BALILIHAN YESTERDAY...

Balilihan is an interior town located 22 kilometers northeast of

Tagbilaran CIty, the capital of Bohol. The place is a panorama of verdant hills,
rugged mountains and green fields. It is said to have been so named
because of the grass (balili) which grew in abundance in the locality. Balilihan
means a place where a plenty of "balili" grows.
Before the beginning of the 19th century. Balilihan was a barrio of the
town of baclayon and an old settlement, where the familis of Orig, Dangoy,
Racho, Maniwang, Lacea and Pongase were the first inhabitants. When the
Dagohoy revolt was a suppressed by the Spaniards, the authorities
established a garrison in Datag, one of its present barrios, to discourage and
stamp out further uprisings on the part of the natives. When Balilihan was
separated from its mother town Baclayon on September 29, 1828 the
Spanish government, represented by the Friar Tomas, formally established
caves from where cats go into hiding which was about two kilometers from
the Spanish garisson. Serafin Pongase was appointed as the first Capitan, but
his administration was short-lives because he met death in the hands of
Manuel Danila with whom he had an altercation.
Later, due to the scarcity of water, the seat of government was
transferred to its present site which is amply supplied with water from
various springs wuch as Tan Pero, Ka Dadoy, Boho, Ka Boro, Bilingit, Bocboc,
Komon, and Abaca. The elevated land also made a low hill a good viewing
point to keep watch over all nearby towns. Thus the construction of a
Spanish Belfry similar to the watch towers of the shores, atop the hill. This
tower was made of adobe stones gathered by foot from the rock depsits
ofthe mother town Baclayon. It was erected in the year 1835 under the able
management of Friar Tomas and Capitan Placido Andoy. It was inaugurated in
1846 when Capitan Grabirel Racho was the Gobernadorcillo.
In 1888, Friar Benito Grayoa, who at that time exercised control over
local governments, ordered the transfer of the municipio to Cabad, a barrio
four kilometers west of Poblacion. The padre's plan met vigorous opposition
from the people and through the able leadership of Captain Bartolome
Racho, they filed the protest before the Spanish Military Governor Linares
who disapproved the proposal causing Friar Grayoa's ire who then plotted for
the consequent punishment of the Capitan by dragging him with the Friar's
horse through the streets causing his death in jail. Fearing reprisals from the
clergy some of the people migrated to Surigao, Leyte and Misamis. Not long
afterwards, Father Grayoa was transfereed to Siquijor.
The Spanish Era flourished with the construction of Spanish church at
the foot of the SPanish watch tower where a large of patio became the hall of
social affairs and the friar's convent a school for the cartilla, with the
municipio across. With the guidance of local appointed leaders under the
control of the Spanish Friar, the town slowly progressed peacefully until
outbreak of the Revolution in 1898.

On November 12, 1900. American soldiers were known to be coming

from Antequerra. All officials of the town led by Capitan Antonio Racho came
out to meet the soldiers with a brass band, but when the Americans arrived,
they gathered all the officials in the municipal building and placed them
under guard, for the Americans had heard that the town officials had been
supporting the insurgents. The supplications of spokesman Segundo Racho
not to burn the town was of no avail and the sounds of the welcoming brass
band turned into volleys of gun shots. The officials were ordered to move
toward Sevilla while the civilians ran for safety to the out skirts of the town.
The town was razed down to the ground. The Americans burned the church,
the convent, municipal building, the school building for boys and girls as well
as private houses. The structure that was spared was the Belfry on top of the
hill.

Years later, the people, for the first time in their lives, witnessed an election of their
local leaders wherein Manuel Diamante was elected President. It was during the
administration of these local leaders that remarkable progress was achieved.
Streets were constructed, peace and order was restored and houses and population
in the Poblacion increase remarkablly.

In 1904 there was a move to fuse Balilihan with Antequera in order to

meet the requirements of a municipality under the American regime. The
people under the able leadership of President Manuel Diamante, vehemently
objected to the plan so that the following year of the Philippine Commission
on finally ruled in its Act. No. 350 abolishing the municipality of Catigbi-an
instead and annexing it to Balilihan as of of its barrios.
During World War II, the town residents went into hiding in their
mountain hideouts for dear of the Japanese. Balilihan was a haven of
refugees from other places who lived a life of deprivation in the Mountains.
Many innocent civilians were either tortured or put to death by the enemies

on mere suspicions of guerilla activities. Ex-Mayor Patricio Ibarra was put up

by the people as the war time mayor to defend them from their enemies.
The Japanese atrocities gave rise to the organizations of the guerillas
into full combat force under the supreme command of Major Ismael
Ingeniero. The people helped the guerilla movement by feeding the troops in
the front lines as well as those in the headquarters in "behind the Clouds", in
Maitum which was the famous concentration camp of the war. Enemy
collaborators were tried here and those found guilty of high crimes were
liquidated. Those with slight offenses were imprisoned for the duration of the
war. Another concentration camp was at Hanopol where prisoners were kept.
The liberation from Japanese atrocities was a cause for a happy
celebration. The people moved down from their hiding places in the
mountains and celebrate with the evacuees the joy of freedom under the
tutelage of the Americans. So evacuees remained for a reason for a marriage
or others. Everyone worked hard and rehabilitate and repair his home.
Schools were opened, public offices functioned, peace and order maintained.
Life became normal once more.
Independence Day was celebrated on July 4, 1946 with the gather of
war babies and children at the town plaza with the Rizal monument as the
focal point and place of assembly an act that symbolizes a new tomorrow
for the generation.
In 1948, Balilihan suffered a great loss of territory when the biggest
barrio (Catigbi-an) was given its town charter in spite of the strong
representation against the move by town Mayor Balbino Chatto and Gerardo
Racho who personally went to Malacaang to see President Elpidio Quirino.
Catigbian was the given away to be on its own.

BALILIHAN TODAY...
In 1978, the town celebrated its Sesquicentennial year, 150 years its
founding. The town developed under a succession of worthy town Mayors
and officials in total cooperation with the church. It reached its season to look
back with what it has to reap a line of successful professionals and
graduates, awardess a member of the Provincial Board who later became the
longest serving Governor of the Province of Bohol, Governor Lino Ibarra
Chatto, the pride of Balilihan. It was capped with the putting up of a
Sesquicentennial King and Queen chosen from among Balilinhons from
different areas of the coutnry which starts the "Kaliwat sa Balilihan"
organizations.
1984 marked the Silver Anniversary of Balilihan's longest serving
Mayor, Eladio Ibarra Chatto, who later became Assemblyman of the Batasang
Pambansa. 1986 gave Balilihan a share of people's power with the reins of
government placed in different OIC's hands Eduardo Bodota, Cirila Ibarra
Nazareno and Elias Baquero was OIC Mayors. It may have claimed a red
mark in peace and order but overcame the situation after a consistent
campaign supported by the Mass base.
1989 is marked by the adoption of a Norwegian Envoy Harald Swanoe
Midttun for its son being instrumental in the construction of the 5 Megawatt
Hanopol Mini Hydro Power Plant which now helps in supplying energy to
several towns in Bohol. It also gave birth to a community newsletter "The
Belfry" and identified its own symbol: Hymn, flag, flower, bird, tree. It was a
year made memorable by the Balik Balilihan program.
1990 gave way to the Countryside Action program (CAP), a wholistic
approach to socio-economic development in the municipality with the
introduction of the "purok network" in the local system.
1995 marked the frist celebration of the Foundation Day of Balilihan
dubbed has "SUMAD '95" on its 167 th year since its founding. The event has
fittingly celebrated with the Duwa-Syaw featuring the chapters of Balilihan's
colorful histroy from pre-Spanish , to Spanish, Amercan Japanese regimes to
the present. With Mayor Edgar M. Chatto's leadership, the whole town

rejoiced portraying thru dance drama the history of the town. Since then
Sumad has been celebrated although in different ways. The affair has been
institutionalized with the legislation declaring September 29, of every year as
Foundation day of the town. The day is made more memobrable when the
longest serving Mayor of Balilihan, our beloved :Tiyo Kiking" died on
September 29, 2001. He had chosen the day to leave his dear Balilihan on its
SUMAD maybe to be forever rememberd as part of our annual celebration
even in his absence.
Two major awards, were garnered: the best Rizal Monument 5th
Nationwide and first runner-up in the Sandugo Street Dancing Competition.
The reclamation at the back of the Balilihan Presidencia and the road to the
slaughterhouse are Tiyo Kiking's lasting contributions. His term closed with
the fitting celebration of the centennial year of Philippine Independence
wherein he reenacted the first raising of the Philippine Flag in Kawit, Cavite
at the newly completed stage of the sports complex.
2003 marks the 175th Foundation Year of Balilihan's establishment. With
Congressman Edgar M. Chatto as Balilihan's ever dynamig leader
representing our Town in Congress, Much porgress and development has
been shared to our town thru the incumbent leaders ied by Mayor
Dominision L. Chatto and Vice Mayor Victoria M. Chatto, in coordination with
the Sangguiniang Bayan and the Association of Barangay councils, who are
sincere and dedicated in their implementation of the Balilihan Countryside
Action Program (CAP) which has been the centerpiece of Balilihan's
sustainable development as well as Congressman Eddie's LIFE program
Libelihood, Infrastructure, Food and Education.