History

Banilad. The story goes that a Spanish explorer came upon a farmer reposing under the shade of a tree. The Spaniard in typical fashion in stories like this asked for the name of the place and the farmer, not understanding the question at all, though it was about the tree’s name and answered “banilad”. A similar version states that this tree actually goes in this area during the Spanish times this the name.

It has been suggested that the banilad was like a local tilad and chewed like a betel nut for medicinal purposes. The same source says that the fiber was used as a substitute for Chinese brushes in art work. The endemic tree still exists today and the species is know scientifically as Sterculia philippinensis.