Author Topic: Three Best Mayors of Tagbilaran City  (Read 2321 times)

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Three Best Mayors of Tagbilaran City
« on: July 05, 2007, 11:15:52 AM »
By JES TIROL
Columnist
The Bohol Chronicle

July 1 is the charter day of Tagbilaran City.

Personally I would not call it a Charter Day because President Ferdinand Marcos signed the City Charter or Republic Act No. 4660 into law on June 18, 1966. However the law provided that the conversion of Tagbilaran as a city would take effect on July 1, 1966.

Tagbilaran Became a Town

On February 9, 1742 Governor General Gaspar de la Torre signed the decree creating the new town of San Jose De Tagbilaran separating it from its mother town of Baclayon, Bohol. The name was combined because the religious aspect of the town with its patron saint San Jose and the civil aspect Tagbilaran took effect on the same day.

On July 4, 1742 the first officials for Tagbilaran were elected by viva voce (voice vote) at the town hall of Baclayon, Bohol under the supervision of General Francisco Antonio Calderon de la Barca. On July 12, 1742 the elected officials led by Gobenadorcillo (Mayor) Don Calixto Marcos was installed into office at Tagbilaran by General De la Barca. The town of Tagbilaran was divided into six barangays or family groupings.

Titles of Town Head

From the year 1742 until 1892 the title of the town head was Gobernadorcillo. In the year 1898 the last of the Spanish era in Bohol, the town head was already known as Capitan Municipal.

During the Philippines Revolution and the Gobierno de Canton (Federal Government) the town head was known as Presidente Municipal. The first Tagbilaran official to carry this title was Don Salustiano Borja. The title was carried during the American Regime.

During the Commonwealth period of the Philippines the title was changed to Mayor. The first town head of Tagbilaran to carry that name was Mayor Honorio Grupo who was elected in 1939. When Tagbilaran became a City the title was changed to City Mayor. The first City Mayor was Atty. Venancio Inting.

The Best Three Mayors

It is easy to select the best three Mayors of Tagbilaran since 1942. It will depend on your criteria for selection.

My criteria will be vision, initiative, and the will power to implement one’s plans. Basing upon these criteria my three best Mayors will be Presidente Municipal Celestino Gallares, Mayor Pedro Belderol, and City Mayor Venancio Inting.

First. In 1921, Presidente Municipal Nicolas Butalid together with a majority of his council resigned from office. There occurred a political crisis in Tagbilaran. A special election was conducted on October 19, 1912. A young lawyer, Atty. Celestino Gallares was elected as the new Presidente Municipal.

Presidente Gallares was a very progressive thinking person. He made a town plan for Tagbilaran. It was the first town plan in the Philippines. It became an envy of other towns in the Philippines. During the regular election in 1913 Presidente Gallares was reelected.

With his new mandate, Presidente Gallares became bold enough to transfer the Public Market from the now parking lot of the newly vacated City Hall to the location of the Agora Market. A “modern” public market building was constructed. However, the residents of Tagbilaran became angry because the market was already far. His political opponents seize on the issue that the market was transferred so it will be near the house of Presidente Gallares who was living in location of the now Mercury Drugs (corner CPG and B. Inting Sts.)

Sensing defeat, Presidente Gallares did not finish his term. He opted to run for Congressman for the First District of Bohol in 1916 and fortunately he won. He was very successful as a Congressman.

Second: During the November 1947 election there was a three cornered fight for Mayor of Tagbilaran. Atty. Pedro Belderol who was an unofficial candidate of the Liberal Party won it. The official candidate of the Liberal Party was Mayor Honorio Grupo and the Nacionalista Party had Ex-Mayor Manuel Espuelas.

Mayor Pedro Belderol opened up so many roads in Tagbilaran especially the unfinished roads indicated in the Gallares Plan. To spread out progress, he constructed a public market in Bo-ol at the junction of the road to Dauis. He also constructed a public market in Manga, Tagbilaran. The Bo-ol public market failed to progress but the Manga public market is now very progressive. It was during the time of Mayor Belderol that so many Civic Organizations were established in Bohol like the JC and Lions International. It was also during his time that fire trucks were purchased and the police force was provided with a vehicle (panel truck).

Third: During the November 1959 election Atty. Venancio Inting defeated the incumbent Mayor Pedro Belderol. Mayor Inting immediately opened up many roads in the barrios of Tagbilaran. He provided asphalt pavement to the roads including the circumferential road from Manga; to Binayran, San Isidro; to Dampas; down to Mansasa.

It was during the time of Mayor Inting that Tagbilaran became progressive enough to be qualified to become a chartered city. Incidentally, it was Vice Mayor Luciano Pamaong who provided the legwork to follow up the papers in Manila. It seems that during last Friday’s anniversary celebration I failed to hear any mention of his work or labor.
   


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udtohan

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Re: Three Best Mayors of Tagbilaran City
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2007, 02:40:36 AM »
dili jud ko karelate kay wala pa ko matawo anang panahona hehehe

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Lorenzo

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Re: Three Best Mayors of Tagbilaran City
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2007, 11:52:15 AM »
Interesting article, Mike. I have a question tho, is the word 'Tagbilaran' of indigenous Boholano decent or is that a miscegenation of Spanish and native Visayan? Thanks, Brod.

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