Bridging the Gap
Tibiao: The town that came from 'Tigbao'
Tibiao is one of the eighteen municipalities comprising the Province of Antique. It is located in the northern section of the Province and is about seventy-five kilometers north of the capital town of San Jose de Buenavista. Its neighboring towns are Barbaza and Culasi. It is composed of twenty barangays and the inhabitants are known as "Tibiaonons."
One popular legend regarding the origin of its name runs something like this: "One time, during the early part of the Spanish colonization of Panay, a group of Spanish soldiers happened to see natives in the field. The Spaniards asked the latter what the name of the place was while pointing to the vast area of land covered with tall reeds, locally known as tigbao. The natives did not understand the question and they thought that the strangers were asking for the name of the tall reeds and quickly answered tigbao. From that time on, the Spaniards called the place Tigbao and, in the passing of time its sound changed to Tibiao.
When the Spaniards occupied the Province of Antique and started to convert the natives to Christianity, the inhabitants resisted. However, the resistance was crushed by the colonizers and Tibiao was established as a "visita" of Barbaza. In 1849, Tibiao became a parish and was declared as a town in 1850 (Raymundo 2007). During the revolution against the Spaniards, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente was established in the town which today has still a good number of adherents in the area.
The Americans came to Antique in late 1899 when the Spaniards had almost been driven out by the native troops of Gen. Leandro Fullon. Tibiao was readily put under military rule. There was resistance in the form of guerilla activities at first but, as the months passed, the people began to collaborate and lived peacefully under the American administration. The new colonial masters improved the town through infrastructure and transportation development. Schools were also established to teach English and American culture.
In the middle part of 1942, the Japanese reached Tibiao. The Tibiaonons resisted and resorted to guerilla warfare against the enemies. Repressive and brutal pacification measures were applied by the Japanese and the people fled to the mountains. But, when the situation became safe, the people slowly returned home and lived under the laws and regulations of the Japanese Imperial Army. When the American liberation forces came in 1945, the Japanese soldiers were finally driven out of Tibiao.
After the war, Tibiao like the rest of the Philippines, faced problems of poverty and famine. Slowly, however, Tibiao was able to regain its footing. Business establishments sprouted, livelihood projects were initiated, local industries like piña weaving and dog-shark liver oil processing developed, and even a locally-owned bakery started opening branches outside of the town. The tourism industry has also taken off in the locality through its river resource that offers thrill to visitors and kayaking enthusiasts. There is also a Polytechnic College that serves the interests of its high school graduates and a facility for a modern system of communication. Indeed, Tibiao has gone a long way from the time when it was still known as Tigbao.
(Note: The writer was in Tibiao, Antique during the last week of January 2008.)