18/05/2026
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𝑨 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝑯𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏 (𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝑷𝒖𝒆𝒃𝒍𝒐 𝒅𝒆 𝒀𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒏)
Long before it became a town, Irosin was a remote inland valley covered with thick forests rich in wildlife and natural resources. Early inhabitants found abundant food from rivers, forests, and fertile lands nourished by the nearby Bulusan Volcano. The area was known for rattan, wild animals, freshwater fish, edible plants, and fertile soil suitable for farming.
It was assumed that because most early settlers preferred coastal communities with easier access to trade and marine resources, the inland valley remained sparsely populated for many years. Eventually, wandering hunters, gatherers, and seasonal farmers began settling in the area, many searching for valuable rattan or escaping forced labor and harsh treatment of civil and church authorities of Bulusan. Some settlers lived together with the Aeta (Agta) who did not want to convert to Catholicism and pay the cedula tax. These settlers survived through hunting, gathering, and slash-and-burn farming.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐇𝐢𝐧-𝐚𝐲
Surviving the forest through hunting and gathering, the pioneering natives decided to stay and labores through slash-and-burn planting practices. They cleared the earliest settlement along a river they called Hin-ay, an Albayanon word on the arrangement of abaca yarn or tupos, a zigzagging pattern or hinan-ay, in preparation for the actual weaving. The Governor General then was Alonzo Fajardo de Entenza (1618-1624). Almost one hundred and fifty years later, the clearing grew. The jungle entanglement was cleared further at the western part (Sagap in the present day Barangay Macawayan) adjacent to a wider and deeper part of the river.
𝐇𝐢𝐧-𝐚𝐲
From the researched accounts obtained from surviving sources about the name of the earliest settlement, Hin-ay was the image of the weaving rivers that crisscrossed from the mountains down to the valley. Hin-ay was purportedly taken from the derivative anhay that meant gradually ascending if one is coming from the western part (ilawod) going to the east (iraya). The original settlement now named San Agustin sits east the town proper on a higher elevation.
In 1847, Hin-ay attained the status of a barrio of Bulusan. Visiting Hin-ay, the Gobernadorcillo Bulusan appointed Apolonio Capido as the first Barrio Lieutenant.
𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐧-𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐥
As Spanish influence increased, many residents converted to Catholicism. The settlers later built a chapel dedicated to San Miguel (Michael the Archangel), and the settlement became known as Visita de San Miguel. More farmers and merchants migrated to the area, helping the community grow into a thriving settlement.
In 1876, the Parish of San Miguel was formally established by church authorities, with Rev. Father Mariano Miranda serving as the first parish priest. Religious festivities honoring San Miguel began and continue today through the annual fiesta celebrated every September 28–29.
𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐞𝐛𝐥𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐘𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐧
In 1879, the Spanish colonial government officially created a new pueblo named Pueblo de Yrocin through a decree issued by Governor General Domingo Moriones y Murillo on November 3, 1879.
The new pueblo was formed from the merger of three visitas:
• San Miguel
• Calaay
• Buenavista
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲:
Gin-ay (or Hin-ay) was NOT the original name of the entire town of Irosin. Rather, Gin-ay/Hin-ay referred only to the early settlement that later became Visita de San Miguel, which was just one part of the newly created Pueblo de Yrocin. Saying that Gin-ay was the original name of Irosin would overlook the equal contributions of Calaay and Buenavista in the creation of the pueblo.
It is also important to note that a visita was an ecclesiastical or church subdivision, not a political one, although during the Spanish period visitas often exercised quasi-political functions.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞 “𝐈𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧”?
The true origin and meaning of the name Yrocin/Irosin remain uncertain.
The original official spelling in the 1879 decree was YROCIN, not “Irosin.” The decree itself was rediscovered only in 2014 in Madrid, Spain, and another copy was later found in 2015 at the National Archives of the Philippines.
Because earlier historians did not know about the original spelling, several theories about the town’s name emerged:
Some believed it came from the Bicol word “iros”, meaning “to cut off.”
Others suggested it came from “huros,” meaning erosion, sliding, or falling off.
Another theory linked it to the English word “erosion,” referring to the town’s flood-prone and eroding rivers.
However, these theories became questionable after the discovery that the town’s original spelling was YROCIN, making it difficult to directly derive the name from “iros,” “huros,” or “erosion.”
At present, historians still do not know exactly why Governor General Domingo Moriones y Murillo chose the name Yrocin, or where the name originated. More research is still needed to fully explain the meaning and history of the town’s name.
𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒: 𝐼𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑎 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑟 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘, 𝐼𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝐶𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝐹𝐵 𝑃𝑎𝑔𝑒
𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜: 𝐼𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑎 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑟 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘
#𝐼𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑚
#𝐿𝐺𝑈𝐼𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛
#𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑥𝑅𝑒𝑗𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑒𝐼𝑅𝑂𝑆𝐼𝑁
#𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑆𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠
#𝑇ℎ𝑒𝐻𝑜𝑡𝐴𝑛𝑑𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑆𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑂𝑓𝑆𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑔𝑜𝑛
#𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑇𝑜𝑤𝑛
