History

Libmanan was a bario of Quipayo in 1580 with the name of "Piglabanan". Records from a historian
revealed that the municipality was named Libmanan on September 15, 1574. Missionaries started
working in Libmanan in 1589 and the area's church was dedicated to St. James the Apostle.
Several local stories hint as to the origin of the town’s name. One was that “ligmanan” means "a
place surrounded with waterways". Another was Libangan since visitors forgot their former homes
because they were said to be “na libang” or "enjoying themselves" - Libangan can also translate
to "place of enjoyment". Another version was associated with the conditions during years of moro
raids where area was called “Linabanan”, a battle ground. In the Old Spanish Records, Fray
Paschual dela Cruz, writes the name of the town as "Libñanan" the Spanish way of pronouncing
the word; the same Record also show that in 1823, Fray Francisco Valverde wrote it as
"Libmanan" because it was easier to write and pronounce as well.

German ethnographer Fedor Jagor described visiting Libmanan in his 1875 work "Travels in the
Philippines", wherein he visited the local parish priest and learned from him about an ancient
human settlement that had been dug up in 1851 during road construction in the Poro area of the
southwest close near the Tres Marias islands: the excavation consisted of "numerous remains of
the early inhabitants—skulls, ribs, bones of men and animals, a child’s thighbone inserted in a
spiral of brass wire, several stags’ horns, beautifully-formed dishes and vessels, some of them
painted, probably of Chinese origin; striped bracelets, of a soft, gypseous, copper-red rock,
gleaming as if they were varnished; small copper knives, but no iron utensils; and several broad
flat stones bored through the middle; besides a wedge of petrified wood, embedded in a cleft
branch of a tree."

During the occupation of their country by the United States, the Philippine Legislature greatly
expanded the network of railroads throughout the island of Luzon, and a railway headed to the
city of Legazpi, Albay and Naga, Camarines Sur was built through Libmanan to provide direct
access to those cities; this railway was damaged severely during World War II, but partially
restored using American funds thereafter, providing transportation service down the Bicol
Peninsula off and on until ending in 2012 despite plans to rehabilitate the route. The historical
Morales Ruins Art Deco masterpiece at the heart of the heritage town was built in 1937.

Even during the time of the Spaniards, the town of Libmanan was already considered the "rice
basket" of the province. This generous production of rice is attributed to the fertile soil and the
town's abundant water supply. In 1991 the area's irrigation canals (shared with its northern
neighbor Cabusao, Camarines Sur) were sufficient to water 2996 hectares of land during the dry
season.
Important Dates & Events

The first name of town was "Piglabanan".

March 18, 1484: Invasion of the Moros; those who killed were buried beside the Present
Church.
February 1572: Construction of the First Church.
September 15, 1574: Changing the town name from Piglabanan to Libmanan by fray Bartolome
Cabello.
1586-1589: Construction of the Second Church of Libmanan.
1732: Start of the first town government of Libmanan.
1838: Construction of Catholic Cemetery In Brgy. Puro Batia.
1903: Founding of the first public schools.
1915: Construction of the municipal cemetery In Brgy. Puro Batia.
1921: Construction of the Rizal Monument.
1927: Passing of the MRR Co. in Libmanan.
1929: Construction of MRR Co. (Philippine National Railways) Bridge.
1930-31: Installation of the water system.
1933: Construction of first and second market pavilion.
1939-40: Construction of a concrete municipal hall under Mayor Francisco Frondozo.
1941: Construction of the post office under Mayor Teodoro Dilanco
March 3, 1951: Naming of Brgy. Bagumbayan by Municipal Council.
1954-57: Construction of the municipal irrigation system.
1955: Renaming the streets of the Poblacion and improvement of the Town
Plaza.
1956: Construction of the 30-Door Market.
May 1957: Dredging of the Libmanan River
1957: Construction of a two-story building for the private Central School and also
a public toilet.
March 1961: Construction of the concrete Easter tower under Mayor Amadeo
Castaneda.
1978: Construction of the Bulaong Bridge.
1993: Construction of the Libmanan Town Arc in Brgy. Potot.