MUNICIPALITY OF BUENAVISTA, Historical Data of

[This portion of the page is torn in the original file and cannot be transcribed.]

[SGD.] BENITO K RIVERA
Elem. School Principal

JOSE M. CANTOS
District Supervisor

The data found in this HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPT is the result of the inquiries exerted by the teachers concerned from old persons who lived and knew the places where they lived. The data as found in this book is not authentic because the same was not obtained from any written document or history, but the data was obtained from old persons who knew how the barrios existed.

The teaching force of the Buenavista Elementary School, Buenavista, Quezon is greatly indebted to the old persons who, in some way or another, have contributed to the compiling of the historical data as found in this manuscript.

10. Buenavista
11. De la Paz
12. General Vera
13. Ibabang Wasay
14. Ilayang Wasay
15. Lilikuin
16. San Vicente
17. Sian

Note: There are only 16 barrios in the Municipality of Buenavista, Quezon up to this writing.

BUENAVISTA, QUEZON

I. HISTORY AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE TOWN
Part I - History

Buenavista is the present official name of the town. It originated as a mere hamlet of Guinayangan, Quezon and remained as such for quite a number of years. Its former name was Peri according to the oldest church bell, which was donated by one Don Jose Casal in the year 1866. It was located in the sitio of Pinagbayanan on the western side of the Piris River, about one and a half kilometers from the present site. That place was selected by the founders, who were a mixture of Bicolanos and Visayans, for the purpose of getting away from the ferocious Moro raids that were rampant during the olden times. When the raids subsided, the barrio of Peri was removed to its present location, but nobody could tell the exact date of its establishment. The word Peri was changed to PIRIS, a forehead wrinkle pronouncing word which, for pronunciation facility, was changed to PERIS by the young generation.

The persons who are still remembered to have held leading positions were Apolinario Yakaba, Florentin Nepomuceno, Feliciano Roldan, as tenientes absolutos who held the same office in succession up to the commencement of the American time.

Pedro Aristotiles, a Bicolano, who became totally blind after having obtained enough education, and another man from Batangas, who is still remembered by the name of Señor Viscocho, were the distinct maestros municipales until the early part of the American regime.

No historical sites, structures, buildings, and old ruins are left except the remaining parts of the posts of the so-called tribunal building, which was burned by the Spanish soldiers.

During the Spanish occupation, some unknown bandits raided the town of Ragay, Camarines Sur at the eastern side of the Ragay Gulf. The robbers were said to have sailed to the barrio of Peris, which resulted in the arrest of many male residents of the barrio. The suspects were brought to the town of Tayabas, then the provincial capital of Tayabas Province, where they were imprisoned for several years.

In the year 1918, an ex-Spanish soldier by the name of Guillermo Gonzales, who was once the collector of tributes during the Spanish regime, came to Piris with an American surveyor known as Mr. Walter Solomon, and had a great portion of both the public and private lands of the barrio surveyed. The ex-soldier alleged that various cabezas of Piris were not able to settle the tributes under their respective responsibilities. A great agrarian trouble arose. The innocent landowners were in utter askance of the matter, but the survey party could not be stopped in its work in spite of the efforts exerted by the proprietors. The case was brought to the court and remained unsettled for a period of fourteen years. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled that the plaintiff deserved the parcels of land which were not claimed by the respective owners, and those that were claimed rightfully were turned over to the claimants.

In the month of October 1936, some civic-minded natives launched the proposition of making the place a municipality. The residents signed a petition for the separation of Piris from the mother municipality. A commission of seven members was formed and extended a delegation to the office of the Secretary of the Interior. The commission was composed of the late Don Feliciano Roldan, Mariano San Jose, Honorio Hutamares, Teodorico Dosto, Ciriaco Parraba, Atty. Antonio R. Pasta, and Francisco O. San Jose. The advent of the Second Global War marked

the failure of the offices concerned to convert the place into a regular municipality in spite of the preparedness of the pertinent papers.

The popular songs were the "kundiman," games were sipa, sitio, and tubigan. The amusements constituted the celebration of religious ceremonies such as the "Santa Kurusan," San Isidro, in which occasions a dancing party followed. The so-called "Kumintan," awitan, and harizon used to be had in the crowd. During funeral nights, boys and girls exchange puzzles and riddles in dialect [more correctly, "native language"]. The following are some of them:

Bugton kalibugtong, nasangay walang dahon. - Sungay ng usa.

Kung totoo't ikaw ay pantas, marunong ka ng sulat; alin ang nakalilipad na wala namang pakpak? = Hangin.

Nakaupo si maitim, sinusulot ni mapula. - Palayok.

Dahong pinda-pinda, magsing-lapad silang dalaw. - Langit at lupa.

Dalawang bombong, palusong. - Ilong.

Dalawang Kastila, sinalubong ng limang Visaya, inihampas sa lupa. - Sipon at limang daliri.

Nagtago si Pedro, labas ang ulo. - Pako.

Tapis ni Ina, hindi mabasa. - Dahon ng gabi.

Buhok ng hari, hindi mahawi. - Tubig.

Pamigkis ng hari, hindi maitali. - Ahas

Historical Data of the Municipality of Buenavista, Province of Quezon, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections.