History of Bislig City Bislig in the annals of Philippine historical heritage is rich in her recorded past dating back since the dawn of civilization in this part of Mindanao. It has had its rich, turbulent and bloody, but dynamic transition that had eventually led to its present social, economic, physical and political structure. The legendary allusions as to how Bislig got its name dates back to the era prior to the coming of the Spanish conquistadores. The town got its name from a forest vine of the rattan family that grew in abundance along the banks of its rivers. This vine is noted for its strength and became known for saving a royal couple who crossed the swollen river in one of their hunting expeditions and who almost died as they were carried downstream by the rushing current. The legend has it that this hunters had already lost hope of surviving until they were able to cling to a vine which was about1/4 inch in diameter called "Bislig." As a sign of thanksgiving, the ruler named this place Bislig. The first inhabitants of Bislig were believed to have come from the Agusan valley in the hinterlands of Mindanao beyond the Magdiwata Mountains. These people used spears, bows, and arrows and lived a semi-nomadic life and were called Manobos. They were ruled during the later part of the 17th century by a native leader called "Bagani", meaning a formidable leader. They were very brave, tough and war-like. They also introduced edible crops such as rice, corn and root crops to the area. At the turn of the century, Spanish Colonizers and Missionaries imposed the rule of Spain and brought with them Tagalogs, Ilongos, Visayans from the North as members of their expeditionary forces. Long before it became a town on January 1, 1921 per Executive Order No. 62 issued by Governor General Francis Burton Harrison on December 28, 1920 with Primitivo A. Castillo as its Municipal President, Bislig was already an established political instrumentality or “pueblo” in the Province of Surigao (now Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte). Earlier, the province was a part of an even bigger territory stretching from Northeastern Mindanao down to the island’s Southeastern “pueblo” of Caraga and Man-ay in Davao Oriental. Caraga was originally the seat of political, military and religious authority. But as the territory extended westward to the Agusan Valley at Veruela and Talacogon, Bislig became somewhat a new “capital” for the ruler of the region. The “Casa Real” had to be built after years of forced labor. A church symbolizing religious authority was also built and the “Politico-Militar” was established. At the time, a dual government existed - that of the crown and that of the church. It was this political struggle that made Bislig rise from its P3, 000.00 annual incomes in 1921 to a staggering P77.53 M in 1999. This socio-economic growth was brought about by the establishment of the major industries in the locality, such as the Bislig Bay Lumber Company, Inc. (BBLC) in October, 1950 and its sister company, the Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines, Inc. (PICOP) less than two decades later. These 2 companies were merged in 1970 to become the biggest paper mill in Asia. This was renamed the PICOP Resources, Inc. (PRI) in 1994. The PNOC Coal Mining Operations which began in 1981 and which is presently undertaken under contract agreement by the David M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) has added favorable economic activity to the locality. The presence of these giant industries in the municipality has definitely brought about rapid economic progress to the community and has introduced Bislig’s name in the industrial centers of the world. Since then efforts were made to improve and develop Bislig until the advent of Citihood campaign in 1999 and by virtue of Republic Act No. 8804 Bislig was converted into a component city duly ratified and approved in a plebiscite conducted in September 18, 2000. Third to Butuan City and Surigao City in terms of its founding year, Bislig City starts to blossom and boom; thus, it is optimistic to become the most bountiful city in this southern part region of the Pacific basin. Bislig City, the once called “The Paper Capital of the Philippines” is now tagged, “ The Booming City by the Bay.” posted by Bislig City National High School @ 7:25 AM
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 00:34:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015