MUNICIPALITY OF TIAONG, QUEZON, Historical Data of Part 1

PART I

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About these Historical Data

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HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE
TOWN AND BARRIOS
OF
TIAONG, QUEZON

Submitted by:

Duplicate Copy

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T  A  B  L  E     O  F     C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

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FOREWORD

The data consolidated in this collection, though a product of best efforts, may not be as accurate as the should be due to the lack of highly competent sources from whom which real facts, events or incidents and dates could be secured. Important public documents and records of the municipality were burned with the municipal building on May 7, 1943 as mentioned elsewhere in this collection. Old persons consulted confessed that they could not exactly remember everything. Some old timers who were able to keep records of the succession of “capitanes municipal” and municipal presidents did not mention any other municipal officials in such records they called minutes or “minuta” aside from the municipal heads and important calamities such as famine, fire, raids of “tulisanes” and moro pirates and occurrences of pests, floods and earthquakes.

Many of the informations gathered for the town historical data were taken from the “Tricentenial Program” printed when the town (Tiaong) celebrated its tricentenial anniversary on May 10, 1940. Thanks to Mr. Atanasdoro Palma who prepared the said program.

Informations on municipal officials and other data for the history of the town aside from the data obtained as per preceding paragraph, were obtained from still living ol persons of the town such as Messrs. Dalmacio Lector, Felipe Saleado, Lauro Bañar, Ricardo Palma, Hilarion Resurreccion, Esteban Chavez, an ex-teacher, Clemente Isabedra, Pelagio Bautista and Mrs. Juliana Vda. de Alcazar to whom grateful acknowledgement for the valuable informations they furnished us, is given. The labels and epitaphs on culverts, school stairs, and Rizal monument which stands at the town plaza, also furnished some informations on municipal officials during certain terms.

The barrio committees mention in their collections the names of the persons from whom they obtained their data. To them we also greatly owe much for the valuable helps they extended to our barrio committees. Without them, their (the barrio committees) efforts would be futile.

(SGD) Aniceto Resuma
District Supervisor
Tiaong

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CHAPTER I
HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE TOWN OF

TIAONG, QUEZON
(Poblacion)

COMMITTEE ON THE COLLECTION OF DATA

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HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE TOWN
Part One: History

19. Present official name of the town: Tiaong

20. Former Names:

1. Tiyaran - Spanish-regime term given by the townspeople meaning “meeting place”.
2. Tia Ong - The first word means “aunt” as the people called Doña Tating, a well respected and loved old woman by the early inhabitants of this place while the second word was the name given by the people to her favorite bull which she used to ride on every time she attended mass.
3. Hayum - A term expressed or written by the Spaniards about this town in their records.

21. Date of establishment:

According to available records, the town was established in the year 1600 by the Agustinian Fathers, In 1606, the town was jointly administered with the former town of San Pablo, now a city, In 1691, the administration of the town was separated from San Pablo.

22. Names and social status of the founders:

1. Fr. Juan de Sta. Clara - First church founder, dedicating the church to Sr. Santiago Apostol.
2. Agustinian Fathers - Spanish missionaries who were the first administrators of the settlement since 1606.
3. Doña Tating - An old gracious woman, considered the most respected, loved and first citizen of the locality during the founding of the town.

23. Names of persons who held leading official positions in the community:

1. During the Spanish Regime: (Only the “Capitanes Municipal” are available in records about this town.)

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2. During the Revolutionary Period:

D. Ladislao Masangkay (Presidente Local) from June 8, 1898 to January 14, 1900. The period was the brief independence of the Philippines after the defeat of the Spanish government at the hands of the Filipino revolutionary forces.

3. During the American occupation to World War II:

Appointed Presidents:

1. Mr. Pedro Cantos, appointed president under the American military regime from January 15, 1900 to about the end of February, 1902.
2. Mr. Juan Cadiz up to April 30, 1902.
3. Mr. Gregorio Samonte — 1902.
4. Mr. Gregorio Umali.

Elected Presidents:

1904-1907

1907-1909

1910-1912

1912-1914

1914-1916

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1917-1920

1920-1922

Strong improvement was effected. Many culverts were constructed in the Poblacion.

1923-1925

1925-1928

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1929-1931

Cattle and other animal rustling were greatly minimized during the Umali administration.

1932-1934

Many barrio school buildings were constructed.

1935-1937

1938-1940

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1941

1904-1907

4. During the Japanese occupation:
1. Atty. Vicente S. Umali - 1942 up to May 6, 1942.
2. Atty. Lawalio Malabay succeeded by Mr. Ambrosio de Grano for a short time.
3. Dr. Bernardo Castillo - during 1943, but later succeeded by Mr. Petronilo Pasambal, until 1944.
4. Atty. Margarito Recto succeeded by Mr. Pasambal until liberation day.

5. After liberation:
Appointed by the Provincial Governor:
6. Mr. Constancio Garcia - April, 1945 = Mariano Joyas; Mr. Lauro Nañar - Chief of Police.
7. Mr. Andres Umali for the rest of 1945-1946, Vice - Narciso Umali; Justice of the Peace - Judge Demetrio Castillo; Municipal Treasurer - Genaro Sandoval since liberation up to Nov. 30, 1945; Municipal Secretary - Mr. Estaban de Chavez; Councilors - Hilarion Resurreccion, Jose Masangkay, Sancho Largoza, Mariano Joyas.
8. Col. Mariano Umali (popularly known as “Oceano” 1946-47; Chief of Police - Mr. Lauro N. Nañar; Municipal Secretary - Mr. Esteban de Chavez, Mr. Iluminado Montilla, Mr. Jose Salcedo, Mr. Estaban de Chavez; Justice of the Peace - Judge Demetrio Castillo; Municipal Treasurer - Mr. Vicente S. Kalaw.

Elected: Jan. 1, 1948 - Dec. 31, 1951

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Streets in the poblacion were asphalted.

Jan. 1, 1952 - December 31, 1955

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24. Data on historical sites, structure, buildings, old ruins, etc.:

1. The old “tribunal” building used as the court building during the Spanish regime, was used as a schoolroom at the coming of the Americans, when the permanent school building, built in 1915, was finished, the classes were transferred to it. The building was improved and used as the municipal building until it was burned on May 7, 1943 at midnight. Until now, the building is a ruin.
2. The old church building founded by the Augustinian Fathers in the year of 1600, was destroyed by demolition bombs dropped by the American pilots during the liberation of the town from the Japanese. It is being rehabilitated little by little from voluntary contributions of devoted catholic citizens.

25. Important facts, incidents or events that took place:

1. During the Spanish occupation—
   1. Foundation of the town in May 1600.
   2. Administration of the town was joined with San Pablo in 1606.
   3. In 1691, the administration of the town was separated from San Pablo.
   4. Famine occurred in 1710.
   5. Strong earthquakes occurred every year from 1725 to 1725.
   6. In 1751, the town was raided by Moro pirates...
   7. Raided again by Moro pirates in 1757.
   8. Beginning of the sales of government-owned tobacco in 1782.
   9. In 1785 great fire occurred...
   10. The town was raided by robbers (tulisanes) in 1786.
   11. Erection of a castle...
   12. Occurrence of a big fire again in 1854.
   13. Separation of Dolores from Tiaong in 1855.
   14. Change of money denominations in 1856.
   15. In 1840, Apolinario de la Cruz became a rebel...
   16. In 1841, Don Joaquin Quison de los Santos...

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17. Occurrence of an epidemic which killed many people in 1845.
18. In 1845, a great flood, after a heavy rain, occurred with the water reaching the door of the church.
19. The town was raided again by robbers (tulisan) and much money was taken. It is said that much of the money was scattered in the streets. This happened in 1849.
20. Drought occurred in 1858. The people suffered very much from the poor harvest that followed.
21. Pestilence occurred in 1864. Many people died.
22. Famine occurred again in 1877.
23. Pestilence occurred again in 1882. This time only one tenth of the people survived the cholera epidemic. This was followed by the occurrence of animal pests as a result of which the price of animals rose up. This was still followed in 1889 by the coffee disease which came from Lipa, Batangas. Thousands of coffee plantation owners suffered greatly.
24. In 1891, Captain Ladislao Masangkay quarreled with a Spanish Lieutenant of the civil guards due to a remark given by the Spaniard to Don Julio Herrera of Dolores. Captain Ladislao considered the remark an insult to the natives. This was augmented by the captain’s refusal to let Severino Campo (padreons Simoy) go with the officer to Dagatan, Dolores to look into a reported animal rustling. In retaliation, the Lieutenant accused Don Cayetano de de Gala, an ex-gobernadorcillo, and had a civil guard kill the animal. Don Cayetano (de Gala) was the mastermind of the animal stealing and of the killing of the wanderer, called Inong Kamote, who was found dead in barrio Lagalag, Tiaong. Captain Ladislao discredited the accusation and told the officer that the suspicion was not true. The quarrel resulted to a man-to-man fight which ended in the defeat of the Lieutenant. Badly wounded and knocked down, his hands were bound and his pistol and saber were taken. He went to the justice of the peace to whom he promised that he would not make trouble again. Upon release, however, he gave arms to his civil guards and proceeded to the headquarters of the “cuadrilleros,” the men under Captain Ladislao. Upon arrival, the Captain was fired upon but was not hit. The Captain was pursued to his house where he hid closing the door behind him. The civiles, upon order, began to ax the door.

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25. In 1895, Fray Jesus Romna, a Spaniard, became the parish priest of Tiaong. This priest became very unpopular among the people because of maltreatment of and unwholesome remarks upon the natives whenever they did not suit his favor. When a certain Umberto Alomar, the master chorist, died of his kicks and blows, he was sued by the bereaved relatives of the deceased with the help of those who hated him. Among them were Doña Paula Carrado, Don Isidro Herrera and the suspended gobernadorcillo, Don Tomas Umali, whose suspension was caused by the priest. In spite of the pressure and influence the priest exerted he was found guilty. He, however, escaped arrest by going to Manila secretly as soon as he learned that he would be arrested.
26. In 1898, Katipunan movement began to spread its fervid fire in the municipality. Many Tiaong able-bodied men joined the movement. It was discovered when a certain Antonio Manalo reported it to the priest who in turn informed the Spanish officials. Those who were reported and killed. Because of this, the people, under the leadership of Don Norberto Lacsang who at the time was the justice of the peace, with Don Norberto Lacsang and his lieutenant, began to revolt against Spanish rule. Candelaria and Sariaya soon joined the movement. They went to Tayabas than the capital town of the province, and besieged the Spanish headquarters there. They built trenches around the plaza and the fighting went on for several days. Meanwhile reinforcements poured in from Laguna and Batangas under the command of General Alvarez. The Spanish resistance collapsed and many Spaniards became prisoners. To avenge themselves to the cruel punishment meted to them by the Spaniards, the rebels had their prisoners bathe in a canal flowing through the town (Tayabas) into the water of which they poured crashed rotten fruit of camachile (kamons or irok). This made the prisoners’ skin severely scratchy or itchy. As a result the Spaniards all became affected with scabies.

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2. During the American Occupation up to World War II;
   1. In 1900, the American forces came and the first battle of Tiaong took place on January 14, 1900 at Lalig, the barrio adjacent to the poblacion from the north approach, Isidro Punzalan was killed in this battle. On January 15 or the next day, Victor Gomez was killed in the battle of Quipot just southwest of the poblacion. In 1901, Pedro Lorena and Cayetano Baculo were killed in the battle of Lagang, a barrio east of the town and Lt. Antonio Rialp, Placido Corales, Isidro Laygo, Mariano Ramos, and Leandro Brasa were killed in the battle of Sumag, a place also of Tiaong.
   2. When the Filipino resistance collapsed, the people were concentrated or confined in the poblacion. The Americans then began the mopping up operations killing or capturing the remnants of the insurgents as our soldiers were called during those days, burning the houses and killing the animals found outside the “zona” so that the insurgents could be forced to surrender. Civil government was established in the “zona” with Mr. Pedro Campos as the first president appointed by the Provost-Marshal. Trials were held inside the “zona” and those found with guilt in accordance with the military refuge were punished with imprisonment, death or exile.
   3. Among those killed outside of the “zona” in 1902, were: civilians rabio hindo in Baliram, brothers Victoriano and Isidro Molo-negros in Bulag; Lt. Gregorio Lector and private Basilio Guevara in Cabuya; corporal Inamado Bautista and private Felix Ceyega in Bukal; civilian Pascual Ramo who was thrown into Quipot River; Don Vicente Hernandez and his son Lt. Bartolau who were also drowned in the river. It is said that the most cruel element of the American forces were the Macabebes (Pampanga guides), the traditional enemy of the Filipino revolutionists, who committed rapes, unauthorized confiscation of property and many other forms of cruelties among the civilians.
   4. Among those exiled to Malahi amounts in Los Baños, Laguna as one of the most notorious trials in the “zona” were: Justo Recto, Gregorio Unala, Doroteo Vargas, Anselmo Ramos de Ramos, Cayetano Gonzales, Andres Mayo, Crispin Castillo, Mariano and Mrs. Diego Anulano, Segundo Somonte, and Aniceto de Ramos, Alejandro de Luna, Lorenzo Bautista, Pelagio Bautista, Tomas Lector, Captain Anselmo, Juan Resurreccion, Vicente Unala, Simon Resurreccion, Escolastico Unala, Florencio de Grano, Cristobel M. and others.

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5. Then came the rapid progress of the town under the democratic regime of the Americans. Schools were established, roads were constructed and bridges were built.

3. During and after World War II:
   1. Appointment of Atty. Vicente Umali as the Mayor of the town in 1942.
   2. Punishing those that were found guilty of stealing and committing other offenses by exposure to sun heat or death at the hands of Japanese firing squads.
   3. Opening of the public schools in February, 1942. The Japanese military authorities revised the curriculum and tried to indoctrinate the people with everything Japanese. Japanese language was included in the curriculum and all American subjects and authors were prohibited. Use of American flags was forbidden. Learning the Nippon-go or Japanese language became a requirement of all employees including the teachers.
   4. The burning of the municipal building sometime in May, 1942 by someone who is still unknown until this day. After which Atty. Vicente Umali, the municipal Mayor, who was nearly killed by Captain Sido and the Japanese soldiers stationed in Lipa, Batangas, because of reports about abuses committed by the Umali administration and of the young mayor’s hiding of a guerrilla called President Quezon’s Own Guerrillas. Ever since that time he became wanted by the Japanese authorities.
   5. All adult male citizens were concentrated by the Japanese in the school building in August, 1945 in their efforts to liquidate all that were affiliated with the guerrilla organization. The concentration lasted for about two days for the majority of the men concentrated but more than a month for those found affiliated with the Fil-American underground movement. Many men were killed and were punished by the Japanese during this concentration. Among these were teacher Emilio Perez and a citizen by the name Martin Alcaraz who were taken to Lucena where they were executed.
   6. The burning of Lagalag school building on January 13, 1945 by the Japanese because of suspicion that the building was being used as night quarters by the guerrillas.

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7. Sometime in January, 1945, American airplanes began to appear over this town and machine-gunned the Japanese garrison in Burok, a sitio of Lunsuan along the highway, and the Blue Bar Factory in Lunsuan where was Japanese soldiers with many civilians were at work. During these days the Japanese forces in this town were busy digging trenches and caves in various parts of the town specially along the highway. Male civilians including prominent citizens were commandeered for this work even during nights.
8. On February 13, 1945, the three-room school building and houses in the barrio of Cabay as well as the houses in more than one-half of the barrio of Patas were burned by the Japanese. Many civilians, including women were killed in Cabay during the burning business.
9. Thinking that the poblacion was occupied only by Japanese soldiers, the Americans bombed with incendiary bombs and machine-gunned the houses and running populace. Some civilians were killed during that bombing. This was in the later part of February, 1945.
10. Sometime in March, 1945, twenty-three persons, including a seven-month baby, were massacred in barrio of Bans and about twenty-six persons in the barrio of Capaguian. It was in this massacre where the wife of Atty. Francisco Matundan, then mayor of the civil government in hiding, and an instructor, Mrs. Trinidad I. Capaguian, were killed after being raped.
11. Sometime also in March, 1945 the town and the Japanese garrison in Burok were thoroughly bombed and strafed by American planes. Many Zen houses in the poblacion escaped this bombing. Even the elementary school building was razed to the ground. All the stock-pile of Japanese soldiers began to retreat disorderly. Since then American planes came every day searching for retreating enemy elements.
12. The liberation of the town on April 6, 1945. The American forces, the 11th Airborne Division, entered the town from Rosario, Batangas met by the 8th Cavalry Division which came by way of San Pablo from Laguna.

26. (a) Destruction of lives, properties and institutions during wars, especially in 1896-1900 and 1941-1945. Already mentioned in No. 25, (b) and (c).

(b) Measures and accomplishments toward rehabilitation and reconstruction following World War II.

As soon as the liberation forces had occupied the town and the poblacion, the people began to return to

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their houses from where they evacuated. The former poblacion families who found their homes in ruins began to clean and with what was left of their houses began to put up temporary or barong-barong type of houses. The barrio people except, those of Gabay and Paitan, did not worry much about rebuilding their houses. Only the barrios of Gabay and Paitan then had burned houses.

As days went on small huts made of bamboos and other light materials that could be moved at fire w were constructed in the poblacion. A temporary school was established in front of the old convent out of the materials left by the destroyed church through the efforts of the civic spirited officials and the temporary school building was constructed in the town plaza with materials and lumber coming for food rationed by the PCAU. These housed the public elementary classes until the destroyed permanent school building was reconstructed by the War Damage Commission.

The Lalig and Quipot bridges which were demolished by the retreating Fil-American forces have been reconstructed. The parochial church is being rebuilt by the stationed priest through the voluntary contributions of the catholic citizens for the amount allowed by the War Damage Commission for its rehabilitation was gotten by the Bishop for other purposes according to the assessment of the local priest. A maternity clinic has been constructed beside the Furniture Center for Fork Barrel Fund given by ex-representative Fortunato Suarez of the first representative district of Quezon. New houses in limited number are beginning to be constructed.

The streets in the poblacion had been asphalted through the effort of municipal mayor Heraclio Amador. The first liberated mayor since liberation was re-elected and the water that used to flow through the poblacion until about 1925 was made to flow again. This water aids in keeping the streets through which it flows clean.

The burned municipal building, the old public market and many houses of rich people of this town remain untouched toward rehabilitation. The center of the poblacion, which, before the war, was the center of commercial business establishments, is now a quite place day and night. It is merely a residential place today.

In short, the rehabilitation of this town is quite slow. This condition may be attributed to the fact that most of the well-to-do families established houses in Manila after the liberation due to the unstable peace and order condition then prevailing during the early post liberation days in this town. Bars those days put up business and restaurants could not last for even a month in spite of the financial boom that surrounded the early liberation days. Customers would buy goods on credits but when asked to pay later on would

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