Brief History of the Barangay Man-atong

Barangay Man-atong is the most interior Barangay of Suyo. According to the olds, Man-atong got its name from a hot spring found at Man-atong proper. Due to the local dialect, HOT means Man-atong a Kankanaey native dialect, from there the Barangay, was named Man-atong. Most residents of Man-atong came from the different municipalities of Mountain Province and from the nearby Municipalities and most belong to Kankanaey tribe. Now at present Man-atong has thirteen (13) sitios namely Coscosnong, Butac, Man-atong Proper, Sawmil, Baudan these are the sitios along the Tagudin Cervantes road and those who are not along the said road are Longboy, Bangcag, Botigue, Kurba Serrada, Tegteggamat, , Mantayao, Banata, and Dadtuco. The area is 31.40 square kilometers or 3,140 Ha. with a total population of 2’091 as of January 2016. The commercial center of the Barangay is at Sitio Butac whereby the Public market is located. 95% of households use electricity. About education at present, it has four complete elementary schools and was located at Butac, Bangcag, Man-atong Proper and Dadtuco. The main source of living is agriculture and most products are Tiger grass broom that made people does the Tiger Grass Broom making. Next to the broom making are root crops of all kinds like gabi, ginger, sweet potato. NGO’s makes and sell Ginger Tea. The past 50 years, banana is the number one source of living here in Man-atong, but due to massive sickness of banana, it falls down up to this days. Five to ten years from now, Man-atong will be the Rambutan producer of Region One (1) because the climate is suitable for this kind of fruit tree. Economic status is not far from other Barangay of this municipality, the houses show the improvement and progress of the residents. Residents are hard-working for they can manage to work heavy jobs like stone masonry, gold-digging on private mines and go working on vegetable garden at Mountain Province. Transportation is not a problem since Tagudin Cervantes Road was concreted seven years ago. On politics there are 1,276 registered voters as of June 2016, before, what the Chieftain will mandate what is to be voted, it is followed by everybody which in local dialect says SINTATAKO. But now, due to education, your wish is your command. The word Sintatako (United) is only used for Bayanihan work in the Barangay.

Man-atong is so-called the home of the Gigantic Stones because it is the scenic attraction of all visitors coming and passing by the place and the river whereby freshwater fish is abundant. About religion, lot of Pentecostal groups, Roman Catholic, Crusaders of the Divine Church of Christ is the number one group in the Barangay, but traditional practices still have done. And lastly, Fiesta is celebrated once a year held on held every 29 & 30th of December. Late 2012 Man-atong is a recipient of the Internet Connection which is a project of the Local Government Unit.