Borbon, My Native Town

CEBU, Philippines – My great grandfather used to tell my grandfather who in turn told my father that our town’s original name was “Silmogue,” the name of the river which traverses the town from its western to its eastern portion.  Most probably this was the reason why when former Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia assigned festivals for the towns to celebrate in connection with their fiesta, our town chose the “Silmogue Festival.”

My “Analogy of the Table” is very handy to explain how it came about that our town bears it present name.  Just as the table has many sides, so also are there various explanations for the change from its original name to the present one.

A USC professor wrote in the Cebuano Studies that members of the well-to-do families in our town were fond of drinking Bourbon whiskey during their celebrations especially during the fiesta which falls on January 20, the feast of San Sebastian, a Roman soldier who suffered martyrdom when the  emperor found out that he became a Christian.  Since philosophy is openness to “truth” wherever it comes from, this writer respects that professor’s “side of the table.”

What I learned when I was yet in the elementary grades is that there was a couple in that place named Tiburcio (nicknamed “Bor”) and Abundia (nicknamed “Bon”).  When the Spaniards were passing by their house, the husband was in their garden nearby.  The foreigners asked the wife what the name of their place was, “Como se llama este lugar?”  Since she could not understand Spanish, she shouted to her husband, “Bor!”  The latter shouted back, “Bon!”  Upon hearing the couple’s shouts, the inquiring Spanish soldiers concluded: “Ah, se llama Borbon!”

I stuck to this explanation until I met a relative who used to be connected with the National Geographic Channel, and who came up with his more probable “side of the table” as to the origin of our town’s present name.  According to him, when the time came to give a name to that locality, the Spanish authority assigned to the place the royal name of the Borbon family and adopting as its patron saint the one very close to the hearts of the royal family’s members – San Sebastian. In doing so, they were probably hoping that they would get a pat on the shoulder when they would report the fact to the king.

Unlike Borbon, the Spanish names of some towns or barrios in our province are the same as those in Spain; namely, Cordova, Toledo, Valladolid, etc.  Even the barangay where I am now residing bears the name of a place not so far from Madrid.  I found this out when 25 Filipino teachers of the Spanish language were sent to Spain (on May 01-June 05, 2000) on a scholarship sponsored by the Cooperacion Internacional Española, for further studies on the Spanish Language & Culture.  During the educational tour as we were entering the city of Madrid, I saw at an intersection a signboard bearing an arrow pointing to “OCAÑA.”

Before I entered the seminary, I learned that our town was next to Argao in producing the greatest number of priests. Now it has the record of having three of its native priests who got married: Padre Tany Mangubat, Padre Levi Manalili, and myself.  Padre Tany became a widower last year.  He now has three options: to return to the active ministry of the Roman Catholic priesthood as two Cebuano widower-priests had done (Padre Otik of Tabogon and Padre Pedro of San Fernando, both of whom are now dead ); to remarry as two Cebuano widower-priests had done (Padre Joe of Boljoon, now deceased, and Padre Bantoy of Talisay City); or to prepare for the next life by remaining single since there are not so many years left for his stay on earth.

To my townsfolk in Borbon, Happy Fiesta!