History of San Juan Southern Leyte
Long before the Spaniards came and colonized the country, early Malay inhabitants in the area settled along the sharp curve section of the straight shoreline from Liloan up to St. Bernard (formerly Himatagon and a barrio of Cabalian) fronting the Cabalian bay. The early settlers named the place Kabalian, from the phrase “sa may gui kabalian.” In the Cebuano dialect, this indicates the settlement location, meaning the point where the straight coastline breaks into a curve.
Before the geographical subdivision that happened in 1954, the Municipality of Cabalian had the biggest land area among the six Pacific Towns in the Province of Southern Leyte. It extended from Barangay Bobon-B in the Northwest, which is the boundary barangay between the Cabalian and the Municipality of Anahawan, down to the Southeast in the Municipality of Liloan.
On November 1, 1949, Leyte Governor Bernard Torres sponsored Executive Order 84 creating the Municipality of St. Bernard, which is named in honor of the E.O. sponsor. The new political unit carried with it over half of Cabalian’s barangays and its population. The order resulted in the transfer of the 19 barrios from Cabalian to the newly-created municipality, namely: Himatagon, Atuyan, Ayahag, Bolodbolod, Cabac-an, Cabagawan, Carnaga, Catmon, Guinsaugon, Himbangan, Hindag-an, Lepanto, Magbagacay, Mahayahay, Malibago, Panian, San Isidro, Sugangon, and Tambis. E.O. 84 provides that the Municipality of Cabalian retains its original territory minus the barrios composing the Municipality of Saint Bernard.
On June 17, 1961, the name Cabalian was changed to San Juan in honor of its patron saint St. John the Baptist, through Republic Act 3088, which was signed into law by Elpidio Quirino, President of the Republic of the Philippines.
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