The History of Towns in Region VIII, Philippines
These histories were taken from the book Leyte Towns, Histories/Legends by Francisco S. Tantuico Jr of Tacloban City. Click on a town and view the history below the menu.
Capoocan
The name Capoocan comes from the dialect term
"mapu-uk" which means obstructed or
"obstaculizado" in Spanish. It lies along the shores of
Carigara Bay - its people drawing sustenance both from the waters
which give an abundant harvest of fish that find their way in the
markets of Tacloban and Carigara, as well as in the fertile lands
that end at the foot of Mount Minoro.
Expansion efforts have been limited by the presence of Mount
Minoro. The mountain obstructs and contains the town in its
present site - forbidding further growth but protecting the town
from the strong typhoons that have battered neighboring towns.
In 1904, the town earned its independence from its mother
municipality, Carigara. Apparently too
young for such a difficult undertaking, Capoocan willingly
returned to barrio status after a few years of determined but
unsuccessful attempts at independence.
On January 1, 1928, when it finally gathered strength and
gained experience, Capoocan was granted municipal status again.
It was ranked as a fifth class municipality at first but later on
ascended to fourth class category.
Its first town executive was Brigido Morelos. In 1931, Jose
Pagar was elected President but his term was short since he was
appointed municipal judge of Pastrana. It was Perfecto Pilapil
who succeeded him to serve the un-expired term.
In 1935, Solos M. Hernandez was elected Mayor. He was
re-elected in 1939 but he died at the outbreak of World War II.
From 1867 when Capoocan was a "visita" of Carigara, the town has shown remarkable
increase in population. After 38 years on its own as a town,
Capoocan has grown into its present site - 17 barrios stretching
to as far as 30 kilometers from the town proper and a
"poblacion" that shows promise.
Its children are making history for the town. The true
Capoocan families are the Misagals, the Pingals, Nicolasuras,
Melgars, Petilos, Pamanians, and the Merilos. Their children form
the professionals of Capoocan, the lawyers, accountants and
engineers who are building the town both in prestige as well as
progress.
The municipality felt the shock of the Japanese invasion as
early as 1943. A guerilla resistance force was immediately
organized to harass the enemy and to offer what little protection
could be given to the oppressed. The leaders were Felix Pamanian
and Pio Melgar. The Japanese set up their garrison in Pinamopoan,
a barrio of Capoocan. Later, due to the frequent guerilla
activities, the Japanese abandoned this garrison and returned to Carigara.
When liberation came, the people were set aback by the rapid
change of the pace. Recovering immediately from the apathy of the
Japanese occupation, the people set themselves to rebuilding the
destruction of the last war.
A chapel was raised, new streets constructed, new buildings
built in vacant lots and a new municipal building took the place
of the old dilapidated town hall. In the midst of all these new
structures however, stands a relic from the days when people
watched for approaching moro marauders - an old massive stone
watchtower.
There are several problems besetting the young town like the
absence of a waterworks system, lack of feeder roads and electric
power, among others.
The people are realizing the need for self-help in farming.
The town cries for industrialization or the exploitation of the
natural resources of the region. The growing consciousness for
self-help projects may yet provide the answer to these problems.
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