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)