Bagamanoc, Catanduanes - History

History

Bagamanoc Proper was yet nameless, unmarked by the footprints of men. On its sandy soil roamed numerous ferocious quadrupeds of all sizes and wild fowls. There yet stood a variety of big, tall century old trees interlaced with long, tapering some thorny vines brownish with age. Multicolored birds played, song mated laid their eggs on the branches and fed on their luscious fruits.

The crescent, bare grayish black shores you now see was yet less curved, where the low tide waves now lap at the shoreline, grow a row of thick of bush of green pandan shrubs unmolested by the clutches of the claws of the sea. Not far from this place, at what is known as Bagatabao, but more island of the swamp, Bagamanocnons now called Taraga, there was already a chicken raising settlement place from the inhospitable plateau of Panay Island (Catanduanes).

The settlement was bounded on the East and North by the sea, blocked by a swamp and a hostile hill on the South and pressed by the crocodile-infested mouth of what is now known as the Bagamanoc River on the West. Confined to a limited territory by natural forces, the settlement could hardly feed and shelter itself. Moreover, frequent raids by corsairs from Mindanao, Jolo or Borneo for slaves had a serious problem to their existence.

One day, a daring and adventurous young man from the tribe forced his way across the mouth of the river to look for rattan needed for the repair of his future bride’s family house. Going westward by the shoreline, he finally turned left for the business of venture but before he cut an uphill distance, he saw what appeared to be a chicken flying along just above the tallest leaves of pandan shrubs festooning the sea. Back in his tribe, he told the clan on what he saw of the beauty of the place, its abundance with food and building materials and the defense is offered from the pirate’s raid. But as the place has no name to say when referring to that “discovered land” every time anybody talk of the place, they would call it “BAGAMANOC” which means the place was like a “chicken” the very meaning of Bagamanoc.

To detect the coming of the Moro raids, the people erected a watchtower where the sea laps at the shore nearest the present Municipal Hall. In spite of the tower, many Bagamanocnons still fell into the corsairs’ hand. When the Spaniards came, they found the place a thriving community. They converted the people into Christianity and made a settlement into a municipality under a governadorcillo. Under Spain, the town people constructed a concrete church and municipal hall of stones, limes, molasses and eggs. However, even under the Spaniard rule, Bagamanocnons did not fully submit to the Spanish dominion, although fully sold out to Christianity. During the revolution of 1898-1901, the Bagamanocnon relied their support to the Filipino Revolutionist. In fact, a bloody skirmish took place at Mapulang Labo, where the late Apolonio Cueva skillfully beheaded an American Officer mounted on a horse. When the Americans reorganized the municipal government, the town was reduced to a mere town of Viga, later of Payo, until Bagamanoc became a municipality again in 1950.

Bagamanoc is used to be called a small town of big people and properly so. She had produced a hundred of professionals scattered all over the archipelago who in their modest way are making a name for themselves and for their birth place. The country’s representative to the “Tokyo Olympic Games” in 1924. in the discus throwing event came from this town and the second Catanduanes congressman under an independent Philippines hails from here.As of lately and during the time where the American Bases are still here in the Philippines,Bagamanoc has also been the site of the LORAN ( Long Range Navigation Facilities ) Station primarily installed to protect the country from external threats, among others.

Bagamanoc was created from barrios of Quigaray, Hinipagan, Sukhan in the island of Panay; Lati, in the island of Lati; Bacac, Hinipaan, Bugao, Minaili and Bagamanoc of the municipality of Panganiban by virtue of Republic Act No. 491 which was approved on June 12, 1950.

The municipal councils of Bagamanoc and Panganiban agreed on the boundary of the two towns on June 12, 1952. The agreement was approved by the provincial council of Catanduanes on on July 12, 1952. The Congress formalized the agreement by passing Republic Act No. 1038 which was approved on June 12, 1954. The boundary was stated thus:

"The boundary of Panay Island between the municipalities of Bagamanoc and Panganiban is a straight line from Amontol Point to Tubigmanoc. The territory west of the line belongs to the former municipality and the territory east of the line belongs to the latter. The boundary in Panganiban Bay is a straight line from Amontol Point to the mouth of the Pangcayanan Creek. The territory northwest of the line belongs to the former and the territory southwest of the line belongs to the latter. The boundary in the mainland of said municipalities extends from the mouth of Pangcayanan Creek following the natural course of said creek up to the concrete culvert and from that point of straight line to sitio Inacban: Provided, That sitio Inacban belongs to the municipality of Panganiban."