HISTORICAL ARGAO

Brief history of the town. The town of Argao is considered as one of the oldest towns in the province of Cebu, having been founded by the Spaniards and established as a pueblo in the year 1608. But prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, what was then Argao was composed of several families that lived mainly by fishing and farming, as many still do today. According to stories passed on from generation to generation, the name of the town was derived from an abundantly-growing plant in the area, known locally as “Sali-argaw”. The story of Argao’s name is very much like many other localities in the Philippines that derived their names from popular flora or fauna found in the area. As the story goes, a delegation of Spanish officials came to the town and asked a villager, some say a fisherman, what the name of the town was. Obviously, not comprehending the foreign tongue, the man presumed that the Spaniard was referring to the “Sali-argaw” plants in the area, as the Spaniards were waving their arms to mean the entire place. With this, the fisherman simply said “Sali-argaw”, and from that moment on the Spaniards christened the area as el pueblo de Argao.

Extant records pertaining to the establishment of Argao as a town go only as far as the middle eighteenth century, when the Augustinians started building the church in Argao, later named after St. Michael the Archangel. Indeed, prior to 1730, there have been no more written records that have survived to this day that can pinpoint to the 1608 founding of the town

According to church records, the church of Argao was founded on October 16, 1733. Another source says that Argao began as an encomienda and that the Argao parish was founded on May 17, 1734. It places Ignacio Olalde, OSA, as its first parish priest. The church tower or belfry was built upon the orders of Bishop Santos Gomez de Marañon (Bishop of Cebu 1829 - 1840).

Because Argao was opened as a commercial port in the last portion of the 19th century and because of the establishment by Philippine Railway Co. of a train system from the city to Argao in the South and Danao in the North, mainly for the transport of coal to the city, the population of Argao during the time of Mayor Antonio Miñoza (1914-1917) surged to about 61,000. But when he was appointed as Deputy Governor of Sulu and Mindanao under Governor Guingona of the Bureau of Non-Christians, he encouraged the Argawanons to migrate to Cotabato and Davao. Enticed by the promise of owning vast fertile lands, thousands went to Mindanao, causing the population to drop more than half and leaving many houses vacant. The first town executive during the American regime was Capitan Juan Lucero. The first president was Alejandro Ruiz

One of the best things to do when you are in Argao is to take a tour around the old pueblo. The main poblacion of Argao remains one of the reminders of Spanish influence in Cebu. Although many of the houses in the main pueblo are already post-World War II structures, some can still boast of having been built during the last century of Spanish rule, and there is one remaining 18th century house that is called by people in the town as the “balay na tisa”, aptly named so because of its clay roof. The old municipal building is also made of the same structure as this old house, and indeed this structure is perhaps one of the remaining old municipal buildings in the province of Cebu. The following buildings and structures are places one can visit if doing a tour around the pueblo:

San Miguel Archangel Parish Church and Convent. Argao became a parish in 1703, which prompted the construction of a beautiful rococo-baroque church structure in 1734 and was completed in 1788. A good number of religious artifacts have remained in the church. Dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, there are more than 20 figures of angels sculpted on its brass-studded portals. The altar (retablo) of the church is still the original. The church was renovated for its bicentennial celebration in 1988, and its outer walls were scraped. Despite some renovations and modernizations done to it, the San Miguél Archangel Parish still remains one of the richly furnished churches in the South. There is a convent that was used primarily as a seminary during the mid-1900s. This two-level structure is known to be one of the highly ornate churches in the island. Together with the convent and other older buildings in the area, it is a dominant structure in the town. Very prominent on its flat façade is the articulated carving of the parish patron saint. Oversized urn-like finials standing on a rectangular base on the corner of the church provides a decorative element.

The unique ceiling of the Church. Its church is with unusual ceilings of canvass painted all over with religious motifs. On the ceiling are murals done by two of the best church muralists during that time (early 20th century). The first portion portraying biblical manifestations of angels was done by the famous artist Canuto Avila. The other portion by the altar was done by Reynaldo Francia and depicts the victory of St. Michael over Lucifer and his followers. This can be seen above the altar and is done in tinting color.

The Pipe Organ of Argao. Aside from the unique murals, Argao is also blessed with another treasure that is considered rare throughout the Philippines. The Church of Argao is possessed of one of the remaining 14 Spanish era pipe organs, and is one of the three towns in the whole Cebu province to still have this instrument. The pipe organ of Argao, though today no longer useable, is estimated by many historians to have been built between the 17th to the 19th century. Organs built in this period were of typical Spanish Baroque style except for the ones built during the last part of the 19th century which are Neo Gothic in style. But all of them are constructed in the reliable Mechanical Action, also known as the Tracker Action. It is a great possibility that Argawanons took a great part in building their pipe organ along with Spanish or Mexican Organ-builders. According to the study done by Mr. Hans Gerd Klais of Johannes Klais Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany, who published his research in one of the volumes of Acta Organologica, as late as 1977 the organ was still in good condition. Professional organ makers describe Argao’s organ as having “windchests constructed from a massive solid wood. Channels were patiently carved out of the massive Narra wood. There are two windchest blocks connected by lead tubes to accommodate all the stops. It has some similarities with the casework of the pipe organ of San Agustin in Manila. Three round towers with the biggest in the middle. Three towers are separated with flat field of pipes. Also, it has white naturals and black sharps of ebony wood and toe pedals, and has a wedge bellow with 4 folds supplied by a 1 fold wedge pump bellow.” Unfortunately, no records in the church exist to show who played the organ, though according to some residents, after the 2nd World War Mr. Juan Calledo played the instrument and a certain Noy Ino was tasked to pump the organ. Further research with shed more light to the matter.

The Argao Museum. Through the initiative of one of Argao’s most loved residents, Monsignor Elias Matarlo, the Argao Museum was constructed in 1999 in order to house what was left of the church’s priceless antiques, and also to showcase the religious artifacts and icons of families who have decided to let the museum safe-guard their family heirlooms. Inside the museum one can see old and elaborate vestments worn by Spanish friars, beautiful and antique religious icons, many of which were imported from Spain, hand written musical notes that were used during the Spanish era, and many more.

The Bantay Hari. In order to keep away foreign invaders from having the opportunity of a surprise attack, and in order to ensure the peace and quiet of the town, several watchtowers were built strategically around the church perimeters and near Lawis, Looc. Guards were assigned here to keep watch day and night. These structures were build primarily to defend the church complex. The one with the circular plan, and as its ruins today show, utilized river stones set in mortar.

Church Plaza, The Site of the Former Palacio, Morgue/Chapel. Late in the afternoon, it would always be best to sit on one of the benches distributed around the plaza and enjoy a beautiful sunset. Visible also in this area is the former “Palacio”, the temporary residence of church dignitaries from Manila or Cebu City who came to Argao to visit. Also, sadly located at the back of the Kintanar Memorial Hospital, is the Church morgue, a very old structure that was build around the early 1800’s. Its primary purpose was as a half-way house for the dead from the far-flung areas of Argao: whenever a family arrives in the poblacion way before sunrise, the morgue served as a temporary resting place for the cadaver before it was eventually placed inside the church for its final rites. Later on, it served as an autopsy area for those who died tragically during the early American regime.