Its former name was Bagongbong.
The original settlers found the bank of a river lined with flowering plants that they called Bagongbong. They admired the beauty of the flowers such that they named the place they founded as Bagongbong.
Another wave of settlers who were Boholanos arrived later. They settled on the level land along the seacoast. The newcomers expanded and improved the village under the good and wise disposition of their chief, Solano. As a token of love for their chief, the people changed the name Bagongbong to Solano.
After several years, the Spaniards came to live in Solano. They constructed houses, a church, a convent and a town hall. Later, they made the village into a town, among the first to be established in the island of Biliran. The location of the hills and the river nearby the new town resembled the ones found in one of the towns in Spain (named Almeria). So they renamed the town as Almeria, which is now the official name.
This town was established around the early part of the 19th century, according to information gathered from its oldest living residents.
The founders of this place were settlers from Bohol who came here around 1800 in search of a better land. Most of them were farmers and sailors and the others were plain adventurers. They were the forefathers of the present families bearing the names of Jadulco, Barrina, Gabing, Morillo and Sabornido.
As far as the old people could remember, and inasmuch as no official records of the Spanish times are available, the capitan municipales (gobernadorcillos) from the year 1880 up to 1900 were as follows:
Martin Abrea
Felix Yagomyom
Mayok Kaagbay
Facundo Marajay
Catalino Edicto
Saturnino Sta. Juana
Dionesio Olaer, and
Margarito Sabornido
They held office at the pleasure of the parish priest of the neighboring town of Naval, under whom Almeria was administered ecclesiastically.
The juez de sementeras was Facundo Sañosa, the teniente mayor was Florencio Alabarca. The maestro municipales were Saturnino Sta. Juana, Santiago Talingting, Eugenio Obispo, and Juan Arbas.
At the inception of the American civil government in 1901, the following were the municipal officials:
Margarito Sabornido - municipal president
Eugenio Obispo - justice of the peace
Juan Docallos - municipal treasurer
Pablo Dapiton - municipal secretary
Cayetano Cesar - councilor
Leoncio Sabornido - councilor
Simon Gadugdug - councilor
Julian Gozon - councilor
Maximo Gaviola - councilor
Pio Sipaco - councilor
The above officials were in office until the year 1905 when, owing to some religious controversy, the municipal administration was reshuffled as a result of the suspension of the municipal president and three of his councilors on the orders of Colonel (Peter) Borseth, then provincial governor (of Leyte).
As reorganized, the new municipal regime was under the following men:
Mathew MacFarland - municipal president
Eulogio Sabinay - vice-president
Eugenio Obispo - justice of the peace
Pablo Dapiton - municipal secretary
Vicente Dolana - municipal treasurer
Marcelino Edicto - councilor
Marciano Garin - councilor
Macario Barrina - councilor
Julian Gozon - councilor
Maximo Gaviola - councilor
Pio Sipaco - councilor
The administration stayed in Almeria until 1907, when due to the instigation and machination of certain rabid pro-Catholic officials like Eugenio Obispo and others, they transferred the seat of government to Kawayan, then a barrio of Almeria, which was thereafter reduced to a barrio (of Kawayan).
Some of the old structures and ruins are the baluarte or stone fortress, the remains of the Catholic church, the convent, and the site of the old town hall.
The baluarte was built atop a hill near the poblacion about 140 years ago (estimated in 1952), principally as a shelter for the local inhabitants during the days of Moro piracy and depredations, which reached its height during the early part of the 19th century. This structure, made of coral stones and lime, is now in utter ruins, and worse, the local authorities have not shown the slightest interest in preserving it for posterity.
The old church and convent, as well as the old municipal building, which were partly made of stone and partly of wood, were built around the same period, between 1850 and 1870.
The new municipal building, constructed during the later part of the Spanish rule, was built during the administration of Catalino Edicto and completed by Capitan Saturnino Sta. Juana, sometime around 1897. This building is still in use by the municipal government, and although it has undergone certain renovations since the start of the American rule, the original appearance has been more or less preserved.
Almeria is one of the oldest towns in Biliran Island. It is one of the most progressive towns in northern Leyte.
From the year 1892 up to 1905, this town had a municipal band composed of 25 musical instruments that won fame as one of the best bands in Leyte in those days.
When the Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896, Almeria organized a company of insurgents under the command of Teniente Capili, a Tagalog officer. Although this unit did not engage in active fighting because there was no Spanish force to fight with, it nevertheless almost fought against the Americans when they latter arrived here in 1899.
(Note: Capili came in 1899 with Gen. Ambrocio Mojica, who arrived in Leyte at Telegrafo near Kawayan, which was soon established as the new town of San Clemente.)
An American warship, steaming past Almeria from the north, presumably on patrol duty, was challenged by the local military unit, which hoisted a Filipino flag in the town plaza. Fortunately, the U.S. warship paid no attention to this hostile attitude of the natives, and continued on its way towards Tacloban.
In 1887, the Spanish mail steamer “Remus” foundered on a submerged rock near Maripipi Island, then a barrio of Almeria. The ship, bound for Manila from Tacloban, was full of passengers, mostly Spaniards and some insular prisoners. Very few of its passengers were saved and none of the prisoners confined in the hold escaped death.
In 1905, a very significant event in the religious history of this town took place, and which subsequently brought about a change in the political status of Almeria for the next 40 years. It happened as follows:
During the incumbency of Margarito Sabornido as municipal president, the townspeople were almost fed up with the alleged abuses and immoral conduct of the town priest of Naval, Rev. Martin Trani. As a matter of fact, the people of Almeria petitioned the Bishop of Cebu for an independent parish for their town. The request was not granted because there was no available priest that could be assigned here.
Frustrated and disappointed, the Almerians felt it was better for them to renounce the Catholic faith than to be under a priest not of their own liking. So one day in 1905, a priest by the name of Fernando Buyser, of the newly created Philippine Independence Church, happened to pass by Almeria on his way to Cebu from his parish in Capoocan, Leyte. Upon hearing about the presence of the priest in the locality, the municipal president and some of his councilors offered Father Buyser the post in Almeria.
Forthwith, the said priest held mass in the Roman Catholic Church and in the meantime occupied the convent. The fact that he belonged to another religious organization aroused the ire of some Catholic sympathizers who lost no time in denouncing Father Buyser to the Roman Catholic authorities and to the provincial government in Tacloban for his having taken over church property not belonging to his religious sect.
Meanwhile, the Catholic faithful also accused Margarito Sabornido, the municipal president, of having meddled in a church affair in which he had no right whatsoever.
This unfortunate incident caused the downfall of Sabornido’s administration and also his suspension for three months, along with three of his councilors. Acting on orders of Governor Borseth, a former American soldier, Mathew MacFarland, installed himself as municipal president to succeed the suspended officials. At the same time, he reorganized the whole municipal government. This resulted in the defeat of the pro-Aglipayan officials and the rise into power of the Roman Catholic followers.
Unable to withstand the continuing friction between the Catholic followers on the one hand and the Aglipayan converts on the other, the MacFarland administration transferred the seat of the municipality to then Barrio Kawayan, 10 kilometers to the north, in 1907.
Almeria was thus reduced into a barrio of Kawayan in 1907. It was not until 1948 that this town regained its former status.
(From the Kawayan Historical Data Papers: Barrio Almeria was separated from Kawayan and created into another municipality through Executive Order No. 162 signed by President Elpidio Quirino on August 12, 1948. Under this order, the former Kawayan barrios of Tabunan, Talahid, Pili, Caucab and Ilijan became part of Almeria.)
Informants:
Leoncio Sabornido
Victor Arrago
Martin Nierra
Committee for the Historical Data Papers:
Ricarte de los Reyes - chairman
Mrs. Beatriz T. de los Reyes - member
Honorato Gadugdug - member
Mrs. Diosdada R. Gadugdug - member
Andronico de los Reyes - member
Mrs. Felicula R. Beronilla - member
Orion de la Peña - member
Mrs. Lilia V. Mecaydor - member
Mrs. Catalina E. Ebajan - member
Miss Flaviana Evajan - member
Mrs. Sinforosa R. Jaguros - member
The Historical Data Papers were submitted by Mr. Ambrocio Ibañez, District Supervisor for Kawayan.
SOURCE:
Folk History of Almeria. ReoCities.com. Retrieved from http://www.reocities.com/bilirannews/alfolkhistory.html
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