29/01/2022
Casiguran, Aurora Province
It was June 13, 1609 when the Spanish missionaries formally founded the town of Casiguran. This was driven by a mission to convert the headhunting natives or ‘Agta’ of the Sierra Madre mountains to Christianity. The mission was ordered by the ecclesiastical administration of the Bishophric of the Nueva Caceres based in Camarines province and was led by Franciscan Fr. Blas Palomino. However, challenged by the rugged and dangerous terrain, the Franciscan friars ceased the mission and were replaced by Augustinian Recollect missionaries who took over for forty-five (45) years. Franciscan friars returned soon after and resumed their mission in 1703.
The ‘Agta’ are Casiguran’s earliest settlers since the pre-colonial area. Migration eventually led people groups from different parts of the country to the municipality, bringing in a special mix of peoples and dialects (i.e. Ilocano, Visayan, Bicolano, Pampango, Gadang Itawis, Ibanag, Tagalog, etc.) that ultimately combined and gave birth to the unique ‘Casiguranin’ dialect today. Oral tradition and early forklore says that the name of the municipality comes from the word ‘kasiguruhan’ which means ‘safety’ or ‘assurance’. ‘Safety’ may be associated to the Casiguran sound which served as a sanctuary for sailing ships and boats during stormy weather. ‘Assurance’, on the other hand, may be associated to the early migration of local people groups in the town when unmarried strangers fall in love and eventually get married there.
Bartering was the early method of commerce when traders would come to Casiguran to exchange commodities for palay and other agricultural products. Casiguran also suffered Moro invasions up to the end of the Spanish rule. In 1798 a fleet of twenty-five (25) boats landed in Casiguran, Baler and Palanan and took 450 captives. To deal with this threat, a watch tower was built in Sitio Dipalale. Whenever Muslim vintas would enter the Casiguran Sound, the guards at the watch tower would warn the residents through smoke signal. When this happens, the church bell will ring to warn the people to take refuge at Ermita Hill. Here the people use the stockpile of rocks and logs which they throw and roll down the hill to discourage the Moros from coming up. Today, the stone rubbles at the watch tower stand as reminders to the threat of Moro invasions that the people of Casiguran had to then constantly face.
Casiguran also took part in an important part of history during the Philippine-American war. The USS Vicksburg landed in Casiguran Sound with Colonel Frederick Funston and his men, en route to Palanan, where they intended to capture General Emilio Aguinaldo. When the American commander marched through the town with Macabebes and some renegade Filipino officials of Aguinaldo, the local official of Casiguran and the town folks thought that they were prisoners of the local insurgents. As such, they were welcomed and were even fed. Unaware of the plot and the conspiracy, the municipal Vice President, who was loyal to Aguinaldo, sent couriers to him, who carried forged messages. Col. Funston also sent to Palanan disguised Macabebes and four Americans who acted as prisoners of war to pe*****te the place where Aguinaldo was hiding. He was captured on March 23, 1901.
Casiguran used to be part of the province of Nueva Ecija, but became a component of the district called El Distrito del Principe governed by the Comandante Politico-Militar in 1856. On June 12, 1902, the boundaries of the province of Tayabas was extended northward to include Casiguran. On June 14, 1951, Casiguran became part of the newly established Aurora province in Central Luzon (Region III) by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 648 and is one of the two original towns of Aurora province.
From: http://www.casiguran-aurora.gov.ph/
