Magallanes, Sorsogon

**Magallanes** is a coastal municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Luzon, Philippines. The formal political and administrative creation of Magallanes began from a site known as *Parina*, derived from a local hardwood used in shipbuilding.

## History
In 1567, on orders of King Philip II of Spain, the *Order of St. Augustine* in New Spain (Mexico) sent missionaries to the Philippine islands. In 1569, two Augustinian priests, Fray Alonso Jimenez and Fray Juan de Alva, accompanied by Luiz Enriquez de Guzman, a Spanish captain, reached *Gibal-ong* (shortened to *Hibalong*), a fishing village near the *Ginangra River*, inhabited by the *Ibalong* tribe. 

Having arrived, Fray Alonso's party built a chapel made of bamboo and nipa in a settlement called *Parina*; where was held the first Roman Catholic mass in Luzon island.The site is today identified as *Sitio San Isidro* of Barangay Salvacion in present-day Magallanes.

Centuries into Spain's colonial rule —in 1858— Don Manuel de Castro, a Spanish settler, wrote the Governor-General of the Philippines, requesting that Parina be made into a town and expanded, which was approved in 1859. The new town was named *Magallanes* in honor of Ferdinand Magellan, the explorer who discovered the Philippines for Spain three centuries earlier. 

Magallanes was afterwards declared a municipality by the governor-general on July 16, 1860, with Manuel de Castro as its first appointed municipal governor. It was subdivided into six headships called *"cabeseras"*, each of which was supervised by a *"cebeja de barangay"* (literally,"eyebrow", therefore the "overseer"). In 1864 the town's first census yielded a total population of 1,400. 

## Bagatao Island
Bagatao Island is situated at the mouth of Sorsogon Bay, in the municipality of **Magallanes**. The island, approximately 543 hectares, is two kilometers away from the *Poblacion* (town square) and across the Magallanes pier. 

It served as a major port and shipyard for Spanish ships in their route from Manila to Acapulco and back for their supplies, repairs and safe harbor. At the island and the nearby town, they awaited during storms and typhoons for fair weather before voyaging once again, across the San Bernardino Strait. The shipyard had abundant lumber that was needed for ship repairs, especially the wood of the "parina" tree from the inland forest, which was used extensively for its excellent quality until the species became extinct.  When the shipbuilding industry made this place progressive, Magallanes became known as *Visita de Parina* because of numerous visitors from other places.

## Barangays
At present, Magallanes has a total population (2020) of 37,411 residents. The municipality is partitioned into 34 administrative sub-divisions, called Barangays. 

* Aguada Norte
* Aguada Sur
* Anibong
* Bacalon
* Bacolod
* Banacud
* Biga 
* Behia 
* Binisitahan del Norte
* Binisitahan del Sur
* Biton 
* Bulala
* Busay
* Caditaan
* Cagbolo 
* Cagtalaba 
* Cawit Extension

* Cawit Proper
* Central 
* Ginangra 
* Hubo 
* Incarizan
* Lapinig
* Magsaysay
* Malbog
* Pantalan
* Pawik
* Pili
* Salvacion
* Santa Elena
* Siuton
* Tagas 
* Tulatula Norte
* Tulatula Sur

## References
## Other websites
* Municipalities of Sorsogon
* Brgy. Ginangra
* Ginangra River
* The first mass in Luzon