7 years ago
Concise History Guinayangan
Posted by Anonymous in history of guinayangan on Tuesday, March 1, 2011
So far as can be gathered from the memories of those
descendants from the settlers of this municipality, it was far
before the year 1820 when the Visayans and the Moros, were then
wandering over the sea of the new so called "RAGAY Gulf",
on the arm of the Visayan sea, in search of the then noted underwater
products, such as sea shells, tropang (balatan)
and corrals, that history maybe established on the facts of
Guinayangan.
On those time of the Galleon Trade
people were already bartering sea products with foreign materials, and
those Visayans from Masbate discovered that sea
products in this area were abundant where they mostly depend their
livelihood, particularly on their search for mother
pearls than on demand by other countries and even other settlers of the
Philippines in the different parts of the islands.
Incidentally, those Visayans were cousins to each other, and from their
daily activities, a Triumvirate was formed,
composed of Simeon Molines, Francisco Tupas Vicente Matta. Every
products they secured from the gulf or any place
within the vicinity, were brought to their Visayan Island where they
were sold bartered.
Being natives of Borongan,
Samar, who migrated to Masbate and Burias islands, their activities
become known on other parts of the country and
even the Moros envied their trade and commerce and piracy begun. The
moros often intercepted and made piracy on
the sea, that the triumvirate were forced to establish defense of their
products. In the course of the fight, the triumvirate
were even driven to the source of the new Cabibihan River and there
built an "agropacion" ( a little village). The
offensive Moros continued the agression, and on the second fight, the
triumvirate abandoned their first village and fled to
Catimo, on the bank of Cabibi at the mouth of the Ragay Gulf. They
settled there for about five years.
In the year 1826,
another group of moros came to drive them off the place, but this time,
the triumvirate had already established a
strategic defense. Simeon Molines went to another side of Ragay Gulf,
the other on the so called "Kinatakutan" River,
while the rest defended the Cape Catimo, each place being guarded by
natives. So that each of the triumvirate, during
the gap of five years, become friendly with the natives and considered
them their rulers on each area of operations.
Simeon Molines being the maker of GAYANG (the point of spears) which
were used to defend them from the Moros,
settled on the western side of Ragay Gulf, so that everytime, the gulf
is guarded on each side, but retreats were always
made at "Kinatakutan" River (east of the gulf), where the Moros were
afraid to enter.
During the last defense from the
Moros, the triumvirate became successful on the use of Gayang, and at
times, somebody talked of the spears used by
Simeon Molines himself, they asked on dialect: "Mang Simeon, saan ka
naggayang ng sibat na ito", then he answered:
"Dito ko ito GINAYANGAN". From then on the word GINAYANGAN became famous
throughout the place.
Being already peaceful from the aggressive moros, the triumvirate brought their families in the place settled by Simeon Molines, which was the eastern side of Ragay Gulf (where Poblacion is now located), and started living together in the pursuit of livelihood.
In the year 1832 delegations were made with the Gobernadorcillo and immediately thereafter, on the Sumulong River, the Gobernadorcillo orally proclaimed and ofiicially declared this place as a town "GUINAYANGAN", covering the area from Sumulong River on the North; Guinahalinan river on the South; the Bundoc ng Kadig on the West and the center of Bundoc Peninsula on the West, where Ragay Gulf being on the center of the established town. The exact area then were not made known, it being the policy of the Spanish Government to just give the boundaries.
As the population grows migrants came, thereby various group and dialects were introduced in this town, but the Moro were the only group who wanted the place destroyed yet by the joint efforts of the natives, the triumvirate and the migrants, the town finally became peaceful after this period, and thereafter religious sects became apparent.
The Roman Catholic introduced by the Spaniards flourished in the minds of the people, although minor religious were also introduced. During the pioneering period, however, various reforms were made on their search for progress. Under the Spanish government, few barrios were recognized. It was only on the latter part of the 1900 that wide recognition of the barrios were made. During the first and second World War, Guinayangan stand to the satisfaction of the neighbonng town.
from quezon.gov.ph
