Vinzons, here I come....................

After almost 24 hours of traveling through dusty roads and several transfers of different modes of conveyance, we finally arrived to our final destination, of Vinzons, Camarines Norte, the birthplace of Wenceslao "Bintao" G. Vinzons,one of the heroes of World War II.

Vinzons is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. According to the 2005 census, it has a population of 39,470 people in 7,407 households. The first recorded name of Vinzons was Tacboan and was later changed to Indan at which time the Mayor was Pedro Barbin. The town was renamed "Vinzons" in honor of Wenceslao Q. Vinzons, a former governor of the province. He was the youngest delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1935, and a guerilla leader martyred by the Japanese during World War II. The town was established in 1581 by the Franciscan Fathers without a patron saint and without a church. It was not until 1611 that the Church was built with Saint Peter as its Patron Saint. Vinzons is known for the religiosity of its inhabitants, contributing priests and nuns to the Catholic Church more than any other town in the province. Curiously, the town has always been known as the town of politicians, having had more provincial elective officials than in any other town in the province. There was a time, in fact, when all three candidates for governor hailed from Vinzons as when Dominador Asis, Fernando V. Pajarillo, and Wenceslao G. Vinzons, Jr. ran for governor in the elections of 1964. Before that, majority of the provincial governors came from Vinzons: Carlos Balce (1928-1931) Wenceslao Q. Vinzons (1937-1940), Carlos Ascutia (1944-1946), Regino Z. Guinto (1946-1947), Cayetano Vinzons (1958), Dominador Asis (1959-1963), Wenceslao G. Vinzons, Jr. (1964-1968), Fernando V. Pajarillo,(who died while in office). Education is likewise valued by the inhabitants in that every family would attempt to send their children to study in Manila despite the prohibitive costs of lodging and tuition. It is the only town where in a single year, four lawyers passed the Bar examinations in 1978: Oscar G. Raro, Fernando Saludes, Dominador Ferrer, Jr., and Joseph Balce. On the political side only one Mayor in this town has accomplished to finish the three (3) terms, making him the greatest and most beloved municipal mayor in this town, he is Buding Segundo. Buding Segundo is actually Jose Tacalan Segundo, is also the only Municipal Mayor in this town who is actually from a rural Barangay, which is Barangay Sabang. Another prominent mayor who served for two terms is Cesar Asis Cereno, who pushed for massive agricultural development in the countryside, particularly seaweeds production, which uplift the living conditions of constituents in most fishing villages and island barangays. The present mayor is Oliver Rodil Ferrer, who also hails from Barangay Sabang. Believing in the important role of the private sector in local governance and development planning and implementation, Mayor Ferrer created a People's Advisory Council, with members coming from the private sector, to help him push for service-driven projects that are people-centered.