Saturday, November 3, 2012

Alimodian Barangay - Cuyad


Cuyad

Feast Day: Last Saturday Of March
                  April 16 (Sitio Bugtong)

Patron Saint: St. Joseph
                      St. Vincent Ferrer (Sitio Bugtong)

               This place was a just a sitio of Barrio Baong before World War II. It only became a separate barrio in 1939 during the term of Juan Catanus. A school was built by the Protestants in this place because at that time 90 percent of the residents are Protestants. 
               There were three version as to the origin of the name of the place. The first version was that it came from the word "cayod" or struggle because during the separation from Barrio Baong, people resolved to just struggle "cayod  lang nga cayod" on their own not to rely on the barrio where it came from. 
                The second version, it came from the word "cuyab"  or fan. During the Spanish period, there are Spanish soldiers who pass by the place and saw people resting under the tree using the anahaw leaves as a fan. The Spaniards ask for the name of their place. There was a woman who answered "nagapanguyab kami kay masyado ka init" (we are fanning because it is too hot). A man also interrupted saying "amo dya ang cuyab" (this is a fan). Since then the place was called Cuyad.
                 The third version was about a wide, deep and long days of flooding that almost reach the highest places. The people see the flood as if they are like "uyad-uyad" or like waves in the ocean due to its length and strength. Since they are not affected by the flood and their place has no name yet, they just call it Uyad which later pronunciations became Cuyad. 
                  The feast of the barangay is held in Sitio Sibato every last Saturday of March in honor of St. Joseph. Sitio Bugtong is a sitio in Cuyad that celebrates their own separate fiesta in which most residents are Catholics. Sitio Bugtong held their first fiesta mass on April 16, 1985 during the term of Captain Hilario Valentin with Father Justiniano Hingco, parish priest of the town at the time officiating the mass.