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.
Biliran
Biliran is the oldest town in Biliran Island, hence the whole island was named after it. It is located on the southwestern part of the island, directly in front of Calubi-an across the Biliran Strait.
In the beginning, this town was called Caraycaray. As the seacoast location was often raided by moros, the settlement was moved inland and they called this "Albacia." Later, Father Gaspar, a parish priest from Samar, who is credited with founding the place, named the same site "Binongto-an". Fr. Gaspar was soon captured by moro pirates who drown him at Sipol. The people again moved to a hill near the seashore, which they called "Manogsok." Here they constructed a watchtower, a church and several houses under supervision of Rev. Fr. Lorenzo Rivera. Just as soon as the settlement was finished, a big fire razed all but the tower and so the settlers had to transfer again. They chose a site called "Can-Ilog" and as the inhabitants were clearing the land, they found that the site was thickly covered with a grass named "borobiliran." Henceforth, they called the town Biliran for short.
Capitan Julian Aragon became the first leader of the local government in its present site. In 1712, Biliran officially became a town. In February 1782, the town became a parish with San Juan Nepomuceno as patron saint. With Julian Aragon as first president, fifteen other presidents took turns in the town's administration, Manuel Nierras being the last of them.
In 1900, Biliran had a bitter rivalry with one of its barrios, Naval which is now a town. The competition was so keen that in 1909 when Luciano Legaspi was president a local "civil war" broke out. "Insurrectos" consisting of the barrio folks of Naval took the town of Biliran by force and Luciano Legaspi had to leave the town and hide in Dulag. The "insurectos" formed their own government, making Naval the seat of the administration. It was later on December 4, 1912 when Capitan Manuel "Awing" Nierras was elected president that this controversy was settled. Biliran was again made the seat of the municipal government.
Biliran was continually raided by the moro pirates because its location as a settlement was solitary and far-flung. In 1906, a fanatical Pulahan group believed to have come from Leyte, Leyte, entered the town, killed the inhabitants, looted the housed and took some of the survivors for ransom. That was the worst raid the town ever saw.
Wide plains surround the town of Biliran. These plains extend far north even passing the town of Naval. It is in this coast of the island that the farmers produce the most rice, corn and copra. Being situated in the narrow strait separating the Leyte mainland and Biliran Island, boats plying between Cebu and Tacloban invariably pass by the town. Biliran has the most suitable wharf in the island for trading vessels to dock.
On November 11, 1942, Japanese planes bombed the barrios of Burabod and Busali. The first Japanese forces that reached the town arrived in the morning of November 27, 1942. It was on December 5, 1942, however, when an occupation unit reached the town. Almost throughout the Japanese occupation, a garrison was stationed in Biliran.
The local resistance force was organized into the Carigara unit. Among those who visited the town were the units of Captain Crescencio Corpin, Lt. Macas, and Captain Butiktik. Biliran was a busy center for the guerrilla unit in the island. Liberation restored Biliran in its agricultural and trade aspects.
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