The towering trees standing upright brimmed the shimmering shores of the expansive Ragay Gulf. These were the trees ideal for the shipbuilding process. The search was over. After many days of sailing thru the gentle currents of Burial Pass, then the slow waves of Ragay Gulf, the north westerly winds carried the Visayan families or clans from Masbate to northern tip of the Gulf. The year was 1820, almost three centuries after the brave Lapu-lapu of Mactan Island in Cebu killed the Portuguese intruder for Spain, Ferdinand Magellan.
A village was established somewhere near the mouth of the Hiwasayan River where quality timber suitable for building ships abound. The early settlers, mostly Visayans from Masbate, were shipbuilders of high skill. The prospered and became intermitent raid targets of the moro pirates who captured and enslaved some of them. The remaining settlers became apprehensive so that they sought help from another settlement farther north between Catimo and Kinatakutan barrios (now fall within the authority of Tagkawayan town) under the leadership of the two families also from Masbate, the Tupas and Matta clans. The Hiwasayan founders agreed to form an alliance with the small but brave warriors. The allied settlers founded a new coastal village near the tip of Ragay Gulf , which is the present site of the poblacion. The combined forcess with their improved weapons, the bow and arrow fitted at the tip with a steel known to the moro pirates as gayang, so overwhelmed all subsequent attacks of the moros that ferocious raids came to an end.
The fearless resistance to rapacious raid of the infidel reached the ears of the colonial powers. The Ecclesiastical province of Sa Luis readily sent some friendly Spanish Catholic missionaries, who belonged to the Franciscan Order. When the Spaniards arrived at the coastal settlement, one solicitous Spaniards asked the settlers what kind of weapons they used in repelling the pirates, they answered aloud "Ginayangan ang palaso!" Meaning the arrow was fitted with a gayang or steel. The Spanish priest who came with the missionary group heard the excitement while the boisterous natives kept repeating the word "Gi-nayangan ang palaso!". Since then the coastal settlement was officially known as GUINAYANGAN.
As a seaport, logging and lumbering center, the settlement progressed. The Governor (Governadorcillo) of the ecclesistical province of San Luis proclaimed Guinayangan as an independent municipality ( municipio independiente) with the headman known as captain (capitan) as in the barangay system. The captain was appointed from time to time. Usually the appointed captains were from the old families of the town and the captains marked "sobrasalientes" were from the old families of Tupas, Matta, Molines.
Marcos Tupas was responsible for the establishment of a village in a place now called Aloneros. Vicente Matta established a fishing and logging village now called Kinatakutan. While Benigno Molines founded a logging village along the banks of Piris River.
The succeding headmen were scions of these families until the Philippine was ceded by Spain to the United States of America in December 10, 1898 under the Treaty of Paris.
During the colonial days, the friendly approach of the Spanish priests and soldiers was synergistically compatible with the splendid trait of hostpitaly of the Filipinos. Some warm friendship led to racial intermarriages. Among those that intermarried the natives of Guinayangan were the families of Garcia, Campos and Perillo.
Military Governmen was set up by the American Expeditionary Forces from 1902 to 1904. Being a strategic seaport, Guinayangan became a military supply base which supported the principal fighting forces in Atimonan of this province. The municipality was devoid of a well-organized Filipino Revolutionary forces. In 1904, a civil government was founded and the first municipal election was hels. The elected officers were called municipal presidents.Thet were: Victoriano Lagdameo, Placido Isaac, Jesus V. Lagdameo, Jose Tolentino, Feliciano Roldan, Silvestre Reformado, Jose San Juan, Rodrigo Garcia Matta, Jose San Juan, Faustino Araña, Antonio Marquez, Vicente Tolentino, Hipolito Veloso, Victoriano Alejar
During the term of Antonio Marquez, the municipal presidents were subsequently called the municipal mayors. Lazaro Tayag was the municipal mayors. Lazaro Tayag was the municipal mayor when World War II broke out. The term of office of Lazaro Tayag was cut off as the invading Japanese Imperial Army appointed the following as local government administrators.
Is is also of note that the first private school in this town was founded in 1940 by Mrs.Victoriana Reyes Garcia, former Guinayangan Elementary School teacher. The private school was recognized and known as Guinayangan Academy. From rented rooms to rented buildings, the Academy rapidly flourished and it finally found a place whereit is now situated.
On February 27, 1945, six months before Japanese Surrender, the Commonwealth of the Philippines under the President Segio Osmeña was established in Manila. The provincial, municipal and city government were restored. In Guinayangan, the local government officers were appointed. Those yearly appointees were Timoteo Ramos 1945-1946, Vicente Salumbides 1946-1947, Guillermo Garcia Sr. 1947-1948.
On April 23, 1946, the Commonwealth of the Philippines held its last election and on May 28, 1946 President Manuel Roxas and Vice President Elpidio Quirino , as winners of the election, took their oath of office. After less than two months, in the morning of July 4,1946 the Republic of the Philippines was inaugurated at the Luneta, Manila.
The first local election under the Republic was held in November 8,1947 when Natividad B.Matta was elected. The subsequent local elections of 1951, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1967, 1971 and 1988 was handily won by the most loved mayor of the town, Mariano Roldan. After the People Power Revolution of February 1986, local officials were appointed by the Revolutionary Government of President Corazon C. Aquino. Nestor Salumbides was appointed Officer-In-Charge. In 1988 local election, the jobless Mariano Roldan again won as municipal mayor but he died a few months after he assumed office and Vice Mayor Ignacio Macalintal took office as municipal mayor.
In 1941, Barrio Tagkawayan and in1948 Barrio Buenavista became independent municipalities. Guinayangan, then was a second class municipality.
.JPG)
