Philippine history tells us that our country had been ruled by three foreign colonizer Spain, America, Japan from 1521 up to 1946. For more than four hundred years the Filipinos fought courageously and heroically to gain freedom and independence. While it is true that some Filipino leaders handled low level positions in government in any of the periods of dominance, yet those officials were considered as puppets. When America overthrew Spain in 1898 she established a military government, opened schools , and introduced English as a medium of communication for the purpose of implanting unity and understanding among the Filipino people who speak diverse dialects. It was during the American Regime when the Filipinos began to learn the ways of democratic governance, especially when Manuel L. Quezon became the President (in 1853) of the Commonwealth Government, and followed by Manuel Roxas as the first President of the Republic (in 1846).
Just like any other municipality in the country, Calbayog had her own Chief executives during each of the aforementioned regimes up to the present.
Spanish Regime
(1886-1898)
During this time, the Chief Executive was called Capitan Municipal. These executive were Rufino Pido (1886-1887), Pedro Matudan (1888-1889), Pablo Camilon (1890-1891), Pablo Jaropojop (1892-1893), Antonio Tarrayo (1894-1985), Anacleto Rueda (1896-1987) and Catalino Jaropojop (1898-1899).
American Regime
(1898-1946)
The American Regime may be divided into three stages: when the Philippine government was a government of Americans assisted by Filipinos (1898-1916), when the government was run by Filipinos with American help under the Jones Law (1916-1935), and when the government was entirely in the hands of Filipinos with an American High Commissioner as an observer during the Commonwealth Period (1935- July 4, 1946).
The top executives were called Presidentes Municipal. These chief executives were Anastacio Pido (1900), Rufino Pido (1901), Hugon Rosales (1902-1910), Ildefonso Rosales (1910-1913), Luciano Ortiz (1913-1916), Buenaventura Rosales (1916-1919), Senecio Mancol (1919-1922), Cesario Ortiz (1922-1925), Anastacio Pido (1925-1928), Buenaventura Rosales (1928-1931), Ireneo Ortiz (1931-1934), Tomas Gomez (1934-1937) and Donato Tubal (1937-1939).
Japanese Occupation
(1942-1944)
With the fall of the Philippines into the hands of the Japanese invaders during the Pacific War (World War II), the Commonwealth Government was transferred in exile in Washington D.C. from May 13, 1942 to October 3, 1994. The local chief executive was called Mayor. The municipal mayor was Pedro Pido (1941-1945).
Liberation Period
(1944-1946)
With the liberation of the country from the Japanese Occupation, the Municipal Mayors of Calbayog were Rizal Ortega (1945-1946) and Pedro Pido (1946-1949).
From Declaration of Independence to Pre-Martial Law Era
(1946-1971)
The Philippines was granted independence on July 4, 1946. And when Calbayog became a chartered city, comprising the Municipalities of Calbayog, Oquendo and Tinambacan, on July 15, 1948, the city mayors were Pedro Pido (1948-1953), Jose Rono (1954-1967) and Amado Ygrubay (1967-1971).
Martial Law Era up to EDSA Revolution
(1972-1986)
The City Mayors during this time were Pablo Lucero (1972-1982) and Ricardo Tan (1982-1986).
Revolutionary Government
(1986-1988)
With the downfall of President Ferdinand Marcos as a result of the EDSA Revolution in February 1986, Corazon Aquino was installed as President of the Revolutionary Government. She revamped the officialdom and appointed officers-in-charge (OIC) In Calbayog City, Dr. Godofreda Dean (Apr. 16, 1986 Dec. 2, 1987) was appointed OIC City Mayor by then DLG Minister Aquilino Pimentel. When Dr. Dean filed her candidacy for the mayoralty position in the February 1988 local elections, President Aquino instructed then DLG Secretary to appoint Narciso Y. Miano as OIC City Mayor (Dec. 2, 1987 Jan. 6, 1988). From January 7, 1988 up to February 2, 1986, DLG Operat ions Officer Manuel Lagrimas was the OIC City Mayor by virtue of the appointment issued by DLG Secretary Luis Santos.
Post Aquino Administration
(1988-2000)
On February 3, 1988, Roberto S. Rosales assumed office as the newly elected City Mayor (1988-1992), the first mayor in Calbayog City to be elected under the 1987 Constitution. During his term, Calbayog became a first-class city. Two of his landmark projects are the public market (Phase I and Phase II) and the fishport. In the elections in May 1992, Dr. Reynaldo S. Uy was elected city mayor (1992-2001). By May 14, 2001 Mel Senen S. Sarmiento had won the election and assumed the post July 1, 2001 up to this date.
In parting, while political freedom was achieved in 1946, a novel form of the same problem freedom from want spares our people in the face as they tread the third millennium. Our present crop of leaders may well be advised to take a look at the past and learn from it as they grapple with the future in an effort to provide a better life for our people.
Calbayog: Its History and Religion
By: Patrio M. Barandino, Jr.
Calbayog early history has been associated with the introduction and spread of Catholicism in the country. Calbayog started as one of the small settlements in the Island of Samar, an area assigned to the Jesuit missionaries. Jesuit Chroniclers, as early as the 17th century, notably Fr. Ignacio Alcina, wrote many accounts about it and its people.
Jesuit records and reports referred to the settlement initially as Ibatan and Jibatang (Hibatang). It is in the annual report of 1739 that the name Calbayog appeared in the records for the first time. How Calbayog got its name has not been documented. In the absence of concrete factual accounts, some attempted to explain the origin of the name with the legends.
Some believe that the forerunner of Calbayog was a settlement along the Hibatang River, now called Anislag. Others claim that the forerunner was another settlement, now called San Rufino, located in the hinterlands of Oquendo.
Fr. Felis de Huerta, a 19th century Franciscan writer noted in his work Estado Geografico that in earlier times, Calbayog was called Tiayban for having been founded near a river of the same name. Then it was transferred due to a flood to the shore of the Hibatang River, whose name it took. Then again the settlers transferred to the place that they permanently occupied and took the name Calbayog.
Hibatang had already been a small settlement at the beginning of the 17th century. It slowly occupied a prominent place among the several small settlements. It became a visita (a large barrio with a chapel) of Capul under the jurisdiction of the Parish priest of that town. After the expulsion of the Jesuit Missionaries from the Philippines in the 18th century, the administration of the parishes in Samar was handled over to the Franciscan Friars.
Eventually from being a visita, Calbayog became a pueblo (town). It was created a separate parish in 1785. Separated from the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the parish priest of Capul, it was later given it s own minister.
Calbayog as a town and parish during the Spanish period was composed of several villages, the most populated of which are called visitas. Calbayog became a religious center. Its parish priests cared for the spiritual needs of the people living in what are now Calbayog City, the municipalities of Sta. Margarita, Sto. Nino and Almagro. By the late 19th century a number of visitas became the poblaciones when new towns were created from Calbayog. They were Caybago (later called Oquendo), Sta. Margarita, Weyler (later called Tinambacan) and Sto. Nino.
During the American Era, Calbayog rose to political as well as religious prominence. Prominent political and religious figures in Samar and Leyte emerged from it, particularly those who studied in the Colegio-Seminario de San Vicente de Paul (now Christ the King College and St. Vincent de Paul Seminary) which was established in 1905 and La Milagrosa Academy which was established in 1911. Both schools were run by the religious.
What is noteworthy is the fact that on April 10, 1910, the Diocese of Calbayog was created by virtue of the Papal Bull of Pope Pius X. The diocese comprised the Islands of Samar and Leyte. Calbayog became the seat of the diocese. It was only much later that the other dioceses in the region were created.
Republic Act No. 328, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Calbayog was signed into law on July 15, 1948 by then President Elpidio Quirino. Calbayog as a city with its first set of city officials was inaugurated on October 16, 1948. The city comprises the territorial jurisdiction of the former Municipalities of Calbayog, Oquendo and Tinambacan.
This data was copied from the articles of HON. PATRIO M. BARANDINO and MR. NARCISO Y. MIANO taken from the 2000 Calbayog City Fiesta Souvenir Program.
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