HISTORY OF MAGSINGAL

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAGSINGAL

•  Year Founded. The town of Magsingal was founded in the year 1676 under orders of Captain Juan de Salcedo of the Spanish Army.

The Spanish colonizers under the leadership of Captain Juan de Salcedo encountered a place which was called Malungon, a place situated southwest and about one kilometer away from the present poblacion. This place is presently a place where rice, virginia tobacco and garlic thrive with satisfaction in this municipality. This place was then under the rule of a woman ruler by the name Palungo Galcia (Garcia). This woman ruler was sturdy and with an exceptional strength. These Spanish colonizers brought with them several bells to be distributed to municipalities to be founded by them, one of which was a big bell to be allotted to the town of Magsingal. Upon arriving at Malungon, they offered this bell to the ruler Palungo Galcia, but this ruler flatly denied the offer to accept the big bell, and instead, she pointed to a place and simultaneously said, “MAYISINGAL”, or (Mayalis Sadiay), meaning, “Let it be transferred there.” This place pointed by Palungo Galcia is the present site of the town’s belfry which was then under the rule of her twin brothers Palungo Andoliguis (AndorIguis) and Palungo Tholentino (Tolentino). Since then, the Spaniards wrote and pronounced the name of this town as MAGSINGAL, a contraction of the word “MAYISINGAL”, or “MAYALIS SADIAY”.