My City, My Town, My Roots, My Pride
"Mina..., Mina Pototan?"
Ever since I was a kid, this phrase has always been the talk of the town, especially when I am asked where I come from. The Ilonggos are still starting to know that my small hometown, Mina, also does big in a lot of things - in culture, history, talent, and economy.
The history of Mina follows this misconception. In 1864, Mina, or formerly known as Barrio Montogawe, was a part of the Municipality of Pototan. The reason why the town fought for its separation from Pototan is because of the poor daily living of the residents. Before, the residents find it hard to go to church to listen to public masses because of the great distance between the barrio and the town. Some barrio folks fell ill due to pestilence and eventually died without receiving the final sacrament. For a predominantly Catholic barrio, receiving and getting blessed with the sacraments as taught by the church, are important. Another case in point was those women who suffered complications and died during childbirth had no chance of receiving the final sacrament, and their infants often died without being baptized. These are few of the reasons why the citizens petitioned to turn Montogawe into a separate district.
Mina was then first called Molto or Pueblo de Molto after Montogawe. On July 1, 1870, a decree issued by the Superior Government of General Carlos Ma. De la Torre to establish the demarcation and markings of the new town and name it into “Pueblo de Mina” instead of “Pueblo de Molto”. On October 27, 1870, the Bill was completely legalized in the required form. In this process, all the adjacent villages and barrios were presented by its respective parish priest, gobernadorcillos, and leading citizens- past and present, and none of them expressed the slightest objection and complaint, the superior government approved the said document on the demarcation of the town Mina.
No parish priest yet was assigned at that time because some of the requirements for the creation of a new parish like the construction of the Church, Parish House for the priest, Convent School, Court, Municipio, were not fully complied yet. On July 30, 1873, when all these terms and conditions were accomplished, a decree making Mina as a full- pledge parish was issued by General Olivado. The parish was created and the Bishop of Jaro appointed an Augustinian Priest, Father Tiburcio Casbresana, a Spaniard, to become the first parish priest in the new town of Mina. The Parish of Mina was given an official title of “Our Lady of the Pillar”. By September 9, 1968, it was formally announced that Mina is finally considered as a municipality in the Province of Iloilo.
Mina is located at the center of the Iloilo Province. Its geographic coordinates are as follows: 122°5’ longitude and 11° 5’. It is bounded on the north by the Municipality of Badiangan, east by the Municipality of Pototan, west by the Municipality of Janiuay, south by the Municipality of New Lucena, and southwest by the Municipality of Cabatuan. It takes about an hour and a half from the city to the town when people pass by Leganes-Pototan route, while it roughly takes 40 minutes if people pass by Sta. Barbara-Janiuay route. The town has a total land area of 4,340 hectares and 97% of this is classified as rural.
The Municipality of Mina consists of 22 baranggays - Abat, Agmanaphao, Amiroy, Badiangan, Bangac, Cabalabaguan, Capul-an, Dala, Guibuangan, Janipa-an East and West, Mina East and West, Nasirum, Naumuan, Singay, Talibong Grande and Pequeno, Tipolo, Tolarucan, Tumay, and Yugot. I can say that the people of this baranggays are all closely related since almost everyone are relatives.
The language in Mina, in my opinion, is confusing. In casual conversations, Kinaray-a is commonly used. While formally, people speak in Hiligaynon. But if I were to look at a bird's eye view, Minanhons tend to mix these two in the daily basis. Maybe because the town is surrounded by both Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon-speaking district and is located at the center of Panay Island.
It was only recently that Mina started to celebrate a festivity. It is called the 'Maragtas' Festival wherein the town celebrates the abundance of grace and harvest and also the tales of Mina. It is celebrated every month of October. Right now, I can say that the economy of Mina is one of the best in the province. The town was awarded with several national awards like Most Business-Friendly Municipality.
How did Mina influenced me? I could weirdly say that growing up, I started to lost my attachment to my hometown. Maybe because growing up, I had such bad memories inside or outside my previous schools. Also, tall teenagers like me are very rare in my hometown. I maybe one of the two tall residents of the town. So, every day, I feel like people stares at me and talk behind me. There came a time when I was in high school wherein the same people asked me everyday about my height that it was starting to sound like an insult. But growing up, I used these experiences to strengthen myself when it comes to unsolicited opinions - to not care too much if they are unhealthy for my mental health. Right now that I am quite away from my hometown, I feel safe and free and I get to be who I am with my friends and share the culture that I established in me and grew up with without feeling judged and taken advantage of.
If there's something that I want to change in my hometown, that would be the mindset of the Minanhons. I want them to be socially open and to be accepting of differences; that it doesn't mean that even the town is seldom visited by diverse people, they have to stick with their own standards whether it comes to physical attributes, facts, and practices. Economically, Mina is growing upwards. And I can't wait to see that in the future and to go there without feeling judged. Regardless, I am still proud of my hometown. That is why whenever I answer "Mina" when someone asks me where I came from and they reply, "Mina..., Mina Pototan?", I strongly and proudly respond...
"No. Mina, the Municipality of Mina."
