History of Sorsogon Province

Sorsogon is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region; it is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities (towns) and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north. Sorsogon is at the tip of the Bicol Peninsula and faces the island of Samar to the southeast across the San Bernardino Strait and Ticao Island to the southwest.

History

Ferdinand Magellan’s death in 1521, in the hands of Lapu-lapu did not stop the Spanish colonization of the Philippine Islands. In 1570 two Augustinian friars, Fr. Alonzon Jimenez and Fr. Juan Orta, accompanied by a certain Capt. Enrique de Guzman, reached Hibalong, a small fishing village near the mouth of Ginangra River in Magallanes and planted the cross and erected the first chapel in Luzon. It was from this village that Ibalong, referring to the whole region came to be. Moving inland with a northwesterly direction they passed by the territory now known as Pilar, before they reached Camalig, Albay. The establishment of the Abucay-Catamlangan Mission later was ample proof of this route.

Sorsogon was once a part of Albay, which also included the province of Masbate. The early towns established here were: Gibalon in 1570 (now sitio of Magallanes); Casiguran -1600; Bulusan – 1631; Pilar – 1635; Donsol – 1668; Bacon – 1764; Juban and Matnog - 1800; Bulan - 1801; Castilla – 1827; Magallanes – 1860; Sorsogon – 1866 and Irosin – 1880. The province was eventually separated from Albay on October 17, 1894 and adopted the name Sorsogon. The town of Sorsogon was also selected as its capital.

On 1935 Philippine Constitutional Convention, Sorsogon had its own delegates. They were Adolfo Grafilo, Francisco Arellano, Jose S. Reyes and Mario Guarino.

Source: Wikipedia