07/10/2022
San Miguel, which was formerly part of the Municipality of Bato, was first inhabited by the early mountaineers and the part of the Malayan race that were pushed to the open valley with the coming of the Spanish Colonizers.
There are myths and fables about how the town got its name. According to a pioneer, San Miguel was once a sitio originally known as "Aguas" named after fish species bigger than the "Balanak". In the 1930s during the celebration of the feast in honor of Santa Cruz, the former patron saint, Aguas was changed to San Miguel in grateful recognition and commendation to the invaluable services of Don Miguel Triumfante, Juez de Ganado of Bato who were present then during the celebration and the first pioneer grade school teacher assigned in the barrio, Miguel Mendez of Virac.
There was also a legend handed down to the present generation that once upon a time the chapel caretaker in the person of Marcelo Tapanan, in one early morning heard a long and loud ringing of bells. He hurried to the chapel and was surprised to see the image of Saint Michael the Archangel in the altar. The story passed on every ear of the residents and finally made a common move of changing the name of the place from Aguas to San Miguel.
Formerly, a barrio of Bato, San Miguel became a full pledge municipality through then President Elpidio Quirino's Executive Order No. 803 dated August 23, 1952, comprising previously with (12) barangays. The first town mayor was Torribio Taopa who was chosen through a plebiscite in 1952 until the first local elections in 1953, which he won.
Presently, the municipality of San Miguel has 24 barangays under the leadership of Hon. Francisco T. Camano Jr., an incumbent who’s now serving his 3rd term after his comeback in 2016.
Living memory testifies that San Miguel was once upon a time a forlorn and poor orphan of its mother town of Bato. Its life was filled with lonely chapters, too, with its plain and headache, longing and privations. Now, it presents a brighter picture. Past and present administrators with the aid of support of National, Regional and Provincial Government had transformed the town from limbo of backwardness into the light and aura of dynamic activities and achievements.
