History and Timeline

History and Timeline:

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. However, missionary works started in 1589 wherein which 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 Pasqual de la 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.

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.