The Town of Sikatuna
(Part I)
(Editor’s Note: This page is prepared by Atty. Nilo G. Ahat. He said, “Nothing exciting or amazing about my blog. Initially I thought it would just be a repository of my legal research materials. But little did I realize how it became a note of all sorts.”)
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF SIKATUNA, BOHOL
[THE ENHANCED FORTUNATO O. AHAT VERSION]
Being named Sikatuna doesn’t mean that we used to be the colony of the Great Chieftain. History is bereft of evidence that shows any relics or traces of the Chieftain’s presence in this little piece of territory. In fact, nothing has been recorded about his exact place of abode in the Island of Bohol. But why did we use the name SIKATUNA anyway?
It was said that the privilege of naming our town was given to Clemente Lacea as a token of his tireless advocacy that cost him years to fruition. Although initially, it was a pure preference stripped of relevance, the name Sikatuna found justification from the famous moniker “SAIKATONA” coined by the distinguised Miguel Oppus (Mayor of Baclayon and later Provincial Board Member), that describes our journey to townhood from Barrio CAMBOJOD of Baclayon, to Barrio CORNAGO of Alburquerque, and finally to the Town SIKATUNA Bohol. “SA IKA TO NA nahimong lungsod ang Sikatuna” , was the witty remark of Miguel Oppus describing our historic leap to three territories. This feat, befits us the name SIKATUNA from the moniker SAIKATONA.
The story of our political past goes this way. In the very beginning, we were part of Baclayon as Barrio CAMBOJOD. Then later on, when Alburquerque became a town, we were made a part of its new territory, and our name was changed to CORNAGO. As part of Alburquerque, Cornago used to be the northern-most barrio bordering the boundaries of the towns of Corella, Balilihan, Sevilla, and Loboc. This geographical setting of Cornago unexpectedly bred serious political and reigious confusions among the inhabitants in its peripheries. Depending on where they were proximately situated, several inhabitants tend to render civil obedience to either Corella, Balilihan, Sevilla, or Loboc, rather than to their far away mother town of Alburquerque. On matters of faith they go to Church where they are near, and in observing traditional feast day of Patron Saints they also join the feast day celebration of Corella, Balilihan, Sevilla, and Loboc, in addition to the feast day of Alburquerque. All these confusions moved the kind hearted Kapitan Clemente Lacea to pity, so much so, that he vowed to give them a separate and distinct identity from Alburquerque and its neighboring towns.
Two possible options were seriously considered by Clemente Lacea, that is, to make a Town out of Barrio Cornago, or at least, make it a Parish. This dream sparked an active initiative beginning sometime in June 1909 when Clemente Lacea broached the idea to his closest friend Miguel Oppus, the Municipal President of Baclayon, who in turn readily supported the idea and endorsed it to the Office of Bohol Governor Macario Sarmiento.
But despite the help of Governor Sarmiento, the townhood process wasn’t an easy journey. At first the endorsement letter of Governor Sarmiento to Governor – General James Francis Smith was received lightly for varied reasons including the vehement opposition of Julian Ugdoracion, the Municipal President of Alburquerque. The same fate happened when the Philippine Governor – General was changed to William Cameron Forbes, who likewise trashed aside the townhood proposal of Barrio Cornago in the light of the opposition raised by the Municipal President of Alburquerque. (To be continued)
