History

Canduman. Once upon a time there was a rich man called Oman who owned vast fertile land planted with all sorts of plants and trees that bore plentiful fruit. He was also well-known for his generosity to the local people, and many who admired him came to see him. So when these folks were asked who owned the bountiful land or where they had gone visiting, they would answer back: “Iyahang yuta kang Undo Oman kini,” or “Didto ako gikan sa ilaha kang Do Oman” (This land is owned by Sir Oman, or I came from Sir Oman’s place).

The huge tract of land was said to have covered nearly the entire present-day barangays of Tingub, Pagsabungan, Cubacub, and Tawason. And as the Americans came, they, too, were said to have been duly impressed by the abundance there. To an American soldier’s query as to who owned the land, again he got the reply, “Kang Do Oman”. “Ah, Candoman,” the soldier concluded, thus the name Canduman.

The other version to this story does not categorically agree with the above but speculates that the Canduman may have been “Kang Roman”. The HDP says it is “Kang Duman” Duman, it is said, had once owned a piece of land in the area. He was small of stature but large in fortune. He also had a big heart so that he helped a lot of people survive the great famine that swept Cebu in 1842. History only reveals that the place was already a barrio called Canduman in 1839.