Ternate, Cavite

Etymology

The town is named after the Indonesian island of Ternate, which was the homeland of settlers in the region in the late 1600s as they were emigrants from the Moluccas. The town was also known as Barra or Bahra (from Barra de Maragondón) in Chavacano. Prior to the arrival of migrants, the area was known as Wawa by the native Tagalogs, from the Tagalog wawa ("river mouth" or "river delta").

History

The Merdicas (also spelled Mardicas or Mardikas) were Catholic natives of the islands of Ternate and Tidore of the Moluccas, converted by Jesuit missionaries during the Portuguese occupation of the islands. The islands were later captured by the Spanish, who vied for their control with the Dutch. In 1663, the Spanish garrison in Ternate were forced to pull out to defend Manila against an impending invasion by Koxinga on the Kingdom of Tungning in modern Taiwan, sacrificing the Moluccas to the Dutch. Two hundred families of Merdicas (of mixed Mexican-Filipino-Spanish and Papuan-Indonesian-Portuguese descent) volunteered, and were resettled in a sandbar near the mouth of the Maragondon River (known as the Bahra de Maragondon) and Tanza, Cavite. Among them was their ruler, Sultan Said Din Burkat, who deported to Manila together with his entourage and family and later converted to Christianity.

The invasion did not occur as Koxinga fell ill and died. The Merdicas community eventually assimilated into the local population. Today, the descendants of the Merdicas continue to speak their Spanish creole (with Portuguese and Papuan influences), which came to be known as Ternateño Chabacano.

Ternate was once a barrio of Maragondón, and was the first town to attain full independence from it on March 31, 1857. The agreement was signed on behalf of the residents of Ternate by Tomás de León, Félix Nigosa, Pablo de León, Florencio Nino Franco and Juan Ramos.

On October 15, 1903, Ternate was merged with Naic by virtue of Act No. 947. It was later separated by virtue of Executive Order No. 96 in November 1915 but was effective only on January 1, 1916.

On March 3, 1992, Mayor Octavio Velasco, along with his two bodyguards and the town chief of police Felipe Enero, were assassinated in front of the municipal hall by five unknown gunmen, alleged to be bodyguards of then-Cavite Representative Jorge Núñez. As of March 1994, the assassins were still at large.

Geography

Ternate is 47 km from Imus and 57 km from Manila.

Barangays

Ternate is politically subdivided into 10 barangays, as indicated in the matrix below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Currently, there are 3 barangays which are classified as urban.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Ternate, Cavite, was 24,891 people, with a density of {{sigfig|24,891/59.93|2}} PD/km2.

Language

In addition to Tagalog, the community continue to use one of several Spanish-based creole varieties found in the Philippines, collectively known as Chabacano (Ternateño–Chavacano). Locals, however, simply call the vernacular language as Bahra.

Religion

Most Ternateños are Catholics, with the majority belonging to the Catholic Church, and the rest subscribing to other Christian denominations.

• Members Church of God International (MCGI)
• Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church)
• Iglesia ni Cristo
• United Church of Christ in the Philippines
• Jehovah's Witnesses
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Assemblies of God
• Church of Alpha Omega Christian Ministries Inc.

A number of residents also profess Islam, belonging to the Sunni branch predominant in the country.

Economy

Government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Elected officials

The following are the elected officials of the town elected last May 12, 2025 which serves until 2028:

Education

The Ternate Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.

Primary and elementary schools

• Anastacio N.F. Dinglas Elementary School
• Parang Elementary School
• San Juan Elementary School
• Sapang Elementary School
• Ternate Central School

Secondary schools

• Ternate Integrated National High School
• Ternate West National High School

Higher educational institution

• Cavite West Point College

References

References

1. {{DILG detail
2. (2018). "Vergleichende Kolonialtoponomastik Strukturen und Funktionen kolonialer Ortsbenennung". De Gruyter.
3. Zamboangueño Chavacano: Philippine Spanish Creole or Filipinized Spanish Creole? By Tyron Judes D. Casumpang (Page 3)
4. John. M. Lipski, with P. Mühlhaüsler and F. Duthin. (1996). "Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas: Texts, Volume 2". Walter de Gruyter.
5. Bartolome Juan Leonardy y de Argensola, Conquistas de las islas Molucas (Madrid: Alonso Martin, 1909) pp. 351-8; Cesar Majul, Muslims in the Philippines (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1973) pp. 119-20; Hal, History of Southeast Asia, pp. 249-50.
6. (October 15, 1903). "An Act Reducing the Twenty-Three Municipalities of the Province of Cavite to Eleven".
7. (2015). "Executive Summary".
8. Evangelista, Romie. (March 4, 1992). "Mayor, cops chief shot dead in first major poll violence". Kamahalan Publishing Corp..
9. (March 12, 1992). "Top Cavite officials linked to Ternate slay". Kamahalan Publishing Corp..
10. (March 4, 1994). "Ternate mayor's killers in '92 still roam free". Kamahalan Publishing Corp..
11. (June 13, 2018). "The Members Church of God International (MCGI) in partnership with the Ang Dating Daan Foundation International (ADDFI) and Kamanggagawa Foundation International (KFI) held a Medical Mission event at Ternate Multipurpose Hall, Ternate Cavite on May 25, 2018.".
12. (January 15, 2021). "Masterlist of Schools".