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 Municipality
Of Isabela |
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Before the coming of the
Spaniards in the island of Negros, the area where Isabela is
now was once a part of a large coastal settlement called "Inabagan"
which is now the town Binalbagan. The place was once
inhabited by the native s whom the earliest explorers called
"Pintados" because the natives had tattoos on their bodies.
The natives, however, called those occupying the coastal
areas as the "Higuencinas" while those in the upland and
hills were called "Igneines".
Among the early villages in the area of Isabela was "Tinungan".
During the Spanish occupation of the island when the town of
Himamaylan was founded "Tinungan" was made a visita Parish
of Himamaylan and makeshift chapel of bamboo and nipa and
sawali was built there.
The site of the "first church" however, was plague by
recurring floods during the rainy days when the river would
overflow. In 1834, the Parish Priest of Himamaylan, Father
Agustin Silva transferred the church Tinongan to another
place called "Manacup", which is now the present site of the
Poblacion of Isabela.
In 1861, "Manacup" became a parish and virtually a town. The
first Parish priest assigned was a Recollect Friar named
Pedro Echevarria who subsequently changed "Manacup" to
Isabela in honor of the Queen of Spain at that time (Queen
Isabela II, 1833-1868). The most noted founders of Isabela
were Father Vicente Abrego and Father Mariano Lasa. |
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