Health - NEDA-RDC VI

CANDONI
Brief Histories of the Municipalities
Candoni was derived from the native phrase Kan Dune,
which means belonging to Dune, a legendary beautiful
maiden named Dionesia who committed suicide after
being forced by her parents to marry a man she did not
love.
Formerly a barrio of the Municipality of Cauayan,
Candoni started as the center of the Tabla Valley
Settlement founded in 1935 by Santiago H. Diego, a
prominent man from the Municipality of Isabela. He Candoni Municipal Hall
led a group of settlers with a pioneering spirit and
prompted by the desire to have a piece of land they could call their own. Pooling their
resources and organizing themselves into a cooperative they called Tablenos, the settlers
started clearing the valley starting from where the town is now located. They toiled the
forests enduring hardships, but many of them died of malaria.
CAUAYAN
Long before the Spaniards came to Negros, this town was
short of being a wilderness. It got its name from bamboo
thickets abundant in the area.. Primitive people wore
loincloth or “bahag” while hunting and fishing were their
primary sources of livelihood. The natives also cultivated
small farms where they planted root crops to augment their
dietary requirement.
In 1822, Cauayan was formally founded by Don Vicente
Cauayan Municipal Hall
Paulo Decena, believed to have come from Cebu. He was
enticed into Cauayan by the legendary beauty of a native girl who subsequently became his
wife. During the Spanish era, a seat for the municipal government was sought. Guihulngan,
Cauayan and Isio were candidates but Isio prevailed as it was more populated. It got the
honor of being the center of government although “gobernadorcillos” were accorded
Cauayan and Guihulngan.
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