History

Casuntingan. The name refers to the sunting plant that once grew plentifully in the area. Where certain plants grew bountifully but the place had no name, the prefix “ka” is applied. The “sunting” or “asunting” (Cassia alata Linn.., the Ringworm bush or shrub), according to oral tradition, is a medicinal plant that grows wild. The seeds are said to be a cure for infestation of intestinal parasites and tincture from the leaves, a purgative. Decocted leaves and flowers suppress cough while the juice from crushed leaves is used to treat skin infections, insect bites, and herpes.

The Casuntingan name stuck further when, due east, the Bangkal trees also abounded; thus to differentiate the two locations, the old citizens began calling one “ka suntingan” and the other “ka bancalan”.