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CHAPTER 1
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CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
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CHAPTER 4
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CHAPTER 5
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CHAPTER 6
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CHAPTER 7
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  << Cont'd from Chapter 1, Page 1

      There are no mines of gold, silver, chromite, and other mineral ores in Pagsanjan. The wealth of the town comes from fertile rice lands and coconut plantations; from the rivers which teem with fresh-water fish; from poultry and stock-raising (pigs, carabaos, cows, and goats); from cottage industries (tailoring, woodcarving, and making of coconut charcoal); and from tourism. Two industries for which Pagsanjan was famous during the Spanish and American regimes were the making of jewelries and the production of nata de piña. The men were expert goldsmiths and they used to make fine jewelries, such as rings, bracelets, earrings, and other ornaments in gold and silver. The Pagsanjeños in former years acquired nationwide fame for discovering the making of the delicious nata de piña which consists of mold of the sour variety of native pineapple boiled in syrup. The secret of aging the pineapple mold and the timing of boiling it in syrup was a careful guarded know-how, transmitted from grandmother to mother and from mother to daughter throughout the generations.
      As a matter of fact, a Pagsanjeña named Emerenciana Rivera won two gold medals and certificates of honor for her unsurpassed nata de piña which she exhibited in the Hanoi International Exposition (1903) and the Panama International Exposition (1915).
      Lamentably, the making of fine jewelries and the production of nata de piña declined since the advent of our Republic, so that now they are extinct as lucrative town industries. In their place has emerged tourism as a new booming industry. Like a magic magnet, the bewitching Pagsanjan Falls is attracting thousands of tourists (local and foreign) year after year, so that Pagsanjan is now rated as one of the 25 top destinations in the Philippines. Accordingly, it ranks in prestige with Niagara City (United States), Acapulco (Mexico), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Costa Brava and San Sebastian (Spain), Capri and Naples (Italy), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Biarritz and Monte Carlo (French Riviera).

A Town Where Ecumenism Reigns

      During Spanish times, Pagsanjan was a bulwark of Catholic Christianity. All Pagsanjeños were Catholics, for the only religion permitted by Spanish authorities was Catholic Christianity. Today Pagsanjan is a town of many religions although Catholicism remains the dominant faith of the people. Long before His Holiness Pope John XXIII persuaded the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) to adopt the universal policy of ecumenism, the Pagsanjeños, being intelligent and tolerant, already practiced it by tolerating other religions to exist in their town.
      Presently, many non-Catholic religions exist in Pagsanjan, like the Philippine Independent Church (popularly called Aglipayan), Iglesia ni Cristo, and various Protestant sects, such as Baptist, Presbyterian Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, and Mormon. A few Pagsanjeños, who are either atheists or deists, do not belong to any established religion.
      Despite the existence of many religions in their town, the Pagsanjeños live together in harmony and in peace. They do not quarrel over matters pertaining to religion. They never have any bloody religious conflict, like that which convulsed Christian Europe during the 17th century or that which is now raging with virulence in Northern Ireland and Lebanon. In fact, Catholic Pagsanjeños freely marry with Aglipayans or Protestants, and vice-versa.

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