15/08/2026
𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐪𝐮𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐛𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐧
Long before the realignment of altars in the mid-1800s, the people of Tigbawan sought the protection of San Roque. This unique medium-sized wooden image of the pious saint depicts him kneeling and gazing heavenward, as if in prayerful supplication to God. His left hand holds the pilgrim staff, while his right is open, ready to receive. It was as if the image was beseeching God, interceding for those who suffered. Beside him stands a youthful angel with a tablet, likely bearing the traditional invocation “Los que fueran heridos de peste, imploraren en el favor de San Roque alcanzarán salud” during its prime. To the saint’s left is a faithful white dog with dark markings, looking toward him. The somewhat rustic proportions, carving, and polychromy visible in the image are characteristic of an old provincial santo.
The exact time and identity of the sculptor who created this image remain unknown, as historical records have been lost to time. However, oral tradition survives, recalling San Roque as the patron of the settlement before the enthronement of Sto. Niño de Plaridel. It is believed that the image may have been commissioned during the First Global Cholera Outbreak (1817 to 1824). During these times of epidemic or severe drought, the Franciscans and Augustinians organized elaborate penitential processions (rogativas). In these processions, statues were carried in andas. As the processing crowds moved through the infected barrio, the kneeling posture of the saint visually led the community in a collective, physical act of submission and public weeping before God, seeking to reverse the cholera outbreak.
Documentary analysis reveals that the settlement existed even before the pandemic. By employing historiographical study and Prosopographical Reconstitution, we can trace its origins back to the 1800s. Ecclesiastical records from both before and after the Claveria decree were analyzed to identify naming patterns. Early Visayans honored their ancestors by naming the new generations after them. This method allowed us to compare names that could lead us to the settlement. One intriguing record was the January 1813 entry for Josef Francisco, who hailed from the district of Don Francisco Cabajit. He was the son of Francisco Marcelo and Maria Mariana, with Francisco Telesforo as his godfather. Several years later, the Cabajit name—Don Telesforo Cabajit—appeared in 1892 records as one of the cabezas of the visita de Sto. Niño, ruling the settlement alongside Don Sotero Mantua and Don Mauricio Mantua.
It’s likely that the community was already organized around the sound of the bell in the early 1800s. This inference is based on the baptismal records, which list residents of Don Francisco Cabajit and Don Francisco Castorino consecutively on almost a single page. This suggests that Father Antonio Maria del Rosario from the then visita of Baybay may have visited the area to perform sacraments and then returned to his office to record them. Consequently, the list appears to be limited to those from Cabajit and Castorino.
Despite being relegated to a secondary patron, Tigbawanons still hold a deep devotion to San Roque. In fact, the chapels of the two old sitios of the barangay—sitio San Roque and Casilion—are dedicated to him.
𝑺𝒆𝒏̃𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒒𝒖𝒆, 𝒊-𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒐 𝒎𝒐 𝒌𝒂𝒎𝒊!
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References:
De Bevoise, Ken. Agents of Apocalypse: Epidemic Disease in the Philippines. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995, pp. 57–74.
Galende, Pedro G., O.S.A. Angels in Stone: Architecture of Augustinian Churches in the Philippines. Manila: San Agustin Museum, 1996, pp. 345–360.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FamilySearch). "Philippines, Catholic Church Records, 1520-2014", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMN-C9L1?cc=2861657 : 21 May 2026), > image 1 of 1.
US Coast and Geodetic Survey (1899) Map
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𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑐𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑. 𝑈𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑦 𝐴𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑓 2012 (𝑅.𝐴. 10173), 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑐𝑡'𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙, 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑐𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑑𝑢𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ'𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑑.
