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San Fernando, RomblonSan Fernando, Romblon, boasts its rich history, hundreds of years ago, long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines. Life in this island with its exotic forest and lush life of creatures is a paradise itself. Like the history of any other town in the country (Philippines), the history of San Fernando is shrouded with legendary mist. The name San Fernando according to a legend came from a luxuriant specie of "gabi" which abounded in the vicinity in the early days of its township. Another legend proffers the explanation that the name San Fernando was given by a visiting Spanish governor who came from San Fernando, Pampanga. These information however, cannot be accepted as historical facts that there are being no written account to substantiate these claims. San Fernando's authentic history begun long before the appearance of the first white man in the Philippines. About 1250, during the period of the decline of the Shri-Visayan Empire, the (10) Bornean datus lead by Datu Puti colonized Panay. In the course of the colonization, some of the followers of Datu Puti sailed north across the sea from Panay and finally landed in Sibuyan Island in a place called Punta Kawit now known as Azagra (a barrio in San Fernando, Romblon). These Borneans made friends with the inhabitants and settled for good. Upon the advent of Spanish conquistadores and colonizers in the Philippines and like any other early settlement. Punta Kawit was pacified, colonized and settled by the Spaniards. The early Spanish settlers claimed the lands of the natives by force and consequently made Punta Kawit into a flourishing Spanish settlement which the colonizers renamed Azagra. The scarcity of water supply being the primary problem of the inhabitants, there was raised the possibility of transferring the seat of the municipal government from Punta Kawit to Pag-alad (now San Fernando), a thriving barrio of Punta Kawit. The plan to transfer the seat of the municipal government took place sometime in the year 1900 during the incumbency of Governor Johnson, first American Military Governor of Romblon. The plan was thwarted at first by the refusal of Domingo Rivas and Gregorio Cometa, municipal president and vice-president respectively, to subscribe to and support. The people of Punta Kawit were persuaded not to submit to the transfer proceedings under the instigation most of the American authorities. This non-subscription to the transfer and brazen defiance to the American authorities resulted in the division of the inhabitants into two hostile camps, the pros and the cons. To further aggravate the already worsening situation, it is said that a demarcation line was drawn by the two hostile factions and that to go beyond this line would inevitably endanger one's life. The strained relations between the factions grew critical each day and was pacified only by the timely intervention of the American military authorities who eventually arrested Rivas and Cometa and jailed them in Romblon. Finally in 1903, the transfer of the seat of government from Azagra to Pag-alad was affected by the name changed to San Fernando, allegedly in honor of Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese navigator and soldier of fortune in the service of the King of Spain and who, according to history books was the "discoverer of the Philippines". The main reason for the transfer was the water problem, but there were those who contested that it was Don Francisco Sanz, a rich and influential Spaniard who later become governor of Romblon, who was instrumental in recommending the transfer for reasons that San Fernando (Pag-alad) was already a flourishing community with abundant supply of fresh water. Some sources also advanced the idea that the transfer was effected on account of racial prejudice, San Fernando (Pag-alad) being peopled by some whites particularly by natives, which perhaps tipped the balance in favor of San Fernando as the seat of the municipal government and persuaded the American governor upon the prodding of influential Spaniards. In 1940, by virtue of Commonwealth Act 581, Sibuyan island was made a special municipality of the province of Romblon with three districts, one of them being San Fernando, (Cajidiocan and Magdiwang were the other two). The seat of government was in Cajidiocan. Each district was represented by a councilor to the municipal council at Cajidiocan. These councilors were appointed by the President of the Philippines at the recommendation of the National Assembly. On January 1, 1947 by virtue of Republic Act No. 38, Romblon was reorganized into a regular province and San Fernando regained its status as a municipality. This change was brought about by Hon. Modesto Formelleza, then Representative of Romblon, who sponsored Republic Act No. 38. Since there were no regular elections at the time the act was ratified, the above listed persons served as councilors thru recommendation of the Representative from years 1947-1948.
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