Alimodian Firsts: Sr. Ma. Clemencia

Sr. Ma. Clemencia

First Nun of Alimodian

        On September 17, 1908, a daughter was born to the couple Jose Alingasa and Encarnacion Algallar of this town. The couple named her Constancia.

       The Alingasa’s being quite a religious family, Constancia and her three younger sisters were sent to the Assumption Convent in 1929 with the help of the local parish priest, Rev. Fr. Mariano Perez. In 1933, she took her vows of poverty and chastity and chose the name Sr. Ma. Clemencia. In that year, she went to Europe for her novitiate at Val Notre Dame in Belgium. After her novitiate, she went to Mons, one of the houses of Order of the Religious of Assumption in Belgium. She has also served in the houses of their order in Madrid, Spain, Canary Island and Miami, Florida. She celebrated her Golden Jubilee on July 2, 1983.
      She came home to the Philippines in 1978. She served in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States for the remaining years of her life. She died on June 3, 2013 at a hospice home in Lansdale, Pennsylvania at the age of 104. 


Source:

http://assumptionsisters.org/130604Clemobit

Alimodian Firsts: Fr. Valente Alpane Alegro

Rev. Fr. Valente Alpane Alegro

First Parish Priest

           In the spiritual world we have our first parish priest in the person of Rev. Fr. Valente Alpane Alegro, who was ordained on March 11, 1928 in the chapel of the Carmelite Convent by Msgr. D.D. Jaime P. McCloskey, Bishop of Jaro.
        He celebrated his first mass in the Alimodian Parish Church on March 15, 1928.
       Rev. Fr. Valente Alpane Alegro was ordained parish priest in the chapel of the Carmelite Convent in Jaro on March 11, 1928 by Msgr. D.D. Jaime P. McCloskey, Bishop of Jaro.

Alimodian Firsts: Msgr. Ireneo Amantillo

Msgr. Ireneo Amantillo

First Bishop of Alimodian

                   Alimodian is doubly proud to present Msgr. Ireneo Amantillo, first bishop of Alimodian. He is the son of Eustaquio Amantillo and Soledad Alisla of Plaza Libertad. Bishop Amantillo obtained his elementary and secondary education in this town. He is an alumnus of the Alimodian High School, Class 1953.
            He joined the Redemptorist congregation on July 2, 1957 in Cebu City. He took his philosophy and theology courses in Mt. St. Alphonsus, Bangalore 5, Mysore, India from 1957 to 1962. He was ordained to priesthood on December 16, 1962 at St. Alphonsus Seminary, Cebu City.
           After his ordination he was assigned to missionary work in Iloilo, Antique, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Lanao del Sur, and Norte, Misamis Occidental and Oriental, Zamboanga del Sur, Bukidnon and South Cotabato in 1963 to 1975.
           He was Rector of Redemptorist Community, Iligan in 1967 to 1972; Vice Rector of Redemptorist Community, Bacolod in 1973 to 1975; Novice Master, Redemptorist Novitiate, Lipa City in 1975 to 1976; Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Archbishop Patrick Cronin, SSC, D.D., Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro on January 10, 1976.
           Msgr. Amantillo was appointed first bishop of Tandag by Pope John Paul I on September 12, 1978. Up to the present, Msgr. Amantillo is the bishop of Tandag, Surigao.

Alimodian Firsts Introduction

Introduction

         Alimodian is truly proud to clarion to the whole world her sons and daughters who were pioneers in their respective fields of endeavor. They paved the way for their younger brothers and sisters to follow the imprint of their footsteps in the sand of time. These Alimodian “Firsts” deserve mention in the history of our town.

Mayor Salvador Altura Administration

Alimodian Municipal Officials 1980 - 1986
     

        If history has to record the events of the immediate present, the administration of Mayor Salvador Altura as the incumbent head of the town is phenomenal in several aspects.

The Years Before the Mayoralty
      How Salvador Algabre Altura became the sixth head of the Municipality of Alimodian after the war is quite a history in itself that is deserving of a passing look back.
       In the annals of history of a society, or a small town like Alimodian, there comes a time when a person is born, prepared and obsessed to serve the town’s people through the intriguing and delicate field of politics. And this obsession was made manifest not immediately by the magnitude of his town-oriented accomplishments, but primarily with the struggle, the petty successes and the discouraging failures, he had to experience before he is finally given that opportunity to display the altruism he purports and preaches to practice.
       Salvador Altura had not a less arduous path to the coveted title of the Town Mayor. Handicapped with want of affluence and landlord-influence, he entered the contest in the political arena armed only with an obstinate sincerity and grim determination which, in the intricacy of the modern political scenario, are obviously not sufficient to surmount the advantage of the so-called electoral bread and butter.
       As a neophyte in the field of politics, he was first elected to the Municipal Council of Alimodian in November 1959. He served for the full duration of his term and again in November 1963 as an incumbent official, he was elected for another term as municipal councilor which lasted until 1967.

First Attempt and First Defeat
      Having reaped diverse experience and enough know-how in the conduct of municipal affairs during his stint as a municipal councilor, when the 1967 local elections was called, Salvador Altura stretched his ambition and filed his certificate of candidacy for the office of the municipal mayor. As the forsaken party candidate during the Nacionalista Party pre-election convention, he stubbornly opted to run as an independent Nacionalista candidate with Dr. Alejandro Nery Cruz as his running mate. In that election, running against three other protagonists, Miguel Anas of the Nacionalista Party, Santiago Anam of the Liberal Party, and Manuel Alegrado, an independent candidate, Salvador Altura and his running mate were miserably beaten, ranking third only with Miguel Anas and his running mate Gabriel Alingasa coming out as the clear victors. For Salvador Altura, in his first bid for mayoralty, he suffered his first major political setback.

Second Attempt and Second Defeat
       Maintaining an untainted rapport with his townmates, Salvador Altura’s second attempt at mayoralty came in November 1971 local elections. Joining camps with his erstwhile fellow protagonist Manuel Alegrado, and this time bearing the banner of the Liberal Party, he again ran for the office of the mayor with Mr. Alegrado as his running mate. Again, as if the right time had not yet arrived for either of them, Salvador Altura and Manuel Alegrado were nipped in the elections by the incumbent Mayor Miguel Anas and his running mate Antonio Anibigno. The lack of logistics and political machinery to offset that of their rivals was not even a reason as then they were campaigning against candidates backed by the ruling Nacionalista Party through its powerful patrons.
        That second defeat, however, spelled more than just another political setback in the career of Salvador Altura. Long before he had recovered from the throes of his second consecutive frustrated attempt at mayoralty, Martial Law was declared over the whole Philippines, thereby making the holding of future elections unpredictable and subject to the uncertainty awaiting the country under the new social order. And so suddenly for Salvador Altura, the dream to be a mayor became so distant and seemingly impossible.

1980 Local Elections: Victory for Mayor Altura
        The first local election since the declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972 was held on January 30, 1980. Undaunted by his past defeats and his desire to serve burning as ever, Salvador Altura, against the advice of his kin resolved to attempt the third time to get at that elusive mayoralty. Even his former political non-adherents were persuaded and convinced of his resolve so that even they readily gave him their support and precious subjects.
        He and his party cunning under the Independent Party banner lacked the necessary party support and faced the handicap of having as their protagonist the succession Mayor Antonio Anibigno of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), and Retired Colonel Sergio Alcubilla of the Nacionalista Party. Moreover, because they belonged to an independent and un-accredited political party, they were not afforded the privilege of block-voting (i.e. party voting) which the candidates of the other two camps readily enjoyed as a telling advantage.
        Despite the apparently insurmountable odds, Salvador Altura and his running mate Silverio Amantillo launched their campaign, displaying their charisma and seasoning in the political arena. As he did in his attempts at mayoralty, Salvador Altura decided to visit again all the barangays of the municipality personally, thus reaffirming to the people in the hinterlands his commitment to serve them. The people in turn responded favorably to their appeal. Because the town was eager for a new administration and the communal atmosphere was ripe for the assumption of a man who has not much but a magnanimous obsession to serve his town’s people, Salvador Altura was elected mayor on his third attempt. And as if a fitting reward for all his past political setbacks, he garnered against his closest rival the margin of 1122 votes, the highest ever recorded in the more recent local polls in the town.

The Composition of the Incumbent Sangguniang Bayan
         In the 1980 local elections, elected with Mayor Salvador Altura were his running mate Silverio Amantillo, vice-mayor; Geronimo Balolot (Independent), Cornelio Alejo (KBL), Rene Loredo (KBL), Ernesto Alejado (KBL), Juanita Alinsao (KBL), Angelo S.C. Aninao (Independent), Cirilo Caparanga (KBL), and Emmanuel Adricula (Independent), Sangguniang Bayan members. Later, they were joined in the sanggunian by presidential appointee Encarnacion Anas in April 1980 as the president and representative of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of Alimodian, who in turn was succeeded by Rodolfo Anas in April 1982. By virtue of his appointment by the President of the Philippines and pursuant to his position as the president of the Municipal Federation of the Kabataang Barangay (KB), Salvador Altura Jr. was also inducted member of the Sangguniang Bayan in September 1980. Mr. Cecilio Alli continued to serve as the Secretary of the Sangguniang Bayan.
        Mayor Salvador Altura and his fellow elected town officials were inducted into office by Governor Conrado J. Norada. They assumed office on March 3, 1980 amidst lavish and sentiment-evoking ceremonies at the Alimodian Public Market. The traditional “rigodon de honor” participated in by the cream of the town was performed as the finale.
        Mayor Altura’s administration is characterized by cooperation, politically non-partisan public relations, sincerity, hard work initiative, and a conspicuous compassion for the plight of the poor.

The Sangguniang Bayan and the Local Government
         Complement by cooperative Sangguniang Bayan members, Mayor Altura presides over the august body with an open ear to the manifold suggestions and advice of his confreres. Shedding off the political differences occasioned by the election he maintains a non-partisan attitude towards all the members of the sanggunian, thereby creating a common sense of involvement in the community affairs among them. Through this, various resolutions have been passed that proved beneficial to the community.
         Majority of these resolutions pertains to appropriations for infrastructure projects.
         One of the first projects undertaken by Mayor Altura upon his assumption of office was the lighting of the streets with fluorescent fixtures. Taking into consideration the fact that when Mayor Altura assumed office Alimodian was already considered a critical area by reason of the operations of dissident forces in its mountainous portions, the lighting of the streets reduced the town people’s apprehension in travelling about the poblacion, especially at night time and considerably curbed criminality in the town. The intermittent lack of electric power supply, however, remains an inconvenience that even Mayor Altura himself is not capacitated to resolve.
         During the rainy months of the year, the Aganan River often overflows its banks, thus endangering the lives and property of people residing along its banks, and the pumping station of the source of the local potable water supply. Floods were most frequent and destructive in 1980 so that Mayor Altura was prompted to make negotiations with the Ministry of Public Works and Highways for the deepening and rechanelling of the river course. Because of this, the flow of the current to the eastern portion of the town was considerably reduced kaing it temporarily safe to reside therein. Considering, however, that the course of the river is unpredictable is yet the need to construct a permanent embankment along the river side nearest the poblacion.
         Appropriations from the local treasury have also financed many projects in the poblacion and the barangays.

The 1983 SISA Meet
         The Southern Iloilo Sports Association (SISA), of which Alimodian is one of the component municipalities, had for its 1983 district competitions Alimodian as the venue. The competition was participated in by the different delegations from town members of the association: Oton, Tigbauan, Guimbal, Miagao, San Joaquin, Igbaras, Leon, San Miguel, Alimodian and Iloilo National High School. Because of the big number of delegates that trooped to the town, these delegates were housed in the Alimodian Central School, Alibango Elementary School, and Alimodian National Comprehensive High School, the venue of the athletic games.
         Because of the importance and the responsibility attached to the conduct of this event, the town the local government and the local teaching force, especially, had to make major plans and necessary adjustments.
         The athletic field in the ANCHS compound had to be widened and leveled to meet the standard dimensions. To avoid the almost a million peso cost estimate for this gargantuan task, which, after all, the municipal coffer could not afford to defray, Mayor Altura made arrangements with the FF Cruz and the Company which was then hauling sand and gravel in the Aganan River to avail of the services of its machinery. The project was undertaken under the supervision of Mayor Altura himself and was completed in time for the SISA meet with least expense.
        The athletic field now lies expansively at the slope of the hilly back portion of the ANCHS compound.

The Alimodian Water District
        When Mayor Altura assumed office, one of the dominant problems that fronted the municipality was the fact that the people in the poblacion were not provided with better water supply despite the fact that the local government was spending much for the maintenance of the local water system. People whose houses are far from the water source or else are situated on the higher portions of the poblacion were prone to complain that they were deprived of the beneficial use of the potable water.
         Responding to the clamor of the populace, the local government made a feasibility study on the possibility of improving the local water system.
         The feasibility study led to the holding of a public hearing at the public market wherein, pursuant to a resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan, the townspeople were asked whether they were amenable to the local government’s plan to transfer the management and operation of the local water supply from the local government to the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA). This is a special government agency given charge of the organization of the local water districts.
         The townspeople finally convinced of the benefits offered by and economy of the proposal, voted for the plan so that the Sangguniang Bayan, by virtue of Resolution No. 82 series of 1981, transferred ownership, management and operation of the local water supply to the Alimodian Water District (AWD), which was organized on November 9, 1981 as required by the LWUA procedures. The formal turn-over responsibility was on December 6, 1981.
        The local water supply now being owned and operated by a cooperative composed of the consumer/members themselves, and managed by their own officers, therefore spared the local government from the expensive maintenance of the water system and they are now properly served.
Although it still occasionally asks for minimal financial subsidy from the local government, the Alimodian Water District is now operating as a cooperative endeavor.

The Term of Mayor Antonio Anibigno

Mayor Antonio Anibigno ( Mayor January 10, 1974 – March 3, 1980)



The Energization of Alimodian

         On May 5, 1975 Alimodian was energized by ILECO I with its main office in Tigbauan, Iloilo. Three-hundred and fifty households in the poblacion and 42 in the barangays of Buhay, Bancal, Lanot, Binalud and Balabago, were the first recipients of electrification. At present thousands of households avail of the power from the ILECO.
        The electrification was a boon to the municipality. Since light was available, people could do jobs in the evening which were normally done at daytime. Students could study as long as they want to, not in the flickering glow of the kerosene lamp, but under the blazing light of the fluorescent fixtures.
        As a result of the electrification, the people started buying appliances powered by electricity. Thus, the number of households owning TV sets, refrigerators, cassettes, stereos, bed lamps, and etc. increased considerably, thus affording the people more convenience and recreation. Electrification is a great help to other institutions like the schools, the Municipal Hall, the Aleosan District Hospital and other buildings in the community.
       On January 10, 1974 upon the resignation of Mayor Miguel Anas, Vice Mayor Antonio Anibigno automatically held the reins of the local government. Mayor Anibigno was technically trained in the Iloilo School of Arts and Trades and he was very much interested in pushing through the various projects of the town.

Roads and Bridges
       Since the road in the southern end of Freedom Highway was in danger of being washed away by the floods of the Aganan River, a flood control was constructed there. The same control was made at the end of V. Salarda Street which was also in danger of being destroyed by the flood.
      Mayor Anibigno also had the damaged roads repaired. Aside from this, he had Magallanes and Legaspi Streets made concrete. He also worked for the cementing of the road in the corner of Almacen and Alvior Street and a portion of Magtanong Street.
      He put up the Poblacion-Bulod-Ban-ag farm to market feeder road this lessening the problem of transporting products for sale at the market.
      The Balua Bridge, which posed hazard to both pedestrians and vehicles, was repaired and railings were put up to make it safe. Besides this, the Ubodan Bridge was also made safe for vehicles to drive over. The Bagumbayan-Cagay farm to market road was also repaired to facilitate the transport of products from the northern barrios to the poblacion and to the city.

Schools and Public Buildings
       Mayor Anibigno also facilitated the improvement of the barrio schools of Alibango, Ugbo, Sulong, Coline, Dalid, Pajo, Ingwan, Quinaspan, Gines and Cabacanan and the Home Economics building of Bancal Elementary School.

The Agony Hill
       The Agony Hill, the place of pilgrimage during the Holy Week in the town, was constructed when Fr. Nicolas Caberoy was the assistant priest in Alimodian. After it was finished and blessed, it attracted many pilgrims not only from the town proper and from the neighboring towns of Leon and San Miguel but also in the city and other towns in the Province of Iloilo.
       Because of its popularity as a religious shrine, the Municipal Council passed a resolution declaring the Agony Hill a tourist spot. This was beneficial to both church and state. Truckloads of pilgrims ascend Agony Hill every Holy Week especially on Good Friday. This is a way how people can recall the passion and agony of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the municipality becomes the center of worship and business becomes brisk, hence, there is an added revenue for the town.

Day Care Center Service
      Mayor Anibigno was able to implement the order of the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Marcos to organize the Day Care Center services which was an integrated Social Welfare project. It is beneficial on the part of working mothers as they can just leave their children at the Day Care Center and help earn a living for the family. On the other hand, children are benefitted as they earn to sing, recite, dance and socialize with children of their age. In addition the nutritional needs of the children are also supplemented by the feeding which is given free.

The Public Market
      The public market had also its share of the improvement. The dilapidated portion was repaired and the space around the market stalls was made concrete. A basketball court was also constructed at the public market with mercury lights to facilitate games at night time especially during the Summer Sports fest. The permanent stage at the market was renovated and made bigger to provide space for the program especially during the fiesta. It was also repainted. Mayor Anibigno also had the Municipal Hall repainted to make it look clean and attractive.

The Alimodian National Comprehensive High School
      The ANCHS had also its share of the improvement as it was given P15,000 for the construction of the grandstand in time for the WISA meet in November 1976. This grandstand is still proudly standing at the hillside of the ANCHS.

Increased Revenue
      In terms of revenue, Mayor Anibigno worked for the tax mapping of the whole poblacion and barrios. With the loan from the provincial government, the Provincial Assessor’s Office was able to conduct the tax mapping which means the reassessment of taxation and an added revenue of the town.

The Ordination of Msgr. Ireneo Amantillo
     The town is very proud to have one of her sons ordained bishop on March 15, 1976 at St. Clements Church, La Paz, Iloilo City. A thanksgiving mass was offered by Bishop Amantillo followed by a banquet in his honor at the Alimodian National Comprehensive High School Social Hall. Bishop Amantillo is an alumnus of the ANCHS. He is now the bishop of Tandag, Surigao del Norte.

The Death of the Five Policemen
     A tragic incident happened on August 20, 1978 which caused the death of five policemen who were on mission to Brgy. Tarug a day before. Nothing untoward happened while they were performing their mission in that barangay. But while they were on the way back to town the following day, they were ambushed by the anti-government forces while they were about to cross the river in Brgy. Ugbo. All of the five policemen, Patrolmen Silvio Amaguin, Bernardo Alinday, Agustin Alitre, Romeo Alipat and Florencio Aligor were all slain on the spot. The townspeople felt their great loss to the police force and all mourned for their untimely demise.

His Bid for Reelection
     Mayor Antonio Anibigno ran for reelection after his term under the banner of the KBL but was defeated by an independent candidate, Salvador Altura, who had a margin of thousands of votes.

Alimodian First Bank and Hospital

The Rural Bank of Alimodian (Iloilo) Inc.


How the Rural Bank of Alimodian came into existence was a long and tedious process.
It has long been the dream of the local leaders of the municipality of Alimodian to put up a rural bank to help the people, especially the farmers and the low income group so that they would be free from the clutches of the loan sharks who lent money at usurious rates of interest.

This dream was realized during the incumbency of the late Mayor Miguel A. Anas. Mayor Anas received brochures from the Central Bank of the Philippines containing instruction on how to open a rural bank sometime in 1973. Concerned with the plight of the poor, he took this opportunity to invite Mrs. Elisa Nicer Ampane to help him work on the project.

The first task that Mrs. Ampane undertook was to solicit interested persons to be the original stockholders. This was a task that needed courage and patience in encouraging people with money and of good moral standing in the community to join hands in establishing a rural bank. Putting in hard-earned cash for a project that seemed remote and uncertain made people reluctant to join the project, Mrs. Ampane, the lone campaigner, braved and accepted comments and even embarrassing statements from prospective stockholders.

However, the campaigner went on until finally, the required number of incorporators and subscribers with the corresponding amount pledged for support was met. Notices for public meetings to prospective stockholders were made. Representatives from the Central Bank of the Philippines, Manila came to interview each incorporator and stockholder and they promised to put up their initial capital.

The original incorporators who were able to put up a sizeable amount for the bank to start with are: Mr. Eusebio Aguilar, Mrs. Digna Anino, Mr. David Rodriguez, Mrs. Natividad A. Alger, Mr. Restituto Alip, Mr. Liberato G. Suelo, Mr. Ramon Amaguin, Mrs. Paz A. Alfeche, Dr. David Salarda Jr. and Mr. Aquilino A. Salarda.

Mayor Miguel A. Anas, with the help of Mrs. Elisa Ampane and the guidance of Mr. Serafin A. Aligaen, prepared the application and rushed the submission of the documents to the Central Bank to beat the deadline on May 12, 1973. From then on, additional papers were required by the Central Bank and these were all complied with.

Finally, all efforts were rewarded when the application to the Central Bank of the Philippines under the Department of Rural Bank and Savings and Loans Association was approved on May 2, 1974.
Right after the approval of the application, the building for the Rural Bank of Alimodian was constructed on Almacen Street fronting the left wing of the parish church under the supervision of the late David A. Rodriguez, who was elected the first president.

With all the requirements met and the building ready for use, the rural bank was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 22, 1976. Key officers and employees were sent to the Central Bank for training as a requirement for the opening of the bank. They were: Mr. David A. Rodriguez, president-manager; Mr. Liberato Suelo, treasurer-cashier; Mrs. Elisa N. Ampane, corporate secretary-bookkeeper; and Mr. Paquito B. Causing, inspector-appraiser.

Right after the training of the key officials, the Rural Bank of Alimodian (Iloilo) Inc. was formally inaugurated on December 31, 1974 with Atty. Carlomagno Canonero and his party as representatives of the Central Bank of the Philippines, Manila present.

On February 6, 1975, representatives from the Central Bank came to open the books of accounts to formally start the business.

From then on, the bank has continued to serve its clientele from the Municipality of Alimodian and the neighboring towns. The bank accepts savings and time deposits, agricultural loans, special financing programs of the government.

As the community grows, the Rural Bank of Alimodian also grows. It has gained the trust and confidence of the people and it is hoped that it will help in the development of the community as well as the nation.


ALEOSAN District Hospital

It was during the incumbency of Mayor Miguel Anas when the Aleosan General Hospital, now ALEOSAN District Hospital was founded. The Iloilo Provincial Hospital, now West Visayas Medical Center, is quite far from the three towns of Alimodian, Leon and San Miguel, and when there is an emergency, patients cannot avail of medical help the earliest possible.

Through the persistent request of Mayor Miguel Anas, the late Cong. Ramon Tabiana was able to have Republic Act No. 4854 passed creating and subsidizing the Aleosan General Hospital. It was founded in April 1968.

It was first housed in the building where the TESDA office and the Day Care Center is now located. 

It was just a 25-bed capacity with a modest appropriation of P100,000. The first chief of hospital was Dr. Arturo Ardena, who became the director of the West Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

When the appropriation for the building was released, the hospital was transferred to Bancal, Alimodian on July 18, 1968. It strategically located in Bancal because it is the center of the three towns.

The townspeople are forever grateful to the donors of the lots where the hospital now stands. Had it not been for their benevolence, we would not have an ideal site for the hospital. The donors are Mrs. Pilar vda. de Salarzon, Mr. & Mrs. Maximo Tina, Mr. Saturnino Anas, Mrs. Fortunata Sabido, Mr. Juan Amigleo, Mr. Esperidion Canonero and Mr. & Mrs. Delfin Benas.

The hospital has served the three towns for the past 41 years. People who could not afford hospitalization in private hospitals can avail of treatment in the free wards.

The ALEOSAN District Hospital extends the following services: major and minor surgery, laboratory examination, dental examination, X-ray, family planning (minilap and vasectomy) free of charge, medical treatment, pediatric, obstetrics and gynecology cases.

In this time when everything is very expensive, the ALEOSAN District Hospital is a blessing to the people in the three towns and the surrounding towns of Oton, Maasin and Tubungan.