Toponym of Baclayon

There are still many towns in Bohol that use folklore and fairytale to indicate the origin of the name of their town.

Toponymy

Toponymy or the study of the names of places indicates that since time immemorial people always give a name to the place where they live or stay. Sometimes the names are exonyms or given by the neighbors or outsiders and sometimes they are endonyms or names given by the residents themselves.

There are times when the names are given or designated by a person in authority. However, most of the time the names are cachetonyms or eponyms.

A haunted Balite tree




Centuries old balite tree in Guiwanon, Baclayon. (Photo: Tom's Blog)

 

In many places of Bohol grows the balite tree or dakit. Most of the people are afraid to get near it for to them the tree is a haunted place. According to the beliefs of the old people in the province, the balite tree was the favorite dwelling place of the fairies. There was a particular balite tree that grew in the cross-section of trails near Bali-out, a barrio of the town of Baclayon. Bali-out is a spring along the sea coast. This spring had never been short of water, not even in the worst drought. Persons tried to avoid being under the shade of this balite tree lest harm might fall upon them.

Barangay Baclayon

While googling Baclayon on the internet, I came across an interesting piece of information. There is a barangay named Baclayon!

The barangay of Baclayon is one of the 58 barangays of the town of Bagacay, Albay province (Bicol region). It has a 2007 census population of 2,253. The town of Bagacay is a 2nd class municipality with a population of 61,574 (2007 census) living in an area of 11,220 hectares.

On the other hand, my hometown of Baclayon, Bohol (Central Visayas region) is a 4th class municipality with a population of 18, 015 (2007 census) spread over 17 barangays covering an area of 3,402 hectares.

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