Bantayan Island

HISTORICAL EVENTS

During the Spanish time, the people were just as peaceful as they are today. No political revolts were made, no banditries and piracies were ever recorded among the people, except those made by the moros.

The old Spanish road connecting Santa Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos were constructed chiefly thru the services of labor and partly supported by the tribute funds. Those enforcing this were called "POLITAS".

The firs Spanish public school constructed in Bantayan to educate the children of the natives was in 1864, although, the Spanish Educational Decree providing said school was issued in 1863. These schools, one for girls and the other for boys were under the direct supervision of the curate and conducted by a man and a woman.

The construction of the present Catholic Church which stood firmly against the vicissitudes of time started in 1893 and was completed in 1863.

Several fortuitous events took place in this period. In 1894 the entire barrio of Ticad was razed to the ground. Only the stumps of the posts could be seen above the ground. Small pox epidemic devastated this island in 1880-1890. No trustworthy figure appeared during the administration of Capitan Puragtong but a villous famine occurred. Not even a grain of corn could be had but surprisingly, the people subsisted upon "AMORSICO" which continuously grew on the nipa wall of the houses of the inhabitants.