Carmen, Cotabato
Carmen derived its name from a certain Surveyor del Carmen, chief of the Cadastral Survey Party, who in 1924 conducted a survey in the area. During the American period, Carmen and Kabacan belonged to one municipal district under Pikit. It was by virtue of Presidential Proclamation NO. 46 and, was reinforced by Executive Order No. 214 issued by the then President Ramon Magsaysay last November 15, 1956 when Carmen was created as a separate and distinct town of Kabacan.
Carmen Hernández
Carmen Hernández was born on 24 November 1930 or 1936 in Ólvega, Spain, but she moved with her family at a very young age to Tudela, Spain where she spent most of her childhood. When she was 15 years old, her family moved to Madrid. As a teenager, she resolved to be a missionary and wanted to go to India, but her father would not permit it. She obtained a degree in chemistry in Madrid by the age of 21. As soon as she could, she fulfilled her desire to become a missionary by joining the Missionaries of Christ Jesus, from whom she received a degree in theology. However, in 1962, she was expelled from the order. Thereafter, she lived for two years in Israel to deepen her understanding of the Bible and catechesis, before returning to Spain. Inspired by Charles de Foucauld, she devoted herself to the poor and marginalized in Palomeras Altas, one of the many shanty towns in postwar Madrid. During this time, she met Kiko Argüello in Cursillo, and together they formed the Neocatechumenal Way in 1964.
Hernandez always rejected the term "movement" because she hoped it would bless and revitalize the whole Catholic Church.