MAYOR EXASPERANZA SANCHEZ - BINGHAY
Mayor Exasperanza Sanchez –
Binghay (who was married during the pre-war years to Judge Jose Alquiza
Binghay, a native of Pinamungajan) had won and served for twelve years as mayor
(1955-1967).
The priorities of the mayor were
infrastructure development, health, sports, culture, arts, education, and professional
development.
She had finished the construction
of the new municipal building (which is now the existing old municipal
building) started by Migallos. She developed the Cambuhawe Spring by building a
swimming pool in the area. The Cambuhawe Spring was already an established
picnic destination and the establishment of bathing facilities made it more
appealing even to Cebu City residents. Patrons access the spring resort either
by land or by traversing the Cambuhawe River from the “Taytayan sa Katsila” in
Barangay Aliwanay.
In her second term as mayor in
1961, she built a community center which featured an art-deco stage (replacing
the stage made of wood) and a tennis court.
This is now called the Mayor Exasperanza S. Binghay Memorial Cultural
& Sports Complex. Behind the said complex used to stand the oldest
lighthouse in the town which was decommissioned and buried onsite after it was
replaced by a new lighthouse in front of the old tennis court. Another lighthouse stands near the
slaughterhouse beside the present plaza.
While the public market was
already established since the time of Simeon Paulin, a public market facility
was constructed during Exasperanza’s term. That facility burned down at the
turn of the millennium in January 1, 2000.
Roads were constructed including
the road going to Lamesa which was originally planned to connect to Talamban,
Cebu City. The old Spanish bridge, “Taytayan sa Katsila” that connected Pondol
& Aliwanay which had been damaged by a typhoon was reconstructed and
modernized.
Balamban also procured its first
Fire Truck. The Balamban Fire Station used to stand at the site of the building
built by the Plan International Inc. as its office which was turned over later
to the municipal government. It was converted as the Sangguniang Bayan Office
in the 90’s. Adjacent to it was the Balamban Puericulture Center built in 1961
which is now the Balamban Rural Health Center I.
The public means of
transportation was only the parada or tartanilla but most people would just walk
not only to save money but because of the fact that the surroundings at that
time was still very fresh with many trees around making cool breezes of the air
alluring to walkers. Yet, there were a few elites who owned cars like Dr.
Maning Climaco & Dr. Lopez who owned Fords; Cosme Calvo, a Buick; Mrs.
Auring Intengan (sister of the late Mayor Dominador Sanchez) & Judge Jose
Binghay, Chryslers; and later Mayor Exasperanza Sanchez – Binghay, a McArthur
jeep.
It was during one of those
frequent nightly surprise visits of Mayor Exasperanza Sanchez – Binghay at the
police headquarter at around 8:00 p.m. on March 17, 1957 that she was herself
been surprised by the residents of Sunog who were carrying the wounded reporter
of the Philippine Herald, Nestor Mata, with the news that President Ramon
Magsaysay was dead. President Ramon Magsaysay died on a plane crash at Mt.
Manunggal in Sunog (now Magsaysay) at around 1:40 in the early dawn.
Immediately, she announced the tragic incident. Military rescuers arrived at the
crash site the following day, March 18. The body of President Magsaysay was
identified by his brother through his wristwatch and later confirmed by dental
records. It was determined that at the time of the crash, Magsaysay had been
inside his special cabin, located just behind the cockpit. His death was an
accident of international prominence, and positioned Balamban on the global
map, with its place in Philippine history secure, albeit a tragic one.
Later that year national and
local elections were held. Pres. Carlos P. Garcia won as president while the
reelectionist Mayor Exasperanza Sanchez – Binghay also won as mayor.
Politics from the time of Garcia
until the time of Marcos was on a brink of darkness. But in Balamban the
problem faced by the mayor was not the political but the physical darkness. The
mayor installed a lot of Petromax kerosene (paraffin) pressure lanterns which
she used for her street-lighting project.
The brand name Petromax itself in
the minds of the Cebuanos became synonymous to kerosene (paraffin) pressure
lantern which was derived from “petroleum” and “Max Graetz” (the name of its
main inventor). The design was such a success that itisstill being used to this
day in Balamban especially by fishermen and farmers.
As a nation, the Philippines with
its 7,101 islands, 2,800 of which are populated, experienced its first taste of
electrification in 1890. Three lamps were installed along a main thoroughfare
in the City of Manila. Electric lines were first installed in 1895.
With the enactment of Republic
Act (RA) 2717 or the Electrification Administration Act, Exasperanza was able
to implement the first government initiated electrification project in
Balamban.
It was in 1965-66 that the
electrification of Balamban was finally implemented. It was financed by a loan
from the Electrification Administration in the amount of P170,000.00. The
project electrified houses in Barangay Abucayan to Barangay Baliwagan. Under
the original load survey, the property of Dr. Aniano Dumdum, a political ally of
Rizalina Migallos, was not included.
Exasperanza later requested the then Project Engineer of the
Electrification Administration to extend the transmission lines to the said
property of Dumdum. This was granted. The Project Engineer was Engr. Donato
Karamihan, a native of Laguna, who in 1968 later married Virginia, the eldest
daughter of Exasperanza.
Upon the death of Mayor
Exasperanza Sanchez – Binghay in January 11, 1967, Socrates Gonzalez, her
vice-mayor, assumed the office of the mayor and Felix Calvo the office of the
vice-mayor.
MAYOR SOCRATES GONZALEZ 1967-1986
During the regime of President
Marcos, Mayor Socrates Gonzalez assumed the office of the mayor in 1967 with
the death of Exasperanza.
Community development programs of
the national leadership were translated into various projects. Thus,
farm-to-market roads, barrio halls and community reading centers sprouted all
over the country.
In 1967another local elections
were held. Judge Jose Binghay Sr., the widower of Exasperanza encouraged his
son Alex to run for mayor against Socrates. Alex Binghay filed his candidacy
for mayor which he would later withdraw right before Election Day. Socrates subsequently won a fresh term along
with Felix Calvo as his Vice Mayor. Alex
at 27 years old would later run and win as vice mayor with Socrates winning as
mayor in the succeeding election in 1969 under the Kilusan ng Bagong Lipunan
(KBL) Party of Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos who also won a reelection over Cebuano
Sergio Osmena Jr.
It was during Socrates’ incumbency
that the first reclamation project was completed near the existing public
market building. This is where the new Municipal Building currently
stands. This reclamation project was to
be an extension of the existing public market where various commercial
establishments and a transport terminal were to be situated. Due to the
shortage of Local government funds, the reclamation was done with community
involvement such that locals were paid for every bag of filling materials they
can transport to the area. The project lingered for several years until a
private contractor was hired for its full implementation.
This has become home to the
Balamban Foodmart, owned by the Pilapil family, which has become a prominent
landmark in Balamban.
While employment opportunities
were scarce in Balamban, many local residents sought livelihood opportunities
in the neighboring Toledo City with the expansion of the Atlas Mines. This has
helped bolster the market activities of the town and has prompted the expansion
of the existing public market.
Agriculture and trading remained
to be the main source of livelihood of most families.
Presidential Proclamation 1081
During the time of Mayor
Gonzalez, a lot of barangays were created within the municipality. At this time
the head of the barangay was already called as barangay kapitan. The last
created barangay in Balamban prior to the declaration of Martial Law in 1972 by
Marcos was Baliwagan.
The Presidential Proclamation
1081 was announced on September 21, 1972 declaring martial law that placed the
entire country under military rule. This
has brought pressing problems in Balamban’s economic development. Employment opportunities have become scarcer
yet while its population had steadily increased. Migrations to other countries like Saudi
Arabia and US were common. This was
aggravated by the entry of the communist insurgency in the mountain
barangays.
Business went on as usual, and
the local leadership carried on in a stable socio-economic and political
environment under the aegis of Mayor Socrates Gonzalez and Vice Mayor Alex
Sanchez-Binghay. It was a civilian leadership that blended appropriately with
the Marcos military regime.
Movement for United Studentry
(MUST)
It may be said that Balamban
thrived under the Gonzalez-Binghay governance. Godofredo Roperos, a renowned
columnist and journalist, as regional head of the Department of Public
Information (DPI) for Central Visayas that also included the provinces of
Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, made an initiative in forming the
Movement for United Studentry (MUST) in the towns and an initiative for the
youth to initiate various civic projects. The student leader of the movement in
Balamban was a youth from Barangay Pitogo, scion of the prominent middle class
Bendebel family, whose head was known to be a successful land-owning farmer and
trader. Young Edmund Bendebel did well as a student leader. When President
Marcos was driven out of the country and martial rule was ended, Edmund was
drawn into politics, and later became the town’s vice mayor in 2001.
There was relative peace and
order in the town during the years of military control, although inhabitants of
the upland barangays had frequently sent word to the town’s authorities, and to
the Department of Public Information, that left-leaning elements were roaming
the mountains, talking about the social injustice the poor suffered from due to
the elitist government. The Department of Public Information through Godofredo
Roperos utilized the MUST to hold information seminars about government
programs, and initiate the projects to combat poverty in the countryside.
Masagana 99 and Masaganang Maisan
It was during these years that
the Masagana 99 and Masaganang Maisan were launched in Balamban, as well as in
other municipalities of the province. The Marcos administration released
tremendous amounts of public funds to insure the programs’ success. Rural banks
throughout the country were made outlets for loans to the farmers participating
in the twin programs, aimed at making the towns not only self-sufficient in
food, but also producers of surpluses to enable the nation to export its
agricultural products.
Selda
On top of this, the Department of
Agriculture initiated another program to help the marginal fishermen to
increase their production. A program called the selda was initiated for the
fishermen who could organize a cooperative cell of five or so members. They
were extended the privilege of getting a loan from the Development Bank of the
Philippines which was enough to cover the purchase of a pumpboat and fishing
net as well as initial capital to go on a fishing venture together as a working
“cell.” The project was a success to some, but a failure to many. The mechanics
of the program did not take into consideration the habits and individualistic
attitude of the average cell member.
A New Generation of Writers
While the years that followed the
imposition of martial law in the country rocked other towns and provinces,
particularly those near Manila and other urban centers in the more remote towns
and barangays, life went on serenely as usual in Balamban.
Following the lead of their
elders, a new generation of writers arose. Foremost among them, of course, were
the dramatists: Josefina A. Patiño (Mga Tudlo sa Panahon); Paterno Acabodillo
(Rosa Villa); Lorenza Inumerables (Hulagway sa Inahan); Romualdo M. Jubay (Mga
Landong sa Gugma); Ernesto Inumerables (Ulohan sa Tulo ka Magsoon); Andres
Lopez (Ako ang Makasasala); Hilario Delator (Sala nga dili Mapasaylo); Amando
Inumerables (Nabuning Kagahapon); Nicasia Silva (Anak nga Masupilon); Felix
Tiguelo (Sa Palad Ko); Goddy Ricafort Ypon (Kinabuhi, Kasakit ug Kalipay);
Basilio Natural (Pagbuot sa Palad); Virgilio Pormento (Unahan sa Langit);
Virgilio Cabañero (Langit sa Impyerno); and Desiderio Dumdum (Luyo sa Kahayag).
Other writers continued to write
poetry and fiction in both English and the vernacular. Typical of these were
Simeon Dumdum, Sr. (“Sursum Corda,” Focus, 1977); Romualdo Jubay (“Obras
Tikas”) and Felix Baliguat (“Episode on All Souls’ Day”), Philippines Free
Press, who all wrote in English.
There were more vernacular
writers who had their works published in Visayan language magazines, such as:
Saniderio Batomalaque (“Ang Tigmo sa Suba nga Limasan,” Bisaya, 1981); Virgilio
Cabañero (“Mgan Anak sa Bukid,” Bisaya, 1973); Manuel Gilamon (“Kadtong Pahiyom
ni Paciencia,” Bisaya, 1976); Hilario Delator (“Mag-uuma”, Bag-ong Suga, 1977);
Javier Tapulado (“Magbasol Ka ra Unya,” Bisaya, 1986).
In July 1972, the writers of
Balamban published another monthly magazine in Cebuano, Sidlakan, which was
founded by Romulus Gerali Cabahug. This time, although it was only mimeographed
like the defunct Kabugason, its circulation was wider, its readership including
people from Asturias, Tuburan, and Toledo City. It featured Judge Jose Narvios,
a Balamban native, who was later awarded as Outstanding City Judge in the country
by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines on April 10, 1981.
Unfortunately, Sidlakan was also
short-lived, like its predecessor, Kabugason. The magazine came out with three
issues and was suspended when martial law was declared on September 21, 1972.
It did not resume publication even when martial law was already lifted.
The Expansion of the Catholic
Church
Deeply religious, the people of
Balamban soon became too numerous for one parish to attend to. Hence, a new
parish had to be established.
This new parish, created by the
late Julio Cardinal Rosales on October 11, 1966, is situated in the barangay of
Buanoy, some five kilometres away from the poblacion. This new parish comprised
the barangays of Gaas, Cansomoroy, Cantibas, Duangan, and Arpili in Balamban, and
Mainguit, a barangay of Toledo City. Its patron saint is San Vicente Ferrer and
its annual fiesta falls on April 25.
The religious fervor of the
Balamban residents is evident in the active church organizations, such as: the
Adoracion Nocturna Filipina, Apostolado dela Oracion, Legion of Mary, Children
of Mary, Apostoles ni Cristo, Catholic Women’s League, Confraternity of
Lourdes, Charismatic Renewal Movement, Knights of Columbus, Cofradia del
Carmen, the Balamban Young Torch, and the Balamban Parish Choir.
The Balamban Young Torch which
was founded by Fr. Socrates Saldua and the Balamban Parish Choir which was
organized by Fr. Vicente Tan are unique for these associations have tried to
encourage the out-of-school youth to join other sectors of the community
comprising their membership.
The Balamban Young Torch, for
instance, sponsors a yearly Sinulog festival, while the choir regularly
participates in choral festivals, and church activities, and has even presented
a successful concert.
Other Religions
Because of the atmosphere of
religious tolerance in the town, other religions have been established here, to
add to those which were founded before World War II.
One of these new faiths is the
Baptist Church, which was established in 1959 by an American missionary, the
Rev. Andrew Nelson, in Barangay Aliwanay.
Rev. Nelson was not only a man of God; he was also a linguist who tried
to compile a Visayan dictionary.
Another new religion is the
Jehovah’s Witnesses or Saksi ni Jehovah, whose center of worship is in Barangay
Pondol which was formerly in Barangay Baliwagan.
The United Church of Christ in
the Philippines (UCCP), the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Philippine
Independent Catholic Church (also known as Aglipays or Filipinistas), The
Church in Balamban, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), the
Evangelical Free Church, Pentecostal, Equi Frili Brium Iglesiarum
(Moncadistas), New Life Christian Assembly, Born-Again Christians and Iglesia
ni Cristo have also gathered followers in Balamban.
In addition to the different
religious groups, there are also religious cults existing in Balamban like Dios
Amahan, Kristohanon, the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA).
Education and Culture during the
Marcos Years
More schoolhouses were built by
both the government and the private sector during the 20-year term of President
Ferdinand Marcos. Many of these buildings followed the plans designed for the
Marcos Pre-Fab (prefabricated) and Bagong Lipunan Buildings.
During the 1970’s, almost all
pupils and students in Cebu would sing the provincial hymn “Sugbu” after the
Philippine National Anthem in Tagalog version although at that time there were
already three versions of it in Cebuano. Yet, in Balamban, after the Balamban
Hymn was composed by the late Mrs. Perizade Cabarrubias, the Balamban Hymn was
also sung after the provincial hymn in every school flag ceremony.
In 1979, a crying need of the
town was answered with the establishment of the Buanoy Barangay High School
during the administration of District Supervisor Marciano Dumugho. The new
school had for its mother unit the Naga Provincial High School. This was a big
boon to the town, especially to poor parents who could not afford to send their
children to study in the high schools in the poblacion. This high school
eventually became a national high school in January, 1984, through the efforts
of Assemblyman Julian B. Yballe, a former director of Private Schools. The
conversion of the erstwhile barangay high school into a national institution
proved to work to its advantage, as it could now employ better teachers, and
augment its facilities, buildings, and equipment.
Cultural Activities
The Lubas sa Dagang Binisaya or
LUDABI, Balamban chapter, which was organized by Romulus Gerali Cabahug on
February 2, 1974, launched a weekly singing contest in which Visayan songs were
sung to encourage the people to love and preserve their native tongue.
A year later, in 1975, the LUDABI
(Core of the Visayan Pen) organized a poetry writing contest for amateur
writers. The winning poets were: Manuel Gilamon, “Ang Tigulang,” first prize;
Javier Tapulado, “Kamot nga Lapokon,” second prize; and Virgilio Cabañero,
“Binilanggo,” third prize.
Another important contest was a
one-act play tilt, in connection with the fiesta celebration. The winners were:
Roel Ponce Cabañero, who was a well-known radio talent, “Nahigmata sa
Kamatuoran”, first prize; Lirabel Piliotas Cabahug, “Ang Krus”, second prize,
and Eulalio Piliotas Jr., “Pagtikad sa Nasudnon nga Tingusbawan,” third prize.
Some Balamban writers won prizes
in literary contests sponsored by vernacular magazines and the writers’
association Lubas sa Dagang Binisaya during this period. Some of the awardees
were: Simeon Dumdum, Sr., “Ay, Kinabuhi,” third prize, short story writing,
Lamdag magazine; Exequiel Cañares “Tinay,” third prize, three act play, 1964.
Balamban has also produced
composers and singers. Two of the most famous are songwriter Marcelo Rojas and
singer Sonny Laremas. The latter had a flourishing career as a singer in
Manila, while the former, though based in Balamban, succeeded in having songs
recorded by Manila recording companies and sung by a well-known singer, Didith
Reyes.
Other famous singers are Cesar
Angcos, also known as Leo, whose songs have been recorded by Manila-based
recording companies and Novo Bono Jr., Tawag ng Tanghalan Grand Champion in
1967.
Even though democracy had been
hampered but like any communist country, of which it seemed to become,
Philippines had still experienced limited freedom. One of the said freedoms was
the freedom to play a fair fight in sports. A native of Balamban, Mauricio
Delfin Buhia, had copped the second place in the Philippine Lawn Tennis
Association Games in 1981. Another popular basketball player whose mother was a
native of Balamban was Alfredo Pilapil Almario, a member of the RP Youth Team
which won the 7th Asian Youth Basketball Championship against the Korean Youth
Team in Manila on October 3-4, 1982.
MAYOR VICENTA DUMDUM 1986-1988
When President Corazon Aquino
ascended the presidency after the EDSA Revolution of 1986, it was Vicenta
Dumdum who was appointed as the Officer-In-Charge (OIC) Mayor. She was
considered as an interim chief executive prior to the local elections of 1987
under the new 1987 Constitution.
MAYOR ALEX S. BINGHAY 1988-1998, 2001-2010
Alex Binghay became Balamban’s
Vice Mayor after the 1969 local elections.
As an aftermath of the EDSA Revolution of 1986, Mayor Socrates Gonzalez
and Binghay were replaced by Officers-In-Charge. However, in the subsequent 1988 local
elections, Binghay won a comeback bid this
time for the Mayoral position.
His incumbency as chief executive
went uninterrupted till 1998 due to term limits imposed by the 1987
Constitution. After his unsuccessful bid
for Congress in the 1998 elections, he ran again for mayor in the 2001
elections and won over the incumbent Mayor Marcelo Pilapil.
After finishing another three
terms as mayor, he ran for a seat in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in 2010
representing the 3rd district of Cebu and won.
Local Communist Insurgency
During the early years of his
first term as mayor (1988-1992), Balamban, as in the rest of the Philippines
were in the middle of an insurgency problem with the resurgence of the New
People’s Army. The Philippine Constabulary (PC/INP), the forerunner of the
Philippine National Police was on constant patrol in the mountain areas of Cebu
surveilling and encountering NPA rebels. The mountains of Barangay Gaas,
Magsaysay (Sunog), Duangan and Cansomoroy were constant areas of armed
encounters. The old Balamban Fire
Station Building was a constant temporary storage of body bags of victims of
the numerous armed encounters.
The utilization of para-military
groups such as the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs) and
various other militia groups abated the further prolifieration of NPA
encampments. This was coupled with the PNP’s
information and community outreach programs to counter the rebels’
endoctrination and recruitment of the mountain settlers to their cause.
Towards the end of 2000, the
communist insurgency problem has significantly decreased especially with the
opening of the Cebu Transcentral Highway in 1994.
Transcentral Highway
During the incumbency of Governor
Emilio Osmena, a major road project was planned out which aims to shorten
travel time from Cebu City to the Western Cebu. This was also to be utilized as
an alternative road to the deteriorating Naga-Uling Road that stretches from
the Municipality of Naga to the City of Toledo.
This was to be called the Cebu
Transcentral Highway. This would stretch from Busay Hills of Cebu City, passing
through various mountain barangays of the city and to enter Balamban through
Barangay Gaas, extending to Magsaysay, Duangan, Cansomoroy, Prenza and then the
Provincial Highway that cuts through the center of Balamban.
When it officially opened in
2001, travel time from Cebu City was shortened by almost half. Distance from Cebu City was shortened to 49
Km when it used to be 74 km using the Naga-Uling road.
This new access road brought
Balamban closer to Cebu City. This meant easier access to goods and services
and even opened up markets for farmlands in the mountain areas. Products like vegetables, decorative plants
and even livestock have found an easier route to access markets in both western
Cebu and the Cebu Metropolis.
As an added benefit, the highway
also hastened interbarangay accessibility of inland mountain barangays of both
Balamban and Cebu City. Years prior, barangays along this highway were only
accessible mostly by foot through rivers and mountain trails.
Currently, the Cebu Transcentral
Highway is the main roadway utilized by the majority of commuters to go to and
from Cebu City.
Municipal Telephone System
In the 1980’s, Balamban never had
a single telephone line. Communications were mainly done via the Short Wave
Radio utilized by the military and up to some extent, private companies.
The first telephone line
installed was by PLDT in 1989 and was operated as a Public Calling Office. This
was a wireless terminal set-up where its communications tower was erected right
beside the old Municipal Building. This came at a time when the telecommunications
industry in the Philippines was liberalized by virtue of the Executive Order
109 signed by President Fidel Ramos.
Since then, a local telephone
exchange carrier, Telecommunications Management Service, Inc. (TMSI) operated
in Balamban to further install telephone sets straight to private homes and
offices. This was followed by Isla Communications (ISLACOM) which was awarded a
national telecommunications franchise by Congress with Cebu as its main service
area. Cellular Phone communications were
also enhanced with the addition of ISLACOM.
Previously, cellular communications were dominated by PILTEL, a
subsidiary of PLDT.
Entry of Shipbuilding Industry
In 1993, Balamban was identified
as a potential area to cater to both light and heavy industries. The Aboitiz
Land and Company, prior to their entry onto the Philippine Stock Exchange,
responded by putting up the West Cebu Industrial Park (WCIP) in 1992 in
Barangay Buanoy and Arpili. The WCIP is a 202 hectare industrial estate
development that caters to heavy and light industries. This has prompted the
entry of the K & A Metal Industries, a ship breaking company from Japan and
the Ferry Brooke Marine (FBM) Industries, a shipbuilding company.
Balamban used to derive a large
part of its income from light industries or cottage industries that employed
very few workers (about five to ten), consisting of: garment-weaving, weaving
of hats, mats, and the like, coconut shingle weaving, wood, bamboo, and coco
midrib crafts, blacksmithing, hollow-blocks making, rice and corn milling, and
ceramics or pottery. With the start of the 21st century, however, some of these
light industries, such as garments making, died out.
This has come at a time when the
Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corporation (ACMDC) of Toledo City
was on the brink of closure. This posed unemployment problems in Balamban as
the ACMDC was the region’s biggest employer.
What triggered the acceleration of the entry of various companies was
the accreditation of the WCIP as a Philippine Export Zone (PEZ) which granted
tax incentives and tax holidays to pioneering firms. K&A was soon followed by FB Marine and
Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (THI), both shipbuilding companies. THI is a sister
company of K & A Metal Industries. To date, the WCIP is home to 10
companies employing close to 16,000 workers.
THI’s first ship was inaugurated
by the then First Lady Amelita Ramos in 1997.
Since then, all Philippine Presidents have, at least once during their
tenure, witnessed the delivery of at least one ship. The most recent of which
was by President Benigno Aguino III in 2010 with the delivery of Tenshu Maru, a
180,000 DWT bulk carrier. With that the
Philippines has become the fourth largest shipbuilding nation in the world.
Infrastructure and
Electrification
With the help of the Provincial
Infrastructure Task Force, various road openings were undertaken to provide
easier access to previously unreachable barangays. In addition, to the benefits
of accessibility, electrical lines can be properly laid out to provide
electricity to households.
The Municipal Electrification
Project was hastened with a Tri-partite Memorandum of Agreement signed by the
LGU, Province of Cebu and the Cebu Electric Cooperative III. This came into fruition in the realization of
the parties’ strengths and weaknesses. The LGU through its barangays, have the
strength of manpower to install and up to some extent transport electrical
poles from the poblacion to their respective barangays. The Province of Cebu
has electrical poles ready for disposal to various areas. Lastly, CEBECO III
has the technical expertise to power up these poles through their transmission
lines. In addition, the LGU waived their
right to demand payment for real property taxes for the real estate where the
electrical poles are erected.
This partnership by the three
entities became successful that by 2008, all barangays in Balamban have since
been electrified.
As a result of this
electrification, in 2009, the entire length of the Cebu Transcentral Highway on
the side of Balamban was installed with street lights. This was made possible
though a funding from the National electrification Administration. The existing
telecommunications poles of Globe Telecom were utilized as lamp posts thereby
reducing the total cost. The budget attributed for the purchase and
installation of lampposts were used to purchase more lamps. This enabled the
coverage to extend from Barangay Prenza all the way to Sitio Enahd of Barangay
Gaas.
Culture, Arts and Sports
In 2006, Balamban hosted the
Provincial Cultural and Sports Festival, an annual province wide activity
pitting Cebu municipalities’ respective delegations in various sports and
cultural competitions. The recommendation for Balamban to be the host was
prompted by the presence of Recaredo G. Borgonia, Schools Division
Superintendent of the Province of Cebu and Senen P. Paulin of the evaluation
committee of DepEd Cebu Province. Both
Borgonia and Paulin are native Balambanganons.
This was timely as Balamban had
just completed the construction of its sports oval and renovation of the old
Mayor Exasperanza Binghay Sports Complex (“tenisan” as it was commonly called).
The “tenisan” and the sports oval became part of the New Mayor Exasperanza
Binghay Sports and Cultural Complex. The time capsule was laid in 2005 at the
southeast side of the said oval.
The Balamban delegation to the
said event figured prominently in various competitions especially in the field
of Track and Field and Dance Sports categories.
Balamban’s hosting proved to be a
success that it was again the host in the following year.
In the town CLUP of 1991, it was
duly noted that basketball was the most popular sport in the municipality,
followed by volleyball, lawn tennis, softball and baseball.
Some 18 sports venues are
scattered throughout the town, consisting mostly of basketball courts. In
addition, there are at least two tennis courts, a park-cum-playground, a
cockpit, a swimming pool, and a baseball field. There are also two resorts: one
in Gaas and another in Pondol.
Among the different barangays, it
is Buanoy which has the biggest number of sports facilities: it has a covered
court which can be used for programs and other activities aside from sports,
two basketball courts, and a tennis court. The other barangays with basketball
courts are Arpili, Abucayan, Pondol, Baliwagan, Cantuod, Nangka, and the
Balamban Central School. Baliwagan also
has a tennis court.
The Buanoy National High School
during the time of Paulin as Head Teacher and as Principal was always on Top
Five of the said festivals held in Cebu City bringing the name of not only the
school but the entire municipality.
Borgonia’s tenure in the DepEd
was marked with the addition of a number of teacher items to serve in a number
of school buildings that were built. Computer & internet facilities had
been installed in a number of schools with the help of Cebu Provincial Capitol
and Big Foot, a private multinational company.
Establishment of New Educational
Institutions
In the vicinity of the Municipal
Hall can be found most of the government buildings as well as educational
institutions, and the newly-renovated Church of St. Francis of Assisi.
Balamban has also started to
attract more and more schools. Right now, the biggest is the University of San
Jose-Recoletos, a branch of the main school in the capital. It is situated in a
well-planned, attractively-landscaped campus in Barangay Arpili.
Definitely older than the USJ-R
branch is the Balamban satellite school of the Cebu Normal University. It was
opened in 2005, offering degrees in education. In 2009, Bachelor of Science in
Tourism was added.
CNU-Balamban was initially
assigned a building in Barangay Lamesa by the town officials. But the location,
in one of the more remote interior barangays of the town, proved to be
disadvantageous. For one thing, the site is too far from the poblacion. For
another, the roads leading to the interior are not well-maintained. And although
the buildings, courtesy of Tsuneishi, look very modern and clean, the ambiance
does not lend itself well to a developing college. So the school had to
transfer to Quail Hollow Resort, now known as the Alice Mountain Resort, after
the owner. Incidentally, the owner herself enrolled in one of the degree
programs. Still, the location proved to be unfavorable; so after a few years,
CNU-Balamban transferred again. Now the school is located in the Balamban
Central School, right in the town proper. But eventually it will be transferred
to its final location which will be in Nangka after the on-going construction
will be through.
It is not only the students from
Balamban who are enrolled in these educational institutions. Now the two
university satellite schools are accepting students coming from the neighboring
towns of Asturias, Toledo, and even Tuburan and Pinamungajan.
Aside from these branches
offering college degree programs, pre-school, elementary, and secondary level
educational institutions have also been established in the town lately. One is
the Araneta Learning Center run by Ms. Ria Araneta. This school has leased the
residence of the late Mayor Socrates Y. Gonzalez.
Interestingly, the residence was
bought in 1980 by Mayor Gonzalez from James Berley, a descendent of John
Harstein an American who married a Balambanganon and subsequently settled and
built the house. This explains the
structure’s American Colonial Architectural design.
A newcomer on the scene is the
Little Angels Montessori School owned by the Siao family. A leading Balamban
resident, Ms. Mary Paulin, has been hired as the school principal.
One advantage of having these
educational institutions located in Balamban comes from the employment
opportunities that are extended to professionals who are natives of the
municipality. Many of the CNU education and liberal arts graduates, for
example, have been hired by the school as teachers or administrative personnel.
Leisure and Recreation
Balamban officials have likewise
been responsible for creating a reclamation area along the shorelines of
barangay Sta. Cruz-Sto. Niño. With the additional land area, it can be expected
that more commercial and industrial establishments will soon be located there –
another opportunity to increase the income-generating capacity of the town.
With urbanization, however, also
comes an ugly aspect: the presence of slums or squatter colonies. Right now,
the LGU officials speak merely of two squatter clusters: those on the
shorelines of Sitio Polo in Barangay Baliwagan and Sitio Cagay in Barangay
Aliwanay. The problem seems to be manageable still.
Also in that year Gaas and
Magsaysay had built an alliance through the initiation of a private
organization called GAMA to realize its goal of making the two barangays, with
the inclusion of Cansomoroy later, an eco-tourism zone which after meticulous
assessments had been approved by the end of the year. Since then a lot of
establishments centered on attracting tourists had sprouted along the Cebu
Trans-Central Hi-way like the zip lines, cafes, resto-bars, resorts and the
like.
Paghandum ni Magsaysay
The establishment of private
eco-tourism oriented institutions along the Transcentral Highway was in part
due to the attention that the annual commemoration of the death of President
Ramon Magsaysay whose plane (Mt. Pinatubo) crashed in Mt. Manungal in Barangay
Magsaysay in 1957. Uniquely, this infamous date has become the date of the
barangay’s fiesta. Trekkers and mountaineers would pitch their tents in the
clearing of Mt. Manungal and come up with makeshift shindigs also participated
on by the locals.
The University of San Jose
Recoletos of Cebu City was one of the institutions who constantly conducted
outreach programs in the barangay. Fr. Lito Cabarles of USJR, along with
Binghay became instrumental in the recognition of the site for its historical
significance and also responsible for the erection of a monument in the crash
site and that of President Magsaysay.
Over the years, Binghay kept this
yearly tradition that he was able to invite private sponsors for the yearly
activity. An access road was opened and comfort facilities were constructed
through grants from national agencies. Commendably, Marcelo Pilapil, Binghay’s
successor for a term continued these efforts.
In 2006, the organizing of the
yearly commemoration was institutionalized and various sports and cultural
activities were incorporated. Climbathons, Painting Contests and Mountain Bike
Competitions (started in 2005) aside from a concert in the evening, has
highlighted the event since. It was then that the event was called “Paghandum
ni Magsaysay Annual Adventure Trek”. The event gathers between 1000 to 2000
visitors and it has spawned day trekkers year round.
150th Anniversary of the St.
Francis of Assisi Parish
In 2005, the St. Francis of
Assisi Parish, Balamban’s first parish, celebrated its 150th year of presence
in the town. An ambitious church renovation project went underway with a
projected budget of P10,000,000.00. This was to be sourced out from private
donors and institutions. Although this was not reached, the church was
nevertheless renovated, albeit, short of its original plans.
It was during this time that the
origin of the name “Balamban” was researched and was found to be coming from
the word “Balang-balang”. The term refers to the manner by which the Spaniards
were carried by the locals cross rivers to reach the main settlement.
There was a move to come up with
a local festival called “Balang-balang Festival”. However, after the church renovation, the
project lost its momentum and was never revived. However, some schools in
Balamban still practice the choreography of “Balang-balang” in some of their
activities.
New Municipal Building
In 2009, the New Municipal
Building, situated behind the old municipal building, was inaugurated during
the fiesta celebrations of that year. The old municipal building was home to
the local government for more than half a century and despite several
extensions and renovations, it proved to be inadequate for a growing
municipality.
It is worthwhile to note that the
construction of the new facility was undertaken almost entirely by
administration (utilizing organic technical personnel of the local government
bureaucracy). As a result, the local government was able to fund the
construction almost entirely from locally generated funds and savings from the
years past.
MARCELO PILAPIL 1998-2001
The ascension of “Dr. Ike” to the
highest post of Balamban ushered a change of leadership in the town. For 10 years, Alex Binghay held the reins of
the municipality but due to constitutional term limits, he was not allowed to
run a further 4th term as chief executive.
It was during the leadership of
Dr. Ike that Balamban had experienced a revival in the field of culture and
arts.
In the year 1998, the centennial
anniversary of Philippine Independence from Spain was celebrated in Balamban
with vigor and festive activities like reenactments of the lives of Philippine
national heroes as seen in every float paraded on the streets. Dr. Ike had
chosen to act as Andres Bonifacio, the Supremo of the Katipunan, with Sister Jo
de los Reyes of St. Francis Academy (SFA) as Tandang Sora, and a government
dentist as Gregoria de Jesus on the same float. In other floats, the martyrdom
of the Gom-Bur-Za and the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal among others were
reenacted.
Buanoy National High School had
been known for winning a lot of entries in the “Sinulog Sa Kabataan” and in the
“Sinulog Grand Mardi Gras” for the past years since the time when Paulin was
the then Head Teacher and then Principal. It had been a successive 1st Prize
winner, until such time it was considered a Hall of Famer. Evening Opportunity
Class under the choreography of Juniel Gomez is another contender in the
Sinulog Competitions which once twice beaten Buanoy National High School in a
local Sinulog Competitions particularly in Cantuod and Abucayan in 1999;
though, it did not win in the Cebu Sinulog Grand Mardi Gras in 2000 but out of
more than 200 participants in the the Sinulog-Based Category it ranked number
10.
Balamban was also known to excel
in theater arts at that time. Saint Francis Academy had created a theater guild
and invited schools in their audience hall to watch the live performances of
their thespians. But it was the Evening Opportunity Class that had excelled in
that art. The said school that was managed then by Neilsor Ray Gonzalez had
created a theater guild known as the Thespian Circle with Bernardo B. Montilla
as its Adviser. After a lot of trainings and workshops when the thespians had
already been ripened to participate in competitions, the said school
participated in different dramatic competitions by which it won 2nd Prize for
its originally-written entry entitled “Jefrox” in the Plan International Inc.
“Bata, Apil Na!” Anti-drug One-Act Play Competitions in 1998; 2nd Prize for its
originally-written entry entitled “Ang Pagbitay Sa Gomburza” in the DepEd Cebu
Province Division Reenactment of Philippine Historical Events One-Act Play
Competition held at Kai Gym, Liloan, Cebu in November 1999; 1st Prize for its
originally-written entry entitled “Bidlisiw Sa Paglaum” in the Cebu Provincial
Capitol’s Drug-Awareness One-Act Play Competition held at the Cebu Capitol
Social Hall on December 10, 2000 which also won the said school the following
awards: Best One-Act Play, Best Script, Best Writer, and Best Director; and
many more.
Public Market in Ashes
It was in the morning of New
Year’s Day of the year 2000 that the Balamban Public Market burned down. A General Alarm was sounded by the Bureau of
Fire Protection by noontime which called on all neighboring fire departments of
neighboring towns and cities to mobilize their firefighting resources to Balamban.
It took almost the entire day to extinguish the fire that gutted the
facility. Even until the evening, while
the fire has been extinguished, sounds of muffled bursts could be heard from
within the damaged public market.
Due to the extensive damage of
the facility was deemed beyond repair so stall holders were relocated along the
streets specifically in Simeon Paulin and Dominador Sanchez streets. The local
government prioritized the construction of a new Balamban Public Market
Building. But due to the shortage of
funds and the diversity of proposals for its reconstruction, the reconstruction
failed to take off during the administration of Pilapil. It was further made
complicated by the fact that his term was up for reelection the following
year. It was a common occurrence that
local government projects, especially the ones which are unplanned, get stalled
with a forthcoming election as local government officials tend to align along political
lines. Balamban was no exception to this predicament.
The reconstruction was eventually
started and completed after the 2001 elections with Alex Binghay at the
helm. He won over Marcelo and remained
the chief executive until 2010, getting reelected in the local elections of
2004 and 2007.
The reconstruction was aided by
the Kambara Group of companies, the holding company of Tsuneishi Heavy
Industries (Balamban’s largest employer); and financed through a loan secured
from the Philippine National Bank. The main building of the New Balamban Public
Market Complex was later inaugurated as the Kambara Building in grateful
recognition of the philanthropic donation by the company.
ACE STEFAN V. BINGHAY 2010 TO THE PRESENT
The younger Binghay represented a
succeeding generation of Balambanganons who barely have any memory of how
Balamban was during the incumbency of President Ferdinand Marcos. Although coming from the lineage of the
Sanchez political family, Binghay took office at a time when political
rivalries of old have become a distant memory.
Sports and Cultural Activities
Upon taking office, Binghay
embarked on a campaign to promote youth sports activities with “Lingaw-lingaw
sa Ting-Init”. This was aimed at reviving the Filipino traditional summer games
that the youth of old used to play during summer. Games such as “tubig-kabor”,
bato-lata, siatong, etc. were conducted precisely to reintroduce the benefits
of outdoor games in the aspect of physical development and social skills of the
youth. This was in light of the prevalence of the youth to stay in their
respective homes or internet shops playing computer games and accessing social
networking sites in the internet.
“Semana Santa sa Balamban”, a
Lenten exhibit has been organized. The exhibit features the “Pasos”, a display
of religious images portraying persons and events in the Passion of Christ.
These same images are used during the Good Friday procession.
“Pasko sa Balamban” became a
staple activity in the Mayor Exasperanza Binghay Sports Oval every
December. Various cultural competitions
were held the whole year and would culminate either in the annual town fiesta in
honor of St. Francis of Assisi or during the “Pasko” activity in December.
Infrastructure Development
Continuing the thrust of his
father, Ace Binghay embarked on a massive infrastructure investment. Apart from
the heavy equipment accumulated during the time of his predecessor, he procured
additional equipment to fast tract road opening and road maintenance projects
especially the access roads to the hinterlands.
He also vigorously worked on the reopening of the Lamesa Sanitary Landfill
to cater to industrial and household waste of the municipality by acquiring the
necessary accreditation from the DENR.
Health Services
Recognizing the need to address
the healthcare problems in the hinterlands, Ace Binghay inaugurated the Rural
Health Unit 3 (RHU-3) based in Barangay Luca. This aimed at making healthcare
accessible to the mountain barangays and alleviating that burden from the
existing rural health units (RHU-1 in the town proper and RHU 2 in Barangay
Buanoy).
A birthing station was also
opened in Barangay Buanoy offering free birthing services to local residents.
This was apart from two private birthing facilities and the birthing services
that the Balamban District Hospital was offering.
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