The town leaders of Dumanjug, Cebu

Dumanjug town, Cebu was named after one of the three brothers who settled there, namely: Binonga, Dumanjug, and Yongyong. Originally the place was called "Kang Dumanjug," referring to the place where Dumanjug settled.

The acknowledged founder of Dumanjug was Pedro Ricamora and Fr. Agustin Melgar representing the Catholic Church. It was the ascendant of the Jakosalem clan that became the first capitan of Dumanjug. His name was Juan Jakosalem.

Juan was succeeded by Januario Canete, Isidro Quirante, Bartolome Zulueta, Agustin Pasculado, Herminigildo Lanojan, Guillermo Nemil, Mariano Patlingrao, Domingo Albino, Amadeo Patlingrao, Pedro Zozobrado, Zenon Alpuerto, Juan Melgar, Lorenzo Corro, Alfonso Jakosalem, and Januario Vegas. The first parish priest of the town was Fr. Matias Godinez.

The chief of the army of KKK Cebu, General Arcadio Molero Maxilom, appointed Pedro Noel as presidente of Dumanjug, Cebu when Cebu declared independence and ousted the Spanish authorities occupying Cebu and held office at the Fort San Pedro in 1898.

The history of Dumanjug and other towns and cities of Cebu is chronicled in the book written by lawyer and historian Gervasio Lira Lavilles and published in 1965.

When the Americans came to Cebu in 1899, the following became the presidents of Dumanjug: Domingo Albino, Fortunato Ricamora, Fabio Deltran, Diosdado Melgar, Eladio Alpuerto, Basilio Serna, Mariano Canete, Esteban Zozobrado, and Vicente Lozada.

When the title of the town chief executives was changed to mayor the following had the distinction of having the title: Pacifico Alpuerto, Jose Macoy, Atty. Jose Amadora and Guntrano Gica (a son, Edgar became a lawyer on March 23, 1970).

The famous son of Dumanjug is Dionisio Jakosalem who became a lawyer on March 27, 1907. Dionisio became governor of Cebu in 1906 to replace Don Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr., the governor of Cebu at that time who ran and was elected assemblyman and chosen by the first national assembly as the First Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Don Dionisio was the son of spouses Alfonso Jakosalem and Apolonia Abella both of Dumanjug, Cebu. When the term of Dionisio as governor of Cebu ended on October of 1912, he was later appointed as provincial fiscal of Cebu. Don Dionisio is the first Filipino to be appointed in the Cabinet by the Americans. It was Governor General Francis Burton Harrison who appointed Jakosalem as the Secretary of Commerce and Communication on January 11, 1917.

Jakosalem after retiring from politics became Dean of the College of Law of the Visayan Institute, now University of the Visayas, founded by his friend Don Vicente Gullas.

It was not only Dionisio Jakosalem of Dumanjug who became a lawyer -- many of its sons became members of the legal community. Among the many were (many of them are descendants of mayors of Dumanjug): Florencio L. Albino (admitted to the Bar on March 29, 1947), Delfin Mercader (November 4, 1946), Alfredo Moises V. Konahap ( August 23, 1946), Nicasio S. Macoy (June 15, 1954), Brunito L. Albino (February 4, 1952), Domingo Zozobrado (January 25, 1942), Romeo A. Amadora (March 9, 1964), Melecio L. Amadora (March 9, 1964), Rogelio J. Jakosalem (March 9, 1964), and Valentin A. Zozobrado (March 16, 1965).

In the 1990's the following became lawyers: Rico Rey Francis Sanchez Holganza, a graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University, became a lawyer on June 5, 1992 is also from Dumanjug. He served Cebu City when he was elected Number 1 councilor in 1992. He is now connected with the Bureau of Customs (he used to head the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service). There is also Socrates Clifford Q. Cabonilas who became a lawyer on April 11, 1996 and who used to be one of the legal counsels of VECO or the Visayan Electric Company.

 A lawyer son of Dumanjug served Cebu as a public defender of the Public Attorney's Office or PAO. His name is Mel Abner G. Amadora, who became a lawyer on March 4, 2000.