Ibajay, officially the Municipality of Ibajay (Aklanon: Banwa it Ibajay; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Ibajay; ), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. During the creation of Aklan Province in 1956, Ibajay was its biggest municipality in terms of population. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,365 people, making it the third most populated town in Aklan.
Ibajay is the birthplace of Col. Alejandro S. Melchor, whose design of the pontoon bridge contributed to the Allied Forces winning World War II.
History
Under the Spanish - "Panay Y Bayjay" The autonomous barangays that the Spaniards encountered in Cebu could barely provide enough food for their needs. Miguel López de Legazpi had to move his camp, sailing from Cebu to Panay Island in 1569.
Desiring to explore the Island for food and spice, Legazpi ordered some of his men to move further on the Island until they ran out of bread to eat. Tired and hungry, the Spaniards solicited something to eat from the natives. To their surprise, they were given a container full of brown rice. When the Spaniards asked the natives what kind of rice they passed, they politely replied, "ba-hay," meaning third-class rice. In recognition of the generosity of the natives, they named the place "Panay y bahay" – the place in Panay where there was, and the Spaniards were given "ba-hay" rice.
The word Ibajay was initially written with the capital letter Y. It was only in 1902 that an American supervising teacher made the change from Ybajay to Ibajay because of the preference for the English alphabet and the difficulty of the Americans in spelling the word.
Spanish authorities' first seat of government was in Boboc-on, Barangay Naile, in the 17th century. The system of government the Spaniards established was the encomienda. They ruled the natives by control from a royal grant from the King of Spain. The King of Spain appointed an encomiendero as the overseer, with the Governadorcillo, Cabeza Mayores and Cabezas de Barangay as subordinates.
In the early part of the Spanish dominion, the barangay was the primary government structure in Ibajay. The Chieftain collected tributes from his sinakupan (people) and turned over the collections to the encomienderos. Later on, however, the barangay government was reorganized again into makeups. Each has to elect a governadorcillo. The governadorcillo was elected by the votes of selected married male natives called principales. The candidate must be recommended and nominated by the community or the encomiendero.
But to the eyes of the natives, the village chief was just an administrative leader. He was not an absolute ruler like the Spaniards imposed. A traditional body of customs and procedures limited the scope of his authority. Although his position had become hereditary, it was initially attained by exhibiting more excellent prowess and valour, traits useful for the community's survival.
Dismayed by the exploitative nature of the government system and their unwillingness to accept the Spanish sovereignty, Chieftains Hangoe, Sandok, and Kabatak fled to the vast mountains of Panay. Still, the Spanish continued their colonization. The natives could not do anything but accept the dictum of the Spaniards to survive and go on with their lives.
The first native to hold public office in Sitio Boboc-on as governadorcillo was Don Francisco Dalisay, elected by the principales in 1673. However, Muslim pirates and bandits from Mindanao often pestered the town. Hence, in 1786, Governadorcillo Juan Sabino moved the seat of government to Sitio Maganhup, a vast land between now Barangay Naile and Barangay San Jose. However, the new site proved unsafe from the continued beleaguering of the lawless elements. Furthermore, it was not ideal for the natives because it was far from the farms they cultivated.
Consequently, for the second time in 1792, Governor Jose Garcia transferred the seat of government to Sitio Adiango, now part of Barangay Laguinbanua. However, it only stayed there for 11 years. Captain Josef Flores moved the seat of government again to its present location. By the decree issued by the Governador of the Philippine Islands, watchtowers were fortified along the shorelines to warn and protect against bandits and crooks. A church was also erected.
Revolution and American influence
The Philippine Revolution broke out in the later part of the 19th century. Under the leadership of Gen. Ananias Diokno, the Tagalog Insurrectos defeated and drove away the Spaniards hiding behind the buttress of the Catholic Convent in Poblacion.