HISTORY OF BAYBAY PARISH

It was in March 17, 1521 when the existence of the Philippines Islands came
to the notice of western world after Ferdinand Magellan and his group landed in
Limasawa, Leyte. The first mass celebrated on March 31, 1521 one Eastern Sunday.
After the death of Magellan in Mactan, the king of Spain decided to send
another expedition headed by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. With him were Augustinians
Friars. They opened their first mission in Carigara in 1580 under the leadership of Fr.
Alonso Vasquez. But the Augustinians did not establish permanent mission stations
since they did not stay long in Leyte. The systematic Christianization of Leyte was
started in 1595 which marked the divisions of the country into district missionary
territories assigned to the different religious congregation. By virtue of this division,
the first Jesuit missionaries came to Leyte to begin its systematic evangelization.
They were Fr. Pedro Chirino, Juan del Campo, Cosme Flores and Brother Gaspar. With
Fr. Chirino as their religious superior who had already worked as a missionary in
Taytay, Cainta and Antipolo in Luzon and at Tigbauan in Panay, they established
their first mission in Carigara and Dulag.
One of the most noteworthy missionaries who led the rectorship of Carigara
Mission Center for a number of years was Fr. Francisco Ignacio Alzina, S.J. who wrote
some priceless manuscripts which can provide what may well be the most
complete and detailed historiography of any regional Philippine group of area.
The missionary activities of the Jesuits in Leyte were unfortunately cut short
due to their expulsion in 1768. The Augustinians were recalled to take over the 19
mission stations left vacant by the Jesuits. The Augustinian continued the work of
evangelization and established Palompon as an independent parish from Hilongos in
1784, which had already been a regular visitaor station of the Jesuits since 1700
and a permanent settlement in 1737.
Later the Augustinian ceded the parishes to the Franciscan who opened new
in Samar and Leyte. One important parish they opened in Leyte was Carigara.
The Franciscans devoted themselves to the organization of the ancient
system of barangays and persuaded the natives to settle down near a church, and
as missionaries they would teach them how to build and furnish simple human
habitations, how to farm, and how to do the other things that contribute to social,
religious and economic progress.
Perhaps this is how Baybay came into existence as the missionaries combined
zeal with hard physical labors in settling the natives in building roads and clearing
out forests, perhaps it was the Franciscan missionaries who founded the community
which later on is to be called Baybay.

The earliest mention of the town of Baybay, as one of the villages in Leyte
was Loarcas Spanish Report (1582) together with the towns of Barugo, Yodmoc,
Palos, Abuyo, Dulaguc, Ylongos, Bato and Tugud. These villages were assigned as
Encomiendas to the Spaniards of Cebu. The Encomiendas collected taxes and
tributes form 8 12 reales payable annually. Later when Carigara became
encomienda with Spanish overlord, these villages were transferred to the
Encomienda of Carigara.
It must have been at this time that the island of Leyte was parceled into
towns and entrusted to the missionaries. Hence the town of Baybay could trace its
ancient roots as far back as 1567 under the Augustinian, perhaps the name of
Baybay originated from namaybay (beside the shore) or from Babaylan (chief)
because early settlement are commonly found along shorelines whose chieftain are
called Babaylan.
In 1634, a flotilla of Maguindanao Moros under Kudarat or (Corralat) attacked
Dapitan, then Bohol, then Leyte. They left devastation everywhere. They came in 22
ships with some 1,500 Muslim warriors aboard.
In Leyte, the first attacked Cabalian, then Sogod, then Baybay and Ormoc.
The attack in baybay occurred in Deceber 4, 1634. From the village, the people fled
to a promontory places which later on was called Punta on the hills of Pomponan
leaving behind a garrison of 50 Visayan warriors trapped within a stockade. With
them in the stocked was a Jesuit Missionary, Father Juan del Carpio.
Fifty warriors within a wooden stockade are no match for 1500 Moros. The
raiders set the Church made of bamboo and other light materials and the entire
village on fire. Then they attacked the stockade and took away many captives.
The garrison of 50 warriors hopelessly outnumbered and surrendered. The
Christian Visayans were distributed among the Moro datus as slaves. But when they
came to the priest, there was a dispute. Several datus claimed him. To put an end to
the quarrel, they decided to put the priest to death. Father Jaun del Carpio knelt on
the ground and his head was severed with a tampilan.
When Palompon became a parish, Baybay fell under its ecclesiastical
jurisdiction. The first settlement in Baybay after the raid was founded by Father Juan
Pagpag, a Catholic priest, from Palompon about the later part of the 16 th century.
This original site of the town in a place called Punta which is now a barrio situated
on a hill through which the provincial road to the south passes. It is overlooking a
peninsula like seahorse (hence, punta meaning point posted or doorway) of
sharp corals.
Punta six kilometer from Baybay, must have been chosen as the first
settlement because of its strategic position especially in defense against the Moros.
From this site, the Moro vinta approaching the settlement could be seen miles away,

thus giving the inhabitant ample time to evacuate to safer places. The people under
the leadership of Father Pagpag built a church of stone, the first Church of Baybay,
which still stand today, and they constructed a stone watchtower or a fort for better
protection against Moro raids. Unfortunately, Father Pagpag could not stay long and
had to return to Palompon.
Without a priest, the inhabitants of Punta had a hard time fulfilling their
religious duties as Christmas. They had to ride little frail barotos to Palompon about
103 kilometers away in the north of Leyte, to attend Holy Mass and receive the
sacraments. So, to solve their problem, they invited another priest, Father Antonio
Ma. Del Rosario, to help them fulfill their Christian obligations The inhabitants with
Father del Rosario lost no time in looking for a better and more spacious place to
establish a permanent settlements. So they moved to and founded what is now the
present site of Baybay. On January 3, 1831, Father del Rosario became the first
administrator of Baybay as a visita of the mission station under the ecclesiastic
jurisdiction of the parish of Palompon. He stayed only for a year and was succeeded
by Father Ximenes. In 1824 Father Julian del Rosario took over as administrator, and
it was during his incumbency that Baybay became an independent parish in
September 8, 1835. It was not until February 27, 1886 that the parish was
inaugurated. As a parish priest for seven years, Father del Rosario exerted great
influence in the development of the town. He occupied an important place in
municipal administration since he presided with the provincial governor or the
latters representative, over the election of town officials. He participated in
discussion of local issues including the decision and the plans to build a better and
more permanent church for the town.
This plan to build a bigger and more durable Church did not materialize until
the term of Father Vicente E. Coronado as parish priest. To execute the plan, Father
Coronado employed the services of Mariano Vasnillio, under whose engineering
administration the church of Baybay began to take shape in 1852. The people
showed approval and cooperation. They rendered free labor fee in quarrying, cutting
and hauling logs, brick making, preparing the lime mixture, as well as doing actual
construction work. Despite this excellent cooperation, the construction lagged for
ten years, after which the work was resumed under the supervision of Maestro
Proceso, who was invited from Manila to finish the construction. The church was
finally completed, inaugurated and blessed under the pastoral administration of Fr.
Lucas Sanchez after a renown sculptor and painter of Capitan Mateo Espinoso, put
on the finishing touches in 1870. The altar and the rails as they stand today are
credit to his ingenuity.
The church of Baybay was built to withstand gale, shock and fire, as well as to
provide arresting and majestic physical symbol for the Christian faith that the
people had accepted.

Although this was not the result of the Spanishs Friars ingenuity and
resourcefulness, still it is a monument to the peoples courage and endurance and
the architectural improvisation, bowing to limitation as well as to divine providence.
The island of Leyte belongs to the Archdiocese of Cebu from 1595 until 1910,
and then belonged to the Diocese of Calbayog from 1910 until 1937. On November
28, 1937, Leyte was created a Diocese with Palo as the seat. After 31 years, on
March 23, 1968, Palo was divided into two dioceses, the other diocese based in
Maasin with Most Rev. Vicente T. Ataviado, D.D. as its first bishop.
Baybay as a municipality belongs to the province of Leyte but as a parish it
belongs to the diocese of Maasin.
The province of Leyte was created under Administrative Act no. 2711. On
March 10, 1917, by virtue of this Act, Baybay was officially recognized as a
municipality of the province of Leyte.
In March 1998 the second bishop was installed in the person of Most Rev.
Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB.DD who re-introduced a team Ministry concept instead of
a Parish Priest and assistant Parish Priest. But long before, in 1966 up to 1981 a
team ministry was already introduced with Msgr. Luis D. Caintic as Pastor and Rev.
Fr. Crutato Arceo as Co-Pastor. When the team of priest were re-shuffled, their
successor did not follow the team ministry set up, not until 2000 when the new
bishop of the Diocese of Maasin installed the team of Rev. Fr. Celso Rojas as Pastor
and Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Bong Golo as his Co-Pastor.
On April 17, 2005, another team of priests was installed to take the place of
the team ministry of Fr. Celso Rojas who will be transferred to another parish. Rev.
Fr. Antonio M. Gaviola was designated as pastor with Rev. Fr. Dioscoro A. Rasonabe
and Rev. Fr. Santos O. Lagumbay as co-pastors. Their team is tasked to serve the
parish until 2011.
PRIESTS WHO HAVE SERVED THE PARISH
Fr. Antonio Ma. Del Rosario

(Administrator)

1813

Fr. Juan Ximena

1814

Fr. Esteban Nicolas

1820

Fr. Julian del Rosario

1824

Fr. Juan Nepomucino

(Parish Priest)

1835

Fr. Vicente Coronado

1847

Fr. Lucas Sanchez

1863

Fr. Juan Nepomucino

1879

Fr. Dionesio Noel

1908

1881-1898,

1903-

Fr. Flaviano Daffon

1949

1898-1903,

1908-

Fr. Lesmes Ma. Ricalde

1949

Fr. Alejo Regis

1951

Fr. Esteban Justimbaste

1953

Fr. Emiliano Sudario

1960

Fr. Pablo Lola

1961

Fr. Manuel Alonzo Jr.

1963

Msgr. Luis Caintic

Msgr. Luis D. Caintic

1966-1979
(Team Ministry)

1979-1981

Fr. Crutato Arceo

Bishop Wilfredo Manlapaz D.D.

1981

Msgr. Profirio Suarez

1983

Fr. Felix Fortuna

1986

Msgr. Joselito Perez

1988

Fr. Nestor S. Astillo

1992-1999

Msgr. Amado D. Olayvar

Fr. Celso Rojas

1999
(Team Ministry)

Fr. Emmanuel Golo

Fr. Antonio M. Gaviola

2000-2005
-

(Team Ministry)

2005-2011

(Team Ministry)

2011-2014

Fr. Dioscoro A. Rasonabe

Fr. Santos O. Lagumbay
Fr. Formino P. Wavina
Fr. Stanley D. Mepico

Fr. Johnny Alegro

Fr. Edmundo Resue
Fr. Maximo Casinao
Fr. Casiano Anthony Cotiam
Fr. Wonderly Jay V. Madrona

2014 June Sept.