Municipality of Camen History

Location : 41.3 kms N of Cebu City
Area : 6,640 hectares
No. of Barangays : 21
Town Fiesta : August 28
Patron Saint : St. Agustin
Major Occupation : farming
Principal Products : corn
Trade and Industry : carageenan farming
Places of Interest : watchtower (Luyang), Uragay Spring, Guano caves (Mt. Cantipay & Cansaquiring)

Historical Notes

Fabio Buot is credited for having founded the town in 1870. It was originally a settlement called Bugho. But because of a language barrier, it was changed to Carmen.

The story relates that a woman-resident of Bugho who was about to be baptized in the Catholic rites, was already wearing a scapular with the inscription of the Virgen of Carmen. Before the Baptismal ceremonies, the Spanish scribe asked her in his native tongue the name of the village. Thinking that he was curious about the medallion she readily answered: Carmen. The Spaniard began calling the place Carmen and it has been since called.

Carmen has a favorite legend about strange spirits dwelling in its mountains:

There lived in Mt. Cantipay a mountain deity called Pipay. Mt. Cansaquiring was also inhabited by another mountain spirit, Saring. Both had magical powers and both were generous and helpful. But they could also be severe and exacting when they were disobeyed.

On those days, betrothed couples who cannot afford to buy wedding dresses and other necessities would only have to write on paper what they needed and place them at the mouth of either cave in the two mountains. The things would magically appear the nest day, already beautifully wrapped. But the strict rule was that every piece of article be returned.

There came a time when the borrowers did not bother to return what they got and so earned the wrath of the goddesses. They had to pay for it with their lives.

To this day, no one can borrow anything at all.