HISTORY OF MABITAC Three centuries ago, Mabitac was an excellent hunting ground for wild games. Native hunters used numerous cave-ins or trap-ins called “BITAG” in the local dialect hence, the place was referred to as “MABITAG” meaning a place with plenty of traps. The first Spaniards who came to this place were the friars who established the first local population. The Spaniards having difficulty in pronouncing the “G” consonant called this place “MABITAC” whenever they would mention this place. Eventually, the name found its way in the official records and maps of Laguna made by Spanish Cartographers and Mariners who chartered the coastal areas of Laguna de Bay. This town was formerly a little barrio of Siniloan, an immediate neighboring town. It became an independent municipality in the year 1611 not by legislation but by mutual agreement by and between the Spanish friars of both towns who were the influential ruling class at that time. When the flames of revolution swept the countryside, the menfolk of Mabitac joined the ranks of the revolutionary army. Mabitac boast of brave and notable sons like Juan Cailles and Fidel Sario, two generals who showed undaunted courage and figured prominently in the war against Spain. The town also contributed to the war effort against the Americans in 1900. They led the popular Battle of Hinukay now known as Battle of Mabitac. With the defeat of the army of the new republic and the capture of Aguinaldo, the Americans took over where the Spaniards left off. During the succeeding regime of the Americans, Mabitac and its populace experienced relative peace and prosperity. During World War II, the town was spared from the horrors and destruction of the war but the economy suffered much during the Japanese occupation. After the war, conditions returned to normal and Mabitac began the long and tedious road to recovery.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 06:52:52 +0000
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