Alcantara's old name is Kudtong. Others spell it as "Kugtong" after a big Lapu-Lapu fish called as grouper or garupa in the West. Kudtong was established in 1830, renamed by the Spaniards as Alcantara after the name of one of the cities of Spain.
The town's first recorded capitan was named "Paoy." He was succeeded by Arok Erojo, Domingo Yosores, Policarpo Tabanao, Joaquin Nacion, Leon Sibonga, Telesforo Tabanao, Felipe Tejamo, Juan Sabello, Roman Yosores, Eugenio Tabanao, Marcelo Landeza and Felipe Llenos.
When the Americans took over as the colonizers of the Philippines in 1899, they started to educate us on republicanism, where people were given the right to choose our leaders. To pave way for this, Felipe Llenos was appointed as president of the municipality until 1901.
In 1905, Alcantara was made a barrio of its neighbor town, Moalboal. Leaders of the town sought for the conversion of its status as a town. Then in 1914, with the approval of the governor of Cebu, Manuel Roa, Alcantara was restored to its municipality status.
Felipe Llenos had the distinction of being the first municipal president of Alcantara. He held the office until 1922. Llenos was succeeded by Bartolome Toting who was then succeeded by Cipriano Llenos until 1934. Vicente Sarmiento then became president in 1934 to 1937. Cipriano Llenos came back to office in 1938. Then the reign of lawyer mayors of the town started, it was Atty. Francisco P. Isobal in 1941 who became the first lawyer mayor of Alcantara, Cebu. Isobal became a lawyer on January 26, 1946.
After World War II, a lawyer succeeded Atty. Isobal, Marcial G. Ugbinar, the town's first lawyer. Ugbinar was admitted to the bar on December 8, 1945.
Atty. Ugbinar briefly held the position of mayor as he chose to be with the judiciary. He became Justice of the Peace and Municipal Judge of Badian, retiring in the 1970s. Marcial married Angela Agravante, who is the sister of Januario D. Agravante Jr., also a lawyer and who also became mayor for decades of the neighbor town, Badian.
Angela, the wife of Judge Mayor Marcial Ugbinar was the daughter of Januario Taboada Agravante who married Brigida Dacillo. The brother mayor of Angela, Januario Jr. --- who became a lawyer on March 2, 1956 -- a son, Aspo presently a senior executive of radio station DYRC is following the footsteps of Mayor Agravante and married Luzviminda Gador while their other brother, Marcelino married Pureza Librando.
Ugbinar was succeeded by Gregorio Cañete (1947 to 1954), the first elected mayor of Alcantara (the Americans later changed the title of the chief executives from president to mayor), Jose Sarmiento from 1954 to 1958. Mayor Cañete returned to office and became mayor from 1959 to 1966.
In 1965, Alcantara's officials were: Gregorio Cañete, Mayor Gaudioso Toting, Vice Mayor, Antonio C. Ypanto, Municipal Secretary, Gabino Melgar, Judge, Melanio A. Maranas, Treasurer, Martiniano Yosores, Chief of Police, Dr. Rosario D. Baylosis, Health Officer. Councilors: Eleuterio Macasol, Eleuterio Templado, Dionisio Templo, Patrecia Barino Llenos, Marcelino Libato and Basilio Pardo.
Thereafter, the following led the people of Alcantara: Demetrio Romero (1967- 1982) , Candido Yosores (1982-1986), Jovito Templado (1986-1992), Prudencio Barino Jr. (1992-2001), Benjamin Lobitana (2001). Fredo Canete who died last 2014, was succeeded by Beatriz Caburnay, and the new vice mayor is Fritz Lastimoso.
The early lawyers of the town, aside from Ugbinar and Isobal, were: Napoleon Toting, who became a lawyer on February 2, 1951 and Brigido I. Tijamo, admitted to the Bar on January 15, 1954. The town produced a lady lawyer, Pacita Y. Isugan, who became a lawyer on May 30, 1986.