CAPIZ in HISTORY

PLEISTOCENE PERIOD
The islands of Panay, Romblon, Negros and Masbate were once of one mass of islands connected by strips of land to Mindanao, the Celebes and Java. When the ice melted over the world, there was a separation and unification at one time or another of all islands in the Philippines.

PRE-MALAYAN ERA
Eventually, the island of Panay emerged. The first people o have lived was found to be enigmatic as the fossil of the Stegodon. They must have been the Tabon men who must have spread all over the island and reached the mountains of Capiz.

The Negritos were probably the second race which was then known to them the island of Panay as Aninipay. In Capiz, they are prevalently called Atis. Likewise, the Mundo tribes and the Chinese traders have their own contributions to the rich annals of Capiz during this era.

MALAYAN ERA
Upon the migration of the ten Bornean datus with their retinues to the island of Panay, the Confederation of Madja-as otherwise known as “Katilingban it Madja-as” was formed after the purchase of this island by the Bornean Datus from the Negrito King Marikudo.

The island which divided into three major districts or sakups was then called Madja-as. Sumakwel was to rule Hantik (Antique); Paiburong was to rule Irong-Irong (Iloilo); and Bangkaya was to rule Aklan that included Capiz. This sakup of Aklan was formed in 1213.

An event relates that when the wife of Balingangan, the eldest son of Bangkaya who rose into a powerful overlord of the Confederation of Madja-as in 1226, bore him beautiful twin daughters, amply called Bulan and Adlaw (Moon and Sun). To honor his successful leadership, the sakup he ruled was named Aklan and Capid (or Aklan and its twin).

SPANISH ERA
Harassed by the marauding Portuguese in Cebu, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi forced his famished men to branch out to the island of Panay.

In l569, he entered Pan-ay town and became the Second Spanish settlement in the Philippines next to Cebu. It served as the springboard of the Spaniards for further exploration and colonization. Thus, on May 8, l570 marked the conquest of Pan-ay town and consequently the district of Aklan under the leadership of Martin de Goiti who was considered the first Spanish ruler of Pan-ay town.

A legend or not, one story relates that the first Spaniards who set foot on Capiz soil met a woman carrying two babies. The babies were twin. The Spaniards were answered by the woman “Capid,” thinking that these strangers were asking about her babies. The word “Capid” was then substituted with the word Capiz by the Spaniards since the Spanish “d” is pronounced liker hard “th”.

Another version evolved, when the Spaniards came to Capiz, they saw plenty of fish with slim, elongated bodies called by the native fishermen as “lapiz.” Miscommunications then resulted in the name of the place CAPIZ.

Still another story goes that on the shores of the settlement they built in Pan-ay, the Spaniards found in abundance a rare variety of a shell of the mollusk family known to the natives as Pi-os or Kapis; hence CAPIZ.

Historical records show that the “pueblo” of Pan-ay was the first capital of the province which include the Capiz town and considered also the center of Catholicism in the entire island. It was in this town from where the name of the island which comprises the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo was derived.

Capiz was created into a separate “encomienda” but it was abolished in l574 and the “alcaldia” was introduced. Each alcaldia (province) was headed by an Alcalde Mayor (now the provincial governor) and the towns into which each Alcaldia was divided were called Pueblos headed by the Gobernadorcillo (now the Municipal Mayor). This form of government continued until l866 when Spain issued two Royal Decrees creating the Office of the Civil Governor.
Five Spanish civil governors ruled Capiz for the Spanish royalty. They were Zamora, Cadrana, Togores, Romero and Herrero.

In 1715, Capiz town was officially separated from Pan-ay town. In the later part of 1757, it was made the Capital of the province of Capiz including Aklan because this is near the sea and there is a better docking facility.

The first governor of Capiz appointed by King Philip II of Spain was a Spaniard by the name of Pavis who lived in Pan-ay town. The succeeding governors then lived in Capiz town.

The first Capitan of the Poblacion of Capiz was Gubaton who built a fortification at the mouth of Panay River. Capiz town must have been ruled by a puppet capitanes from 1715 to 1772 by the time Ignacio Quintia became the first gobernadorcillo of the town and the last was Juan Albar in 1892.

REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
Capiz was the first region outside Luzon to have engaged in mass armed struggle against Spain. In August l899, Capizenos saw the eventual downfall of the Spaniards during their formal surrender to the revolutionary government in the beach of Baybay, Capiz town.

AMERICAN REGIME
The American forces landed in Panay and took complete control of the island on December 8, 1899.

Capiz was still a politico-military province comprising Aklan and the neighboring islands of Romblon, Maestro de Campo, Tablas and Sibuyan.

In l90l, by virtue of Act No. 82 of the Philippine Commission, the municipal governments were organized. Prior to the separation of Aklan section of Capiz province, there were thirty-three (33) municipalities.

The Philippine Commission Act No. 83 also organized the provincial government of the province of Capiz. On April l5, l90l, Gov. William Howard Taft established a civil government and appointed Simplicio Jugo Vidal as provincial governor of Capiz while Mariano Chiyuto was named municipal president of Capiz town.

Romblon was organized a province and separated from the Capiz province in May 1901. The National Assembly in 1907 came up with the reorganization of the provincial districts. And so, Capiz was divided into three districts. Eugenio Picazo represented the first district; Jose Cortez Altavas, the second district; and Simeon Mobo Reyes, the third district.

The Capiz bridge, constructed as a wooden bridge spanning Panay river on December 8, 1841, later it was concreted later in 1909.

In 1911, the two-storey Capiz Provincial Capitol bulding overlooking the town plaza, along with Dr. Jose Rizal a monument, was built through the initiative of Gov. Jose Cortez Altavas. Another storey was built on top of its original two-storey building in 1945.
On September 17, 1935, the first election for the National Assembly was held upon the approval of the 1935 Constitution. Mandated by the people to represent Capiz in the National Assembly were: Manuel A. Roxas, for the first district; Jose Dorado, fo the second district; and Rafael Tumbokon, for the third district.

Infrastructure projects were then laid down in Capiz. The road connecting Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan was constructed and the Philippine Railway was also established.

Sometime in l938, Capizenos started to enjoy the first theater known as Rizal showing silent movies. It was erected somewhere on Legaspi Street, this town.

JAPANESE INVASION
In the morning of April l5, l942, the Japanese invader took the town of Capiz. Under the resistance government, Capiz was organized into three administrative districts under Supervising Governor Cornelio T. Villareal, Sr. The Emergency Provincial Guard with Auxilliary unit known as “Homeguards” was set up on August l2, l942 in every municipality of Capiz.

By December l944, the entire Japanese garrisons were in the hands of Capiz guerilla. In October l945, Capiz was free of all Japanese.

POST-WAR ERA
The Philippine Civil Affairs Unit temporarily appointed all officials in both the provincial and municipal governments in Capiz. Gabriel K. Hernandez restored his gubernatorial post but on acting capacity in l945.

REPUBLICAN ERA
America restored the independence of the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, l946. In Capiz, Gov. Ludovico Hidrosollo became the head executive in l947.

The Diocese of Capiz became a separate ecclesiastical jurisdiction from the Diocese of Jaro on February 15, 1951. It was on January 17, 1976 that Pope Paul VI elevated Capiz to the rank of Archdiocese. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral built in l876 by the Augustinian Friars was reconstructed in l954.

On April ll, l95l, Pres. Elpidio Quirino signed into law Republic Act No. 603 creating the capital town of Capiz into a city and on May l2, 1951, it became a chartered city named “ROXAS CITY” in honor of the last president o the Commonwealth and the first president of the Philippine Republic, Pres. Manuel A. Roxas. The City Hall (formerly Community Hall) is the seat of the Roxas City administration.

Aklan was established as a separate province on April 25, 1956 by virtue of Republic Act No. 1414 signed by President Ramon F. Magsaysay.

Subsequently, Capiz was divided into two districts. The first district is composed of the City of Roxas and the municipalities of Maayon, Pan-ay, Pilar, Pontevedra, Pres. Roxas and Panit-an; while the second district is composed of the municipalities of Ivisan, Sigma, Dao, Cuartero, Dumalag, Dumarao, Tapaz, Mambusao, Sapi-an and Jamindan.

The first radio station in Capiz named DYRX went on air on July 28, l958.

Sometime in the later part of l962, Villareal Stadium was constructed in Brgy. Tiza, Roxas City. After its completion, the Bureau of Public School Interscholastic Athletic Association Meet participated by eight (8) regional athletic associations was for the first time held here on March 3-9, 1963.

The province of Capiz has evolved its political structure and grown from a politico-military government to an independent district.

Reference
A Comprehensive HISTORY OF CAPIZ: In Search of Identity
By JOSE B. BOLANTE

(Governor’s Press Bureau/PIA Capiz)