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.
Albuera
It was in 1862 when settlements began to appear in the areas
between south of Ormoc farther down
towards the town of Bay-Bay. The
appearance of these settlements was soon followed by the
formation of barangays. Among these settlements, Sebugay led in
population.
Due to the constant danger posed by marauding bands of Moros
who plundered the coastal settlements and kidnapped a number of
its inhabitants, the village heads soon got together and formed a
junta. Among those kidnapped and killed was a prominent
Sebugaynon couple, Ta Sindi and her husband. During that eventful
gathering, it was agreed to adopt St. James the Apostle as their
patron saint. The village heads stayed near the shore at Wangag,
where mounted volunteers scanned the seas for the Moro vintas.
When the dreaded vessels appeared, the guards beat their gongs on
top of a tower as a warning of impending danger. The men would
then take their families to safety and afterwards, gather along
the shore with their bolos and spears ready. Blood flowed both
from the attackers and the attacked.
The growing community was then under the parish of Ormoc. Father Catalino Cabada , parish
priest of Ormoc (1849-1867) came to
organize the said community, but some family heads disagreed with
the establishment of a poblacion near the Sebugaynon River. This
river always threatened the lives of the settlers that lived
along its side. Most of them agreed to have the poblacion
situated in Balugo but a strong-willed Sebugaynon, Eusebio
Calabia, who later became known as Kapitan Sebio, gave a
suggestion. He proposed that the image of the patron saint be
tied on horseback and wherever the horse would first stop, that
particular place would become the site of the poblacion. The
church was built near the beach across the place where the horse
had indicated.
The majority of the settlers disliked the name Sebugaynons.
One day, the settlers held a meeting with the purpose of renaming
the community "Herrera," in honor of Governor Herrera,
thus expediting its recognition as a pueblo. When the junta was
formed, a sailboat, coming from Pilar Island and on its way to Ormoc, dropped anchor. A Spanish priest on
board saw in the many beautiful lakes and the numerous springs a
similarity with the town in his own native province of Galicia,
Spain. The Spanish town which was named "Albujera" - -
which means "fresh water lake" - - was noted for the
healthful springs and cool lagoons. The Spanish priest lost no
time in naming the town after his own municipality and the name
"Albujera" or "Albuhera" was popularly
adopted by the people of the town.
The Spanish priest who was also the parish pastor of Pilar,
Cebu at that time was given the honor of christening the town
during its inauguration in 1918. The town officials have since
carried the name "Albujera" in their records. However,
for easier pronunciation and because the natives of the town
always referred to the municipality as "Albuera",
prominent citizens petitioned to have the name changed
officially. The request was granted and the name remained to this
date.
The town of Albuera lies on the western coast of Leyte. It is
only 14 kilometers away from the City of
Ormoc. Despite its being a fifth-class community, the people
have always been self-sufficient and Albuera has never had a
deficit since its inauguration.
Father Leoncio Faelnar, the first parish priest, served for 25
years (1862-1887). He organized the parish of Albuera extending
from Benolho to Tenag-an. He was responsible for the erection of
the church which was completed by Father Casimiro Abete. This
stood for many years but was destroyed during World War II. A new
and beautiful church now stands in its place, through the efforts
of the beloved and energetic parish priest of the town, Fr.
Frumenico Cainglet.
The Town boasts of a semi-concrete municipal building. Streets
within the poblacion are reinforced with cement along the ditches
giving the town a neat look and at the same time providing
security against muddy streets during the rainy months.
Infrastructure projects like a puericulture center, pre-fab
school buildings and concrete tennis courts have been built
through the efforts of the civic conscious people of Albuera.
Artesian wells and a rural health center station have likewise
been established. However, there are certain projects the people
would greatly benefit from, like the construction of roads that
would link Albuera to the eastern coast as a market for its
products which have depended entirely on the markets of Ormoc City and neighboring municipalities.
Furthermore, the installation of a water system, construction of
permanent dikes to contain river floods, a seawall and wharf as
well as some bridges are some long-range development plans
envisioned by the townspeople of Albuera to give them inestimable
benefits.
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