A HISTORICAL DATA OF THE BULAN MUNICIPIO (TOWN HALL/MUNICIPAL BUILDING)

The people of Bulan refer to the Bulan Town Hall of the Municipe Buiding as the M It is the seat of our
local government, of political power and authority. It is the center of pomcat events and the prize of
every local slection

The Municipio of Bulan has its own tereting Matirical journey from the time history in this town was
recorded.

During the Spanish Period, the town hall was called the Tribunal, a place not only as the seat of local
authority but as a vertus for the social affairs of the so-called afte of the time of the Principlia. When the
town of Bulan was first established in Pusblo de Gata 1880, it is probabile that there was also set up a
tribunal together with the church, as these two institutions always come hand-in-hand. At the height of
the Moro raids however, Gata wes destroyed.

When the Pueblo de Bulan was re-established in 1001 in what we now call Banjang Da In Pawa, Lajong,
Gate simply became a District (Berangay) of Bulan. A church and a Tribunal were constructed inside an
Intramuros or Walled Fortified area. The tribunal was a mere Camarin with Nipa roofings.

In 1886, the town and church leaders of Bulan decided to locate to a more spacious arsa to attend to a
growing population. The seat of power was transferred to what is now the present site. The traditional
Spanish set-op of the church, town plaza and the tribunal was followed.

The new Tribunal was constructed in the corner of now Gotladera (formerly Mctane) and Roque Sreets,
the present site of what is now our old Municipio, only that it was erected near the comer of the streets.
According to the witnesses, who saw It, described it as a two-storey building with concrete walls on the
ground floor. The second floor had wooden wallings. The roofing was of anahaw. The posts were big
round logs of hardwood locally called partna (technical name is supa) The windows were made of capic
shells ["catipey", or the Spanish concha) There wwere no partitions to divide the building rooms. The
only furnishing in the tribunal was a long unpolished table and several chairs around it. Near the walls
ware several benches. No pictures or posters decorated the empty walls.

According to the records (church records) of the Cofradia, during the inauguration of the Tribunal, a
Mass was celebrated by Fr. Francisco Roque in the ground floor attended by the principalla of the town,
headed by Don Marcial Gillego. Among those present during the inauguration were Don Nosilon Loyto,
the Hermano Mayor and Dona Juana Magallado, the Hermana Mayor, Don Rafael Gerona, Don Celestino
Gratil, Don Maximo Gueta, Don State Gelpeo, Don Pedro de Vera, Don Esteban Zacarias, Dona Catalina
Perez, Dona Juana Grantos, Dona Juana Gray, Dona Sebastiana Golpeo, Dona Victoria Panelo, Dona
Cayetana Gisala, Dona Teresa de Jesus, Dona Juana isabel, Dona Francisca Perez and Dona Teodora de
Vera.

When the Americans occupied Bulan on January 21, 1900, they established their gamson at the Tribunal.
In April 1900, at around 5:00 pm, a pet monkey of an American soldier, Pvt. Leonard.
5. Quy, got hold of a burning firewood from the kitchen and climbed up the mont, which started the fire
that read the old Spanish Tribunal to the ground. According to some witnesses, the fire alarmed the
populace, thinking that the Insurrectos had attached the Americans ancamped at the Tru Many hurriedly
left the town with their families.

After the fire, the Americans temporarily transferred to the Convente and aractad taste inside the
church patio. From that time, our Municipal Hall drifted from place to place

From 1901 to 1900, during the term of Don Rufino Gerone, the Municipal Hall was located in priests
house of Don Hermogenes Gullabie, in the comer of now Gullaba and Conceptes Bats the place now
occupied by the Vytiano rice-mill (now the Goldline bus station in Zane 1

From 1904 to 1905 during the term of Don Sixto Gocoyo, the Municipal Hall was transferred to the
residential house of Don Gonzalo Ramos, a wealthy Spaniard, in the commer of new Garine and Gullatie
Streets, where the Butan General Hospital was located. The walls of the old Hospital in the original wall
of the ground floor of the two-storey building.

From 1906 to 1907 during the term of Santiago de Veris, the Municipal Govertiment Hall was
transferred to the newly-constructed Monreal Building. It occupled the 2 floor, while the ground floor
was used as classrooms by the public schont

In 1908, during the term of Santiago de Vera, the Municipal Government was forced to vacats the
Monreal Building due to the increasing enrollment in the public school. The seat of the government was
then transferred to Torilla Buliding, at the comer of now Gerona and De Castro (formerly Dishiky)
Streets. This building still exists to the present, although some parts have been renovated. This is now
owned by Tan Ting Bio family (BioWa) and used as warehouse. This building was used as Municipal Hall
1913

in 1814, during the term of Liberato Diaz, the Municipal Hall was transferred to Lollo Building, owned by
Don Justo Loilo, in the corner of now Gotladera (Mclane) and Lollo Street. This was the seat of
govemment until 1920

The first government-owned Municipal Hall or the Presidencia is what we now call the old Municipio. It
was built withour any of the two annexes that now houses the PNP and the BIR and Comelec. This
Municipal Hall Presidencia was constructed by a certain Japanese contractor named Akura in 1920. This
was inaugurated on January 2, 1921.

The firat Municipal Chief Executive to occupy the new Municipal Hall was Federico Gerona. The other
municipal officials to occupy this Municipal Hall were Municipal Secretary Angeles Mojica, Municipal
Treasurer Gregorio Callos, Justice of the Peace Felis Gilego, Chief of Police Dionisio Gracille, and
Presidente de Sanidad Dr. Teodoro Nadres. The members of the Police force were Patrolinen Feliciano
Guan, Pio Guray, Ricardo Gueta, Leopoldo Gueta anıl Fermando Gutay.

In 1954, during the administration of Mayor Rosando Haylo, the Municipal Council appropriated
P10,000.00 for the construction of the two annexes of the Municipal Hall. The Session Hall at the third
floor and the Treasury Department at the back was constructed under the administration of Mayor
Eulogio Santos in 1958

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On June 5, 1994, the seat of the Municipal Government of Bulan was transferred from the Presidencia or
the Old Municipal Building to the newly-constructed and inaugurated Municipal Building at Barangay
Aquino.

The new Building was envisioned by the espouses Pantaleon and Celerina Gotladera, and It was on their
lot that was donated to the Municipal Government that the edifice was constructed.

The building was constructed out of various funds like the NALGU funds and the Community

Development Funds of the DLG during the time of President Corazon C. Aquino and Secretary Aquilino
Pimentel. The release of the funds was facilitated through the efforts of then Congressman Bonifacio H.
Gillego of the Second District of Sorsogon.

Unfortunately, both Mayors Pantaleon and Celerina Gotladera were not able to see the realization of
their vision due to their untimely demise while serving in office, especially Mayor Celerina who died
earlier in 1993. It was her successor Toby Gonzales who was the first to use the edifice.

Today, the Luma na Municipio stands as a mute testimony to the history of political governance in
Bulan. It was declared a Community Heritage site in 2000 and is now being used as a heritage museum
site.