Lazaro Mangubat

Lazaro Mangubat or Lazaro the mangubat, in 1630, established the first organised settlement in the northern part of Bantayan in sitio Mancilang, where Madridejos is now located. He was the founder of Lawis (meaning point to the sea). He also proclaimed it a visita (beginnings of a parish) of the town of Bantayan.[1]


During the term of governor Juan Niño de Tabora (1626–1632), the Visayas were continually harassed by the Moros, who worked dreadful havoc, capturing, massacring, robbing, sacking churches, and burning everything there was. Bantayan Island was almost completely depopulated, by the ceaseless invasions from Mindanao, Borneo, and Jológ. Their inhabitants killed or captured. The moros attacked the towns and spared neither the children nor the elderly.[2] The villages which they had ravaged were pitiful to see, being either burned to the ground or abandoned and deserted

It was in 1630, the mangubats landed in Bantayan Island in the place called "LAWIS" together with the most heavily tattooed pintados and the most warlike of the country led by Captain Lazaro Mangubat, to guard the island against the harassment of the Moros and to build a fortification for the protection of the people, securing the place while the construction of the Kota is ongoing.

Lazaro then established an organised settlement in the northern part of the island facing the Visayan sea where barrio Mancilang of Madridejos is now located making Lawis the first organized place in the island after Bantayan suffered and depopulated. He defended the island and protect its people.

He also erected a church whose ruined walls and post from the ravages of wars and Moro raids can still be seen in the northernmost part of the town.

It was he who proclaimed the place as the "VISITA de LAWIS" (beginnings of a parish) of the town of Bantayan.

He was titled and named by the Superior Government (Spanish East Indies) as

"Founder of the lawis government and founder of all residents of all other site that has been populated and formed its district of lime and edge with its branches, and corresponding on account of other native who experimented The public benefit that has been from him."

He was the arm-bearer of Spain and the grandson of Lapu-Lapu the Cebuano hero. His name is Loreto but changed to Lazaro because he arrived in town on St. Lazaro's Day. People called him the captain. At the age of 13, he was taken to Spain for training. at the age of 50 he went back to Madridejos. He got married to Lucia Maru, a native of Madredijos.

The name "Bantayan" comes from Filipino term meaning "to guard". The name of the island itself describes the purpose of them being in the island

The kota in Bantayan was built by force labor working every Saturdays and Sundays. Those inhabitants who will not report for work in the construction of the Kota will received a punishment of 25 whippings and one day imprisonment.

The grateful people of Madridejos named a street in his honor. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Lavilles, Gervasio (1965). History: Cebu's 4 cities & 49 municipalities with trimmed accounts of Christianization of the Philippines. Social Science. p. 92.
  2. ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16451/16451-h/16451-h.htm
  3. ↑ Lavilles, Gervasio L. (1965). Cebu's 4 cities & 49 municipalities with trimmed accounts of Christianization of the Philippines. Lavilles, 1965 - Social Science. p. 93. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
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