Municipality of maayon

Municipality of Maayon

 As to the origin of the name of Maayon not much has been written about it, but folks speak of several versions and one among those considered most popular was when a group of Spanish soldiers while pursuing the insurrectus, discovered a settlement near the bank of the river. Finding the people to be hospitable and nice, they asked for the name of the place. Since the natives did not understand the Spanish language, they assumed that what the Spaniards were asking for what is the status of the harvest  for them it was harvest time. The natives answered "Mango man". So the Spaniards named the settlement "El Pueblo de Maayo". Thus, the name Maayon was derived from that word and to this very day, it is known as such.Maayon first became a town during the early American era. However, during the Cadastral Survey, it was reverted to a barrio status under the Municipality of Pontevedra. For nearly half a century, the residents fought hard and long for its restoration to a separate and distinct entity. Their untiring efforts were empty rewarded when in 1995, Carmen Dinglasan Consing,  representative of the first District of the Province of Capiz field House Bill No. 2098 in the lower chamber of Congress. Senator Justinano S. Montaño sponsored and steered the bill until its approval. Finally on March 30, 1955 President Ramon Magsaysay signed the bill re-creating the lot Municipality of Maayon, Capiz in a ceremony held in Malacañan. 

            The "New Municipality" included eight barrios then, namely, Maayon, Fernandez, Pi4a, Balighot, Batabat, Guia, Tuburan and Canapian Sur. Now it has thirty two (32) barangays. 

            The ceremony was attended by a large delegation from Capiz. The President also signed the appointment of the following officials of the new town: Rael Declaro; Ernesto Diaz. Vice Mayor; Marcelo Diaz, Felomino Comoro, Damaso Deocampo, Ambrosio Dumagpi, Agustin Barruela, and Marcelo Delfin, Councilors. These official, have gone back to their Maker. 

            Also present during the historic signing of Republic Act No. 1203 were Representative Godofredo Ramos, Judge and Mr. Rafael Dinglasan, Sr., Judge Antonio J. Beldia , Romeo Arceño, Gabriel Borres and his two sons Roberto and Athos, Mamerto Dadula. Most of the wives of the officials of the town also witnedded the memorable occasion. 

            Among the town's first officials were: Uldarico Dieta, Secretary: Amado S. Almalbis, Treasurer: Ponciano Declaro, Judge: Diosdado Borres, Chief of Police; and Dr. Alejandro Orosco, Rural Health Physician. Also Dr. Manuel Buenvenida who was then Rural Health Physician for Pontevedra took charge of the health problems of the new town until his transfer to Pres. Roxas Dr. Ricardo A. Dasal replaced him. It was not until a year later, in 1956, when a regular and the first Rural health Physician was appointed. Rev. Fr. Crisogono Dequiña was then parish priest.

             Rafael M. Declaro who was also the first elected official of the town during its first election in November 1955 won with less than 200 majority over Atty. D. Artagnan D. Roxas. He relinquished the Mayorship to his running mate-Prudencio L. Alovera - when he assumed the position of municipal judge of the same town. The late Mayor Alovera served from April 17, 1957 to 1971 - the longest term in the 25-year existence of the municipality. Alovera did not seek re-election in 1971, In 1972, Bertile D. Comoro, fresh from college, ran won against the late Jose Diaz III. Comoro serves as the third executive of the town. Until Feb. 1986. When Pres. Corazon C. Aquino won through People's Power, she appointed Jose Diaz, Jr. as an offer in charge of the office of the Mayor from Feb.. 1986-March, 1986. His appointment as a Board Member has been approved after one Month of Service. Rolando L. Eleazar then take charge the office. The following are the past & present Municipal Officials.

Maayon Churh

Maayon Municipal Hall

The Panay Bell

The Panay Bell

In 1566, Fray Martín de Rada is said to have preached the Gospel in Bamban (Pan-ay) and from there he proceeded to evangelize Dumangas to the south. The Augustinians continued to spread their net of evangelization to the south and west of Pan-ay until they had established footholds in the whole island.  By the late 1500s, they had been had been the sole evangelizers of Panay island until the Jesuits arrived at this time.

Because of lack of food, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi transferred the Spanish settlement from Cebu to Panay in 1569. The town was formally founded in 1572 (1581 according to Jorde), although by that time Legazpi had moved the capital of the Philippines, further north, to Manila. Fr. Bartolome de Alcantara was named the prior of the town with Fr. Agustin Camacho as assistant. A prosperous town due to trade, Pan-ay became capital of captivating Capiz for two centuries, until Capiz was named capital. The town name was eventually given to whole island. After 1607, Fr. Alonso de Méntrida, noted for his linguistic studies and Visayan dictionary became prior. In the 18th century, Pan-ay was famous for its textile industry which produced a cloth called suerte and exported to Europe. In the 19th century, Don Antonio Roxas, grandfather of Pres. Manuel Roxas, opened one of the largest rum and wine distilleries in the town. The Augustinians held the parish until 1898, when administration tranferred to the seculars.

The first church was built before 1698 when it is reported that a typhoon had ruined it. In 1774, Fr. Miguel Murguía rebuilt the church, but it was later damaged by a typhoon on 15 January 1875. Fr. Jose Beloso restored the church in 1884. The church is best known for its 10.4 ton bell popularly called dakong lingganay (big bell). The bell was cast by Don Juan Reina who settled in Iloilo in 1868. Reina who was town dentist was also noted as a metal caster and smith. The bell was cast at Pan-ay from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople. The bell was completed in 1878. It bears an inspiring inscription which translated reads: “I am God’s voice which shall echo praise from one end of the town of Pan-ay to the other, so that Christ’s faithful followers may enter this house of God to receive heavenly graces.”

Heritage Features: Pan-ay belongs to the Baroque style. The pediment cascades gracefully down. The façade is ornamented with swags of flowers, niches and statuary. The bell tower to the left of the façade is simple in contrast to the façade.  It base is planned as a quadrilateral but its upper stories are octagonal with the two sides longer than the other.  To the church was attached an L-shaped convento, which had been ruined.  Remnants of the covento have been incorporated into the present modern convento.  Behind the church are remnants of a wall, which according to town lore was once a fortification.  Attached to the sacristy is a large storage room, now converted into a Blessed Sacrament chapel.

The interior was formerly divided into a central nave with flanking aisles, but in recent years, the wooden posts that marked the divisions were removed to improve sight lines to the altar.  The wooden choirloft was also removed because it was damaged by termites, so were the wooden floors of the bell tower.  In place the tower has an independent steel stairway that leads to the topmost floor.  This floor has been reconstructed in reinforced concrete with coral stone facing.  The roof of the church, already damaged by a storm in 1984 and subsequently repaired, was already in a dilapidated condition in 2000.  Its wood work was rotten and was in danger of collapsing.  The woodwork and roof have been replaced by a steel and galvanized iron structure.

The church retains much of its original floor: terra cotta tiles, white marble and black slate as accents and for the sanctuary.

The church has three altars in Baroque style. The retablo of the central altar has been painted over in silver and gold enamel, however, the side altars have hardly been touched and probably represent the original colors of the woodwork—primaries of blue, red, green, orange with gold leaf accents.  These altars are unique for Latin inscriptions carved on roundels set in its reed thin columns.

Behind Gospel side altar are remnants of decorative painting, also done in brilliant primaries.

History of Panitan (Panit-an)

History of Panitan

The Panit-ananons inherent their genetic appearance from their Malay ancestors particularly from the brothers DALHOG and DANAO who were supposed to be the founders of the Municipality of Panitan in the year 1621.

Danao got married to Masiid and Dalhog to married Capanang. These family names are still present in the Municipality of Panitan, however not carried by their offspring but have turn into names of three sitios and a lagoon close to the Poblacion center.

The original settlement of Panitan is located at Sitio Capul-an, near the Danao Lake. It was merely behind the coming of the Spanish colonizers that the municipality center was then transferred to where it is currently located.

Traditions notify how the town got its name. The majority acknowledged traditions that tell of a crowd of Spaniards passed by a group of locals peeling the barks off the tree apparently to be dried up for firewood. The Spaniards asked, “Como se llama este lugar? Believing that they were asked what they were doing, they answered back with no hesitations, P A N I T A N, that means to peel off. From then on, PANITAN became the official name of the community as listed by the Spanish overlords.

But for historians like Fr. Juan Fernandez, O.S.A. in his “Monografias De Los Pueblos De La Isla De Pan-ay”, the word “Panitan” comes from a local fish called “Apnit” (Annona rufa), which is plenty in the town like in the usual discussion: “Pacain ca? Paapnitan ako” (are you going to serve a meal? I want Apnit). By the passing of word Paapnitan had become by word and at all period it has been said by the group so that when the Spaniards came they adopted it and make it Panitan due to the intricacy on their part to say the word Paapnitan.

Today Panitan is one of municipality serving its constituents to the fullest. With our Vision , “ A self- reliant, progressive community capable of giving opportunities to its people in unleashing their full potential towards empowerment, dedicated to the preservation of its culture and the promotion of a balanced ecology through complimentary people government partnership” , we believe that we are trekking the right path towards total improvement of the Municipality of Panitan.

Reference:(Wikipedia.com/Municipality of Panitan)

History of capiz

History of Capiz

Capiz became the second Spanish settlement after Cebu when Captain Diego de Artienda, sent by Legaspi landed in the town of Pan-ay and proclaimed it the capital of the province. The capital was then moved to the present location of Roxas City.

Ten Bornean DatusFolk history recorded in the Maragtas by Pedro Monteclaro says ten Bornean datus landed at a site now known as San Joaquin town in Iloilo province. They purchased Panay Island from the Aeta, cultivated the land, and renamed the island Madya-as. They divided it into three communities: Irong-irong, Akean (which includes the Capiz area), and Hamtik.

It is said that in Capiz in 1570, the Datu Bankaya’s wife of the Aklan district gave birth to twin daughters. Twin is "Kapid" in the local dialect, so the Spaniards adopted the name Capiz (Kapid) as inadvertently miscommunicated to them by the natives.

Capiz, which was part of Aklan in pre-Spanish times, was one of the early settlements of the Malays, centuries before the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines. It was part of the Confederation of Madjaas, formed after the purchase of Panay by the Bornean datus from the Negrito king named Marikudo.

When the Spaniards led by Miguel López de Legazpi came to Panay from Cebu in 1569, they found people with tattoos, and so they called it Isla de los Pintados. How the island itself came to be called Panay is uncertain. The Aeta called it Aninipay, after a plant that abounded in the island. Legend has it that López de Legazpi and his men, in search of food, exclaimed upon the island, pan hay en esta isla!. So they established their first settlement in the island at the mouth of the Banica River in Capiz and called it Pan-ay. This was the second Spanish settlement in the Philippines, the first being San Miguel, Cebu.

In the same year of 1569 Captain ('Capitan') Diego de Artieda who was sent by Legaspi landed in the Town of Panay and proclaimed it as the capital of the province. Later, they moved the Capital to its present site upon discovering the town of Capiz (not the province, and now Roxas City) which was near the sea and provided docking facilities.

In 1942, the region was occupied by the Japanese troops. In 1945, the region was liberated by the joint Filipino and American troops with Filipino guerrillas from the defeated Japanese Imperial forces during Second World War.

Capiz and Aklan were united under one province until April 25, 1956, when President Ramon Magsaysay signed into law Republic Act 1414 separating the two entities.

Kasadyahan sa capiz

Sinadya sa Halaran

The Sinadya sa Halaran Festival is the joint festival of the City of Roxas and the Province of Capiz. It is a mixed festival in that it is celebrated for both cultural and religious reasons. It is celebrated every first weekend of December in commemoration of the Feast of the Virgin of the Immaculate Concepcion who also happens to be the patroness of the City of Roxas. Sinadya sa Halaran boasts of colorful activities like the grand parade of festivals, the fluvial parade, the lighted river floaters. There is also the traditional seafood festival and the grand pyrotechnic display