According to information from our great, great  grandparents handed down by mouth from generation to generation ,and records from their diaries, the Editorial Staff  shares the following  facts  about the Lambunao Roman Catholic Church…

            *The long before 1745,the early Augustinian Friars has already established what could be considered as the first religious chapel at Malunod(within the vicinity which is now Tampucao)but because of the mysterious death of the Parish Priest ,the Spanish Provincial(Fr.Pedro Muya Jimenez),thru the recommendation of the local church authorities,ordered  for the immediate transfer of the parish church to the immediate vicinity of  Lambunao Creek where the Spaniards had already establish a settlement and called the place”LAMBUNAO”

            *That it  was  the year 1879 that the church and  the convent  were transferred to the final and present site,then known as Daraiton.It was Gobernadorcillo  Martin Lingaya,a.k.a.’Tan Vale,who donated the lot.The Parish Priest then  was Fr.Jose Lobo.The Building of the new church and convent were a big sacrifice to both male and female inhabitants, the men were brutally punished if they cannot bring limestone  and meter-square of  firewood use in preparation of lime.The women were likewise punished if they could not bring a sackful of sand.

            *That is was, however in the year 1880 when the formal establishment of the Roman  Catholic Church began.On orders of Agustin Livo and Fr. Jose Lobo,all able-bodied men of legal ages were mandated to cut as specific sizes,white rocks from the mountain ranges Tinocuan,Dingle,and bring these rocks to Lambunao in two station:Dueñas,Carvasana,and finally,Lambunao.No meriage was solemnized the prospective groom and bride could bring a meter-square of firewood and sack of sand,respectively and no baptism would likewise take place unless the parents and sponsors did  the same task given to the bride and groom.The work was stopped only  after the church was finished.

*That at 4:00 o’clock in the  afternoon of September 9,1890,the blessing of the newly finised white stone walled Roman Catholic of Lambunaonons and  invites  guests from the different part of the province.The church,however,had cogon grass roofings. The following day of September 10,the church was packed inside-out with a multitude of devotees two celebrate the feast  of the beloved Patron Saint, San Nicolas de Toletino.

*That the church bells of the different sizes that we hear pealing at the dawn,noon,and dusk and during all religious rites,were brought to Manila by Fr.Joaquin Diaz in December,1894 for the purpose of having these bells re-minted t make them rotary at the base.When finished, the bells were temporarily place  beside the church.It was not until the concrete belfry was finished that the said bells  were mounted permanently on March 24,1896.

*The among the Priests who were assigned in Lambunao,Fr.Joaquin Diaz could be consider as either an architect o a civil engineer or just a plane somebody who understood something about construction.This was so because on August 5,1896,he was temporarily relieve as the Parish Priest of Lambunao to attend t the contruction of te Augustinian Convent in Iloilo City.Fr.Nicolas Porras was named ad interim Priest until Fr.Diaz’returnon April 9,1898.

*That Fr.Joaquin Diaz culd be considered as the last bonafide Parish Priest assigned in Lambunao under the Spanish regime.It is reflected in the diary of one of our great ,great grandfather that at the height of the Philippine Revolution against Spain.Fr.Joaquin Diaz was about to say the Holy Mass early Sunday morning of October 30,1898 when a person arrived to inform the people that the rebels or insurectos under the command of Gen.Pascual Magbanua were coming to town and some  were actually found at the outskirts of the poblacion.When Fr. Diaz heard about this grim news-and fearing that he was the most targeted person being of Spanish –descent he discontinued saing the Holy Masss and escaped to Janiuay   surreptitiously and proceeded to Iloilo City.There was chaos and pandemonium when the people saw that there priest have escaped.It was,however,Fr.Esteban Muneza,the Parish Priest of Janiuay  who,starting November 12,1898,voluntarily came to Lambunao every  now and then the preside over the baptism and other the religious rites and activites and return to Janiuay thereafter.

* That some two(2)months later on January 31,1899,the American landed in Iloilo City.There was a drastic change in the civil and religious affairs in the province of Iloilo.The  Americans wanted to occupy Port San Pedro so that they could have complete control collection effort  at the peir but the Filipino authorities refused to give in.The result was incessant bombardment of General   Martin Delgado’s  camp in salug (now the District of Jaro)which later pushed  the Delgado force to withdraw towards the direction  Sambag Hibao-an Balantang  area.The Americans eventually took over the affairs of the state and is greatly affective the affairs of the of the church under the principle of the separation of the church and state.

*That there have been innumerable religious events that happened then on;the assignments of  new Parish Priest  in Lambunao and the assignments of the new Bishop in Archdiocese of  Jaro. It was on August 20,1914   that Pope Pius X died and right after the Mass on September 13, Fr.  Jesus Calvo announce the  selection Benedict XII as the new Pope.

*That the present Roman Catholic Church of Lambunao as we see it  out has not without its up  and downs:From the time is was contructed during the early Spanish  settlement,it has been razed down by fire  three times –the first by lightning and the last two by the  flying embers coming from the “kaingin” nearby because of it cogon-grass roofings at those times;it was partly damage during the Japanes  Occupation;and heavily damage by a violent earth quake that rock  Panay Island in January 28,1948 during the incumbency Rev.Fr.Raman Declaro.Several assigned Priests spearheaded by Fr. Policarpo Parcon  made the reconstruction possible. Fr.Restituto Cerdena added beauty to the edifice y making decoractive finishing  in the interior portion; Fr,Eriberto Daniel made improvements in te façade;and during Fr. Victor casa’s time chandeliers were installed,hense’improving the lightning facilities of the whole building .

(Research and Published by the Municipal Tourism, Culture and Art through CEC info center)