Madrid, Surigao del Sur
The original name of Madrid was “Linibunan” a Visayan term describing a place covered by soil deposits which has been transported by force of nature.The growing community of Linibunan had been the object concern of the Municipality of Cantilan being parts of the territorial jurisdiction.But, it was only in 1596 that the first batch of Jesuit missionaries stationed themselves permanently in Butuan, at the town of Buenavista, and from there, they established mission posts in nearby areas.The first center of Christianity in this part of Mindanao was Tandag, which was established in 1622; Siargao in 1623; Bislig in 1624; Surigao in 1754 and in Cantilan in 1851.The small group of inhabitants in the area kept on clearing the land and planted it with various crops, predominantly rice.Notable pioneers in the region were Rufino Urbiztondo, Cosme Frias, Andres Roy, Jorge Arpilleda, Antonio Malayao, Antonio Taguines, Geronimo Rubi, Isidro Uriarte, Enrique Guillen, Pedro Uriarte, Tomas Frias, Andres Arnan, Mariano Cuartero, and others.The settlement continued to attract people from Luzon and Visayas; his constant coming of immigrants and intermarriages among inhabitants increased considerably the population until finally, the local leaders found it for to convert the sitio into a barrio.Digging around the place will attest to the fact that the topsoil in the area was deposited by floodwaters during the rainy season.Paulino Garcia who was then the parish priest of Cantilan and a Spaniard by nationality, suggested that the barrio be named Madrid reminiscing of the Spanish capital.For a decade, progress seemed slow, but then immigrants from other neighboring islands came, especially from Bohol but not limited people from Luzon, especially Ilocanos and Tagalogs, seeking good fortune in the reputed Land of Promise.With the help of the Provincial Board, the cherished dream of the people of Madrid become a reality when President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order No.It maybe well to mention that when Madrid became a municipality on February 2, 1953, by virtue of Executive Order 561, there was some kind of controversy as to who will be the first mayor.However, a long and protracted legal battle, the courts settled the controversy and proclaimed Guillermo Arpilleda as the first mayor of Madrid.It is bounded in the east by the Pacific Ocean, the Diwata Mountain in the west, the municipality of Cantilan in the north and Lanuza in the South.More than 72 percent of the total municipal population belongs to the age bracket of more than 10 years old or it can be expressed numerically as 9,456 people.There are other religious sects present in the area as such Aglipayans, Iglesia ni Cristo, UCCP, Islam and other Protestants groups.Tourism related activities have never been developed nor given as top priority project because of strong competition from the neighboring towns.Despite the limited contribution of tourism industry to the local economy, the town possesses different scenic spots awaiting for development, such as the following: All of these mentioned attractions do not have acceptable facilities and utilities except for some native cottages available at the beaches.Higher education or college school can be availed in Cantilan but most of the local students prefer to study in Cebu or neighboring provinces.