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It all started with a small
settlement founded by Tenientes Francisco Rodriguez and
Basilio Cordova in the year 1860 situated in the mouth of
Bulanon River which was then called "Arguelles". Through the
active leadership of both founders, the place thrived and
prospered, and eventually became a town. In 1870, the town
was transferred to a bigger settlement near the sea upon
orders of the Spanish Governor who named it "Pueblo de
Magallanes", known today as Barangay Old Sagay.
During the reign of Quintin
Katalbas as town mayor in 1906, the name of the town was
officially changed to "Sagay". Legend has it that "Sagay"
derived its name from the semispherical shell called "Sigay",
found abundant in the town’s many islets and shores. After
the Second World War, the seat of the municipal government
was moved to its present site in "Dalusan", but its name
remains the same.
Sagay is strategically located
in the northernmost portion of Negros Island. It is bounded
in the north by the Asuncion Pass and Visayan Sea, in the
south by the City of Talisay and the town of Calatrava, in
the west by the cities of Cadiz and Silay, in the east by
the municipalities of Escalante and Toboso.
On June 11, 1996, the
Municipality of Sagay was converted into a City and was
ratified on August 10, 1996 through a plebiscite by virtue
of Republic Act 8192. President Fidel V. Ramos formally
proclaimed Sagay the seventh city in Negros Occidental and
Mayor Joseph G. Marañon its first city mayor during his
visit in the province on August 27, 1996 and cited Sagay as
an excellent example for other striving communities.
The big leap of the third
class municipality of Sagay into first class cityhood was
made possible through the unwavering efforts of its local
officials and the relentless representation of District II
Congressman Alfredo Marañon who personally authored the
bill.
For the local officials led by
Mayor Marañon, the road towards their cityhood has been long
and uphill, but their struggles is now finally rewarded.
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Negros
Occidental, Sagay City
