Proem

It seems only a short while ago that I wrote about the town of Sevilla, Bohol. When I scanned my records, I discovered that my article was dated November 20, 1994, or twelve years ago. It is no wonder that the younger generation had not read that article. They are the ones who made a request for another article about Sevilla.

The Names

At the interior part of the island of Bohol is a town called Sevilla, Bohol. It is 36 kilometers by road from Tagbilaran City, which is the capital of the Province of Bohol.

The name Sevilla was taken from the name of a city in southern Spain also called Sevilla. Before it was made into a town, the place was known as Panas, a barrio of

Loboc, Bohol.

The word panas is a Sugboanon Bisaya word. It has two meanings. One meaning is erase or to erase. Obviously this meaning is not applicable to a place.

The other meaning of panas is a smooth rock-cliff, especially that which is made after a rockslide. In some places in Bohol, it is also called dapanás. The panas usually occur at riverbanks. Since the town of Sevilla, Bohol has a river, it is obvious that this second meaning was the source of the name of the place.

The Town-Center

According to the decree that created the town of Sevilla, Bohol, the town-center or poblacion would be the sitio Vintig (Binting).

The Bisayan word bintig has many meanings. One meaning refers to the chipping off or cutting the tail end of seashells so that the contents of the shell could be sucked out.

Another meaning refers to a certain tree whose lumber is good material for making guitars.

Another meaning is not found in old Bisayan dictionaries. Binting is the word used by the Eskaya of Bohol to refer to the natives of Bohol before the coming of the Eskaya in 667 A.D.

Curiously enough, the Bintig people were not like the Aetas who are short and black.

According to the Jesuits in 1596, Bohol was the only large island without Negritoes or Aetas. The Eskaya describes the Bintig as reddish in complexion (pula og súhot), like the American Indians.

This would not be strange because in 1592, Miguel de Loarca wrote that most Boholanos were white in complexion especially the women. We know that a white complexion turns to tan or "reddish" color when exposed to the sun.

So, if you find someone in Sevilla, Bohol who has pula og suhot, do not be surprised because they are the descendants of the original Boholanos described by the Eskaya.

Disappearance of Bintig

During the Boholano-American war (1990-1901), the Americans burned the poblacion at Binting on November 3, 1901. The Americans were pursuing the Boholano patriots who retreated from Balilihan, Bohol to Sevilla, Bohol. When the Americans could not find the Boholano patriots, they burned the town center.

When the town center was rebuilt, it was relocated at Sitio Maraag. It is the present site of the Poblacion of Sevilla, Bohol.

The word maraag is not a standard Bisayan word. The nearest equivalent word I can find is maláag, which means being weary or tired of waiting for someone or something.

(Note: Sometimes the "L" and "R" have equivalent use in Bisaya. - JBT). Maybe it refers to the people getting tired of waiting for the poblacion at Bintig to be reestablished and eventually the evacuation center (also another meaning of maláag) grew into a poblacion.

The older, disappearing generations I have talked to still know the location of Bintig.

The younger generation does not seem to know the location of Bintig after 105 years from its burning. The officials of Sevilla, Bohol should not let it come to pass where the younger generation forgets its historical places.