Saturday, November 17, 2012
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| Bust of Ninoy Aquino in Jimalalud Municipal Hall ground. |
Boundless sugar cane fields, typical of the northern landscape, green Jimalalud most months of the year. It has reported rich deposits of coal, copper, iron and related compounds of magnetite, pyrites and marcasite, but the lodes remain untouched. A Spanish soldier was said to have asked a native the name of the place, indicating the area. The native thought he was referring to a tree, and so informed the soldier that the tree was called a “hambabalud.”
In the late 1800s the Recollects built here a convent of hardwoods, an imposing structure that was reputed to be the biggest convent in the Province for over a quarter of a century. The Revolution against Spain compelled the friars to leave and the convent fell into disrepair. Jimalalud was made a town independent of Tayasan in 1910. In 1944 WWII guerillas burned down the entire town, leaving Jimalalud without a historical landmark standing. Barrio Bankal was the seat of the 7th District Government during World War II.
The pageantry of its revived Sinulog keeps Jimalalud’s religious and cultural heritage alive in a colorful way. Fiesta time and other special occasions usually bring on the town’s stallions for the exciting, if brutal, spectacle of the Paaway sa Kabayo.Most times, Jimalalud is serene and green, and the plaza is the picturesque public space for imbibing the town’s pastoral ambience.
