OUR HOMETOWN, OUR STORY
In the early 17th century, Pablo and Rita settled in what is now Pagbilao, bringing rice seedlings and provisions. Their family and people from other communities later joined them, helping the settlement grow.
According to local tradition, Spanish missionaries arrived in 1725 and asked the villagers the name of the place. Because of the language barrier, the villagers thought they were asking about a bamboo bed called papag and a winnowing basket called bilao. The missionaries combined the words, shortening papag-bilao to Pagbilao, which became the town’s name.
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