on the first syllable) is an Ilocano term to address an elderly who held with a certain regard in the community.

City of San Fernando, La Union

City of San Fernando, Pampanga

Yes, they are two different cities, and both are in the upper half of Luzon, with just a few miles between them.

Danao, Bohol

Danao City, Cebu

One can be easily mistaken for the other. The first is known for nature adventure tours; the other for guns/weapons.

San Carlos City, Pangasinan

San Carlos, Negros Occidental

One is in Luzon, while the other is in the Visayas. To make things more confusing, however, the historic San Carlos University is in Cebu City.

Samal, Bataan

Samal Island, Davao del Norte

Samal is a town in Bataan province. The latter is officially called the Island Garden City of Samal, the 'garden' referring to the corals below the sea.

Camiguin, Babuyan Island

Camiguin Island

The former is a town located in the farthest northern territorial border of the country, the latter a small island province off the northern side of mainland Mindanao.

Wait, there are more to get confused with:

There is a Talisay City in Cebu, and there is another Talisay City in Negros Occidental, then there is even a third one: a Talisay town in Batangas.

There is Cabatuan town in Isabela and another Cabatuan in Iloilo, both of which can, of course, be easily confused with Cabanatuan City of Nueva Ecija.

Did you know that there is a Divisoria in Zamboanga City too, aside from Divisoria in Manila? That aside from the China Town of Manila, there is also a China Town in Davao City of Mindanao and another China Town in Iloilo City, and one more China Town in Bacolod City in Visayas.

Places named after saints are especially tricky, owing to their ordinary, generic sound. For example, how many towns and barrios/barangays are named Sta. Barbara? Indeed, if you are from the Philippines and say you are from San Jose or San Isidro town without qualifying from which province, you will be risking a lot of confusion. That's because there are 10 San Jose towns and 9 San Isidro towns in the country.

Zooming in on just the Philippine towns and cities to exclude the barangays and simplify matters, did you know that there are towns and cities named after bamboo, such as these:

Caoayan (Ilocos Sur)

Cauayan (Negros Occidental)

Cauayan City (Isabela)

Cawayan (Masbate)

Kawayan (Biliran)

Meycauayan City (Bulacan)

Another case of homonyms:

Laua-an, Antique
Lawaan, Eastern Samar

Who knew there is a Naga City in Cebu, too, aside from the Naga City of Camarines Sur? Did you know that there is also Naga in Zamboanga Sibugay?

Moreover, who lost a letter or parcel because the courier sent it to the wrong place, are apparently confused about which of the two is the right destination or not aware that the following places are not of the same location:

Calamba in Laguna
Calamba in Misamis Occidental.

Casiguran in Aurora province
Casiguran in Sorsogon.

Catarman in Camiguin island province
Catarman in Samar

Hagonoy in Davao del Sur
Hagonoy in Bulacan

Lemery in Iloilo
Lemery in Batangas

Bontoc town in Southern Leyte
Bontoc in Bulacan

Infanta in Pangasinan

Infanta in Quezon Province

Hold your breath for more of the same:

Alaminos (one being Alaminos City)

Alcala

Alcantara

Alegria

Anda

Argao (one being Argao City)

Aurora

Balete

Banga

Baras

Batuan

Bontoc

Cabatuan

Calamba (one being Calamba City), Calatrava

Candelaria

San Carlos City

San Enrique

San Ildefonso

San Jacinto

Casiguran

Catarman

Cauayan (one being Cauayan City)

Clarin

Compostela plus one Compostella Valley

Cortes

Danao (one being Danao City)

El Salvador (one being El Salvador City)

General Luna

Infanta

Kalayaan

Kapatagan

La Libertad

Sagay (one being Sagay City)

Salcedo

Isabela (one being Isabela City)

Lemery

Libertad

Liloan

Looc

Loreto

Malinao

Malitbog

Mercedes

Morong

Naguilian

Pandan

Parang

Pitogo

Placer

Pontevedra

Santa Teresita

Santa Rosa (one being Santa Rosa City)

Santa Rita

Santa Ana

Santa Barbara

Santa Catalina

San Remigio

San Rafael

San Quintin

San Pascual

San Mateo

San Narciso

San Pascual

San Quintin

San Rafael

San Remigio

Sogod

Socorro

Sison

Tubod

Tudela

Tuburan

Taytay

Tanauan (one being Tanauan City)

These are, so far, the most interesting things I have gathered from studying closely the current list of towns and cities of the Philippines' 81 provinces, prodded by little encounters here and there every now and then while writing and traveling. It is a comprehensive assembly of such factoids in Philippine geography no one has considered so far, as far as I know.

The next case in point is the one-letter difference that sometimes ends up in little disasters, like mailed packages being brought to the wrong province.

Here are quick cases in point:

Bayambang vs. Bayombong

My hometown, Bayambang, Pangasinan, is often mistaken for Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, not the least by American history writers - sad story, but true. One just have to Google for abundant examples. And I actually experienced having my college transcript of records mailed through courier service from Diliman, Quezon City to Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Pamalican Is. vs Pamilacan Is.

When I visited this tiny island off Baclayon town in Bohol for a travel-writing assignment, I half-expected seeing high-end resorts frequented by Hollywood denizens. Instead, all I saw were the typical houses of ordinary folk. In my ignorance, I thought Pamilacan Is., which I knew to be located in Palawan, was Pamalican Is. No wonder I was feeling strange. I knew my Philippine map, and I should have known that Palawan couldn't be very near Bohol, yet I still felt disoriented.

The following are towns or cities with almost similar names, save for one, two, or three letters:

There is a Poro, a Pura, and a Porac

Abulug and Abuyog

Bacolod and Bacolor

Balaoan, Balasan, Balatan, and Balayan

Basay and Basey

Batad and Batan

Bolinao and Boliney

Buruanga and Busuanga

Cabiao and Cabuyao

Calauag and Calauan

Castilla and Castillejos

Dauin and Dauis

Ilagan and Iligan

Jiabong and Jabonga

Laoac and Laoag

Laoag and Laoang

Looc and Loon

Maasim and Maasin

Mamburao and Mambusao

Noralah and Surallah

Pagsanjan and Pagsanghan

Palanan and Palanas

Pila and Pili

Sibonga and Jabonga

Sibutu and Sibutad

Sigay and Silay

Solano and Solana

Talisay and Talitay

Tayug and Tayum

Tibiao and Tigbao

There are other similarly situated names, this time 'kangaroo names,' i.e., one small name contained in a bigger name with roughly the same letters:

There is one Bauan and one Bauang

Bauan and Batuan

One Bongabon and one Bongabong

One Bacoor and one Bacolor

Badian and Badiangan

Bago City and Baguio City

Balanga and Balangiga

Bamban and Bambang

Banga and Bangar

Bani and Banisilan

Bantay and Bantayan

Bula, Bulan, and Bulacan

Buluan and Bulusan

Caba and Cabagan and six other names starting with Caba-

Cabusao and Cabuyao

Camalig and Camaligan

Candon and Candoni

Caramoan and Caramoran

Claver and Claveria

Guimba and Guimbal

Iba and Ibaan

Lobo and Loboc

Looc and Loboc

Luba and Lubang

As though that's not enough, here's more:

Isabel and Isabela

Laur and Laurel

Lian and Lianga

Libon and Libona

Luba and Lubao

Maco and Maconacon

Madrid and Madridejos

Pila and Pilar

Pili and Pinili

Pola, Polanco, and Polangui

Sara, Sarrat, and Sarangani

Siay and Siayan

Tago and Tagoloan

Talisay and Talisayan

Tuba, Tubao, Tubay, Tubaran, and Tubajon

Tubo and Tubod

Tunga and Tungawan

Viga and Vigan

There are also names that are almost similar, save for one or more appended words:

San Lorenzo and San Lorenzo Ruiz

San Jose City, San Jose de Buan, and one San Jose del Monte City

Furthermore, three places are named these:

Alfonso

One is Alfonso

One is Alfonso Castaneda

One is Alfonso Lista

Alicia

Bacolod

One being Bacolod City, and the other being Bacolod-Kalawi

Bato

Claveria

Dolores

Esperanza

Luna

Magallanes

Naga

Two being Naga City in Camarines Sur and Cebu province

Pamplona

Plaridel

Santo Niño

Santo Domingo

Santiago

One being Santiago City

San Manuel

San Nicolas

San Pablo

One being San Pablo City

Tagoloan

Valencia

One being Valencia City

San Pablo

One being San Pablo City

San Agustin

San Andres

Four places have these same names:

Concepcion

La Paz

Mabini

San Luis

San Vicente

Santa Fe

San Vicente

San Antonio

Talisay

Two towns, two cities

Victoria

Plus Victoria City

There are five towns named after these:

Buenavista

Rosario

San Francisco

There are six places named after each of the following:

Burgos

Carmen

Santo Tomas

Santa Cruz

San Fernando

Two being San Fernando City

Then there are six towns designated as new, plus one old, giving another new opportunity to confound - because of course, a 'new' whatever implies an 'old' version somewhere else, and vice-versa:

New Bataan, Compostela Valley

New Corella, Davao del Norte

New Lucena, Iloilo

New Washington, Aklan

Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte

Nueva Valencia, Guimaras

Old Panamao, Sulu

There are seven towns named after each of the following:

Pilar

San Juan

San Miguel

Santa Maria

And, far from surprising, eight towns are named after our national hero (Jose) Rizal, including Basilisa town, which is also called Rizal, in Dinagat Islands.

There are 9 towns named after San Isidro.

And tadaaa... the most popular name in the town/city category is... drum roll please.... the aforementioned San Jose! ...For there are ten (10) places named San Jose, one being San Jose City. That's on top of one San Jose de Buan and one San Jose del Monte City.

But our present interest in confusing geographical names doesn't end there, for there are at least seventeen (17) places that repeat the name of their respective provinces:

Batangas City, Batangas

Biliran, Biliran

Cavite City, Cavite

Cebu City, Cebu

Compostela, Compostela Valley

Davao City, Davao del Sur

Dinagat, Dinagat Islands

Iloilo City, Iloilo

Leyte, Leyte

Masbate City, Masbate

Quezon, Quezon

Romblon, Romblon

Siquijor, Siquijor

Sorsogon City, Sorsogon

Surigao City, Surigao del Norte

Tarlac City, Tarlac

Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur

Bonus: Bulakan, Bulacan

Big-time disorientation is potentially high in the following cases, however, for another reason. Bizarrely enough...

Cotabato City is not in Cotabato province but in Maguindanao

One town called Sultan Kudarat is in Sharif Kabunsuan, not in the expected province of Sultan Kudarat.

Cagayan de Oro City (nicknamed CDO) and Cagayancillo town are not in Cagayan but in Misamis Oriental and Palawan, respectively

There are two Aurora towns, but both are not in Aurora province. Interesting reversals all.

(A side note: The Catholic religion apparently really played a large part in the act of name-giving, for there are five towns named Rosario (after rosary), one town named Bautista (after St. John the Baptist), one city called La Trinidad (Benguet), a town called Santa (Ilocos Sur), a city called Santiago City (Isabela), and the towns of Santiago (Agusan del Norte), Santiago (Ilocos Sur), Maria (Siquijor), and Natividad (Pangasinan). To the uninitiated: La Trinidad refers to the Holy Trinity, and Santiago is Spanish for St. James.)

When confusing one place name for another result in mis-education or being actually lost -- say, ending up in Bacoor, Cavite, instead of Bacolor, Pampanga, as planned (hey, it can happen!) -- that is when things cease to be amusing.

Maybe one way to end the confusion is through legislation requiring modifications for similar names, particularly those too similar for comfort.

Or we can just embrace the ensuing confusion as one big joke that Philippine history foisted on all of us.

Originally written by Vince Ferreria in his Facebook account.
Reprinted with permission.
Posted in this blog with revisions, edits, additions, and layout reformatted by Edgie Polistico.