Town of Rizal
HISTORY OF RIZAL
By Rudy Candelario
Translated in English by Benjamin Walata
Before the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines, the area which comprises the municipality of Rizal, at present, is covered with forests. Later on, a few families of tribal Filipinos, known as Ratagnons, settled near the mouth of a river which was called Bogsanga.
According to the Hanunoos, another group of tribal Filipinos, living on the hills, about ten kilometers west of Bogsanga, the original name of the river is Bisanga a word from their dialect which means It branched out. They gave the river that name for the said body of water came from two sources. Viewed from the top of a hill, one would see two rivers merging into one, like crooked branches of a single tree, a few kilometers from the mountains where it came from.
The Ratagnons named their settlement after the river, thus, in the old map drawn by a Spanish friar, in 1734, the name Bogsanga appeared.
Another settlement appeared in an area, north of Bogsanga, which is near another river called Lumintao, at present. Since the type of soil found in the area, during that time was coarse, and in the dialect of the Ratagnons, the term they used for describing that kind of soil was magarang, they called the place by that name. It could be said that other small settlements, composed of five or seven houses, appeared between the first two villages and between the rivers of Bogsanga and Lumintao, for when the Spanish missionaries intensified the propagation of the Catholic faith in Mindoro and decided to establish ecclesiastical territories, they made Bogsanga a mission station.
By virtue of Royal Decree No. 103 of the king of Spain, dated February 25, 1878, Bogsanga was made a mission station, together with Paluan, Mamburao, Irirum, now Iriron, and Lumitaw, the old name of Lumintao. Spanish friars, belonging to the congregation of the Augustinian Recollects, visited the tribal Filipinos in Bogsanga and the other settlements between the present Busuanga and Lumintao Rivers and taught them the Catholic faith.
Unfortunately, due to hardships of travel and the semi-nomadic way of life of the tribal Filipinos in Mindoro, Bogsanga as a mission station was abandoned in 1890. The area was placed under the jurisdiction of the Parish of Mangarin.
An enterprising Spaniard, Señor Pascual Ledesma, saw that the wide plain at the western side of the land between Busuanga and Lumintao Rivers was ideal for raising cattle. He bought the land from the Spanish government, hired workers to take care of the cattle and made Magarang the center of his ranch.
In 1893, Fr. Crisanto Azpilcueta dela Santisima Trinidad, an Augustinian Recollect, was assigned in Magarang, to take care of the spiritual needs of the people residing inside the La Hacienda de San Jose, the more than twenty thousand hectares of agricultural land, from Caguray to Iriron, which was entrusted by the Spanish government to the Order of the Augustinian Recollect, for cultivation and development. The following year, the Augustinian Recollects bought the ranch of Senor Pascual Ledesma in Magarang. Fr. Isidro Sanz de San Jose was given the task of attending to the spiritual welfare of the families working in the ranch, thus, Fr. Crisanto transferred to another coastal settlement, more than ten kilometers south of Magarang, which is called Bubog at present.
The Spanish friars convinced Mr. Espiridion Jimenez of San Marcelino, Zambales and his relatives to work in the ranch. They took care of more than one thousand cattle. As the cattle multiplied in number, more workers were hired. The settlement pf Magarang grew. It became a pueblo. Mr. Espiridion Jimenez became the leader of the inhabitants, with the title of Capitan del Pueblo.
A time came when the Spanish friar assigned in Magarang and Capitan Espiridion Jimenez disagreed on some matters. The family of the said leader and those of his relatives decided to transfer to Iriron. Later on, he founded a group of Filipino freedom fighters which the Spaniards called as insurrectos. They joined the group of freedom fighters formed by Capitan Pedro Fernandez of Sablayan. The two leaders planned to capture the Spaniards who are living in Magarang, including the Spanish friar. Before implementing the plan, they asked the permission of Capitan Marianito Abeleda of Paluan, the acknowledged leader of the freedom fighters in West Mindoro and Capitan Daniel Sambong, another leader from East Mindoro who later on become the head of the revolutionary government, based in Calapan, which was formed by General Emilio Aguinaldo to take charge of the whole island of Mindoro.
Based on the history written by Antoon Postma, a researcher from Holland, the Spanish friar was captured by the freedom fighters, from Calintaan and Sablayan, in 1897. Together with the other Spanish friars in Mindoro, they were imprisoned in Taysan, Batangas and were released only, in 1904, when the Americans colonized the Philippines.
The Order of the Augustinian Recollects abandoned their cattle ranch in Magarang, during the revolution. Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo’s troop confiscated the ranch and slaughtered hundreds of cattle to feed the Filipino freedom fighters which were called revolucionarios by the historians.
After the revolution, the cattle ranch in Magarang was abandoned totally. The cattle which were not slaughtered, escaped from the enclosed area, lived in the forests and became wild animals. Gradually, the church built by the Spaniards, the convento of the friars and the houses of the families who used to work in the cattle ranch were destroyed by the forces of nature. The once progressive pueblo became a forested area. Only the ruins of the church and the convento were seen by individuals who visited the place, many years after the revolution.
II - DURING THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION
The Americans occupied the island of Mindoro in 1901. They assigned Captain Robert Offley as governor of the island. Calapan, a progressive municipality in East Mindoro was made as the seat of the military government.
In 1904, under the new land policy of the Americans, La Hacienda de San Jose was bought by the government and it was called San Jose Estate. A part of the estate was leased to a group of American capitalists who made it as a sugar cane plantation. A sugar central was established in an area which is now called Barangay Central.
When San Jose was created as a municipality in 1910, the area between Busuanga and Lumintao was placed under its jurisdiction. Municipal presidents who were appointed by the provincial governor of Mindoro, visited the settlements found between the two rivers.
In 1911, Mindoro Sugar Company, later called Philippine Milling Company, which was dubbed as the first sugar central in the Far East, started its operation. The wide area planted with sugar cane, included the agricultural land which are now occupied by Brgys. Pitogo, Sto. Nino, San Pedro and Adela.
The sugarcane plantation was divided into sections. The site of the sugar mill belonged to D-7. Since in Spanish, the official language during that time, 7 is siete and it so happened that the sugar central was a part of that division, the place became known as Siete Central. The name stuck up to the present times although to many people the area is popularly called now as Central.
Since Central was the most progressive area in West Mindoro during that time, the center of the Parish of Mangarin was transferred here. The priests who were appointed as chaplains of Mindoro Sugar Company acted as the parish priests of the ecclesiastical territory.
In a map drawn by Fr. Julian Duval, the chaplain assigned by Bishop Alfredo Verzosa of Lipa, Batangas to Philippine Milling Company, in 1919, the railroad from the company’s center which reached up to Danupa, now a sitio of Brgy. Pitogo, was clearly indicated. Sitio Bogsanga was also indicated as a part of the company’s sugarcane plantation In the report of Fr. Duval to Bishop Verzosa, he mentioned that one hundred twenty (120) families of migrant workers from Romblon stayed at Bogsanga. In Danupa, also called Frietas Camp, during that time, twenty five (25) Ilocano and one hundred twenty (120) Visayan families were residing.
Old residents of Sandulayan, now called Brgy. Sto. Niño, still remember the bridge made of concrete and steel, joining their place and Central, which was constructed by Atlantic Gulf Construction Company for Philippine Milling Company over Busuanga River. Using the name of the construction firm for identification, the people called the bridge Atlantic. Unfortunately, the structure was destroyed by a great flood which occurred in the said river, in 1929.
Based also on the accounts of old residents of Brgy. Aguas, their place was the cattle ranch of the owners of Mindoro Sugar Company. It was there where the managers of the company got the cattle which they butchered whenever there were celebrations of significant occasions in Central or a feast for an important guest.
With the exception of the families of laborers working at the sugar cane plantation, the Ratagnons were the few settlers of the plains which are now part of the municipality of Rizal. They were the ones who gave the names of Sitio Cambaruang, Cambaog, Candague, Malabnig, Caniwal, Cantoroy and Sandulayan. Patches of kaingin could be found in these places. It is interesting to note that with the exception of Malabnig and Sandulayan, the abovementioned sitios were named after its occupants, the Ratagnons who were called Baruang, Baog, Dague, Iwal and Toroy. The prefix, Kang, signifying ownership was attached to their names. Later on, the prefix became Cam or Can. On the other hand, Malabnig came from a word of the Ratagnons which means a place where there are plenty of rattan. Sandulayan came from the word sanduguan for it was in this place where blood compacts between the tribal leaders and the settlers from other villages, took place.
About the year 1930, the owners of Philippine Milling Company decided to limit the area planted to sugarcane. In Bogsanga, the area managed by Mr. Geronimo Huissing remained as a part of the plantation. Mr. Huissing and his wife Adela were kindhearted. They helped the laborers in times of need and gave them opportunities to work in the sugarcane plantation.
Unfortunately, after a few more years, due to the continuous financial losses suffered by the sugar central, the sugarcane plantation in Bogsanga was also abandoned. Families of migrant workers and Ratagnons settled in the abandoned area. To differentiate the identity of their settlement with that of the river, they decided to call it as Ponda.
While changes were taking place in Philippine Milling Company, a new settlement appeared a kilometer away north of the former site of El Pueblo de Magarang. It was formed by families of farmers from Panay. It was called Magui due to the abundance of maguey plants in the area.
In 1936, relatives of settlers in Magui came to look for vacant land to be cultivated. They decided to settle in the forested area three kilometers south of the settlement, in a place where there were plenty of edible root crop called burot by the Visayan people. Narrated below is the English translation of a general description of the place by one of the pioneers:
It is dangerous to live in this place because aside from the thick
outgrowth of nipa palms in the river, big trees abound in the forested area,
particularly ‘balete’ and ‘mulawin.’ Monkeys and different kinds of birds
live here..
At the center of the present barrio site lived the different animals, like
deer, wild pigs, cows and carabaos called ‘simaron.’
The river is also dangerous because ferocious sharks and crocodiles
enter the mouth of this deep body of water.
Despite the danger, the pioneers built huts at the bank of the river, called Rumbang by the Ratagnons. Through hard work and persistence, they were able to clear the forested area and make it productive.
The following year, a group of families from Panay settled in Ponda. Another group settled in the plains four kilometers east of Magui, near a creek which was called Mag-asawang Tubig. They were followed by a group of families from Agutaya, Palawan who settled in an area, near Rumbang River, about three kilometers north of Ponda,
Meanwhile, enterprising individuals from other parts of the country established cattle ranches at the eastern portion of the area between the rivers of Busuanga and Lumintao. Men from Panay were hired to work in the ranch. Gradually, the relatives of the ranch helpers, together with their families arrived, and settled in the vacant land around the pastureland. The indigenous people who have kaingin in the area transferred to the nearby hills.
Gradually, the settlements between Lumintao and Busuanga grew. In 1939, Ponda became a barrio. The pioneers of the place thought of a more beautiful name for their barrio. Since all of them have worked as migrant workers in the sugarcane plantation managed by Mr. Huissing and his wife, they remembered the kindness of the couple. To show their appreciation to the benevolence of their former administrator, they decided to change the name of their barrio to Adela.
In 1940, St. Joseph Parish was created. Its center was placed in Central. The parish priest assigned in this parish took care of the spiritual needs of the inhabitants of the settlements between Lumintao and Busuanga Rivers.
Meanwhile, in their desire that their children could acquire formal education, the residents of Adela petitioned the government that a primary school be opened in their community. Under the leadership of their first barrio lieutenant, Mr. Simeon Saulong, they built a school building made of bamboo and buri leaves, through bayanihan. A Grade 1 class was opened and the following year, class in Grade 2 was about to start when World War II broke out.
In 1941, almost the same time when World War II broke out, the sitio of Mag-asawang Tubig became a barrio. Residents of this place decided to change the name of their barrio to Magsikap, to remind themselves that they should exert effort to make their life better.
III - DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION
In 1941, World War II broke out. More than a year later, Japanese soldiers occupied Central. They stopped the operation of Philippine Milling Company. Majority of the people who were residing in the sitios which are parts of Rizal, at present, evacuated to their places of origin. Others hid at the forests of Sitio Malabnig, Burot, Malawaan and Alogbate. They survived by eating the edible root crop called nami by the natives and yuro the dried juice from the trunk of buri. Some brave men joined the group of guerrillas formed by Captain Vincent Fortune & Captain Lawrence Cooper, former employees of the sugar central. A few families remained in the sitios but they lived in anxiety and fear, specially every time Japanese soldiers visited their place.
One incident which residents of Burot, could not forget was when Japanese soldiers looked for a group of guerrillas who entered the river, which served as the boundary between their sitio and Rumbang, riding in a big sailboat owned by Emilio Sta. Maria. When the Japanese soldiers could not find the guerrillas, they held as captives the men in the sitio and hung upside down, Mr. & Mrs. Cornelio and Emilia Calado. Although they feared for their lives, the people prayed before the image of Nuestra Señora de Salvacion in the house of Mrs. Basilia Torres.
The Blessed Virgin heard the petition of the people. After forty eight hours, the captives were released, including the couple who were hung upside down. To show their gratitude to the Blessed Virgin, residents of Burot decided to change the name of their place to Salvacion.
In Adela, the second leader of the community after Mr. Simeon Saulong, Barrio Lieutenant Fernando Candelario, Sr. was summoned by the Japanese soldiers for questioning at their garrison in Central. They pressured him to reveal the whereabouts of the brave men from Adela who joined the guerrilla unit headed by Captain Fortune. When he refused to give information, the barrio leader was imprisoned in the garrison. Fortunately, Mr. Saito, a Japanese civilian from Burot who was a friend of the barrio lieutenant, pleaded to the commander of the soldiers to release the imprisoned leader, testifying that he was a good man. After two days, Barrio Lieutenant Candelario was released.
The first settlers of Magui stated that aside from the Japanese soldiers, they feared the group of bandits led by Pedro Concepcion. The said group killed Mayor Maximino Papa of Sablayan. They also forcibly got the products of the farmers, including their poultry and livestock. The people avoided them by hiding in the forests and mountains.
The group of guerrillas led by Captain Fortune & Captain Cooper fought the Japanese troops but due to limited firearms and ammunitions they resorted to sporadic ambuscades in the garrisons of the enemies.
When the Allied Forces, led by American soldiers came to liberate Mindoro from the Japanese, on December 15, 1944 the wide sea west of Adela, Rumbang, Salvacion and Magui was filled with warships. The long stretch of seashore of these places was part of the area called as blue beach by the Americans. Before the soldiers landed, their warships shelled the plains to drive away the Japanese soldiers. Unfortunately, many civilians who were not informed beforehand of the shelling, died.
IV - AFTER WORLD WAR II
After the war, hundreds of families from Palawan, Luzon and the Visayas, who were looking for vacant lands to cultivate, flocked to the sitios located at the northern and western side of Busuanga River. They applied for homestead at the land owned by the government, including the abandoned sugarcane plantation of Philippine Milling Company. They cleared the forests and converted it into ricelands. It was during this time when the families of future political leaders of the area between Busuanga and Lumintao Rivers, specifically the Miranda and Liabres families settled in Sto. Niño.
The farmers of Sto. Niño and Danupa, benefited from the irrigation system established by the owners of Philippine Milling Company. The two tunnels dug at the said places are still being used up to the present time, to get water from Busuanga River to irrigate the ricefields not only of Sto. Nino and Danupa but also of the nearby sitios and barrios.
In 1945, when the government decided to resume classes in the primary and elementary grades, Adela was one of the barrios in San Jose where classes in the primary grades were opened. Children from nearby sitios like Rumbang, San Pedro and Magsikap studied in the school of this barrio. To make up for the school years lost during the war, promotion of bright students was done, thus, it was normal for an intelligent pupil to graduate after four years in the elementary grades.
After a year, Salvacion became a barrio and a primary school was opened there. Later on, classes from Grade IV to Grade VI were also opened in this place. Pupils from Magui studied there. They walked the few kilometer distance from their barrio to the school to be able to attend classes. Meanwhile, children from Sto. Niño attended classes in Central, for that barrio is nearer to their place than Adela.
In 1946, the barrio of Magui was created. The name of the community remained for many years, until a great flood occurred which forced the residents to transfer the site of their barrio to higher grounds where plenty of lawaan trees could be found. As a result, the name of the barrio was changed from Magui to Malawaan.
As years passed, Rumbang, San Pedro and Sto. Niño, the sitios of Adela became barrios. Moreover, the barrios of Pitogo, San Andres and Limlim were formed at the abandoned sugar cane plantation, south of Central. The name of Barrio Pitogo was taken from a kind of tree, San Andres, from the first name of the leader of the settlers and Limlim, from a Pilipino word which describes a stage in the life of a crocodile, a reptile which thrived in the creeks and swamps of the area. Due to the abundance of water in San Andres and in Spanish language, the word used for water is aguas, the name of the barrio was changed to Aguas.
Aside from farming and fishing, logging became the occupation of the settlers in the northeastern part of the present municipality of Rizal.. In the western part of the territory, specifically Rumbang and Salvacion, weaving nipa shingles became the secondary source of income of the residents, for wide nipa swamps could be found in this area. However, when well to do families resided in these places, the nipa swamps were converted into fishponds.
V - THE GROWTH OF THE BARRIOS BETWEEN TWO RIVERS
Gradually, the ten barrios between Lumintao River and Busuanga River grew. At the same time, under a new government policy on land use, the pasturelands at the southeastern part of San Jose were transferred to the nearby hills. The wide plains vacated by the cattle raisers were occupied by farmers from the Visayas. Later on, families from other regions of the country joined them. The sitios of Manoot, Amaling and Cantoroy were formed. The number of inhabitants grew. The once forested area became productive.
To irrigate their ricefields, farmers of Magsikap, Malawaan, Rumbang and Salvacion formed an association under the leadership of former District Supervisor Eusebio Lim. From the first letters of the names of their barrios, they called their group as MAMARUSAL Farmers’ Association. They dug a big canal from the side of a hill at Lumintao River to their ricefields. They managed the irrigation system until the late 1970’s when the management of the said project, including the irrigation system established by Philippine Milling Company was turned over to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
During the early years, roads were built by means of bayanihan or batarisan of people in the community. Leaders emerged among the inhabitants of the ten barrios. They engaged in politics. Many of them became well known political leaders; Barrio Lts. Luis Aguirre, Sr., Epifanio Dumalaog, Arsenio Tolentino, Sr., Marciano Espartero, Isidoro Andres & Ermelito Balleza. Some were elected as municipal councilors of San Jose like Barrio Lt. Fernando Candelario, Sr., Dr. Angel Pechon, Atty. Eriberto Palomar & Mr. Tranquilino Ramos. Through their efforts, roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects were made in the communities. Two of them were the concrete bridge joining Sitio Bato-ili, Monteclaro, San Jose and Sitio Manoot, Aguas, Rizal which was constructed when Hon. Arsenio Villaroza was the governor of Occidental Mindoro and the road from Brgy. Aguas to Sitio Manoot which was made when Hon. Pedro Mendiola, Sr. was the representative of the province to the Batasang Pambansa.
Pioneers of the ten barrios valued the education of their children. They requested the government that elementary schools be opened in their communities. By means of bayanihan, they built school buildings made of light materials so that classes could be held. Magnanimous individuals donated lots for school campuses. Some mentors volunteered to teach without pay for months or sometimes for almost a year. Later on, school buildings made of concrete and steel were built by the government.
In 1966, through the concerted efforts of P.T.A. president Emilio Miller, Sr. and then District Supervisor Aniceto Elveña, a barrio high school was established in Sitio Sudlon, Adela. It was called San Jose North High School. Two years later, the school became Rizal Municipal High School and after fifteen more years it was converted into a national high school.
VI - THE BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF RIZAL
Political leaders of San Jose and Occidental Mindoro felt that the barrios between Busuanga and Lumintao River should be created as another municipality. In anticipation of the creation of a new town, residents of Barrio Limlim, decided to change the name of their community to Rizal. They expressed their desire that their barrio would be made as the center of the town.
However, residents of the coastal barrios wanted that the town’s center or poblacion would be placed in Sudlon, a sitio between Adela and Rumbang. Magnanimous individuals like Benisto Pechon, Sr., Pilar E. Venus, Celsa M. Lim, Salustiana vda. De Arca, Merlina Lim, Tomas Soriano, Pedro Saulong, Narciso Janairo, Lucia L. Roldan, Arnulfo Dimalaluan, Cornelio Española, Jr., Ruperto Naungayan, Laureano Apilado and Elias Abayon, donated portions of their land for the town site.
In 1965, when Hon. Pedro Medalla, Sr. was elected representative of Occidental MIndoro, one of the bills he filed in Congress was the creation of the municipality of Rizal. Through his effort, Republic Act No. 5460, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos. Rizal became a municipality on April 3, 1969. Ten barrios composed the new town. They were Adela, Rumbang, Salvacion, Magui, Magsikap, San Pedro, Sto. Nino, Pitogo, Aguas and Rizal (Limlim).
A special election was held during that year. Elected as first municipal officials of Rizal were Hon. Rufino Liabres – Mayor; Hon. Andres Pablo – Vice Mayor; Honorables Edward Miller, Wilfredo Monoso, Valeriano Malunes, Reymundo Camacho, Leonido Dona, Leonardo Valdez, Crispin Fabelona & Arsenio Balatico – Councilors. In a simple ceremony held on December 27, 1969 they took their oath of office at the residence of the first elected municipal mayor.
Undoubtedly, the elected municipal officials of Rizal, from the first ones to the present, tried their best to serve the people and to make the municipality progressive. Not all of their achievements, however, were recorded. The accomplishments narrated here are what were considered as significant ones and were based on interviews with their contemporaries and the perceptions of the people whom they have served. Hopefully, the documented achievements in the appendices of this write-up would provide a more detailed knowledge on what each administration has accomplished.
A) THE LIABRES ADMINISTRATION
Like all new towns, Rizal underwent birth pains. Due to limited funds, the pioneering employees received meager salaries. Each member of the municipal council was given only Fifteen Pesos (PhP15.00) per session. Nevertheless, in their ardent desire to serve the people, the first municipal councilors and those who succeeded them in the regular election of 1972, did not mind receiving the abovementioned measly sum every time they met to discuss and pass ordinances and resolutions for the good of the municipality.
Since there was no existing municipal building during that time, the municipal mayor and his council including the employees of the new municipality, used the house of Mayor Liabres as their temporary office. Later on, with the assistance of the national government, a municipal building was constructed at Sitio Sudlon, the poblacion of the town. After a year, upon the completion of the building, the office of the municipal government was transferred to Sudlon.
To make it more convenient for people of Sto. Niño, Magsikap, San Pedro and other barangays in the eastern part of the municipality to go to the municipal building, a municipal road was constructed from Sudlon to San Pedro where the highway is located.
In 1972, when a regular election was held, the following were elected as the second set of municipal officials of Rizal: Hon. Bartolome Miranda – Mayor; Hon. Wilfredo Monoso – Vice Mayor; Honorables Arsenio Balatico, Rosita Urbina, Florentino Aban, Amado Tuason, Bidhel Magsino, Domingo Clemente, Crispulo Palacpac & Camilo Balangatan –Councilors.
- THE FIRST MIRANDA ADMINISTRATION
Like his predecessor. due to the municipality’s meager resources, during his first term as the town’s chief executive, Mayor Miranda asked the assistance of the provincial and national officials. He was able to improve the municipal building, built a waiting shed and a solar dryer, repaired the school building at the poblacion and constructed the feeder road from Brgy. Sto. Niño to Brgy. Rizal (Limlim).
Due to the meager salary received by the town officials during that time and aware of the growing financial needs of his family, Vice Mayor Monoso resigned from his position and worked as an agriculturist at the Bureau of Plant Industry.
In August, 1972 or a few months after the second set of municipal officials assumed office, a great flood occurred at Barrio Magui. Lumintao River destroyed a wide area of agricultural land including the barrio site, forcing the people to evacuate to higher grounds. They built their houses at Sitio Payompon. Later on, the sitio became the center of the barrio which was now called Malawaan by the residents. The old barrio site became known as Sitio Tibag.
When martial law was declared, Mayor Miranda remained as the municipal mayor of Rizal. This municipality benefited from the infrastructure projects implemented by the national government in Occidental Mindoro. Among them were the construction of concrete bridges over Lumintao River, Busuanga River and Mag-asawang Tubig Creek; the widening and graveling of the highway which passed at Brgy. Magsikap, San Pedro & Sto. Niño and the improvement of the existing communal irrigation systems by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA). Unfortunately, the concrete overflow bridge built at Busuanga River was twice destroyed by flood that major repairs were done in the structure to make it passable again during rainy season.
Rural electrification program was intensified during martial law. An electric cooperative was formed in Occidental Mindoro. Known as Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (OMECO) thousands of households in Rizal enjoyed the benefits brought by electricity generated by its power plant in Sitio Pulang Lupa, Central.
In 1974, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 86-A of President Ferdinand Marcos, the barrio, the smallest political unit in the Philippines became known as barangay. Big poblaciones were divided into small barangays. The title of Barrio Captain was changed to Barangay Chairman, Barrio Councilors were called Sangguniang Barangay members and Municipal Councilors became known as Sangguniang Bayan (SB) members.
The youth were given active roles in barangay governance. Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairmen and SK council members were elected. Federation of SK members were formed in every municipality and youth leaders who were elected as chairmen automatically became members of the Sangguniang Bayan. Youth leaders emerged in Rizal. Ferdinand Lopez became the first youth leader of this municipality who became an SB member.
On June 7, 1977 the Barangay Council of Aguas passed a resolution creating a barangay high school in their place. The first school building made of light materials was built by the barangay folks, through bayanihan, on a piece of land donated by the owner of Hacienda Yap, a sitio west of the barangay proper. The residents gave financial assistance to the school, during its early years of existence. After five years, the secondary school was elevated to the status of a national high school.
During martial law, graduates of Nursing course were required by the government to render service in the rural areas. A group of them served in Rizal. One of them was Miss. Sonia Cabaluna of Iloilo. She met Councilor Ernesto Pablo who later on became her husband. She served as a public health nurse of the municipality, a position which became her stepping stone to her political career; first as vice mayor of Rizal and later on as municipal mayor.
It was also during the period of martial law when an area of more or less fifty hectares was planted with soybeans at Sitio Manoot. It was managed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Unfortunately, after almost a decade, the project proved to be unprofitable. As a result, the planting of soybeans was stopped and the area was abandoned.
In the early 1980’s in his desire to make it more convenient for majority of the residents of Rizal to transact business with the local officials as well as employees of the municipal and national governments, Mayor Miranda used the building vacated by a construction firm in Sto. Niño as extension offices of government agencies. Later on, the greater bulk of government employees held offices at the said barangay.
The leftist movement became more active in 1983. Its military arm, the New People’s Army (NPA) tried to control some barangays in Rizal, particularly Brgy. Rizal (Limlim). In its desire to neutralize the power of the NPA, the Armed Forces of the Philippines trained members of the Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) not only in the said barangay but also in other places. However, the forming of CAFGUs did not deter the growth of the rebel forces.
The peaceful revolution at EDSA took place in February 1986. Months after the historic event, all local officials in the country were changed. Officers in Charge were appointed in the provinces and municipalities. Mayor Miranda was replaced as mayor of Rizal, first by Hon. Jose Lopez, Jr., then by Hon. Mario Miranda and finally by Hon. Efren Talactac.
C) THE TALACTAC ADMINISTRATION
Aside from the municipal mayor, the vice mayor and some members of the municipal council were also changed in Rizal. The records of the municipal government showed that from 1987 to 1988, Hon. Efren Talactac served as Mayor; Hon. Vicente Lim – Vice Mayor; Honorables Fausto Pablo, Noemi Clavel, Pedro Miano, R.S. Palacpac, A.C. Tuazon, R.B. Gamboa, P.B. Labindao, A. Lachica & R. Lilagan – SB Members.
Due to the political reforms implemented by the national government during the post-EDSA period, much time was spent by the appointed municipal officials to win the confidence of the people. Meetings were held with the barangay leaders, people’s organizations (POs) and non-government organizations (NGOs).
During this period, specifically in 1988, two bloody clashes occurred between the combined forces of PNP-CAFGU and the NPA at Brgy. Rizal (Limlim) in 1988. In the encounter at Sitio Mayupang of the barangay, among the reported casualties on both sides was the leader of the rebel forces known as Ka Adong. However, the report was not confirmed for the military was not able to see the body of the leader who was allegedly killed. In another encounter that year, an innocent civilian, Mr. Carlos Enriquez, the father of a diocesan priest, Fr. Alvin Enriquez, was killed during the crossfire.
The unstable political situation and the fiscal crisis suffered not only by the national government but also by local government units (LGUs) during this period hampered the implementation of infrastructure projects in Rizal. In addition, the term of office of the appointed officials was too short. As a result, the people felt that the municipal officials have not accomplished much. After a year, when local elections were held, a change of administration took place.
- THE MALUNES ADMINISTRATION
The following municipal officials served from 1989 to 1992: Hon. Valeriano Malunes – Mayor; Hon. Nestor Perez – Vice Mayor; Honorables Ernesto Pablo, Ferdinand Arca (up to Jan. 1991), Federico Ocampo, Ricardo Pechon, Renato Jimena, Crispulo Palacpac, Leonidas Janairo, Winnerio Paguia (March 1991 to June 1992 – Appointed) and Carlos Imbien (March 1992 to June 1992 – Appointed) – SB Members.
Mayor Malunes removed the great bulk of extension offices of the municipal and national governments at Sto. Niño. With the financial assistance of the national government, he constructed a bigger and stronger municipal building. In his desire that the residents of nearby coastal barangays would buy their basic needs from a municipal market, he constructed a talipapa in the poblacion. Unfortunately, the talipapa did not prosper.
It was during the administration of Mayor Malunes, when the people of Sitio Manoot, Brgy. Aguas petitioned the municipal and provincial government that their sitio be elevated to the status of a barangay. The petition was granted and on February 27, 1992 after undergoing the legal procedure of elevating a sitio to a barangay, Manoot was made as the 11th barangay of Rizal.
In 1992, to encourage members of the rebel forces to return to the law, a resettlement area at Sitio Kantoroy, Brgy. Manoot was reserved for them by the provincial government. With the assistance of the different government agencies, some former NPA members became farmers.
That same year, in line with the government’s tamaraw conservation program, a gene pool for the rare animal of Mindoro was established at Kantoroy, Manoot. In this place, experts in tamaraw conservation study the animal and breed them under captivity.
As much as possible, despite the limited resources of the municipal government, Mayor Malunes attended to the needs of his constituents. He implemented infrastructure projects. However, aside from the aforementioned tangible projects, the list of the other infrastructure projects implemented by the honorable mayor are not available from the records of the municipal government. Nevertheless, information gathered from Vice Mayor Perez revealed that the visible accomplishments made by this administration were: concreting of portions of barangay & municipal roads in Adela, Malawaan, Sudlon, San Pedro, Salvacion & Sitio Culili; solar dryers in Adela, Malawaan and Pitogo; concrete multi-purpose pavements in Sitio Malabnig and Brgy. Malawaan; basketball court in Brgy. Pitogo; day care center in Sto. Niño; and brgy. health center in Rumbang.
E) THE SECOND MIRANDA ADMINISTRATION
Honorable Bartlome Miranda was again installed as municipal mayor of Rizal after the elections held in 1992. Elected with him were the following leaders who composed the Sangguniang Bayan: Vice Mayor Sonia Pablo – Presiding Officer; Honorables Joel Fojas, Ricardo Pechon, Arnulfo Dimalaluan, Jesus Valdez, Yasmin Robles, Renato Jimena, Bernilido Mapili and Dionisio Gonzales – SB Members.
Tangible projects implemented by Mayor Miranda, during his second administration, included the construction of a building for the Sangguniang Bayan, concrete stages, bridges, waiting sheds, multi-purpose pavements, health & day care centers and solar dryers; completion of a barangay auditorium; fencing of a barangay plaza; installation of water systems; concreting, repair and maintenance of roads and the irrigation system in Sto. Niño and San Pedro; and fencing of the municipal plaza.
The municipal government bought big trucks during this time for hauling sand and gravel needed in their infrastructure projects. A new road joining Brgy. Salvacion and Rumbang was constructed to avoid conflict with the owner of the land where the old road connecting the two barangays passed.
The building in Brgy. Sto. Niño which was formerly used as extension offices of the national & municipal government was converted into a community hospital. Government doctors, nurses and midwives were assigned there.
The road from Sto. Niño to Pitogo which was constructed during his first administration was improved by Mayor Miranda. It became easier for residents of the barangays located at the eastern part of Rizal to go to the municipal building and to the commercial center of San Jose.
During his second administration, Mayor Miranda was reelected twice as the town’s chief executive. When his term of office ended in the year 2000, he became ineligible to run for the same position, thus, he retired from politics. Up to the present time, he is the longest serving mayor of the municipality of Rizal, having served the people for twenty three years.
F) THE PABLO ADMINISTRATION
In the 2001 elections, Hon. Sonia C. Pablo was elected as the municipal mayor of Rizal. Elected as Sangguniang Bayan members were Vice Mayor Nestor Perez – Presiding Officer; Honorables Edgardo Tamboong, Edgardo Aban, Julio Caspe, Ricardo Pechon, Rosario Laredo, Jimuel La Madrid & Avelino Malayas.
Among the numerous significant accomplishments of Mayor Pablo with the cooperation of the municipal council are the following: repair and improvement of the municipal and SB building; installation of lights and construction of pathways inside the municipal compound; improvement of the municipal park & plaza and start of the construction of the municipal gymnasium. She also bought a lot for the market site.
For the barangays, the honorable mayor and her council, with the assistance of the provincial and national government, provided funds for the construction of school stages, rural water system and concrete fence of the barangay hall in Adela. She continued the concreting of municipal roads.
In her desire to improve the economic condition of farmers, Mayor Pablo initiated and supported the agricultural development program. Farmers’ groups and cooperatives were given assistance in the form of cash and farm inputs. Being a farm owner herself, she served as an example to farmers by winning the national competition for palay production. Part of the cash prize she won was used in her project of constructing solar dryers in the different barangays of the municipality. In her desire to improve the service of water irrigation system in the barangays of Sto. Niño, San Pedro & Adela, she initiated the transfer of the management of the irrigation system from the SANPEDELA Irrigators Association to the local government unit.
The town’s lady chief executive did not forget the fishermen. She extended financial assistance to fishermen’s group in order that they would be able to build fish shelters or payaw.
In the field of education, Mayor Pablo, despite the municipal government’s limited funds, managed to build classrooms for schoolchildren. In 2004, she extended financial assistance in the construction of concrete classrooms in an annex of Rizal National High School which was opened in Manoot, on June 5, 2001.
To get financial assistance for her projects in Rizal, Mayor Pablo did not hesitate to approach provincial and national officials. She sent project proposals to funding agencies abroad. She established linkages with government agencies, officials and financial institutions which could help her improve the economic condition of her constituents.
Frequent meetings and dialogues were conducted by the lady mayor with the different sectors of the people of Rizal in order that she could get their cooperation and attend to their needs. She served the people, regardless of political color, ideology and religious belief. Although a devout Catholic, even leaders of different religious sects were able to get her assistance in building their houses of worship.
It was during the second year of the first term of office of Mayor Pablo when a Korean firm, the Han Jin Construction Corporation won the bidding for the construction the national highway from San Jose to the road junction going to the municipal building of Rizal. In this project, the highway was widened, a more spacious and stronger bridge over Busuanga River was built and a two lane concrete highway was constructed. As a result, travel became faster and more convenient. In addition, comfortable land transportation vehicles plied the route from the center of the town of San Jose to Brgy. Adela & Rumbang, Rizal.
The people’s faith and trust in the administration of Mayor Pablo was affirmed when she was reelected in the last 2004 elections. The inhabitants of the municipality have high hopes that under her leadership, Rizal would become more progressive.
VII – OTHER SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AND DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE
There’s no doubt that Rizal became progressive since its creation. Barangay leaders, specially the pioneers played a great part in its development. Through bayanihan or batarisan, they encouraged the people to construct school buildings, roads and irrigation systems. The municipal, provincial and national officials extended moral and material assistance to their projects.
Nevertheless, the progress of Rizal was made possible not only through the efforts of the barangay, municipal, provincial and national officials but also of the farmers cooperatives, people’s organizations (P0s) and non-government organizations (NGOs). The NGO which has contributed much to the development of Rizal up to the present time is PLAN International. The benevolent foreign sponsors and benefactors of this charitable institution helped the poor families in the different barangays of Rizal send their children to school, constructed or repaired their houses, provided financial assistance to income generating projects of small entrepreneurs, built barangay halls, health centers and schools, donated recreational and sports facilities, and install water pumps and sanitary latrines.
Farmers groups and cooperatives also helped uplift the economic condition of their members. Foremost of them are the Samahang Nayon of Aguas and the PAKIKIBAGAI of Magsikap which were given awards as outstanding farmers’ cooperatives in the municipality of Rizal.
Priests, ministers and religious leaders assigned in Rizal contributed to the development of the municipality. Through their initiative and efforts, chapels were built in the different barangays. Cooperatives were formed and financial assistance from sponsors and benefactors in other countries were extended to poor families.
Due to population growth and the active participation of the laity in church activities, Bishop Vicente Manuel, SVD, DD then Vicar Apostolic of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose decided to separate the ten barangays between Lumintao and Busuanga Rivers from St. Joseph Parish-Central and create a quasi-parish in the area. After two years, during the administration of the second Vicar Apostolic of AVSJ, Bishop Antonio Palang, SVD, DD the quasi-parish was elevated to the status of a parish. The creation of St. Peter Parish-Rizal took place, officially, on February 22, 2002. Its center was placed at Brgy. San Pedro. A parish church and a convent was constructed there. With the exception of Manoot, the barangays of the municipality were placed under the spiritual care of the parish priest who was assigned to the new parish.
. Mayor Pablo and the municipal council dream of making Rizal a primary fish and rice producing municipality in Occidental Mindoro. To realize that dream they implement programs for the upliftment of the economic condition of the population’s farming and fishing sector. Agricultural and fishing support services were being prioritized like the improvement of farm to market roads, continuous although gradual construction of concrete roads & bridges and installation of post harvest facilities like solar dryers.
Despite the limited funds of the municipal government, financial assistance are being extended to the barangay officials for the construction of health centers, schoolbuildings, barangay halls, concrete stages and the fencing of barangay plazas.
To develop the potentials of local athletes and to serve as a spacious and comfortable venue for sports competition, a municipal gymnasium is being constructed at present near the municipal compound of Rizal. Mayor Pablo and the municipal council hope that through the cooperative efforts of the people themselves and the assistance of higher government officials, as well as funding agencies and friends abroad, more development projects would be implemented in this town.
HISTORY OF THE ELEVEN BARANGAYS OF RIZAL
- ADELA
Long before the coming of the Spaniards in the Philippines a group of indigenous people belonging to the tribe of Ratagnon settled near the mouth of a river which they called Bogsanga. Since their settlement was near the sea and the river, aside from planting palay, corn and rootcrops in their kaingin, they strived to learn how to fish.
When the Spaniards came, one of the friars made a map of the villages in the Island of Mindoro. The village of Bogsanga was indicated in that map which was drawn in 1734. The location of the said village of the Ratagnon is the present site of Barangay Adela.
Other villages were formed by the Ratagnons which settled in the land between Bogsanga and Lumintao River. The Spanish friars saw the need of evangelizing this tribe of indigenous people, thus, they recommended to the higher authorities the creation of a mission station in this part of West Mindoro.
On February 27, 1878 by virtue of Royal Decree No. 103, Bogsanga was made a mission station, together with other villages in West Mindoro. Spanish friars spread the teachings of Christ to the Ratagnons living in this place and the other settlements. Unfortunately, due to the semi-nomadic life of the indigenous people, there were times when the friars after many hours of walking, would find a whole village abandoned by its inhabitants. Discouraged, the friars abandoned the mission station of Bogsanga in 1890.
When the Spanish government entrusted the vast tract of land from the present site of Caguray to the present site of Iriron to the Order of the Augustinian Recollect for agricultural development and called it La Hacienda de San Jose, Bogsanga became a part of the hacienda.
During the American regime, a group of American capitalists founded Mindoro Sugar Company. They acquired a portion of La Hacienda de San Jose and made it as a sugarcane plantation. They also encouraged well to do families to lease parcels of land from the government and plant it with sugarcane which would be milled by the company. The vacant agricultural land in Bogsanga was leased by a wealthy family with Spanish blood and was planted with sugarcane.
In 1911, when Mindoro Sugar Company started its operation, migrant workers from Panay and Romblon came to West Mindoro to work at the sugarcane plantation. Some of them brought their families. The administrators of the company encouraged them to build their houses in the village of Bogsanga.
In a map drawn in 1919 by Fr. Julian Duval, the chaplain of Mindoro Sugar Company, Bogsanga was indicated as a part of the sugarcane plantation. In the report sent by the chaplain to his superior, Bishop Alfredo Verzosa of Lipa, Batangas, he stated that one hundred twenty families from Romblon lived in Bogsanga.
As years passed, the number of families of migrant workers living in Bogsanga grew. Since the river near the settlement where they lived used to change its course every time its flooded, the workers transferred to a place hundred of meters north of the river which the Ratagnons called as Ponda.
Mr. Geronimo Huissing managed a portion of the sugarcane plantation of Mindoro Sugar Company, now known as Philippine Milling Company, in Ponda. He was friendly and generous. His wife Adela was kindhearted too. The laborers loved them. They requested the couple to stay with them for a long time.
Unfortunately, Mr. & Mrs. Geronimo Huissing transferred to another place. The laborers felt sad. To perpetuate their manager’s name, the marsh near Bogsanga River now called Busuanga River was named Huissing by the laborers..
Due to heavy financial losses, the administrators of Philippine Milling Company decided to reduce the area planted to sugarcane. The wealthy landowner in Ponda decided not to plant sugarcane anymore. He returned the land to the government. Rendered jobless by the decision, the families of migrant workers transferred to other plantation sites. Ponda was abandoned. Two families of Ratagnons, headed by Tikong and Siyano decided to settle here.
In the later part of 1935, the family of Simeon Saulong arrived in Ponda. Since the agricultural land, formerly used as sugarcane plantation has no owner, Celso dela Serna, a former employee of the municipal government of San Jose, persuaded his relative Simeon Saulong to petition the government to subdivide the abandoned land. Simeon Saulong made the petition in 1936.
On February 16, 1937 Simeon Saulong, Pedro Saulong, Victoriano Malunes and Salvador Benedicto brought their families to Ponda. They were the first to occupy the place and the surveyors of the Bureau of Lands stayed here for six months. On the later part of the year, the family of Raymundo Candelario and other settlers from Sibay, Caluya, Antique arrived and occupied the land which were already surveyed by the government and offered for sale to industrious farmers.
On March 12, 1939 when Ponda became a barrio of San Jose, leaders of the families who settled here decided to change its name. They remembered Adela, the kindhearted wife of Mr. Geronimo Huissing. They agreed that Adela would be an appropriate name for their place, thus, they registered it as the official name of their barrio.
Mr. Simeon Saulong was appointed by then San Jose Mayor Isabelo Abeleda as the first teniente del barrio or barrio lieutenant of Adela. He served for four years. During his term, the first schoolbuilding of Adela was built and a portion of the barrio plaza was cemented.
In 1942, Mr. Fernando Candelario, Sr. was elected as the barrio lieutenant of Adela. He encouraged his barrio mates to construct by means of bayanihan, the road from the barrio to Sitio Cambaruang in the east and to Sitio Burot, now Salvacion, in the north. It was during his term that the first Catholic chapel in the barrio was built.
When World War II broke out, a great number of the inhabitants of Adela evacuated to other places. Some of the barrio’s brave men joined the guerrilla group led by Captain Vincent Fortune and later on by Captain Lawrence Cooper. During the Japanese occupation, the people survived by eating yuro, the dried sap from buri trunk and kayos, an edible root crop.
To identify the members of the guerrilla movement, the barrio lieutenant during that time, Mr. Fernando Candelario, Sr. was inteerogated and detained by the Japanese soldiers in their garrison at Central. The soldiers failed to get any information from him. After two days he was released.
On December 15, 1944 the U.S. led Allied Forces liberated San Jose from the Japanese Imperial Army. Adela was one of the barrios which was shelled by U.S. warships. Unfortunately, many civilians died during the shelling.
When peace was restored, many families from Panay migrated to Adela. In 1950, during the height of the Hukbalahap movement in Luzon, settlers from the Ilocos Region migrated to this barrio. Together with the pioneers, they transformed the abandoned sugarcane plantation into productive ricefields.
Adela was the oldest and biggest barrio of the town of Rizal when it was separated from the municipality of San Jose in 1969. It was the mother barrio of Rumbang, Magsikap, Salvacion and San Pedro.
Up to the early 1980’s Busuanga was located more or less five hundred meters south of Adela. The marsh which was named in memory of Mr. Huissing could be found near the mouth of the river. Unfortunately due to the rampant destruction of the forest in the mountains where the river came from and the indiscriminate cutting of trees on both sides of its bank, soil erosion occur every rainy season. With no massive intertwined roots of trees to control its movement, Busuanga River moved towards the barrio site of Adela. As a result, wide areas of agricultural land including residential lots were eroded and many families transferred their houses to safe places, north of the barangay. In addition, the marsh named Huissing disappeared.
River control projects were constructed in the river but, every rainy season, floodwaters destroy whatever structure the government has put up. At present, the uncontrolled flow of water from Busuanga River towards Adela, every rainy season, remains as the biggest problem not only of the barangay officials but also of the local government of Rizal.
Aside from Simeon Saulong and Fernando Candelario, Sr. the other pioneers who became teniente del barrio and barangay captain of Adela were Luis Aguirre, Sr., Benisto Pechon, Jose Monoso, Ricardo David, Valeriano Malunes, Alberto Aguirre, Sr. and Violeta Clemente. The barangay captain at present is Brgy. Captain Ferdinand Arca.
Among the aforementioned leaders, Brgy. Captain Luis Aguirre, Sr. has the longest term of office, having been reelected many times. He served the people of Adela for more than twenty years.
2. AGUAS
This place was a forest during the Spanish regime and the early part of the American occupation of the Philippines. Only a few families of indigenous people belonging to the Buhid tribe lived here but their huts were located far apart.
When Mindoro Sugar Company was established in Central and started its operation in 1911, its owners decided to raise cattle. A cattle ranch was put up in a portion of the present site of Aguas where grasses grew abundantly.
When the administrators of the sugar company later known as Philippine Milling Company abandoned its cattle ranch in Aguas after World War II, the families of Isidoro Andres, Ceferino Tamayo and Francisco Ancheta from Pangasinan came and settled in this place. Later on, their relatives from Pangasinan and a group of farmers from Iloilo arrived. They cultivated the plain land and made it productive. Since Mr. Isidoro Andres was their leader, the residents called the place as San Andres. Later on, they changed the name to Aguas when they heard a group of Spanish visitors commented muchas aguas upon seeing the abundance of water in the area.
In 1950, Aguas was made as a barrio of the municipality of San Jose. Mr. Isidoro Andres was elected as the first teniente del barrio or barrio lieutenant. Among the projects he implemented were the construction of a road from his barrio to Pitogo and the opening of a primary school. In 1951 a class in Grade I with thirty one enrollees opened. Mr. Cayetano Felipe volunteered to teach. The first school building constructed by the parents of the pupils was made of kugon and bamboo. After six years the primary school became Aguas Elementary school.
As years passed, as more families arrived to settle in Aguas. The well to do family of Alberto Yap bought from the government a wide vacant but hilly land, northwest of the barrio site. It was called hacienda Yap by a group of families who settled here. It was in this area where the religious sect Iglesia ni Cristo built their chapel. It was also here where the parents-teachers association built a barrio high school in 1977. It became a national high school in 1982.
During the term of the late Governor Arsenio Villaroza, a feeder road was constructed from Aguas to Manoot, one of the sitios of the barrio. The provincial highway joining the municipalities of San Jose and Calintaan passed through the said sitio. To facilitate travel, a concrete bridge was built over Busuanga River which serves as the boundary between the municipalities of San Jose and Rizal and separates Manoot from Brgy. Monteclaro, San Jose.
When the municipality of Rizal was created on April 3, 1969, Aguas was one of the ten barrios which were made as part of the new town. During the census conducted by the National Statistics Office in 1975, Aguas emerged as the biggest barangay of Rizal in terms of population and land area. However, on February 27, 1992 when Manoot was made as a separate barangay, the population and land area of Aguas was reduced considerably.
During the term of Hon. Bartolome Miranda as mayor of Rizal, the road joining Sto. Niño to Pitogo and Aguas was constructed. Travel from Aguas to the center of the municipality became possible without passing through Brgy. Central, San Jose.
Aside from Teniente del Barrio Isidoro Andres, other barrio leaders of Aguas who served as barrio lieutenant and barangay captains were Tranquilino Ramos, Ceferino Tamayo, Procopio Benitez, Rodolfo Estacio, Rodrigo Ramirez, Valeriano Jovenal and Federico Tolentino. The barangay captain at present is Brgy. Captain Remegio Ramirez.
3. MAGSIKAP
During the Spanish occupation of the Philippines, Magsikap was a forest. Only a few families of indigenous people belonging to the tribe of Ratagnons cultivated patches of kaingin in this place. They were the ones who gave the name of Caniwal to a portion of their kaingin which became a sitio of Magsikap, later on.
When Mindoro Sugar Company started its operation in 1911, migrant workers from Panay came to work in a portion of the sugarcane plantation northwest of Busuanga River which was leased by the government to a well to do family with Spanish blood. When the administrators of the company reduced the area of its sugarcane plantation, many workers found themselves jobless. However, instead of returning to their home province they decided to bring their families to this part of San Jose, live here and cultivate the vacant land north of Mag-asawang Tubig Creek.
The pioneers of this place led by Mamerto Paredes, Sr. and Arsenio Tolentino, Jr. agreed to call their place as Mag-asawang Tubig, from the name of the creek where fresh water and salty water mixed. When the number of families who settled in the area reached twenty, then San Jose Mayor Bonifacio Gomez appointed Mamerto Paredes, Sr. as auxiliary barrio lieutenant of Mag-asawang Tubig.
When the pioneers decided to register the official name of their barrio, they agreed to change it to Magsikap, to remind themselves that they should strive hard to improve their living condition.
After two years, Barrio Lieutenant Paulino Panganiban was appointed as the successor of Auxiliary Barrio Lieutenant Mamerto Paredes, Sr. By that time, more families from Panay and Luzon came and settled in this place.
When World War II broke out, some of the people in Central and Adela hid in the thick forest of Magsikap, particularly in Malabnig, one of the sitios of the barangay at present. Some of them joined the group of guerrillas founded by Captain Lawrence Cooper. They survived by means of eating yuro, the dried sap from buri trunks and nami or kayos, the shredded meat of an edible root crop.
Sometimes, a team of Japanese soldiers passed by Malabnig on their way to Burot or Salvacion, from Central. Once, a group of people led by Agapito Francisco or Balengkong were praying inside the chapel when the Japanes soldiers passed by. The enemies did not see them and they considered it a miracle. Fearing for their lives, they transferred to the forested area of the land owned by Felimon Pastor, Sr., Mamerto Paredes, Sr. and Vicente Caasi, Sr.
When peace was restored, Barrio Lieutenant Arsenio Tolentino, Sr. was appointed as the third leader of the barrio. It was during his term when residents of the barrio agreed to honor San Vicente Ferrer as the patron saint of their barrio. They believed that their patron saint saved them from the enemies during the war. They set the celebration of the barrio fiesta every 5th day of April.
In 1946, Barrio Lt. Tolentino and the parents requested the government to open Grade I & II classes in Magsikap. It was granted and in 1946 Magsikap Primary School was opened. Mr. Jose Muñoz, Sr. was appointed as the first teacher. As years passed, the number of schoolchildren and teachers grew that in 1961, the former primary school became Magsikap Elementary School.
In 1967, Mr. Glicerio Corpuz was elected as the Barrio Captain of Magsikap. With then District Supervisor Eusebio Lim and the barrio leaders of Rumbang Malawaan and Salvacion, they were able to encourage the farmers of the abovementioned barrios to construct an irrigation system, with Lumintao River in Magsikap as the source of water. Two years letter, water for irrigation flowed in the network of canals built by the farmers. To manage the irrigation system, the farmers formed the MAMARUSAL Irrigators Association, Inc.
When Rizal was created as a municipality in 1969, Magsikap was one of the barrios placed under its jurisdiction. During martial law, when the national highway from San Jose to Mamburao was constructed, it passed through the barrio site of Magsikap. The said infrastructure project helped improve the lives of the barrio folks.
In 1992, Brgy. Captain Antonio Orejola, Sr. and the Brgy. Kagawad of Magsikap passed the resolution drafted by Brgy. Secretary Arsenio Tolentino, Jr., requesting the government to open a vocational high school in their barangay. A copy of the resolution was forwarded to then Congressman Jose Villaroza who immediately sponsored House Bill No. 1833 in Congress. The bill was approved and became a law. Magsikap Vocational High School was opened. Its building was constructed on top of a hill north of the barangay proper.
Aside from the aforementioned barangay leaders, those who served as barrio lieutenants and barangay captains of Magsikap were Lorenzo Guevarra, Victor Pascua, Alfredo Gonzales, Engracio Ambulo, Renato Jimena, Sr., Sabino Aguilar, Sr., Arsenio Tolentino, Jr., Ricardo Paredes, Sr. and Florito dela Torre. The present barangay captain is Brgy. Captain Milagros Santarin.
4. MALAWAAN
During the Spanish times only two or three huts of indigenous people of indigenous people belonging to the tribe of Ratagnons could be found in this place. When the Americans came, a group of farmers composed of Julian Cadlaon, Hugo Pajado, Isidro Villadares, Anastacio Gusi and Enaro Nazareno decided to settle in this place. They cleared the forested area and planted it with palay and corn. Since there were plenty of maguey plants in the area, they called this place as Magui.
After many years, the number of families in Magui grew. The place became a sitio of Salvacion. Barrio Lieutenant Epifanio Dumalaog of Salvacion appointed Victoriano Dalisay as sitio leader.
Since Magui is near the sea, some of its male members became fishermen. During rainy season, they worked as seasonal laborers of the sugarcane plantation of Philippine Milling Company in Central.
When World War II broke out, while many of the inhabitants of Magui evacuated to other places, some remained in this sitio. Unfortunately, a group of bandits led by Pedro Concepcion who killed Mayor Maximino Papa of Sablayan, frequently asked food from them, despite the fact that food was scarce during that time.
After the war, the people petitioned the municipal government of San Jose that Magui be made as a barrio. The petition was granted. Magui became a barrio in 1945. Mr. Victoriano Dalisay was appointed as the first teniente del barrio or barrio lieutenant.
That same year, Grade I class was opened in Magui. The first schoolbuilding, made of light materials, was constructed by the people themselves, through bayanihan. The following year thereafter, classes in the higher levels were opened. In 1950, the barrio has a complete elementary school.
Barrio Lieutenant Dalisay served for two years. The next two leaders after him also served for two years each. They were Barrio Lieutenants Proceso Chavez and Luis Fernandez, Sr. who served from 1946 to1947 and from 1947 to 1948, respectively.
In 1948, Angel Pajado was elected as the teniente del barrio. His barrio mates either loved him or liked his style of leadership that he served as barrio lieutenant for eleven long years.
Mr. Teotimo Francisco succeeded Angel Pajado as barrio lieutenant of Magui. He served from 1959 to 1962. After his term, the next barrio leader was called as capitan del barrio. He was Barrio Captain Telesforo Balagtas. Elected as his assistant was Vice Barrio Captain Felix Cadlaon.
Barrio Captain Laureano Domingo succeeded Telesforo Balagtas as the leader of Magui in 1964. He served for five years. In 1968, Telesforo Balagtas and Felix Cadlaon were again elected as barrio captain and vice barrio captain, respectively. They were the leaders of the barrio when the municipality of Rizal was created in 1969 and Magui was placed under its jurisdiction.
In 1972, Typhoon Rosing hit Magui. The schoolbuilding was destroyed. The heavy rains brought by the typhoon made Lumintao River overflow its banks. Its strong current entered the irrigation canal built by the farmers and caused massive soil erosion. Many houses were destroyed and a wide area of productive agricultural land was transformed into a riverbed. The people evacuated to Sitio Payompon and made it as the new barrio site. The old site of Magui became known as Sitio Tibag. Later on, after Lumintao River changed its course, the place became a part of Sitio Lumintao.
That same year, Mr. Celestino Tuapen was elected as the barangay captain of Magui. Since the barrio site was transferred to another place, he called an assembly meeting and asked the people to suggest a new name for their barangay. A few names were suggested but majority of the residents favored the name Malawaan, since tall lawaan trees grew abundantly in the area.
In 1981, Brgy. Captain Celestino Tuapen got sick. First Brgy. Councilor Bibiano Pajado succeeded him. He served for one year. The following year Mr. Celedonio Dolojan became the barangay captain. Through his efforts, a wealthy businessman did not succeed in claiming the agricultural land being cultivated by the people as his private property and peace & order in Sitio Lumintao, which was disrupted by the activities of a group of smugglers, was restored. Unfortunately, on May 23, 1998 a year after his reelection as barangay captain of Malawaan Brgy. Captain Celedonio Dolojan was gunned down by an unknown assailant.
First Brgy. Kagawad Crispin Escanilla, Jr. succeeded the late barangay captain as the leader of the barangay. He continued implementing the projects started by his predecessor.
Through the industry of the barangay leaders, support of the municipal and provincial officials and the cooperation of the residents of the barangay, infrastructure projects were implemented in Malawaan. Some of them were the improvement of the road from the barangay to Magsikap in the east and to Salvacion in the south; the construction of school buildings, barangay hall, waiting sheds and day care center; the concreting of the barangay plaza and stage; and the improvement of the irrigation system.
The present barangay captain of Malawaan is Brgy. Captain Eliseo Tacuyo, Sr. who, for the second time, won the confidence of his barrio mates in the election held last 2002.
5. MANOOT
A few families of indigenous people belonging to the Buhid tribe were living in this place when ranchers from Luzon decided to raise cattle in this area in 1935. One of them was the late Antonio delas Alas who built a big house in his ranch.
Mr. delas Alas hired Doroteo Vicente to take care of his cattle. The area where the ranch was located was then known as Sitio Cangganga. It has a brook which was called Manoot by the indigenous people because before reaching it they have to weave their way through the intertwining branches of trees and vines.
Seeing the wide area of uncultivated land, Doroteo Vicente thought of bringing his relatives to Cangganga. However, due to the outbreak of World War II and uncertainties of the times, he was not able to do it until the year 1958. Among his relatives from Panay Island who decided to migrate to San Jose were Francisco Bajala, Anastacio Mondia, Hospicio Piccio, Jeremias Esparar, Rafael Belbar and Emilio Laron. While clearing the forest and cultivating the land, they stayed temporarily in the big house of Mr. delas Alas. Gregorio Anahaw, Nawnaw and Inggo, the heads of the three families of indigenous people who have kaingin in Cangganga became their friends.
From thirty inhabitants of six huts, the number of people living in Cangganga grew. It became a sitio of Batasan, San Jose in 1960. The people living in the sitio decided to change the name of the place from Cangganga to Manoot.
Hon. Johnny Santos, Sr., the mayor of San Jose during that time, built a road from Barrio Batasan to Cangganga. It became easier for the cattle raisers to visit their ranches not only in Manoot but also in the wide plains north of the sitio, which were called Cantoroy, Tangon and Amaling by the Buhids.
In 1966, when Monteclaro one of the sitios of Batasan became a barrio, Manoot was placed under its jurisdiction. After four years, Barrio Captain Ruperto Celestino appointed Francisco Bajala as the sitio leader. He served for seven years. His successors and their respective terms of office were Esteban Espuerta (1976-1982); Anastacio Mondia (1982-1986); and Jose Piccio (1986-1991). The said sitio leaders submitted and followed up their petition to the national government that Manoot be created as a barangay. No action was taken by the government on their petition.
In 1973, the jurisdiction over Sitio Manoot was transferred from Brgy. Monteclaro to Brgy. Aguas, Rizal. That same year, Manoot Primary School which later on became Manoot Elementary School was opened. Due to the rapid growth of population, another primary school which after a number of years was elevated to the status of an elementary school opened in Sitio Amaling II in 1992.
During the barangay elections held in 1987, three candidates from Sitio Manoot were elected as barangay kagawad of Aguas. They were Diego Bajala, Andres Baldonado and Hospicio Piccio. That same year, Mr. Decleto Ceriaco wrote ex-President Ferdinand Marcos inquiring why no action was made on their petition to make Manoot a barangay. The reply from the Office of the President described in detail the process to be followed before a sitio could be made a barangay. Mr. Ceriaco gave the letter to the three barangay kagawad from Manoot and Brgy. Kagawad Diego Bajala submitted it to the late Mayor Valeriano Malunes of Rizal.
The leaders of Manoot followed the process stated in the letter from the Office of the President. In 1990, Brgy. Kagawad Diego Bajala was appointed by Mayor Malunes as Brgy. Capatain of Manoot. On February 27, 1992 Manoot was registered as the 11th barangay of the municipality of Rizal.
Brgy. Captain Diego Bajala served as leader of Manoot until 1994. He was succeeded by Brgy. Captain Remigio Nicart who was elected in 1994. He won again in the barangay elections of 1997.
It was during the term of Brgy. Captain Remigio Nicart that an annex of Rizal National High School was opened in Manoot, in the year 2000. With the assistance of the municipal and provincial officials, a concrete schoolbuilding was constructed.
On October 25, 2002 Brgy. Captain Remigio Nicart died. First Brgy. Kagawad Melinda Torres succeeded him. She is still the barangay captain of Manoot at present.
6. PITOGO
The name of the place came from a huge towering tree which grew at the center of the settlement of the families of migrant workers from Luzon and the Visayas. It was also the name given by the indigenous people to the creek which surrounds this place and serves as its natural boundary with Brgy. Aguas.
In 1911, when Mindoro Sugar Company started its operation, Danupa which is a sitio of Pitogo at present, was made a part of the sugarcane plantation. Based on the report submitted to Bishop Alfredo Verzosa of Lipa, Batangas by Fr. Julian Duval, the chaplain of the sugar company, in 1911, Danupa was also called Frietas Camp during that time, where one hundred twenty Visayan families and twenty five Ilocano families lived. The railroad for the train which was used to haul cut sugarcane was constructed from the center of the sugar central to this place. In the map attached by the chaplain to his report, the hospital for the laborers of Danupa was indicated, including the steel bridge constructed by American engineers over Busuanga River.
When Mindoro Sugar Company, later known as Philippine Milling Company, closed due to heavy financial losses, the abandoned sugarcane plantation in Danupa was occupied by the families of migrant workers who opted to stay in this place. They were able to use the irrigation system which was constructed by the engineers in this part of the plantation. Unfortunately, they were not able to use the hospital building which was destroyed by the elements and the steel bridge over Busuanga River which was carried away by a great flood which occurred in 1929.
When World War II broke out, people living in Pitogo evacuated to other places. They returned when peace was restored. In 1950, families of farmers from Luzon who were looking for vacant lands to cultivate, came to this place. The population grew and Pitogo became a sitio of Barrio Sto. Niño.
Due to the request of the leaders of this sitio, Pitogo was made as a barrio of San Jose in 1954. Elected as its first teniente del barrio or barrio lieutenant was Mr. Emilio Hernandez. He served for four years. Towards the end of his term, Grade I & II classes were opened in the barrio. After five years, the primary school became a complete elementary school.
When the municipality of Rizal was created on April 3, 1969, Pitogo was one of the barrios which was placed under its jurisdiction. The politicians from this barrio participated actively in the electoral process. Two of them were elected as vice mayors of the municipality. They were Vice Mayor Andres Pablo and Vice Mayor Arsenio Balatico whose terms of office were 1969-1971 and 1981-1987, respectively.
The annual flooding of Busuanga River caused great damage to the properties of residents of Pitogo. Hundreds of hectares of land planted to palay and corn were carried away by the strong current of the river. A great part of the barrio site was destroyed by the flood. As a result, many families transferred to other places.
The provincial government constructed a dike in Busuanga River to prevent floodwaters from entering the barrio every rainy season. Unfortunately, the structure was destroyed. Succeeding dikes built in the river were also washed out by the strong current. Luckily, these past years, the river changed its course and Pitogo was spared from further damage.
Aside from Teniente del Barrio Hernandez, other leaders who served as barrio lieutenants & barangay captains of Pitogo with their respective terms of office are: Clodualdo Conde, Sr. (1957-1960); Feliciano Cornejo (1960-1964); Fernando Lansangan (1964-1967); Andres Pablo (1967-1968); Victor Javier, Sr. (1968-1970); Joseph Felipe (1970-1984); Eduardo Lansangan (1984-1986); Fortunato Pablo (1986-1989) and Victor Javier, Jr. (1989-2002). The barangay captain at present is Brgy. Captain Jesus Rodrigo.
7. RIZAL (LIMLIM)
The old name of the barangay came from a stage in the life of crocodiles which used to abound in the creek near this place. Like mother hens, mother crocodiles roast on the fertilized eggs they have laid before it would hatch. In Tagalog, the term being used to describe the roasting stage is limlim. The indigenous people which have patches of kaingin in this area called the settlement which appeared near the creek as Limlim.
Old residents of this place also believed that the name came from the shades thrown by big trees which grew around the creek.
During the Spanish and American regime, this place was a forest. When World War II broke out, the group guerrillas led by Captain Lawrence Cooper established their headquarter in Alogbate, a forested area which is a sitio of Limlim at present. The said place played an important part in the struggle of the guerrillas to liberate San Jose from the Japanese soldiers.
After the war, the families of Basilio Tupas, Teodorico Daduros, Ambrocio Paclibar and Eladio Balleza from Passi, Iloilo came to settle in this place. They cleared the forested area, cultivated the plain land and made it productive.
After a few years, relatives of the families which decided to settle in this place arrived to join the first settlers whose lives changed for the better. Limlim became a sitio and in 1950 the residents, led by Dr. Ricardo Pascasio, Sr., petitioned the government that their place be made as a barrio of San Jose. Their petition was granted and that year Sitio Limlim became a barrio. Saturnino Caleze was appointed as its first barrio lieutenant.
In 1953, in answer to the request of the people, Grade I class was opened. The first schoolbuilding was made of light materials wand constructed by the parents of the schoolchildren by means of bayanihan. After six years, the primary school became a complete elementary school. Classrooms made of concrete and steel were built when the first structure made of light materials was destroyed.
In 1959 a great flood occurred in Limlim. Floodwaters from Lumintao River entered the barrio bringing with it the soil which was eroded from the mountains. It covered a large area of cornfields and ricefields, including the deep creek where mother crocodiles used to roast.
In 1969, before the creation of the municipality of Rizal, the late Congressman Pedro Medalla, Sr., proposed that Limlim be made as the center of the proposed town. The residents changed the name of the barrio to Rizal. However, on April 3, 1969 when the municipality of Rizal was officially created, the townsite was transferred to another place which was a sitio between Adela and Rumbang.
The declaration of martial law did not stop the spread of the leftist movement in Rizal (Limlim). In 1988, bloody encounters between government soldiers and members of the New People’s Army occurred in this barangay. Some of the innocent civilians who became victims of the firefights were Mr. Carlos Enriquez, the father of Fr. Alvin Enriquez , Eduardo Aguasito and Jimmy Boy Guevarra.
Aside from Teniente del Barrio Caleze, those who served as barrio lieutenants of Rizal (Limlim) and their terms of office were: Eladio Balleza, St. (1955-1958); Nicolas Aguasito (1958-1960) and Ambrocio Paclibar (1960-1964). Those who served as barangay captains were Anacleto Tupas (1964-1966); Teodorico Daduros (1966-1967); Leonardo Valdez (1967-1970); Ermelito Balleza (1970-1982); Salvador Paclibar (1982-1990, 1997-2000); Jesus Valdez (1990-1991); Romulo Rollan (1991-1994); Pedrito Tupas (1994-1997) and Lorenzo Bangsoy (2000-2001). The barangay captain at present is Brgy. Captain Pedrito Tupas.
8. RUMBANG
The name of this place came from a kind of tall tree which grew near the river which serves as its boundary with Brgy. Salvacion, at present. The indigenous people called the tree Rumbang. They used it as the name of the river and the area where they built their huts.
Before the outbreak of World War II, the families of Felipe Maat, Sulficio Maat, Jose Bautista, Crispin Fabelona, Alejandro delos Angeles, Narciso Janairo, Modesto Adion, Rosendo Bacuel and Alfredo Bermejo settled in this place. They came from the islands of Sibay, Panay, Palawan and the province of Zambales.
Life was good for the pioneers of Rumbang, Wide areas of vacant lands could be cultivated and planted with palay and corn. Fishes and other marine life were abundant in the sea, river and creeks which surround the settlement. Nipa palms for their houses could be obtained easily from the swamps near their place.
After a few years, hearing that the lives of the pioneers improved in Rumbang, their relatives decided also to migrate and settle in this place. The indigenous people called Ratagnons who have kaingins in the area, transferred to the hills of Sandulayan, almost seven kilometers east of their former place of residence.
During the war, Rumbang was already a sitio of Adela, one of the barrios of San Jose. To avoid the Japanese soldiers, the inhabitants of this place evacuated to their home province or hid in forested areas. They returned when they heard that the liberation of Occidental Mindoro from the Japanese by U.S. led Allied Forces which started on December 15, 1944 was completed.
The residents of Rumbang requested the municipal government of San Jose to make their sitio a barrio. On January 25, 1949 then Municipal Councilor Fernando Candelario, Sr. filed a resolution at the municipal council of San Jose elevating Rumbang to the status of a barrio. The resolution was approved.
That same year, a class in Grade I was opened in the barrio with Mr. Eduardo Muñoz as its teacher. The first schoolbuilding was constructed by the parents of the pupils through bayanihan. Additional classrooms made of nipa and bamboo were built when classes in the higher levels were opened and it was only in 1965 that the first concrete schoolbuilding was built.
As years passed, sitios appeared around the barrio. The sitios and the individuals who settled there with their families were: Bayang – Pedro Saulong; Malabnig – District Supervisor Eusebio Lim; Monte Carlo – Augustine Francisco; Tiwing – Mr. Eleuterio Hayag; and Cambaog – Dra. Purificacion Medina Ortega.
On April 3, 1969 when the municipality of Rizal was created, Rumbang was one of the barrios placed under its jurisdiction. Some of the landowners in this barrio donated a portion of their land as school campus, plaza, market and site where the municipal building would be built.
In 1995, to avoid conflict with the owner of the land where the old road from Rumbang to Salvacion passed, the municipal government of Rizal through Mayor Bartolome Miranda bought strips of land from different owners and constructed a new gravel filled road.
The leaders who served as sitio leader and teniente del barrio or barrio lieutenant of Rumbang and their respective terms of office were: Mateo Lagrada (1945-1947); Alfredo Bermejo (1947-1949); Sulficio Maat (1949-1951); Jovelio Dimalaluan, Sr. (1951-1954); Rodrigo Maglunob (1954-1958); Crispin Fabelona (1958-1964); and Narciso Janairo (1964-1967). Those who served as barangay captain were Crispin Fabelona (1967-1970); Rogelio delos Angeles(1970-1982, 1992-1994); Alexander Norella (1982-1989); Alejo Bermejo (1989-1991) and Ruby Plaquino (1994-1997). The barangay captain at present who started serving since 1997 is Brgy. Captain Bernilido Mapili.
9. SALVACION
During the Spanish times, this place was a part of El Pueblo de Magarang. The people who lived here were working in the wide cattle ranch owned, first by Señor Pascual Ledesma and later on by the Order of the Augustinian Recollects.
In 1898, when the Filipinos revolted against Spain, the cattle ranch was confiscated by the revolutionaries. The cattle raised here were used to feed the freedom fighters. After the revolution, the ranch was abandoned. It remained abandoned during the American regime and a result, it became a forest.
In 1935, a group of farmers from Sibay, Caluya, Antique, aboard a sailboat called in the Visayan dialect as lanson was carried by strong winds to the mouth of Rumbang River which serves as the natural boundary between Brgy. Rumbang and Brgy. Salvacion at present. They decided to enter the river, docked on its northern bank where tall trees abound and repair their sailboat before proceeding to their destination, Magui, the sitio where their relatives lived. They liked the place where they stayed for three days while repairing their sailboat and decided to return there in the future.
The farmers who were aboard the lanson were Emilio Sta. Maria and his son Pedro; Agustin Torres; Geronimo Cabanig and his two sons; Antipas Ero; and Nasario Asuncion, Sr. The following year, with their families, they returned to this place.
At first, the pioneers only work as harvesters of the palay and corn which their relatives and provincemates planted in their farm in Adela, Rumbang and Magui. Later on, like what the indigenous people have done before, they cleared the forested area and used the kaingin system of agriculture in planting palay, corn and vegetables. While waiting for harvest, they ate burot, an edible rootcrop which grew in the area. Due to the abundance of this kind of rootcrop around their kaingin, they called the place as Burot.
As more people came to Burot, the forests were cleared. The number of huts increased and this place became a sitio of Barrio Adela. Some of the pioneers found the ruins of the old houses and the church in El Pueblo de Magarang. They were also able to capture a few wild cows which were once raised inside the cattle ranch of the friars.
When World War II broke out, a group of guerrillas entered Rumbang River, aboard the sailboat of Emilio Sta. Maria. A team of Japanese soldiers went to this sitio to look for them. The freedom fighters, together with the young men of Burot hid in the forest. Unable to find the guerrillas, the Japanese soldiers tied Cornelio Calado and his wife and hung them on a big tree, upside down. Terrified, the women of the sitio, gathered inside the house of Agaton Torres and prayed fervently before the image of Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nuestra Señora de Salvacion for the safety of the couple.
In answer to the non-stop praying of the women, after forty eight hours, the Japanese soldiers left. Lorenzo Calado and his son David untied Cornelio and his wife. The people of Burot were so grateful to the Blessed Virgin that they decided to make her the patron saint of their place. They also agreed to make Salvacion the official name of Burot. Under the leadership of Mr. Emilio Sta. Maria, they started to celebrate the fiesta in honor of Nuestra Sra. de Salvacion every 8th day of December.
After the war, Pedro Pineda succeeded Emilio Sta. Maria as the leader of Burot. He arranged the sites for the houses of the inhabitants, the school campus, plaza and Catholic church. Grade I class was opened during his term. The first teachers were Benisto Pechon and Jose Muñoz. Temporarily, classes were held inside the Catholic church.
In 1947, Salvacion was officially registered as a barrio of San Jose. Cornelio Calado was appointed as its first teniente del barrio. He served for five years. He was succeeded by Teniente del Barrio Epifanio Dumalaog who initiated the construction of the first schoolbuilding made of light materials, through bayanihan.
Pablo Jugo served as barrio lieutenant of Salvacion from 1956 to 1961. He was a disciplinarian. Salvacion became peaceful during his term. One of his project was the construction of a concrete basketball court and stage in the barrio plaza. He died in 1961, unable to complete his second term as barrio lieutenant. He was succeeded by Hermogenes Figueroa who served for three years. In 1963, Cornelio Calado, the first appointed teniente del barrio was elected as the barrio lieutenant. Like his predecessor, he also served for three years.
When the municipality of Rizal was created on April 3, 1969, Salvacion was one of the barrios which was placed under its jurisdiction. With the financial support from the municipal and provincial government, a concrete bridge was built over the river linking this barrio with Brgy. Rumbang and a new road leading to the center of the town was constructed. Many residents of this barrio worked voluntarily in the construction of the said municipal road
Aside from the aforementioned names, leaders of Salvacion who served as barrio lieutenants and their respective terms of office were: Dr. Angel Pechon (1965-1966) and Hermogenes Baliguat (1966-1967). Those who served as barangay captain were: Venancio Dantay (1967-1982). Wenceslao Aban (1978-1979); Avelino Episioco (1982-1985); Vivencio Lacquiores (1985-1987); Rodolfo Colesio, Sr. (1987-1988); and Wilfredo Carpentero (1988-1994). The present barangay captain is Brgy. Captain Rodolfo Colesio, Sr. who first served as leader of the barangay by succession in 1987, elected in 1994 and reelected in 1997.
10. SAN PEDRO
Like other parts of the municipality of Rizal, before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the indigenous people belonging to the tribe of Ratagnons lived in this place. They were the ones who gave names to Cambaog, Malabnig and Mangat, three of the sitios of San Pedro at present.
During the Spanish regime, this area became a part of La Hacienda de San Jose, the wide agricultural land from Caguray to Iriron which was entrusted by the government to the Order of the Augustinian Recollect for development. A man named Don Pedro was appointed by the Spanish friars as administrator of this place. He supervised the group of farmers from Panay who worked in the hacienda. He was kindhearted that the people loved him.
Unfortunately, Don Pedro got sick of malaria and died. His bereaved wife and children left this place. The workers who were deeply saddened by his death, decided to call this part of the hacienda as San Pedro.
When Mindoro Sugar Company, later known as Philippine Milling Company started its operation in 1911, the government leased a portion of this place to well to do individuals who planted it with sugarcane. Some of the employees and laborers of the sugar central decided to live here. Among them were the Fernandez, Perez, Lida, Soriano, Miller, Tordesillas, Villalobos, Mendoza, Quisote, Ramos, Suero, Talitalian, Palomar, Enion, Bacaylan, Rojero and Payo families.
After twenty years, when When Philippine Milling Company stopped its operation due to heavy financial losses, the well to do individuals who planted sugarcane in this area, decided to return the land to the government. The government sold it to farmers from Panay and the Ilocos Region who were looking for vacant land to cultivate.
Before the outbreak of World War II, when Adela was created as a barrio of San Jose, San Pedro became one of its sitios. The children from this sitio walked the distance of four kilometers to be able to attend classes in the primary school of Adela.
In 1947, San Pedro was separated from Adela and was made as one of the barrios of San Jose. Appointed as its first teniente del barrio was Emiliano Fernandez who served for three years. A year after his appointment, the residents of San Pedro petitioned the government for the opening of Grade I class in their barrio. With the help of then Municipal Councilor Fernando Candelario, Sr. and District Supervisor Federico Gonzales, the petition was granted. Mr. Fausto Pablo volunteered to become the first Grade I teacher. Since there was no existing schoolbuilding, Barrio Lt. Fernandez offered the use of his house as temporary classroom.
The site of the primary school was transferred three times; first to Sitio Mangat in 1960, next to the land of the Villalobos family in Sitio Cambaog after a few years and finally to the land donated by District Supervisor Aniceto Elveña in 1966. It was only in 1995 when the primary school became a complete elementary school.
In 1962, the national highway from San Jose to Mamburao passed through San Pedro. During martial law, the road was improved, together with the irrigation system which was constructed by the engineers of Philippine Milling Company, forty years ago.
The total land area of San Pedro is wide but it has no barrio site. It was one of the reasons why another primary school was opened in Sitio Mangat in 1974. One of the owners of the agricultural land in this sitio, the late Atty. Jose Lopez, donated two hectares for the school site. To honor him and to perpetuate his memory, the school was called Jose Lopez Elementary School.
Aside from Teniente del Barrio Emiliano Fernandez, the leaders who served as barrio lieutenants of San Pedro and their terms of office were Emilio Lida (1949-1955); Pedro Mendoza (1955-1958); Raymundo Camacho (1958-1960) and Andres Palacpac (1960-1964). Those who served as barangay captains were Francisco Clemente (1964-1967); Josue Regala (1967-1970); Ricardo Mendoza (1970-1972); Jose delos Santos (1972-1986); Rufo Barte (1986-1989); Benedicto Espartero (1989-1990); Jose Laredo (1990-1994) and Florencio Reynon (1994-2001). The barangay captain at present who was elected last 2001 is Brgy. Captain Nestor Laredo.
11. STO NIÑO
The old name of this place was Sandulayan. It came from sanduguan, the word used by the indigenous people who first settled in this place, to describe the blood compact which they made among themselves as an affirmation of their friendship.
During the Spanish regime and the early part of the American occupation of Mindoro, a few families of indigenous people belonging to the Ratagnon tribe and Buhid tribe were the ones living in this place. The Ratagnon cultivated their kaingins on the plains while the Buhid took care of their kaingin on the hilly portion of the area. They were the ones who gave the names of Culili, Candague and Cambaog to certain portions of this place which later on became sitios of Sandulayan.
When Mindoro Sugar Company later known as the Philippine Milling Company started its operation in 1911, the government leased the plains of this place to a well to do family who planted it with sugarcane. An irrigation system was constructed in this place by the American engineers who worked in the company. A steel bridge linking Sandulayan and Central was also built. On this bridge, the railroad track being used by the train which hauled cut sugarcane from the plantation in Danupa was laid.
A great flood occurred at Busuanga River in 1929. The steel bridge fondly called Atlantic by the people, after its builder Atlantic Gulf Corporation, was destroyed. The owners of Philippine Milling Company decided not to rebuild it. It was one of the reasons why the leaseholders stopped the planting of sugarcane at Danupa, Sto. Niño, San Pedro and Adela.
The farmers occupied the land which was abandoned by the leaseholder in Sandulayan. The number of families which settled in the area grew. This place was already a sitio when World War II broke out.
After the war, Sandulayan was one of the places where people from Luzon decided to migrate. They requested the government that the sitio where they settled be made a barrio. It was granted and in 1947, Sandulayan became a barrio of San Jose. Its name was changed to Sto. Niño, in honor of their patron saint. Benevolent farmers like Felomino Lara, Eleuterio Lara, Ramon dela Cruz and Jose Pascua donated portions of their land to the barrio for residential, commercial and other purposes.
In 1947, a primary school was opened in Sto. Niño. Miss Guadalupe Villalobos was its first teacher. Its first schoolbuilding was made of light materials constructed by the parents of the pupils through bayanihan. In 1960, the primary school became a complete elementary school.
On April 3, 1969 when Rizal was created as a municipality, Sto. Niño was one of the barrios which was placed under its jurisdiction. The first two mayors of the municipality, Hon. Rufino Liabres & Hon. Bartolome Miranda came from this barrio.
During martial law, the national highway constructed by the government from San Jose to Mamburao passed through Sto. Niño. A concrete bridge was built over Busuanga River. The said bridge was destroyed by the flood, including the second and third one which were constructed later on. Luckily in the year 2004, a long, tall concrete bridge expected to last for many years, was built by Han Jin Construction Co.
The leaders who served as teniente del barrio of Sto. Niño were Geminiano Besas, Manuel Bañas, Manuel Villanueva, Amado Tuazon, Sr., Celso Gonzales, Felomino Lara and Bartolome Miranda. Those who served as barangay captains with their respective terms of office were Urbano Zausa (1968-1971); Marciano Espartero (1971-1974; Emiliano Macoroy (1974-1979); Agustin Felipe (1979-1981); Jolly Pascua (1981-1994) and Federico Quijano (1994-2002). The barangay captain at present who was elected last 2002 is Brgy. Captain Marcelino dela Cruz.
ano po ang iba pang kwento ukol sa mga ratagnons?
TumugonBurahin