About Bato, Leyte

Photo : Courtesy of Gj Saludo (S4E-Inc)

Originally, the municipality of Bato, located on the southern part of the province of Leyte, was a point site bounded by the municipalities of Hilongos and Matalom, barely 7 kilometers from Hilongos on the northern part and 5.5 kilometers on the south to Matalom. The site was transferred to its present location, Barangay Margin was named Daanlungsod, meaning the OLD TOWN.

How the municipality got its present name BATO which means stone in the local dialect is a tradition by  which the inhabitants themselves did not mean to baptize such name. Actually the soil condition of the site is not stony.

During the early part of the 18th century, Barangay Margin, was under the administration of the Parish Priest of Matalom Rev. Fr. Diaz and every Sunday of the week, the said priest hold mass in said barangay. one time a great flood due to a typhoon totally washed out the houses of the inhabitants.

After the flood, the priest convened a meeting with all the inhabitants and unanimously agreed to transfer the site of the barangay. accordingly the priest told the people that the place will be known later as soon as he will be able to select the site where stones will be filed for the church building.

The priest caused the filing of stones on the site where the old church is located and now used as the site of Bato Academy, a private high school.

The inhabitants, having been told by the priest that stones were already filed up for the church building and in their eagerness to locate the place, visited the said site in groups and during there search sojourn when they were inquired where they are bound for, they proudly answered from Bato, hence traditionally the town beget its present name BATO.

In the year 1930, the civil government of Bato was regularly established. The chronological data shows the town's executive heads in the records, viz:

1903 to 1910 Tan Aquin or Joaquin Flordelis - Cabesa de Barangay

1911 to 1912 Capitan Adrian Solante - Presidente Municipal

1912 to 1931 Capitan Blas Garzon - Presidente Municipal

1914 to 1916 Capitan Pablo Bibera - Presidente Municipal

1919 to 1927 Sr. Marcelo Kuizon - Presidente Municipal,

1928 to 1931 Mr. Pedro Kuizon - Presidente Municipal

1932 to 1935 Mr. Marcelo Kuizon - Presidente Municipal

1935 to 1937 Atty. Aniano M. Kuizon - Municipal Mayor

1941 to 1942 Atty. Aniano M. Kuizon - Municipal Mayor

1944 to 1945 Mr. Anselmo Kuizon - Municipal Mayor

1946 to 1951 Mr. Manuel Sanoria - Municipal Mayor

1961 to 1967 Mr Saturnino S. Aguilar - Municipal Mayor

1968 to 1986 Mrs. Justina K. Rosal - Municipal Mayor

1986 to 1988 Mr. Ernesto M. Montejo - Municipal Mayor (OIC)

1989 to 1992 Mr. Ernesto M. Montejo - Municipal Mayor

1992 to 2001 Mr. Benedicto E. Kuizon - Municipal Mayor

2001 to date Mr. Luis E. Kuizon - Municipal Mayor

Reference :http://elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/bato