GENERAL INFORMATION

The first local election in Bantayan was held in 1905. Gregorio Escario, who was first appointed as “Presidente”, won the election won by a small margin over his rival.

During the administration of Governor General Luke E. Wright (1904-1906), the public road policy was inaugurated. Little by little the stage trails were changed to roads of more durable construction. Late in the 1913, the construction of Santa Fe – Bantayan road begun and in 1918 the Bantayan-Madridejos road followed suit and was terminated in 1924.

Then and now, fishing and farming were important industries of the people, but from the year 1903 to 1925, weaving of piña cloth and the gathering of maguey fiber were very lucrative pursuits of the people. As the years rolled by, demand for these products weakened and are now extinct. At about the same, hand embroidery termed as “spare time industry” came up. A good number of women adopted it and have been actively engaged in it for some years. The local output was quite significant. In 1923, because of weak and unsettled market condition, particularly in Manila, the business gradually disappeared.

Years ago, poultry raising was mainly a backyard affair. Today, it has grown into a large scale and highly specialized industry. Near the national and feeder roads, big poultry farms are located. Thousands of chickens are kept in specially constructed house and yards where millions of eggs are gathered everyday. These eggs are exported to Cebu, Manila, and Mindanao and in other town and cities in the Visayas. Needless to say, this industry like copra making, tuba gathering, fishing and others, have helped Bantayan solve its unemployment problem.