The leaders of Santander, Cebu
Santander is the southernmost end municipality of the Province of Cebu. It used to be called as Tanong because it is located on the seashores of Tañon Strait.
It was later renamed by the first parish priest assigned on the town. It was because the priest comes from the Province of Santander in Spain.
The patron saint of the town is St. Gabriel Archangel which holds its fiesta every April 21. The patron was installed on April 21, 1898. During the Spanish occupation recorded as its Capitanes were: Andalecio Ondangan, Toribio Bureros, Crisanto Hugo, Juan Abiera, Laurencio Luzano, Gregorio Miral, Anselmo Buscato, Sebastian Laurente, Pio Culanag, and Nicomedes Bureros.
When Spain sold the Philippines to the United States on December 10, 1898 via the document called the "Treaty of Paris,"the latter replaced the Spaniards as our colonizers. When they came to Cebu, they changed the title of the Chief Executives called then as Capitan into Presidents.
The following had the glorious opportunity of having the title as Municipal Presidents of Santander: Macario Culanag, Pedro Vasaya, Maximo Bureros, and Gil Miral.
The title of Municipal President was later changed to Mayor. The following became Mayors of Santander: Celestino Bureros, Onesimo Buscato, Apolinar Luzano, Patricio Ipil, Francisco Vasaya and Jesus D. Filipinas (became a lawyer on March 30, 1954).
In 1964, the following were the officials of Santander, Cebu: Francisco Vasaya, Mayor, Marcos Luzano, Pedro Bureros, Municipal Secretary, Celerino V. Homecillo (he was from Samboan, Cebu and became a lawyer on January 25, 1952), Teofilo Mirasol as Treasurer, and Ignacio Ventic as Chief of Police.
The Members of the Municipal Council were: Reynaria V. Audiencia, Modesto Abiera, Vicente Miral, Ramon M. Rucas, Antonio Tan and Gerardo Frejoles.
Mayor Francisco Vasaya was the Vice Mayor of Patricio Ipil and succeeded the latter. Mayor Vasaya was the child of Geronimo Vasaya and Marcelino Frejoles. A brother of Francisco by the name of Eustacio married Iniega Lomotos. Francisco served Santander until 1969.
Don Sergio Suico Osmeña who became President of the Philippines as he succeeded Manuel Quezon who died abroad appointed Vicente Orbeta in an "appointment ad interim" on February 20, 1946 as Justice of the Peace of Santander and Malabuyoc. Then on May 20, 1948 Fermin Laborte (who became a lawyer on December 23, 1937) was nominated as Justice of the Peace for the towns of Santander, Oslob, and Boljoon.
The Abines clan held the town for years. Crisologo A. Abines was Mayor for several terms, later elected as Congressman. A son by the name of James Arnold Abines also served as town mayor, who was later defeated in 2001 by Wilson S. Wenceslao.
In the May 9, 2016 election Marilyn S. Wenceslao (mother of Mayor Wilson) was elected Mayor while Wilson S. Wenceslao was reelected as Vice Mayor of Santander, Cebu.
Santander, Cebu used to be part of what was called then as "5th District of Cebu," from 1907 to 1972 which was composed of Oslob, Boljoon, Samboan, Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, Alegria, Badian, Moalboal, and Alcantara.
Presently it is part of the 2nd District of Cebu.
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