Bogo, Cebu and its leaders
Bogo was named after a big tree called by the natives of the place as "bogo." A Spaniard named Aballe founded Bogo. Captain Aballe was accompanied by a priest named Fr. Jaime Macalit. The Spanish mestizo priest celebrated the first mass in Bogo on April 5, 1850. It was Fr. Macalit that chose San Vicente Ferrer as the patron of Bogo.
Bogo was converted into a city on June 16, 2007 in a plebiscite where the people ratified the law converting it into a city. Bogo City used to be a barrio of Candaya (also spelled as Kandaya), which is the former name of Daanbantayan.
Those who succeeded Captain Aballe as the chief of the pueblo were Capitan Alburo (a descendant of Agaton O. Alburo of Libertad, Bogo became a lawyer on February 8, 1963), Capitan Gomez, Capitan Juan Maderazo, Capitan Anselmo Pedroza, Capitan Dionisio Eleuterio, Capitan Maximo Fernan, Capitan Matias Mansueto, Capitan Buenaventura Ganzon, Capitan Pedro Cebuano, Capitan Luis Oritz and Capitan Victoriano Pena.
During the uprising against Spain by the Cebuanos in 1898, the town was headed by Don Pedro Rodriguez, the Grand Old Man of Bogo.
In Bogo there is a barangay named after Don Pedro Rodriguez. In Cebu City there are two street named after the "Grand Old Man of Bogo." One in Go Chan Subdivision in Mabolo and in Capitol Site, the street formerly named as Sampaguita. Don Pedro was the son of Don Jose Rodriguez and Doña Vicenta Lazala. Don Pedro married Doña Masay Veloso.
Don Pedro became the president of Bogo from 1898 to 1903after being appointed by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Don Pedro was elected Assemblyman of the 1st National Assembly convened in 1907, becoming one of the first representatives of Cebu of its then seven congressional districts. Don Pedro represented the old 7th Congressional District of Cebu. His fellow representative in 1907 was Don Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr. who was elected as the country's first Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The son of Don Pedro, by the name of Jose who became a Doctor of Medicine became Mayor of Cebu City from December 7, 1953 to November 16, 1955. Dr. Jose like his father, Don Pedro also became congressman of the old 7th congressional district of Cebu.
The brother of Don Pedro by the name of Celestino fondly called as Don Tinoy became the 1st representative of the old 1st congressional district of Cebu of which Bogo was part. When Congressman William Atkinson Jones enacted the Philippine Autonomy Law of 1916 more known as the Jones Law, Don Celestino ran and was elected as Senator of the 10th senatorial district. The 10th senatorial district is the one allocated for Cebu.
The street in Cebu City formerly named Waling Waling has been renamed in an ordinance enacted on September 10, 1968 in honor of Don Celestino Rodriguez.
Don Pedro Rodriguez was succeeded by the following as Presidente Municipal of Bogo: Victoriano dela Vina, Jose Briz, Teodorico Rodriguez, Victoriano Goopio, Paulino Tenchavez, Antonio Mansueto, Anastacio Pedrosa, Severo Verallo and Jesus M. Almirante.
It was during the presidency of Mansueto that the Bogo Waterworks was established, also the electric plant by Hijos de Escano, the artesian wells, the roads to the interior barrios and the construction of the wharf.
Among the many lawyer sons of Bogo are Alfonso
L. Penaco (February 6, 1946), Joveliano M. Trinidad (May 16, 1950), Mauricio Ypilan (January 20, 1955), Vicente L. Yap (February 11, 1963), Escolastico Daitol (March 17, 1965), Yulando L. Ursal (April 23, 1989). In 1964 the following were the officials of Bogo: Jesus M. Almirante, Mayor, Jesus Acusar, Vice Mayor, Buenaventura Masong, Secretary, Vicente de Roda, Judge, Delfin B. Cuevas, Treasurer, Alfredo Arnoco, Chief of Police, Dr. Adariano Hortelano, Health Officer. As councilors Manuel Link, Gaspar M. Pelayo, Bonifacio Alarde, Ido A. Tepait, Macario P. Aton, Arsenio T. Oporto, Moises Lepatan, and Leon Ortega.
Bogo City is now headed by Mayor Celestino "Junnie" Espinosa Martinez Jr., who served as congressman of the 4th congressional district of Cebu from 1987 to 1998. He also served as undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture. Junnie was succeeded by his wife lawyer Clavel Asas Martinez as congressman in 1998.
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