Pototan, Iloilo
Encyclopedia
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Considered the rice granary of Panay, the town is bordered by Dingle
Dingle
Dingle is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about 49 kilometres southwest of Tralee and 71 kilometres northwest of Killarney....
to the north, Zarraga
Zarraga, Iloilo
Zarraga is a 4th class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 18,252 people in 3,507 households.-Barangays:Zarraga is politically subdivided into 24 barangays....
to the south, Barotac Nuevo to the east, and Mina
Mina, Iloilo
Mina is a 5th class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 18,096 people in 3,426 households. The 2010 population is estimated at 20,592, based on the 1.30% annual growth rate. The population consists of 4,403 households with...
to the west. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 61,206 people in 11,777 households.
The town lies on the banks of the Suage River, 17 miles or 30 km distant the City of Iloilo
Iloilo City
The City of Iloilo is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the capital city of Iloilo province. It is the regional center of the Western Visayas, as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area...
. It is a large town composed of 50 barangay
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s. The town has an area of 94 km², 85% of which is agricultural land. In December 1997, it was declared as the "Christmas Capital of Western Visayas
Western Visayas
Western Visayas, one of the regions of the Philippines, is designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces; Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo and 16 cities making it the region with the highest number of cities. Iloilo City is the regional center...
" because of its famed Christmas Festival of Lights.
Barangays
Pototan is politically subdivided into 50 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
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Early history
The first people of Pototan were the family of Datu Ramon, grandson of Datu Puti, a Malay from the town of Dumangas. They first settled at Barangay Naslo, which was formerly the Poblacion. In that place was found a luxuriant growth of trees called "putat", after which the place was subsequently called "Kaputatan" (Place of many Putat trees). However, due to its hilly terrain and the arduousness of securing their water supply, they decided to move nearer the bank of the Suage River, which turned later into a flourishing place; now called Pototan.In the middle of the 16th century, the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
traders arrived in Pototan. Their arrival gave birth to a new horizon. The natives learned the techniques of trade and commerce, which continued to flourish until the middle part of the 17th century.
Spanish era
The arrival of the SpaniardsSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1593 sparked new changes in the socio-economic and political life of the natives. It was the start of a new era, the natives were converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
through the efforts of Augustinian Friars. The settlement was subsequently made into a Parish. Education, though at the onset only for the privileged few, was introduced. The name "Kaputatan", which the Spanish have difficulty pronouncing, was changed to "Pototan".
To improve the economic and social condition of the place, the Spaniards introduced and built roads and bridges. They constructed the Tribunal or Municipal Hall under the supervision of Don Tomas Sajen and Don Escribano with the natives contributing the labor force. The Tribunal was able to withstand the wrath of the last global war and in the early 50s was modified into what is now the Western Visayas Hospital.
In 1874, Pototanons were given the opportunity to run their own political affairs with the appointment of Don Juan Marcelo as the first Capitan Municipal. This form of government continued until the arrival of the Americans.
During the incumbency of Capitan Municipal Braulio Peñaranda, a horrifying event happened—something that the Pototanons will never forget—the Cholera outbreak of 1891. Old folks who were able to survive the epidemic can still recall the torment and anguish of their townmates afflicted by the unexpected plague. Because of the absence of medicine, many lives were lost.
During the Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
, Pototanons such as Teresa Magbanua
Teresa Magbanua
Teresa Magbanua y Ferraris earned the distinction of being the only woman to lead combat troops in the Visayas against Spanish and American forces. Born in Pototan, Iloilo, Philippines on 13 October 1868, to wealthy parents, she earned a teaching degree and taught in her hometown...
(known as the Joan of arc of the Visayas) and her two brothers, Elias and Pascual Magbanua took up arms and joined the revolution.
The Americans arrived after Spain ceded Philippines to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1898. The remaining Spanish population fled to the hills together many Filipinos including the last Gobernadorcillio, Don Maurillo Mendoza. He was later held prisoner by the Americans but was subsequently named the first Municipal President.
American era
Under the Americans, the natives were granted the freedom of speech and worship. Education was liberalized; more and better roads and bridges were constructed. Improvements were also noticed in the economic, social and cultural life of the people.During the incumbency of Mun. President Maurillo Mendoza, the Pototanons again wittnessed another unforgettable event: the burning of the entire half of the publacion in November 1914. The cause of the fire is unknown.
When the Philippine Constitution was ratified in 1935, another change in the town's local governance was introduced: the title of Municipal President was changed to Municipal Mayor. Santiago Puig was the first Municipal Mayor. He was succeeded by Mariano Peñaflorida in 1940. Peñaflorida served until September 16, 1942.
Japanese era
The coming of the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
spread chaos and fear among Pototanons. Mayor Peñaflorida continued to act as Mayor under the Free Revolutionary Government of Tomas Confesor while the Japanese Imperial Forces designated Tomas Ferrariz as Puppet Mayor.
On 1945, during the Battle for the Liberation of Iloilo the combined Filipino and American troops together with the Ilonggo guerillas invaded the town of Pototan, Iloilo.The Libration force included Allied Filipino soldiers of the 6th, 61st and 62nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 6th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary, They continued to combat the Japanese Imperial forces until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
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