History of Guindulman

Guindulman was once a small settlement under the parochial territory of the municipality of Jagna. Records of the National Historical Commission declared that this settlement was first managed by Jesuit priests up to the year 1768 and then they were replaced by the Augustinian Recollect Fathers.
On May 5, 1797, during the time of the Augustinians, Guindulman was declared a municipality. It was only on the following year, 1798, that Guindulman became ecclesiastically separate from Jagna. The parish was advocated to Nuestra Seῆora de la Consolacion (Our Lady of Consolacion/Comfort). When the town of Guindulman was created, it covered the areas now presently known as the municipalities of: Guindulman, Anda, Mabini and Candijay.

How Guindulman Got Its Name

The first settlement of Guindulman was a small clearing inside a dense forest of tropical trees and shrubs. If twilight falls, the area became dark or “Dulum in the local dialect. Dr. Cecilio Putong, in his book; “Bohol and its People”, says that “The town was used to be called Guinduloman, meaning “overtaken by darkness”. The story was that, formerly, there were only two towns organized in this part of Bohol, namely; Jagna and Batuanan (now Alicia). Travellers starting from either of these towns in the morning were sure to be benighted or overtaken by darkness in this place, hence the name later was finally changed to Guindulman. Almost all Boholano writers agree that the root word of Guindulman is the Visayan word “Dulom” or “Dom” which would mean “darkness on moonless night”.

During the Spanish Regime

The Spaniards ruled Guindulman with an iron hand, forcing the natives to build edifices such as churches and a convent. Guindulman is the only town in Bohol where the Spaniards built two stone churches; one facing east and the other facing west.
During the Dagohoy rebellion, Guindulman played a major role. In 1827, the final push to defeat Dagohoy’s followers, the Spaniards made 3-pronged attack. A group from Mactan Island landed in Talibon another group from Cebu and landed in Calape; and the 3rd force from Guindulman led by Comandante (Major) Manuel Sanz, accompanied by Narciso Hernandez, the first native-Filipino Parish Priest to become an Augustinian Recollect priest.

Under the American Regime

In 1896, the Fil-American war broke out. The American forces were superior in their arts of warfare and weapons, so in no time at all, Philippines fell into their hands.
In March 1899, Tagbilaran was captured by the Americans. The Regional Revolutionary Government of Bohol was moved to the interior part of Bohol. Guerrilla resistance continued until on September 15, 1900 more than 100 American soldiers were massacred at Cabantian Pass – a narrow pass along the highway between Duero and Guindulman. Captain Martin Cabagnot and a handful of his men, the “Insurectos”, jumped from the hilltops armed only with bolos and spears carrying with them “anting-antings” or magic charms. However, because of the American’s superiority of weapons, insurgents likewise suffered several casualties. Wherefore, furious American patrols burned the houses of the particular village including rice stocks in the fields, and still being dissatisfied, shot cows and carabaos on sight.
After months of bloody warfare, Boholanos were finally subdued, and they occupied Guindulman. Roads and bridges were constructed under them and natives were taught in their language. Those found intelligent were promoted, and at early ages became teachers.

During the Japanese Occupation

Being an American colony, the Japanese Imperial Forces attacked the Philippines when they laid siege to the Hawaiian Islands and World War II broke out.
At boundary in Cabantian, another similar encounter occurred on February 18, 1944 (determined by PVAO) between Japanese troops and guerrilla unit members organized by Major Esteban Bernido, native of Guindulman who later became 3rd District Congressman, Bohol Governor, and a country’s cabinet member. Japanese soldiers suffered heavy casualties while the guerrilla unit escaped unharmed. But as a reprisal, the Japanese burned the entire poblacion, leaving only the convent and the church which later they occupied as their garrison.
Displaced families evacuated to the upper barangays: Bulawan, Catungawan, Mayuga and boundaries of the neighboring towns; subsisted only on root crops, coconuts and fruits that they found. Hearing the people’s plight and feeling responsible for the conflagration brought by the Japanese garrison, the guerrillas staged a mission with a goal to uplift its spirit, and the locals that support their cause. A squad of Guerillas went to retrieve a bust of the Town’s patron, the Our Lady of Consolation in the church under the shade of darkness and shadows of huge trees that once occupied the area. They were spotted by the Japanese at nearby bell tower carrying the heavy sculpture going west from the church, and were fired upon. Guerillas were injured but able to flee and successfully brought the Image and themselves back their camp. Deeply religious, the mission meant a huge success and brought hope to the families that fled the Japanese occupation. A hope to which they would hold on to until the whole Bohol Island had then been liberated by American and Filipino forces in summer of 1945.

Nature has gifted the town with bounties of its land and seas, thus fishing and agriculture are its chief industries. It has a vast mineral potentials for development and exploration like, manganese, asbestos, red clay, copper, chromite, etc. Inhabitants in the coastal barangays Cabantian, Guinacot, Canhaway, Sawang, Tabajan, Trinidad and Basdio practically transformed Guindulman Bay into “City of Lights” when fishermen from these barangays fish at night with their “lamparas”. While livestock, root crops, rice and cereals are the pride of the hinterlands though agriculture methods are generally primitive. Larger portions of the town’s rice fields are found in barangays: Bulawan, Casbu, Bato, Catungawan Sur, Catungawan Norte, Guio-ang, Cansiwang, Mayuga, Tabunoc, Lombog, Bayong and Biabas could challenge the beauty of the famous Banawe Rice Terraces of Luzon. All the above 19 barangays make up Guindulman town.

Source: LGU Guindulman – Dennis Besinga (Culture and Arts Designate)