History of the Kota Landmark Madridehos

Loreto Mangubat was the builder of the Kota. He was the grandson of Lapu-Lapu, the Cebuano Hero. At the age of 13, he was brought to Spain for training. In 1873, he went back to Madridehos at the age of 50. He was the arm bearer of Spain. He was called Captain. His name was changed to Lazaro because he came back to the town on St. Lazaro’s Day. He was married to Lucia Maru, a native of the town.

The Kota was built in 1880. It served as a fort for the coming of the Moros. The people of the town grouped at the Kota when they can hear the sound of the “Budyong” (a kind of shell) for safety, warning the people Moros are coming in vintas. People were afraid of the Moros because old folks say they will get and abuse the women and bring all things they can see. Kota was built by forced labor. People were told to work every Saturday, only once a week, failure to report to help in the construction received punishment: 25 shipping and one day imprisonment. Nonoy Isidro Mancio, a native, was the chief of those who will watch the coming of the Moros. Blowing of the Budyong served as signal of the coming of the Moros, a Watch Tower was built in Kaongkod, a barrio about four kilometers from the fort. It is the place where the coming of the Moros were easily sighted and it is them who give signal for a warning the town folks of the coming the Moros by sounding the Budyong.

The Kota is about two centuries old but still you could see the engineering skin of the old, the new administration under Mayor Doroteo M. Salazar and his wife restore its beauty as what you can see now.

To them, we salute.

How Madridehos got its Name

Lawis was the old name of Madridehos. In fact, even up to the present, the less young among the people still use the name Lawis. In the vernacular term of “Peninsula” the portion carved out to constitute the Municipality of Madridehos being the peninsula located on the Northern side of Bantayan Island facing the Visayan Sea. The first fisherman, Lazaro Mangubat, came to live in Mancilang, Lawis after discovering the place as one of the rich fishing grounds of the country. The general scenery of Lawis was that of a quiet place, of Virgin grounds covered by small shrubs and lantana. When more people discovered Lawis and flocked to it, the place became a visita. In 1889 when Pedro Benito Romero De Madridehos, the Archbishop of Cebu, to visit the place, Father Juan Alcoseba, then the curate of the place, renamed Lawis Madridehos in his honor.

Back to the time when Madridehos, fondly called by the residents as Lawis was at a visita hoards of people from neighboring towns and provinces were attracted by sea product abounding the shadow waters along the shores. Basking in this abundance, people grown an atmosphere of love and friendship under the able guidance of government as well as church leaders.

Madridehos earned the name of “Little Alaska of the Philippines” and as a matter of fact the first canning factory in the country was established in Madridehos, but it lost its sustaining impact in the history of the municipality after it was bombed during World War II. At present, poultry raising is a booming industry and Madridehos contributes a substantial quantity of eggs produced for sale to the neighboring provinces.

Madridehos is associated with the name Bantayan being a part of Bantayan Island as its shares only more than eight square miles of the total land area of Bantayan Island.

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
(patroness of madridehos concepcion parish)

In the year 1600, before Madridehos was made into town, there was a barrio called Lawis at the tip of Bantayan island, in this barrio was a chapel build by the Agustinian who also build the parish of Bantayan in the year 1580.

The chapel was located within the Spanish Fort near the seashore. Inside the chapel, accordingly to old timers of the barrio, there was a framed picture of La Virgin Purisima Concepcion which was the object of devotion and before which the Holy Rosary was played every afternoon. Once a month and during church feasts, a foresaid chapel was visited by the priest of Bantayan to say mass and celebrate its annual feast.

In the year 1700 there was a carved image of La Virgin Purisima from Batikuling Wood. This image was carved in Bantayan. It was 16 inches tall, it was placed on the altar of the first chapel build by the Agustinian priests near the seashore of barrio Lawis. A foresaid image is owned by the relatives of the grandfathers of now most Juan O. Beltran, H.P.

In 1917 Barrio lawis became a town named Madridejos. This was the name given to the third town of bantayan Island in honor of Benito Romero De Madridehos then the Archbishop of Cebu.

One Fulgencio Casas together with Alejandro Bacolod, formerly known residents of Barrio Lawis agreed to buy a bigger image of the virgin in manila. They sailed on a Paraw (or Batel) a big sailboat owned by Florencio Pasasadaba they were able to buy an ivory head and hands of the virgin, carved in Spain out of elephant tusks. On their travel to Manila they brought with them a jar of tuba for their drink. Miraculously, the jar was never emptied of its contents even how plenty when they arrived in Madridehos. Captain Lazaro Mangubat ordered that the body and feet of the virgin be carved in the town of Bantayan. But before this was done, it was reported lost and allegedly hidden somewhere. This was retrieved by Juanita Bacolod, Maria Almodiel and Rufina Tayad. Again it was reported lost the second time, but miraculously the head of the virgin returned to Madridehos on her own. So the body and feet of the virgin was hurriedly carved in Madridehos by a certain Venancio Desonitado, a famous carver at that time in Bantayan Island.

The image of the virgin was dressed in white linen with a blue mantle. The chapel near the seashore was transferred to the center of the town near Concepcion Street upon order of Captain Lazaro Mangubat. He was also the architect of the road plans of the town of Madridehos. When the image of the virgin of the Immaculate Concepcion had already been installed, it was blessed by a priest from Bantayan Island.

A miraculous event happened when the Muslims tried to raid the town to loot and capture the residents and sold them as slaves. A beautiful lady was seen dressed in white with a blue mantle. The invaders never had a chance to land. People believed that the lady who protected them was the Virgin of the Immaculate Concepcion.

There were times they observed that the clothes of the image was wet and damp although there was no rain and was full of Amorsiko, a kind of weed in the fields. During the time of the Eltor Epidemic a beautiful lady was observed ministering to the sick mountain folks.

Since old times, in every month of October the Virgin is brought in a fluvial procession and the Holy Rosary is played. The feast was celebrated every eight day of December, until Lawis became a parish in the year 1928. She is still the protector of the Lawisanon who comes to ask for help and protection.

These written history was submitted to Rev. Fr. Cristobal Garcia at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral which was required by the Archdiocese of Cebu, on the occasion of the solemn processional of the thirty nine (39) images with the titles of “La Virgin Purisima” joined the said procession of the International Marian Year.