BANAOANG

        Banaoang is the ‘south-eastern most barangay’ of Bantay.  It is said that when a missionary was assigned to the place, ‘the deep and unexplored area of the river and its vicinity’ caught his attention and suggested to the inhabitants to name the village ‘banaw-ang’.  Another version talks about a narrow road that led to a bank of the Abra river which is perennially swept away during torrential rains. The inhabitants kept on repairing the road but just the same becomes unpassabble during heavy downpours. There conceived the idea of naming their place as ‘nasawang’ meaning, wiped out or devastated by waters. Time passed by and it became ‘banaoang’ to identify the road where people have to go in order to pass across the river.  

          Its legal existence as a Barrio is through the enactment of RA 3590 (1963, The Revised Barrio Charter, supra, at page 9) for it used to be a ‘sitio’ of Brgy. Paing (refer at page 61). Its first election becoming as a separate barangay was held in 1964. The Barangay serves as entryway to barangay San Mariano (refer at page 68) and holds the distinction where the legendary Abra river is adjoined, which is why quarry resources (aggregates) are also abundant. Its rich marine life (fresh water) resources include bunog (elongated swamp fish), pasga (a variety of the milkfish), bolidao (a full-bellied sumptuous fish), igat (eel), carpa (carp), udang (big headed shrimp) bennek (freshwater clams) and other crustaceans (supra, at page 32). Inhabitants are engaged in inland fishing, and small scale farming. During the early days, the barangay was known for its fine work of blacksmithing (includes bolo/ knife and gun making), but now, due to modern technology, only a handful few are still engaged in this home industry.

          It is here where Quirino Bridge (at page 30, supra), named after the late former President Elpidio Quirino, that spreads across the Abra river connecting the rocky mountain hills of the town of Santa and the tail end of Bantay, can be found.  Otherwise referred to simply as ‘Banaoang bridge’, it majestically connects and separates two transcending mountains and widely praised because of its marvellous engineering and grand architectural design as glorified by its splendid panoramic beauty, strength and durability when it survived the bombings of World War II.  From here, one can appreciate underneath the serenity, verdant and tranquillity of scenic spots overlooking an enormous stretch of riverbed, zigzagging sloping contour of the mountain side and a vivid land mass as far as the eye can see. A major structural road link, it has survived hundreds of storms but, unfortunately, not the gory strength and mighty vigor of typhoon ‘Feria’, which devastated the Province on July 4-6, 2001 that swept away (to date, is nowhere to be found) one of its steel spans and for almost two months, disengaged the northern provinces of the region.