Tracing Sorsogons History

Before the entry of Spanish colonialism, the Sorsoganon was at peace with his
environment, as the other Bikolanos in other parts of the region. After all, resources for
food, shelter and clothing were abundant, requiring only the simple technology of his
hands and feet to be harnessed to his benefit.
It is often said that the land is so good, the people is so kind, the Almighty had
to invent typhoon to even things up. Typhoons, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods,
and all manner of disasters indeed visit Sorsogon, and the rest of the Bikol Region often
enough, but the land is still so rich that it may well be to create this paradise then known to
the Spanish conquistadores as Tierra de Gibalong, or Ibalon.
And so, when the Spanish colonizers first set foot on this part of the archipelago, they stumbled upon small kinship units
known as barangays, most of which consisting of only 30 to 100 families, although some
had as many as 2,000 families. But all these
independent units or barangays were selfcontained societies which had somehow
learned and succeeded in taming their environment, despite the frequent typhoons.
The natives were expert farmers and
fishermen, gold workers and craftsmen. After
all, fish from the lakes and coastal waters were to be had in abundance, including timber
and rattan from the hills, and agriculture was dominated by rice, coconut and abaca. In
fact, long before the coming of the Spaniards, and long before it became an important export crop, abaca, for centuries already clothed the Bikolano.
Based on extant Bikol oral traditions, native riddles, proverbs, folksongs,
folktales, legends and myths, it can safely be concluded that these small kinship units had a
highly-developed and vibrant culture and traditions.
Thus, it was the sudden and violent intrusion of colonialism that altered native
culture and creativity. The coming of the sword and the cross forced the major transformation of practically everything the economy, government, society and culture. The selfcontained, once prosperous and peaceful small, independent units were forcibly dismantled, and the natives were forced to live as one unit under the bells.

Birthplace of Christian Civilization In

Southern Bicolandia

Sorsogon is the southernmost of the

six provinces of the Bicol Region, occupying the tip
of Luzon. It has an irregular coast marked by
many indentures, the principal one of which is the
Sorsogon Bay. It is a landlocked body of water
constituting one of the finest harbors in the Philippine Archipelago.
The province of Sorsogon became
independent from Albay on 17 October 1894; its
first Spanish governor was Jose de la Guardia.
And during the American regime, its first governor
was Dr. Bernardino Monreal.
The decree declaring Sorsogon an
independent province from Albay consisted of
fourteen municipalities, namely, Sorsogon as the
capital of the province, Bacon, Barcelona, Bulan,
Bulusan, Casiguran, Castilla, Donsol, Irosin,
Juban, Gubat, Magallanes, Matnog and Pilar.
Four days later, Sta. Magdalena
was added, making the total number of municipalities of the new province fifteen; and finally, in
1904, the municipality of Prieto-Diaz was added,
making the number of municipalities sixteen.
The Bicol Region was the first in
Luzon to receive a new faith and a new Code of
Morals from the Spanish missionaries. It was in
the southernmost of the six provinces of the region,
and the tip of Luzon, that the first Christians were
baptized. It was, in fact, in the barrio of Hibal-ong
at Magallanes, Sorsogon,
The expeditions. From 1521 to 1542 ,
from Magellan to Villalobos, Spanish expedi-

tions came and went en route to Mollucas,

Priests, as chaplains, were with each expedition,
accompanying the soldiers. The role of the priests
was to establish the Church of Christ, and the
soldiers to establish the Spanish government. But
in 1565, one came purposely to stay. It was headed by Legazpi and Urdaneta, who came to implant
the Castillian flag alongside the Cross of Christ.
The Cross and the Sword reached the Bikol land in
1569 in the persons of Capt. Luis Enriquez de Guzman and Fray Alonso Jimenez.
Fray Jimenez, an Augustinian friar,
was the chaplain of two successive exploratory
parties dispatched by Legazpi from Panay. The first
exploration in 1569 landed in Hibal-ong, Magallanes.
THE BIRTH OF IBALON. The LegazpiUrdaneta exploration, based temporarily in Panay, dispatched towards southern Luzon an exploration party under the leadership of Capt. Luis
Enriquez de Guzman and Fray Alonso Jimenez.
They reached Bicol in 1569 and landed near the
mouth of Sorsogon Bay, at that barrio of Hibalong Magallanes. The barrio is situated near the
Ginangra River.
Upon landing, Capt. De Guzman and
Fray Jimenez inquired from the natives the name of
the place. The natives readily answered, Hibalong. Since the Spaniards do not pronounce the
initial h, and g at the end of the word, Fray
Jimenez repeated the reply of the natives and
pronounced it Ibalon. So, they proclaimed the
whole territory Tierra de Ibalon:. This name was

applied to the whole Bicol Region. But, in the

course of time, the term was applied to the province of Albay which included, then, the province f
Sorsogon. Hence, the name of Sorsogon does not
appear on historical records of Christianization
during the Spanish regime.
THE MASS IN LUZON. At the barrio of
Hibal-ong, Capt. De Guzman and Fray Jimenez put
up a temporary chapel at the banks of Ginangra
River and held the first mass on the island of
Luzon. This, indeed, is of historical importance,
marking the beginning of Christianization in Southern Bicol. The Bicol peninsula had become a part
of the Kingdom of Christ before Manila became
Christianized.
In this writings, Fray Felix Huertas
described the place of Hibal-ong as located between 113 and 114 degrees east longitude, and 77
miles north of Otavi, in Bulan, Sorsogon.
THE BIRTH OF THE TERMS CAMALIG AND Camarines. From Casiguran, the de Guzman party and missionary group under the leadership of Fray Jimenez sailed westerly, coasting the
Bay. They reached the area of Pilar and Donsol.
The party then proceeded inland, northwest, and
penetrated the interior areas of Pilar and reached
the place of thriving settlement or Rancheria, now
known as Camalig. The party was welcomed by
the hospitable natives and gave them shelter in
their own habitations. The Spaniards asked, Como
se llama este? referring to their residence. The
natives readily answered Camalig, senor, referring to the several thatched sheds scattered in the
fields where the natives used to store their newly
harvested palay. The Spanish translation of camalig is camarin, or in plural form, camarines. And
so, the wort camarines appears on records and
charts of the time to mean the present-day Bicol
Region. Thus, camalig and camarines were born. It
must be noted, however, that the word camarines
is originally Spanish, but born in Bicol, as applied
to the many thatched temporary sheds used for
storage of recently harvested palay. The de Guzman party pioneered in the Christianization of the
Tierra de Camarines, before Manila and the rest
of Luzon. And thus, the members of the de Guzman
party were the first Europeans and Christians to
set foot on Luzon soil.

Casiguran
Casiguran

Casiguran
Establishment in the year
1600, Casiguran was the
very first missionary parish
of Sosogon. It became the
base of operations for the
evangelization work started
sometime in the 1570s in
these parts by the Augustinian
Friars,
Fray
Alonso
Jimenez and Fray Juan Orta.
When the Franciscans took
over in 1583, they also made

the parish their bases of operations covering the territories that later became the
Province of Sorsogon.

head or patron, upon to the

present day, is the Our Lady
of the Most Holy Rosary,
whose feast day is celebrated
annually, October 7, as the
The name Casiguran is be- GUugurang Festival.
lieved to come from the Bikol
phrase casi gurang, meaning Casiguran officially become a
mostly old or aged, pointing pueblo civil, or municipio, or
to the fact that it was the town sometime in the 1880s
first parish and, therefore, covering the territories of Bathe oldest, and thus, consid- con, Bulusan, Gubat and
ered to be populated by sen- Sorsogon, which, later, also
all become separated towns
ior or elderly inhabitants.
or municipios.
As the missionary center in
this part of Bikol, its titular

Casiguran
THE MUNICIPAL PROFILE

uran was dedicated to our

Lady of Visitacion and had
Brief History:
its patronal feast on the
2nd of July 1680. The first
Dominican Bishop, Fr. An The municipality of
Casiguran was officially or- des Gonzales changed its tiganized as Pueblo Civil in tle to our Lady of Holy Rosary with 250 tributes in
the year 1600 with Agustin
1768.
Camposano as the first
governadorcillo or town ex- In the year 1926, the municecutive. The history reveals ipality was dominated by
Nacionalista Party with dembefore the arrival of spanocrats as the opposition. It
iards that the people in
was the era of the two party
Casiguran were mostly in
systems that keenly divided
their old age.
Casiguran is the very first the people. Political rivalry
was then very critical in the
town in Southern Ibalon
history of Casiguran.
(Bikol) organized under the
province of Albay by Rev. P.
Fray Felix Huertas, OFM as HUMAN RESOURCE:
one parish. Casiguran is the POPULATION COUNT AND
oldest parish while Bacon is TREND
the oldest municipality in
Based from 2010 PopCen,
the province of Sorsogon.
The first church of Casig- Casiguran has a population
of 30,995. Of the total, 51%

are male while 49% are female. The latters share has
been decreasing: in 2000,
there were 97 females for
every 100 male population;
in 2007, there were only 96
females for every 100 males.
Between 2000 and 2007,
Casigurans population grew
an average of 1.08% annually. This translates to a projected population of 31,646
for 2015, or a household
population of 6,329 based
on a 5 average household
size.females for every 100
males.
Between 2000 and 2007,
Casigurans population grew
an average of 1.08% annually. This translates to a projected population of 31,646
for 2015, or a household
population of 6,329 based
on a 5 average household
size.

Bacon
Casiguran

Bacon
Formerly a mere visit (a small
village or sitio, with a small
chapel, viseted by the parishes
priest during special occasions
such as, fiestas, mass, and baptism) of Casiguran, Bacon become a separate parish in 1617,
which included the villages of
Sta. Florentino (now Rapu-

Rapu) and Montufar (now Pto.

Diaz), and with two visitasSorsogon and Domanaog-under
it. It got its name from the wild
plant,
known
locally
as
bacong, which grew in great
profusion along the shores of
the place. It was Spanish Fr. Feliz Huertas, then parish administrators of Casiguran, who officially christened the place, Bacon. Its patroness, from the very

beginning, up to the present, is

Our Lady of Annunciation. Its
feast day and town fiesta is celebrated May 21 each year.
Bacon boasts of some of the finest white sand beach resorts in
Bicol, the most famous of which
is the Tulong-Gapo Beach Resort
in barangay caricaran.

Bacon
If Casiguran is the first
and oldest parish, Bacon has
the distinction of being the
first and oldest pueblo civil
(municipality or town) of the
Province of Sorsogon. T was
founded as pueblo civil in
1754, with the villages of Sta.
Florentina, Batan Island and
Cagraray Island under its jurisdiction. Bacon, however,
lost all these territories to
what is now the Province of
Albay, when Sorsogon became an independent province.
At present, with the
merger of the former municipalities of Bacon and Sorsogon, Bacon has been downgraded to a mere district of the new City of Sorsogon. It is now identified as Bacon District of the component City of Sorsogon, by virtue of Republic Act No. 8806 of
August 16, 2000, and ratified December 16, 2000.

Sorsogon

When the Spanish conquistador, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, who was then based in
Panay Island in the Visayas, dispatched, sometime between 1565 to 1570, to this part of the
islands an expeditionary force headed by Capitan Luis Enriquez de Guzman, together with
their chaplain, the Augustinian friar, Fray Alonso Jimenez, primarily to gather provisions
for the starving Spanish force in Panay, and at the same time, evangelize whatever native
villages they might come upon in the course of their foray, the group stumbled upon a
small fishing village at the mouth of the Ginangra River, in what is now the Municipality
of Magallanes.

This was the village of Gibalong, the very first Christian settlement in the island of
Luzon. It was here where the first mass in Luzon was celebrated by the Augustinian friar,
Fray Alonso Jimenez.

Sorsogon
The name Sorsogon was originally
spelled solsogon in most old Spanish maps. Solsogon is an old Bikol
word, meaning, to trace a river going upstream. The rootword
solsog is Bikol for going against
the current. It is also variously pronounced and spelled as sogsogon or
sosogon, which all really mean the
same thing to trace a river, a trail,
or a pathway.
As the old folks story goes, after establishing a settlement in Gibalong,
in what is now the town of Magallanes, the Spaniards fanned out to
explore the area and one group soon
came upon a small river emptying itself into what is now
Sorsogon Bay. Tired and lost and not knowing where
they were, the Spaniards asked a native about the name
of the place. Ignorant of the Iberian tongue, and fearful
of the white men with the funny hats and bushy countenances, the native, thinking that the strangers were asking for directions, simply pointed at the river and said,
Solsogon, meaning, trace the river upstream to a native village beyond. And the name stuck.

Thus, the name Ibalong, to refer to the whole of

Bikol Region, really came from this small fishing village,
Gibalong, which is now a mere sitio of Barangay Siuton,
in Magallanes town, where the local parish constructed
sometime in the 1970s a small wooden chapel and a concrete historical marker on the site. In some old Spanish
maps, the Spanish cartographers even retained the original spelling by identifying, either the whole Bikol Region or parts of it – Tierra de Gibalong. In his
book, From Ibalon to Sorsogon: A Historical Survey of
Sorsogon Province to 1905 (New Day Pub. QC, PhilipFrom Solsogon to Sorsogon. The people of
pines, 1991), Dr. Luis C. Dery writes, “Historical Sorsogon invites everyone, from whichever corner of the
records showed that the Spaniards started using the world they are, to trace the path towards the beautiful
name Ibalon as early as 1567 to refer variously to a pre- and most hospitable Province of Sorsogon.
Spanish native settlement in Sorsogon Gulf, to the entire
Bicol Region, and sometimes to the entire island of Luzon. The Spaniards’ indiscriminate use of this
name was due to their inadequate knowledge of Bicol
geography at the outset of their exploration and conquest
of the region. Gradually, they were able to delimit Ibalon
and the rest of Kabikolan’s territory.”
Sorsogon became a province, separate from the
Province of Albay to which it was formerly attached, in
1894. This is the reason why, in 1994 the centennial foundation anniversary of the Province started to be commemorated and celebrated with a festival – the
Kasanggayahan Festival – every October of each
year.

Bulusan
This was a mere visita

of Casiguran until 1630,

when it separated and became
an independent parish, with
Fr. Miguel de Sta. Ana, a
missionary friar, as head of a
new parish. Gate, which was
organized by the Franciscans,
came under its jurisdiction as
a VISITA
Since there are no records of Bulusan as a town before 1760, it is assumed that
it started functioning as
PUEBLO CIVIL, under the
province of albay, on this
year.
Bulusan is a Bikol word, meaning, a place where water flows. Indeed, water flows everywhere in Bulusan, cascading down from the forested slopes of Mt. Bulusan, its numerous
springs and rivers swirling around the town, down to the man-made irrigation and sewerage
canals, and out to the sea. Water flows and gurgles everywhere in Bulusan.
It most famous landmark are
the still active Mt. Bulusan, looming
large and serene 5,077 ft. above sea
level, and two mountain lakes, Lake
Bulusan, 2,084 ft. upon the slopes of
the volcano, and the smaller one,
Lake Agingay, a little higher up on
the mountain slopes, The bigger lake
Bulusan, with a circumference of
2,006 meters, is reputed to be one of
the most beautiful lakes in the world
as attested to by often awe-struck foreign visitors. In fact, old time tourism
blurbs quaintly pointed to is as the
Switzerland of the Orient

Bulusan

Old folks have woven a story around the volcano and the two lakes. Who are supposed
to be the tragic lovers, bulusan and agingay. This is why its annual fiesta every July 19 has
been dubbed as the Agingay Festival.
The national government has declared the Volcano and its surrounding
lush forest, and the mountain lakes, as the
Mt. Bulusan Natural Park in order to protect and preserve its natural ecosystem for
all generations.

Donsol
This was a mere barrio

of Quipia (now Jovellar,

in albay Province) until
1668 when Donsol became an independent
parish. Donsol became a
pueblo civil, or town, in
1800.
The Present town
site of Donsol used to be
known as the ancient village or Sitio of Barra,
which is located near the
coast. By virtue of petition by the Donsol
townsfolk, who were
then situated in the interior, which is now known as Banuang Guran (old town), seeking the
towns transfer to sitio Barra, because it would be, according to them, economically beneficial,
with the ready availability of trading, transportation and communications in the new site, that
Donsol so outstripped its farmer mother town Quipia that this became its mere Visita until
1877 when Quipia, too, became a separate town under Albay, and renamed Jovellar.
Donsol got its name form
DONSOLAN. Bikol for anvil
that heavy metal block used by
blacksmiths to fashion various
metal implements, such as, machetes, knives, scissors, etc. According to ancient lore, Donsol
was then inhabited by expert
blacksmiths, which is why when
one was looking for some place
where one could get a machete or
knife, one was invariably directed
to go to the donsolan. Or go to
Donsol.

Donsol
Perhaps by way of
confirmation of this fact,
the national museum discovered and unearthed in
1996 in barangay Dancalan the archaeological
remains of metalworks
factory together with an
astillero or shipyard.
But Donsol is now famous
worldwide, no longer for
its metalwork, but for
those awesome, but gentile, creatures known as
Butandings, or
whalesharks, that converge in large numbers at
the mouth of the Donsol
River during certain months of the year. With sizes ranging from 15 to 40 ft. in length, this
pod of huge creatures, considered as the biggest fishes in the world, start swimming in starting October of each year, peaking during the months of February, March, April and May,
when tourists, curiosity-seekers and scientists alike, descend upon Donsol eager to witness
this phenomenon and interact or swim
with the gentle
and harmless
creatures. Donsol celebrates
this arrival of
Butandings
each year and
welcome them
with their Butanding Arribada Festival during the month
of March.

Gubat
On

June 13,

1764, Gubat, which

was until then, a
barrio of Bulusan,
was declared by
the Spanish government a new
pueblo
civil
or
town, under the
province of Albay.
It became an independent parish also on the same
day, June 13, but
in the year 1771,
with the Franciscan
missionary,
Fr. Geronimo Cabello, as its first parish administrator.
Gubat is said to have been founded by a certain Pedro Manuel Manook, one
of the native allies of Legaspi in Bohol. Manook is said to be the son of Visayan
chieftain Pagbuaya who, in turn,
is the son of Catunao, known to
most of us as Rajah Sikatuna,
famous for his blood compact
with Leagspi. Manook, who came
with Legaspis troops to this part
of Bikol settled on the shores of
Gubat. Thus, the name of the
main street of Gubat, to this day,
is called Manook Street in honor
of Don Pedro Manuel Manook
who is reputed to be a brave
warrior who, while staying in
Gubat, converted to Christianity.

Gubat
Gubat
got its name
from the old
Bikol word,
gubat, meaning, to raid.
Because of its
location along
the coast,
Gubat was one

of the most frequently raided

places by he
then marauding pirates. Thus, the name, which is often mistaken to refer to a forest.
Forests are not what one will see
or marvel at in Gubat town, but
its wide, white sandy beaches.
Gubat is famous of its Rizal
Beach Resort in barangay Rizal.
Gubat celebrates its patronal fiesta, in honor of St. Anthony of
Padua, on June 13, each year,
with its Ginubat Festival featur-

Bulan
- The then large settlement of Bulan, which was a barrio of Gibalon, became a separate and independent parish in 1799, with Fr. Manuel Bernardo as its first parish administrator. The place was constituted into a pueblo civil in 1801 under the province of Albay.
It is widely believe that the
name Bulan comes from the Bicol term for moon. However in
some Spanish maps, the name
the name of the place is spelled
BUILAN, with and I, but it is
not known what it stood for. It
must have just happened that in
the course of time, the letter I
was dropped and became simply
Bulan, or the moon town, although it did not necessarily refer
to our terrestrial satellite the
moon.
Bulan is the one of the biggest
towns in the province of Sorsogon. It is famous for its fish produce. Its waters are also known
as the playing grounds of the
frisky and playful dolphins. Sports fisher also regularly hies to the Bulan Sea to watch for manta rays.
Bulan celebrates its patronal fiesta, in honor
of its titular Our lady of Immaculate Conception
every may 31 with a festival dubbed as the Padaraw
Festival, the name referring to the powerful torchlight use by Bulans fishermen in drawing fish to
their nets. The padaraw Festival is a celebration of
fishing, fishermen and bountiful fish harvest. On
this day, fisherfolk thunder down the streets of Bulan
dancing in celebration and thanksgiving.

Juban
I

n 1759, it

was organized as a
bario of Casiguran.
In the year 1800, it
became an independent pueblo civil,
until 1817 when it
was organized as a
parish
separated
from Casiguran.
It is believed
that
the
name
gujuban, a Bicol
word, meaning, to groove, or etch with a sharp instrument. Otherwise, however,
contend that the name comes from gujuban which was the name of the juice from
a certain tree growing
in the area which was
used by the natives as
kindling.
Juban today is
where one will find the
most number of wellpreserved
ancient,
Spanish-style or Antillan houses, most of
which line the national
highway.

Pilar
It

was an August 6,
1861 when the town of Pilar
was created as a separate pueblo civil and, at the same time,
an independent parish.
This came about as a result of a petition of the then
residents of the village os Sto.
Nino, which was then a visita
of Donsol, together with the
nearby visitas, to separate from
their mother town of Cagsaua
and become an independent
pueblo civil. Thus, on this date,
then Governor-General Lemery
decreed the fusion of these adjoining which include Sto.
Nino, Putiao Sapa, Inang, Cadanlogan and Panlatuan, to become a new pueblo civil called
Pilar after the newly-born infant of the king and queen of Spain.
It was in what is now the territory of Pilar where the Augustininan friars, Fray Alonso
Jimenez and fray Juan Orta, established one of the first Christian settlements in this part of Luzon. This was the Abucay-Catamlangan mission, which was established by the Augustininans
in 1570, or immediately after establishing the Christian settlement of Gibalong, in what is now
Magallanes town.

Pilar is reputed to be a shipbuilding town, with its menfolk expert in the building of
ships or galleons. In fact, Panlatuan in Pilar is considered as one of the bigger shipbuilding
sites in this part of Luzon. A fortress-like structure, complete with thick stone walls, a kind of
huge kiln at the center, still remain at the site which used to be an astillero, or shipyard.
This is why, the annual fiesta of Pilar, in
honor of its titular patron Nuestra Senora del Pilar,
every October 12, has been dubbed the Parau festival featuring colourful sailboats crafted by Pilars expert boatmen.
Travelers going to the island province of
Masbate can take small terry boats or motorized
bancas, which regularly ply the Masbate route, at
the fairly-busy Pilar seaport.

Matnog
This became an independent
parish, separate from Bulusan, in
1863. Before this, in 1800, it became
an independent pueblo civil under the
province of Albay.
From its original site, now
simply known to residents as Banuangdaan (old town), the poblacion
was transferred to its present site in
1898, the southernmost tip of Luzon,
where it now has a large ferry terminal with regular daily ferry trips to Samar.
With its roll-on, roll-of (RoRo)
ferry terminal facilities. Matnog is a
busy part town, loading and moving people, cargo and vehicles to the Visayas, and disgorging people, cargo and vefhicles into Luzon. It is considered as the Gateway to the South of the Philippines.
The name Matnog is said to be corruption of the Bicol word Matonog, meaning a noisy, deafening sound. This refers to the roaring, howling, almost moaning sound created by the numerous whirlpools
punctuating the seas surrounding Matnog. Residents call these Lambiyong, expert Matnog boatmen
make sport of these series of Lambiyongs by guiding their boats and gliding gracefully through them like a
kind of extreme slalom ride. The bigger or wider whirlpools can actually swallow a boat and its crew and
pull in it into the deep, if the boatmen are not careful.

The matnog waters is known as rich fishing

ground for deepsea or sport fishing, where divers and
tourists can also enjoy the sites and pleasures offered
by its exotic little islands dotting the sea. There is Tikling island, which is just a few oar-strokes away from
the ferry terminal, with fine white sand beach ringing
the island; the Calintaan islands with its subterranean
giant bat caves; Subic with its sexy pink sand; and numerous other tiny islands just waiting to be explored.
Matnog celebrates its town fiesta, May 16, in
honor of the Holy Infant Jesus.

Magallanes
This was the ancient village

of Yguey, which later became

known to the Spaniards as Encomienda de Yguey, with two visitasParina and Caditaan. The present
townsite of Magallanes is the then
visita of Parina.
Upon the initiative of Spanish abacca trader, Don Manuel de Castro,
together with a petition from the inhabitants, of the formerly abandoned villages of the Parina and Caditaan, the Spanish colonial government approved the establishment of
Magallanes as new towvn on April
30, 1859, naming it in honor of the
circumnavigator of the world, Fernando de Magallanes. De Castro, who also operated an astillero or shipyard in the plac,e became its first gobernadorcillo.
Magallanes became an independent parish on December 11, 1863.
It is in Magallanes where Gibalong (now sitio San Isidro) is located, at the mouth of
the Ginangra River, reputed to be the place where the place Christian mass in Luzon was celebrated. The place also holds the distinction of being the first Christian settlement in this part
of the country. In fact, the name ibalon, which is also used to identify the whole Bicol Region, comes from the name of the place Gibalong. In many old Spanish maps the
nameTierra de Gibalong was used to identify the place, which, for a
time became the seat of governance in this part of Luzon.
A historico-religious shrine is now in place on the site, a joint
project of the Sorsogon Provincial Government and the Kasanggayahan Foundation, Inc. it is the site of the annual pilgrimage in the
commemoration of the first mass in Luzon Island, every October
during kasanggayahan Festival.
It is also in Magallanes where Bagatao Island is located just as
the mouth of Sorsogon Bay. Bagatao Island is considered as one of
the most important and biggest shipyards at the time, where some of
the biggest and most magnificent Spaniard gallons were constructed.
It was then known as the Real Astillero de Bagatao.

Barcelona
T

he

Spaniards seems to have

had a special attachment
to the places they occupied in Sorsogon and the
rest of Bicol, shown by the
fact that they named some
of these places after prominent Spanish places and
personages. Call it colonialist nostalgia or homesickness , but one example of this is Barcelona,
which was named after the
famous Spanish tourist
city of Barcelona. The story goes that the Spanish
official noticed the resemblance of the panoramic view of Danlog to that of Barcelona of their Spanish homeland. Thus, they rechristened it Barcelona.
On November 15, 1865, because of persistent petitions from the residents of Danlog (original name of Barcelona, which was then just a visita of Gubat), claiming their village would grow and fare better if separated from Gubat, fthe Spanish authorities approved the creation of Barcelona as a new town, together with
the visita of Tagdon also of Gubat; and Layog and Macabari, of Bulusan, Don Juan Evasco was appointed
as its first gobernadorcillo.
Barcelona became an independent parish in 1868, with St. Joseph as its titular or Patron Saint, whose
feast day, which is also the town fiesta, is on May 19.
Its first Pastor was Fr. Mariano Garcia.
The stone church of Barcelona is one of the most
well-preserved and oldest churches in the Bicol Region, with its original faade and thick stone walls
still intact. It was constructed in 1870. In front of the
church, just across the street, with the sea almost
lapping at its doorsteps, are, to its left, the ruins of
the old presidencia, or casa tribunal, or municipal
hall, which also doubled as a kind of fortification and
watchtower to watch out for pirates; and to its right,
the stone schoolhouse. It is one example of a typical
traditional Spanish colonial town plan, with the triangle of the house of God, the civilian government
house, and the schoolhouse in place.

Irosin
When the place was orga-

nized as a visita of Bulusan

in1847, It was referred to as Hin
-ay derived from the native term
for the way the abaca fibers are
arrange on the loom for weaving.
The word also refers to the Way
Rivers weave their way downstream, like the tresses of a woman weaving and interlacing over
each other as they flow effortlessly and gracefully over her
shoulders.
The places later become
known as San Miguel after the name of their chosen patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel
when it became an independent parish in1873. with Fr. Mariano Miranda as its first parish
administrator. It become an independent pueblo civil in 1880 and renamed Irosin.
The name Irosin is said to be derived from the old Bikol word iros , meaning to cut
off a part, or fear down. This refer to the fact that Irosin , which is surrounded by mountain,
and is the only landlocked town in the province , is often witness to landslides or erosion of
its mountainsides either because of river flows or earthquakes which trigger the sudden earth
movements.
Volcanologists believe that Irosin town actually sits upon
a huge caldera, a cauldron-like depression created after the
eruption of a volcano. According this theory, Mt. Bulusan is
actually not the volcano itself, but a mere fissure of a much
bigger volcano the crater of which, now forming a caldera, is
the valley of Irosin created when this huge volcano, whose
base must be underneath the sea, erupted million of years ago.
This explains why Irosin valley is so fertile that is has
gained the reputation as the ricebowl and rice granary of the
province. Which also the reason why Irosin dubbed its annual
festival the Paray festival every September 29. Paray is
Bikol for rice. And rice in its different culinary concoctions,
particularly as karan-on (native rice snack) is paraded proudly
all over town during Paray Festival.

Castilla
The place
used to be known as Bolabog a vista
of Sorsogon, located along the coast of
Sorsogon Bay. In 1827, it become a
separate pueblo civil. Bolabog, meanwhile, has become a mere barangay of
Sorsogon up to this day.
It become an independent parish on June 24, 1877, with its titular
and patron, St. John the Baptist.
Because of its rapid growth,
the towns residents petitioned the
colonial authorities that their town
site be transferred to the former ancient village of Ynarihan , a sitio nearer the Sorsogon Bay which offered
better opportunities for trading. The
petition was approved by the Governor-General Norzagaray on October 3,
1859, while at the same time decreeing that its name be changed to Castilla after the name of birthplace
in Spain of Queen Isabela l.
Unfortunately, the supposed Castilla poblacion has been allowed by local government authorities
to degenerate into a sleepy neglected ghost town of a place, overtaken by the more progressive barangay of
Cumadcad, which is now, for all intents and purposes, the seat of the municipal government of Castilla.
This unfortunate turn of events happened in the 1960s when the Pan Philippine Highway was being constructed and the highway sidelined Castilla poblacion and instead, diverted to slice straight through the
barangay of Cumadcad. Yet because of its excellent seaport potentials the Castilla poblacion had the
highway passed through it could have been
a busy interisland trading center.

Prieto-Diaz
After

many years
of appealing to become an
independent parish and
pueblo civil from its mother town Bacon, through petitions since 1833, it finally
got the nod from the Spanish authorities and become
an independent parish in
1881, with Fr. Mariano
Banez as its first pastor.
Originally identified
as Mantupar Paint, this jut
of land that reaches out into the turbulent waters of
the San Bernardino Stait become an independent municipality on January 1, 1904 and renamed after the two priest who were lumped together into the group now known as the
15 Bicol Martyrs (Quince Martires ) who were ordered by Spanish authorities executed for
rebellion Fr. Gabriel Prieto and
Fr. Severino Diaz.
Because of this, it is the
only town in the province with a
hyphenated name. it is the only
town in Sorsogon that was constituted as such after Sorsogon
itself become independent province.
Prieto-Diaz is recipient of
the 1998 Best Community-Based Coastal Resources Management Program awarded by the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID), making it a model site for
its natural mangrove forest, mangrove plantations and nursery, wide stretches of sea
grass and mud flats, and protected coral reefs. It also features a breath-taking canopy
walk over its mangrove forest.

Sta. Magdalena
The

place

used to be known as
Bolabog a vista of
Sorsogon,
located
along the coast of
Sorsogon
Bay.
In
1827, it become a
separate pueblo civil.
Bolabog, meanwhile,
has become a mere
barangay of Sorsogon
up to this day.
It become an
independent
parish
on June 24, 1877,
with its titular and
patron, St. John the
Baptist.
Because of its rapid growth, the towns residents petitioned the colonial authorities that their town
site be transferred to the former ancient village of Ynarihan , a sitio nearer the Sorsogon Bay which offered
better opportunities for trading. The petition was approved by the Governor-General Norzagaray on October 3, 1859, while at the same time decreeing that its name be changed to Castilla after the name of
birthplace in Spain of Queen Isabela l.
Unfortunately, the supposed Castilla poblacion has been allowed by local
government authorities to degenerate into
a sleepy neglected ghost town of a place,
overtaken by the more progressive barangay of Cumadcad, which is now, for all
intents and purposes, the seat of the municipal government of Castilla. This unfortunate turn of events happened in the
1960s when the Pan Philippine Highway
was being constructed and the highway
sidelined Castilla poblacion and instead,
diverted to slice straight through the barangay of Cumadcad. Yet because of its
excellent seaport potentials the Castilla
poblacion had the highway passed
through it could have been a busy interisland trading center.

Gallery

Ereccion De Pueblos
ERECCION DE PUEBLOS

The Establishment of Towns and

Parishes
Editorial Board
Noel A. Hermida Jr
Aldwin Cary T. Ondoc
Mary Joy H. Grefalda
Joana Marie O. Sasana
Rowelyn Villaroya
Cartoonist
Noel A. Hermida Jr

Mr. Nardito Mediana

Teacher

Sr. Carmen Abad, D.C.

Dean, HED

Sr. Elenita Soriano, D.C.

Vice-President for Academics

Vision
St. Louise de Marillac College of Sorsogon of the
St. Louise de Marillac Educational System of the
Daughters of Charity is an audacious, Christcentered institution committed to empowering communities of learners into inner-directed Vincentian
leaders and advocates of persons who are poor.

Mission
At ST. LOIUSE DE MARILLAC COLLEGE OF
SORSOGON, we commit ourselves to:
Courageously pursue value innovative educational
programs and services rooted in Christ.
Interdependently accelerate leadership and
professional development through continuing
education and intensive Vincentian Formation.
Synergistically facilitate the integral development
of the learners towards transformation
through current researches, relevant curricular offerings and responsive community extension services.
Relentlessly generate a new breed of self-directed,
global and environmentally caring Vincentian
leaders.
Ardently support one another in sustaining the
shared mission.

Core Values
Advocacy for Persons who are Poor
Respect for Human Dignity and Integrity of Creation
Commitment to Excellence

Sr. Lourdes S. Deborde, D.C.

School President

Compassionate Service
Co-Responsibility

Social Commitment
Solidarity