History

Pagsabungan. In the old days there were few recreational activities that people could join in; one of them was cockfighting sabung, cockfighting without blades attached to the roosters. Pagsabungan , in the far north of the town, was then the center for such an activity, way before Mandaue Coliseum, Floremer, and Revero. Besides the popular cock fights, the place also bred and sold these bellicose roosters along with the supplies intended for their optimum maintenance. It seems that cockfighting was indeed the favorite pastime of its citizens). So, although it was once merely a sitio of the barrio of Basak, it was a center of activity.

It is said that the real cockfighting, called buwang or pagtari, used to be done near the ancestral house of Julio Cabahug today and the gaming enthusiasts came from near or far (from Mandaue proper and from Consolacion), traversing the lovely barrio roads just to get there. When they were asked where they were going or where they had been, these folks would reply: “Pagsabungan” or “the cockfighting venue”. The answer became a byword and the name of the sitio. Through the efforts of its leaders, it was separated from Basak in the late 1960s.

The HDP accounts that Pagsabungan was the home of witches (ungo) and every night at the stroke of eight, they would come out and fight each other because of their show number. The fighting was like the sabung or cockfight. So numerous were they that the citizens of the bordering barrio of Canduman also became witches. One could tell them apart by the many sweet bo-ongon or pomelo trees (Citrus maxim) in their yards. They were said to be the owners of these orchards.