Historical Background
According to the tales of Maragtas, Antique once enjoyed primacy among the realms carved out in Panay by the ten Bornean datu (chieftains), who fled from the tyranny of Sultan Makatunaw of Borneo. The Malayan datu bought the island from King Marikudo, the chief of the Negritos and established the sakups of Hamtic, Aklan and Irong-Irong. At the height of Datu Sumakwel’s reign
, Hamtic became Antique, Aklan became Capiz (which was later divided into Aklan and Capiz) and Irong-Irong as Iloilo. where a marker is placed and the event is re-enacted in the Binirayan (literally, “place where the boats landed”) Festival. Antique is a hispanized name derived from the vernacular word “hantik” which means black ants. In Spanish times, Antique was administered from the nearby province of Iloilo, and remained a backwater of the colony. When Miguel Lopez de Legaspi transferred his headquarters from Cebu to Panay, his men came upon the villages of Hamtic and Bugasong. Christianization of the province formally started in 1581 when the Agustinian friars set up a mission in Hamtic thereby establishing the first parish in Antique. In the 1660’s when Panay was divided into two jurisdictions, Antique belonged to Ogtong, one of the two provinces carved out from the island, the other being Panay. It became a politico-military province with the town of Antique later named Hamtic, as capital. It was in 1802 through a Royal Decree that transferred the capital of Antique from Hamtic to San Jose de Buenavista. As a province, its officials were
headed by the Spanish alcalde-mayor. Later in 1888, the Antiqueños revolted against the abuses of the Spanish officials and the Agustinian clergies. It was
started by the Igbaong, a secret organization in San Remigio led by Gregorio Peralta. When the Philippine Revolution broke out, its alcalde mayor was Castro Verde. Upon the withdrawal of the Spaniards, Gen. Leandro Fullon assumed the position and held it until the outbreak of the Filipino-American War. With the succeeding establishment of the American colonial administration, Gen. Fullon was re-appointed governor of the province. Philippine Independence was realized through the Tydings-McDuffie Law passed by United States Congress, which provided for a ten-year transition period under the Commonwealth government. Hence, a constitutional convention was called to draft the constitution of the Philippines. Antiqueños elected Ramon Maza and Angel Salazar Sr. as their Con-con delegates in 1934. During the Japanese invasion, an active anti-Japanese guerilla campaign in Antique was led by Col. Macario Peralta and other officers of the 61st Infantry Division of the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East). The first submarine-borne supplies to the 6th Military District landed in Libertad, then a barrio of Pandan. It was in December 1944 when the guerilla forces equipped with arms supplied by the Americans fought a heroic battle and wiped off the Japanese occupation forces. After the liberation, provinces were rehabilitated and schools were re-opened. When the Philippine Republic was established, Atty. Emigdio Nietes was Antique’s first Congressman and followed by Tobias A. Fornier who held the position of the Chairman of House Committee on Appropriations. During the Snap Elections of 1986, the group supportive of Mrs. Aquino led by former Governor Evelio B. Javier conducted a successful campaign against the well-entrenched group supportive of the President, Javier was gunned down in broad daylight in San Jose de
Buenavista, Antique during the counting of ballots on February 11, 1986. The assassination of Javier intensified the tension that culminated in the EDSA Revolution eleven days after. Initially, the province celebrates its foundation day every 10th of March pursuant to Act No. 2711 otherwise known as the Administrative Code of the Philippine Islands of 1917. This event transpired during the American Regime when the Philippine Legislature created the Province of Antique on March 10, 1917. However, further research shows that the province was actually created on April 13, 1901 by virtue of the Philippine Commission Act No. 114. Thus, Provincial Ordinance No. 2006-07 dated March 23, 2006 was passed providing for the celebration of the province’s foundation day every April 13th.
1.2. Antique is composed of 18 municipalities with a total population of 515,265 as of 2007.
