Moalboal, Cebu Etymology

Jack Maico
Oct 23
3 min read

Two distinct etymologies have been proposed for the origins of the town's name, both based on phonetic distortions. The first is an onomatopoetic derivation from the bubbling sound called "bocalbocal" (bukál-bukál) in Cebuano, emitted by the waters of a spring located within the town proper.

The second, and less popular version, relates to the belief that most of the town's first settlers are from the island of Bohol and are thus known as Boholanos, or Bol-anons. In both versions, it is believed that the word was eventually transformed into "Moalboal". A clue to the etymology of Moalboal may reside in its old orthography: Redondo's Breve Reseña de la Diócesis de Cebú en las Islas Filipinas spells the name of the town as "Mualbual". The same spelling is reflected on a page from Sale's Ang Sugbo sa Karaang Panahon, showing a map of Cebu province.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moalboal

Special credits: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/.../sardine-run-moalboal...

Church in town: 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 (𝐂𝐞𝐛𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐞)

San Juan Nepomuceno Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Moalboal, a southern town in the province of Cebu, Philippines. Under the patronage of St. John Nepomucene, also known as St. John Nepomuk of the Czech Republic, it is also called Moalboal Church.

Badian was the mother parish of Moalboal Church during the Spanish colonial era, and Moalboal became a parish on February 12, 1852. In the same year, the town was founded.

The stone church was completed in 1890. After over a century, it was declared too risky to be utilized, and it was abandoned in 2005, and a new church was built nearby. Its ruins are preserved as a glimpse and architectural testament to its storied past by the parish administration.

The original church’s facade, the exterior wall in the apse, and the altar remain as ruins. The facade of the old church is made of a central section flanked by wall extensions of sloping ridges. Four engaged columns with Egyptian capitals and whose plinths bear a relief of the Tree of Life, adorn it, the innermost two of which terminate in the cornice below the pediment. Its cornice moldings divide the facade horizontally into two levels and a pediment. On the ground level, the main door is flanked by two similar but narrower ones. They are decorated with wrought iron and circular stained glass. The upper register contains a blank, rectangular high relief that might have served as a niche or a coat of arms flanked by two rose windows. The pediment is sparsely decorated and contains the same rectangular blank relief. Recessed, the church’s stonewall features pierced arch windows, scrollwork on its pediment, and a quadrilateral belfry of arch openings and red pyramidal roof.

On the other hand, the new church’s facade is made of two levels of portico. The first that is supported by pillars of the church runs throughout its entire length and is covered by an overhang, while the other is likewise being covered by an overhang but is cantilevered by two piers across the main entrance. The latter has a gable roof whose pediment contains a stained glass half-circle window depicting the patron and flanked on each side by a pair of Jerusalem crosses. The church itself has an open, welcoming atmosphere as it is walled by ironwork rather than by concrete so one can have a slightly unimpeded view of its interiors.

The feast of St. John Nepomuceno is held every May 16th in a celebration called Kagasangan Festival.

Source: https://www.theoldchurches.com/.../san-juan-nepomuceno.../

https://moalboal2014.blogspot.com/.../2004-back-when-i...

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/.../sardine-run-moalboal...

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

During the pre-colonial and early colonial periods in the Philippines, there existed a legend stating that Laurente Sabanal, popularly known as Laguno, or Llaguno, was the founder and first ruler of Moalboal. It was said that he was a Bol-anon with roots in Bohol, where he killed a guardia civil who abused him. He then escaped and eventually founded the town. People believed that he possessed supernatural abilities that included making objects float in the air. During frequent Moro attacks, he would use this ability to scare the Moro raiders and make them return to their vintas.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐥: