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Political and Cultural History
Sindangan is one of the pioneering
municipalities of the province of Zamboanga del Norte. What
Sindangan is today, speaks well of the dedicated efforts and
timeless legacies of the past administration. Formerly an
isolated barrio of the municipality of Katipunan, not connected
with road, it stands today as the No. 1 revenue producing
municipality of the province. Its corporate life started on
December 22, 1936 by virtue of Executive Order No. 97, signed by
then President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Manuel L.
Quezon.
The 61 years existence of this
municipality has been reared and nurtured by only ten (10) chief
executives. Listed hereunder are the following mayors with their
respective terms of office:
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1. Bartolome Lira, Sr. |
(Appointed) |
1936 – 1941 |
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2. Emilio Ortouste
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(Elected) |
1942 – 1945 |
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3. Joaquin Macias
|
(Elected) |
1946 – 1953 |
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4. Abundio Siasico |
(Elected) |
1954 – 1957 |
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5. Joaquin Macias |
(Elected) |
1958 – 1963 |
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6 . Filomena
Macias |
(Elected) |
1964 –
1967 |
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7. Jose
Tan |
(Elected) |
1968 –
1971 |
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8.
Mariano S. Macias |
(Elected) |
1972 -
1979 |
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9.
Ricardo S. Macias |
(Elected) |
1980 -
1985 |
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10.Crescente Y. Llorente, Jr. |
(Appointed) |
1986 -
1987 |
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11.
Crescente Y. Llorente, Jr. |
(Elected) |
1988 -
1991 |
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12.
Crescente Y. Llorente, Jr. |
(Re-elected) |
1992 -
1995 |
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13.
Winnie O. Albos |
(Elected) |
1995 -
1998 |
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14 .
Winnie O. Albos |
(Elected) |
1998
–present |
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Several stories have been told, as to
how Sindangan got its name. The first version narrates that a
native fishermen carrying a basketful of fish on his way home was
met by a Guardia Civil who asked this question, “Que es el
nombre de este lugar, amigo?”. The fisherman who did not
understand the spanish language then answered “Indangan”,
believing that he was asked for the kind of fish he has caught.
The stranger heard this as “Sindangan”, the intended name for the
place. This was revealed to the other Spaniards and called the
place ever since as Sindangan. From then on, the natives used the
name Sindangan until at present. The second version is a story
between the Spaniards and a group of visayan farmers. As the
Spaniards were walking within the vicinity, some blooming plants
attracted them. They asked the group of farmers in Spanish
whether or not there were pests attacking the plants. With their
little knowledge of the language, the farmers simply answered,
“Sin” meaning no and “Dangan”, meaning pests. The two words were
combined to form Sindangan, which literally means, a place with no
pest.
Ethnic Origin
The natives that originally settled
along the banks of Sindangan Bay belong to the subanen tribe.
Just a mile across the river towards the North, an army camp was
established and this led to the migration of farmers from the
Visayas and Luzon in response to the call that Mindanao is the
“Land of Promise”. The natives then continued to move further and
higher into the hills and mountains, thereby leaving the plains
and lowlands to the more civilized farmers from the north. Today,
the cultural heritage of the Subanen people are being pioneered
and developed thru the Office of the Southern Cultural Council.
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