History

Subangdaku. The story of subangdaku has been handed down from one generation to the other. It tells of a young man who frolicked through the jungle one lovely morning in May and lost his way as he enjoyed the beauty of nature around him and the sweet fragrance from the wild blooms drenched in dew, as the gentle breeze from the river blew through the trees.

As he wandered on, he chanced upon a nipa hut with a newly-swept yard. He was tired so he asked the beautiful young woman who was combing her long black hair by the window if he could sit under the shade of the mango tree whose roots were big enough to be a bench to sit on. She instead invited him up as she was the daughter of the owner, and he quickly agreed. He found her very attractive as he did the herbal essence of her hair, washed with kadlum, kisol, and sumayao. She asked him where he came from and he answered that tremblingly that he came from a “Suba nga daku” (big river). He curiousity aroused, she asked again how big the “suba nga daku” was really. The man answered that “it was the biggest river that he had seen so far in his life”. And the river and the place where the man had passed through became Subangdaku. Indeed, the rived used to be wide and the mangroves reached the area of the present-day bridge.

The HDP tells of a similar story, but adds that the barrio’s old name was “Ka ltag” after a lady who lived there. Although she was not possessed of great wealth, Ka ltag was well-known for her sumptuous table during fiestas. Subangdaku became officially a barrio in the American period in 1918, the HDP adds.