Barangays > Claudio Salgado

Brief History

A big tree which the indigenous people called Baloc-Baloc grew in this forested plain near the sea. It later on became the name of the community established by the first settlers in the area.

Five years before the outbreak of World War II, Dr. Benito Leviste bought this coastal plain and converted it into a coconut plantation. He hired forty five laborers from Romblon, Masbate and Cebu City and convinced them to live in his plantation. He also encouraged them to plant palay in one portion of his agricultural estate which the indigenous people still called Baloc-Baloc but he named it as El DoradoPlantation. He built a palay warehouse which could store three thousand cavans of rice.

During the war, majority of the laborers of El Dorado Plantation returned to the provinces where they came from, or evacuated to other places. Only eight families were left and when peace was restored, they settled permanently in this place. They were the families of Nicodemus Danhembro, Leonardo Mangarin, Rosario Eldama, Teresa Osorio, Rufino Dangeros, Buenaventura Acosta, Fruto Romero and Arsenio Romero. Leonardo Mangarin was appointed as the administrator of El Dorado Plantation.

Years later, the number of inhabitants of El Dorado or Baloc-Baloc increased. An elementary school was opened by the government in this place. Mr. Benjamin Cansino was one of the teachers assigned here. Later on, he became the teacher in charge (TIC) of the elementary school.

Residents of this place still remember that when smuggling became rampant in the later part of Decade 60’s, the school building of Baloc-Baloc was made as a warehouse of smuggled items by the smugglers. TIC Cansino couldn’t prevent this unlawful practice, for the smugglers have firearms.

It was also during this period when Baloc-Baloc became a part of the logging concession of a certain Mr. Camacho, Leonardo Daplas and Lee de Dios. The big trees in the area were felled and as a result, flood occurred frequently in this place.

Another coconut plantation was bought by Mr. Claudio Salgado in Pandan, a sitio adjacent to Baloc-Baloc. The said owner of the plantation was benevolent, thus, when the residents of Sitio Pandan and Sitio Baloc-Baloc agreed to form a barrio in this place, they decided to name it Claudio Salgado. They petitioned the municipal government to approve the creation of a barrio in the area. It was approved during the martial law period. Hon. Armando Insigne was appointed as the first barangay captain.

During martial law period, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) bought El Dorado Plantation and converted it into a palay plantation. Due to the frequent occurrence of flood in this place, the late President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the construction of a flood control dike. Unfortunately, floodwaters from Amnay River destroyed the dike and not only Claudio Salgado but also other barangays were affected by the flood.

Dr. Leviste sold to Mr. Fernando Arrascuso another portion of his agricultural estate which he did not sell to PLDT. Unluckily, Mr. Arrascuco failed to visit the land frequently. It was included in the area occupied by groups of farmers who lived inside the palay plantation of PLDT when the said company abandoned the land due to heavy financial losses.