Batuan, Philippines

History

The history of the Municipality of Batuan can be traced back to the early part of the 18th century. The place was occupied by natives who engaged in trade with the Spanish colonizers. It is accessible for trading galleons because of the good bay, which provides a safe harbor for vessels. The place was originally known as Zaragosa, which was later changed to Lorcha, both patterned after the names of trading vessels of the Spaniards. In a misunderstanding that ensued, the natives decided to do away with everything Spanish, including the place's name.

Sometime in the Year 1887, a group of fishermen from neighboring areas docked on its shores due to bad weather conditions. Incidentally, while these fishermen were preparing food, they chanced upon a tree that bore an exuberant fruit and tasted sweet and sour. They later on discovered that this tree species grows abundantly locally known as “Batwan” tree. While they gathered fruit from this local tree species, a native armed with a bolo shouted at them and approached angrily, angry of their taking such precious “Batwan” fruit. Ever since, the place has been known as “Batuan” after the “Batwan” trees that grew in abundance therein.

From the History section of Batuan, Masbate on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.