History of Bugasong

In 1569, the Spanish conquestador, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, transferred his headquarters from Cebu to Panay in the face of food shortages and the ominous threat of a large Portuguese armada looming in his horizon. This paved the way for further exploration and evangelization of the different villages within the island. Tales handed down from generation to generation, mention of the travels made by a small Spanish expeditionary forces in their quest to establish new settlements around the island.

One day, they came upon a village of the sea with bountiful plains and verdant mountains that perfectly suited their purpose. Eager to know the name of the area which promises to be a progressive settlement, they came upon a native who, with mortar and pestle, was busily pounding palay grains for the family meal. One of the soldiers approached the man and inquired in as the name of the village. Believing that the soldier was asking what he was doing, the man replied in the dialect “Bugas sa Lusong(rice in the mortar), indicating his handiwork.

The soldier may have caught to phrase out of the gibberish from the native, that he kept on muttering “bugas sa lusong” over and over to signify the name of the village.

In time, the phrase was shortened to suit the Castillian tongue, and, from then on, the lovely and beautiful village by the sea was known as Bugasong.