DAMAYAN-BULUSEÑO GAZETTE ONLINE EDITION |
This page is originally located at the following URL:
https://dbgazette.tripod.com/printables/vol15no9_page3_specialrep.html
SPECIAL
REPORT:
Our
Allen Connection
The
waters of the Embarcadero must have been rough as it has always been. The
skies could have been dark and heavy with storm clouds – as if the heavens
were in unison with the pain their hearts must be feeling at the thought of
leaving behind the land of their fathers, the land where they’ve first seen
light, where they’ve spent their childhood, where they’ve made friends and
found that one true love – a place they’ve always called home until
recent circumstances forced them to embark on such an exodus.
Or,
the skies could have been bright, clear and devoid of any sign of an impending
storm. Like a balm to the spirits,
it could have signified for them a brighter tomorrow of new beginnings – there
in a place called Manipa-a, just across the turbulent seas from the
southern tip of a land once called Tierra de Ibalon.
Just maybe, fate would be kinder
to them in that new and strange land.
On
board that vessel were the couple Don Lorenzo Gallego and Maria Cabahug
together with some of their relatives. Also
with them was the old equestrian image of Sr. Santiago
Apostol el Mayor, believed to have been carved in Spain between
the 16th and 17th centuries – the one that devotees in
their former town used to revere in that old stone church within the walls of Punta
Diamante.
They
would later on find the place already inhabited by some natives from the nearby
Capul Island. By the passing of the
years, more Bicolanos would follow their lead.
The population would continuously grow in size, such that they would soon
be moved to petition for their sitio’s township.
The town would gain independence by the year 1867, during which time it
would also be renamed La Granja, which would be more closely associated
to mean the place for persecuted families.
In
1898, as the town’s third executive, Don Lorenzo Gallego donated to the parish
church their family’s image of Bulusan’s patron saint, Sr. Santiago
Apostol el Mayor(St. James the Greater) – under whose
patronage their new town was also placed.
In
1903, the name La Granja was changed to Allen, in honor of Gen. Robert Allen,
the American Governor General of the Visayas who liberated the region from
Spain.
Two
of Allen’s big barangays later on became independent municipalities: San
Isidro in 1954 and Victoria in 1971 – thereby significantly reducing its land
area to the present 10,579 hectares.
Today,
Allen, serves as a major connecting port to Luzon with ferry services to and
from Matnog, Sorsogon.
---
Bulusan
has always been a part of Allen’s history – both oral and written, but
neither Allen nor its former names has ever made a mark on Bulusan’s, or at
least not in widely-publicized written accounts. It is a known fact that some
Buluseño families still maintain close ties with their counterparts in Allen
like the Fortadeses and the Galarosas, but Bulusan has never really had any
formal & definite relationship with Allen.
Given
our historical and cultural tie-ups, Bulusan and Allen could at least enter into
a sisterhood pact. As sister
municipalities, we could work together as partners in economic development while
strengthening our familiar ties. This
move, which would require a strong community support, gives no assurances that
it would all be an easy task – but it is nevertheless one worth taking, one
that would ensure solid connectivity between our two towns.
Vol. XV No.9 (September - October 2003)
Copyright © 2003 Damayan-Buluseño Gazette Online Edition | All Rights Reserved