Barangay Banilad

Barangay Banilad is roughly 5 kilometers south of Dumaguete’s City Center. 8,000 people call Banilad their home. The south boundary is the municipality of Bacong while to the north-west is Barangay Bagacay located. North-east of the barrio on finds Tabug-Tubic and Magnao.

Brief History of Barangay Banilad

The place which now comprises the barrio of Banilad used to be wide passage of strong flood during the heavy rains. This was the condition of the place during the early period of the Spanish time. After the strong flood all over the area, the fences surrounding each home and farm were always scattered in the whole area and resembled matting of such materials on the ground. During the development period of the town of Dumaguete the Spanish officials asked in the barangay what the name of the barrio was. The people called the destruction caused by the flood as “Banig Alad” which means literally matting of fences. So, at those times people always mentioned “Banig Alad”, which made the place known by such term. Later however, the authority must have modified the name as “Banilad’ for convenience. The name altered slightly had that purpose of reference the original vernacular word “Banig Alad”. At the present time, flood still passes all over the wide area, although not quite that deep and strong as in the past centuries.