History of Lilo-an, Cebu

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Liloan (Alternate spelling: Lilo-an) is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 92,181 people with 42,202 registered voters and has 13,381 residents.

Liloan is part of a metropolitan area informally called Metro Cebu.

History

Long before other towns were “discovered” as tourist spots, Liloan was already known for its scenic pristine beaches and as a resort town, favorite place for sea bathing. Along its coastline, there is spot called Silot. Here, bathers are cautioned not to swim to a certain point because of a whirlpool caused by the ebb and tide of the waters which flow from an inland lake. This phenomenon is called lilo in Cebuano. Because of this, the town was known as Liloan, a place where there is lilo.

The word Liloan, as the legend is told, comes from the word “lilo” - whirling waters (not unlike Edgar Allan Poe’s maelstrom) that form when the sea approaches an abrupt depth at a point just after a bridge.

Long ago, as the legend goes, when Lilo-an was still a wilderness, a marriage of a couple was objected to by the parents. As such, they boarded a boat and fled to a far away place. Somewhere at sea, a storm overtook them. For safety, they entered a channel, now called “Suba,” (a name of a place in Liloan) and proceeded into the interior. They took shelter at its bank and noticed the abundance of the fish in the vicinity. They decided to stay, and with the extra fish they caught, they sold or bartered the catch in the nearby villages. When asked where the fishes were caught, the answered, “Sa may liloan” (by the lilo). Asked where they live, they gave the same answer, :Sa may liloan.” In time, the place was called, as we know the town now, “Liloan”.

Sometime in the 1970’s, a newspaper article stated that the “Pueblo de Lilo-an” was separated from the Municipality of Mandaue (now Mandaue City), and was created a new municipality in 1840. However, in the “BRAVE ENSENA de lo que fue y de lo que es la DIOCESIS DE CEBU En Las Islas Filipinas,” published in 1866, it was mentioned that Lilo-an was created a parish in 1845 (in 1995, Lilo-an celebrated its sesquicentennial - 150th anniversary.)

The creation of the municipality of Lilo-an could have been at the same time the parish was established, but not earlier than its being a parish. As recorded, the first priest of Lilo-an, Fr. Vicente Dolorech, served in 1845. The first mayor, then called “Kapitan” was Basilio Bantilan. His term was from 1845 - 1846.

During the war years (World War II), Lilo-an had three mayors at one time. The elected mayor was Catalino Noval. The Japanese Occupation Forces appointed another - Pascual Delgado. Not to be outdone, the Guerilla Forces also designated another - Jose Cañete.

In 1945, Filipino soldiers of the 8th, 81st, 82nd, 83rd, 85th & 86th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the 8th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was liberated the towns in Liloan, Cebu was helping to Cebuano guerrilla unit to fought against the Japanese troops at the end of World War II under the Japanese Occupation in Cebu.

Records show that the mayors with the longest length of service were Lazaro Ramas and Cesar Bugtai, each having served Liloan for 21 years. For priests, the longest was done by Fr. Vicente Rallos - 19 years (1931 - 1950).