The old congressional districts of Bohol
(Part 5)
In the 1700s, the island of Bohol was part of the Diocese of Cebu. The proximity of the island of Cebu to Bohol resulted in migration and inter-marriages between the two places. Majority of Cebuanos and Boholanos are interrelated by affinity or blood, the result of this is that their politics and religious practices share common roots.
Old 2nd District of Bohol (1907-1972)
Composed of the towns of Alburquerque, Batuan, Bilar, Carmen, Dimiao, Inabanga, Loay, Loboc, Sevilla, Tubigon, Lila, Sikatuna, Clarin, Sagbayan, and Catigbian.
The Municipality of Clarin was created by virtue of General Order No. 3 issued by the American governor general Charles Yeater on January 31, 1919. Primarily it was the barrio of Can-ogon and four other barrios that separated from Tubigon to form a new town. It is named after Anecito Velez Clarin, the first civilian governor of Bohol who traced his roots to the Old Parian District of Cebu City.
The Municipality of Sikatuna was the creation of Governor General Francis Burton Harrison via Executive Order No. 86 issued on December 5, 1917, but he mandated that its organization be made effective on January 1, 1918. It was the inhabitants of the barrios of Cornago, Abucay, Libjo, Canagong, and Cambuac of the town of Alburquerque and the barrios of Badiang and Bahay-bahay of the municipality of Balilihan that petitioned that they be separated from their respective municipalities and organized into an independent municipality.
The petition was then granted with the following barrios to compose the town named as Sikatuna. The seat of the municipal government was the barrio of Cornago. It was lawyer Nilo Ahat (admitted to the Bar on May 9, 1997), a resident of the town, who made a study of the towns history and tremendously helped in the town’s centennial celebration in 2018. Present during the inauguration of the town in 1918 were Cebuano leaders, Senate President Mariano Jesus Cuenco (grandfather of the veteran congressman, lawyer Antonio Veloso Cuenco) and Senator Filemon Yap Sotto (granduncle of Senate President Vicente “Tito” Castelo Sotto III). Today, Sikatuna prides in its new tourist attraction, the “Mirrors of the World and Botanical Garden”. Elected as mayor in 2016 was Jose Ellorimo Jr. (To be continued)
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