History of Sindangan
Sindangan is one of the pioneering municipalities of the province of Zamboanga del Norte. What Sindangan is today, speaks well of the dedicated efforts and timeless legacies of the past administration. Formerly an isolated barrio of the municipality of Katipunan, not connected with road, it stands today as the No. 1 revenue producing municipality of the province. Its corporate life started on December 22, 1936 by virtue of Executive Order No. 97, signed by then President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon.
The 61 years existence of this municipality has been reared and nurtured by only ten (10) chief executives. Listed hereunder are the following mayors with their respective terms of office:
- Bartolome Lira, Sr. 1936 – 1941
- Emilio Ortouste 1942 – 1945
- Joaquin Macias 1946 – 1953
- Abundio Siasico 1954 – 1957
- Joaquin Macias 1958 – 1963
- Filomena Macias 1964 – 1967
- Jose Tan 1968 – 1971
- Mariano S. Macias 1972 – 1979
- Ricardo S. Macias 1980 – 1985
- Crescente Y. Llorente, Jr. 1986 – 1987
- Crescente Y. Llorente, Jr. 1988 – 1991
- Crescente Y. Llorente, Jr. 1992 – 1995
- Winnie O. Albos 1995 – 1998
- Winnie O. Albos 1998 – 2001
- Winnie O. Albos 2001-2004
- Crescente Y. Llorente, Jr. 2004
- Bert S. Macias 2004 – 2007
- Bert S. Macias 2007 – 2010
- Nilo Florentino Z. Sy 2010 – 2019
- Rosendo S. Labadlabad 2019 – 2022
- Rosendo S. Labadlabad 2022 – 2024
- Nilo Florentino Z. Sy 2024 January – July
- Rosendo S. Labadlabad 2024 July – Present
Several stories have been told, as to how Sindangan got its name. The first version narrates that a native fishermen carrying a basketful of fish on his way home was met by a Guardia Civil who asked this question, “Que es el nombre de este lugar, amigo?”. The fisherman who did not understand the spanish language then answered “Indangan”, believing that he was asked for the kind of fish he has caught. The stranger heard this as “Sindangan”, the intended name for the place. This was revealed to the other Spaniards and called the place ever since as Sindangan. From then on, the natives used the name Sindangan until at present. The second version is a story between the Spaniards and a group of visayan farmers. As the Spaniards were walking within the vicinity, some blooming plants attracted them. They asked the group of farmers in Spanish whether or not there were pests attacking the plants. With their little knowledge of the language, the farmers simply answered, “Sin” meaning no and “Dangan”, meaning pests. The two words were combined to form Sindangan, which literally means, a place with no pest.
Ethnic Origin
The natives that originally settled along the banks of Sindangan Bay belong to the subanen tribe. Just a mile across the river towards the North, an army camp was established and this led to the migration of farmers from the Visayas and Luzon in response to the call that Mindanao is the “Land of Promise”. The natives then continued to move further and higher into the hills and mountains, thereby leaving the plains and lowlands to the more civilized farmers from the north. Today, the cultural heritage of the Subanen people are being pioneered and developed thru the Office of the Southern Cultural Council.