Editing Guimaras (section)

==History==

===Spanish colonial era===
About 1581, [[Gonzalo Ronquillo de Peñalosa]], Spanish governor and Captain-General of the Philippine Islands, established a settlement in Guimaras for the purpose of Christianizing the island's natives. He and his subordinates organized the ''pueblicitos'' or villages of Nayup under the [[patron saint|patronage]] of Saint [[Peter the Apostle]], and Igang with [[Saint Anne]] as patroness.

Evangelization of Guimaras occurred around the same time the friars were making inroads in Panay. The [[Augustinians]] established the ''visitas'' ([[chapelry|chapelries]]) of Nayup and Igang as subordinate to [[Oton, Iloilo]]. [[Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas]], the 7th [[Governor-General of the Philippines#Under New Spain (1565–1761)|Spanish]] [[Governor-General of the Philippines|Governor-General]], noted in a June 20, 1591, report to King [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] that the friars of Oton made regular visits to the island.

In 1742, the island came under the jurisdiction of Dumangas – now known as [[Iloilo]], until 1751 when the Augustinian Order was replaced by the [[Jesuit]]s, after which the [[Dominican order]] took over Guimaras. The Jesuits, who had established a school in Iloilo and had missions in Molo and Arevalo, took charge of the island. By 1755, it was organized into a regular parish. When the population increased considerably, the island was given its municipal status with a seat of government at Tilad (today [[Buenavista, Guimaras|Buenavista]]).

===American colonial era===
Under [[American Colonial Period (Philippines)|American rule]], the Guimarasnons were given the opportunity to elect their municipal president in 1908.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://guimaras.islandsphilippines.com/guimaras-history.php|title=Guimaras History|publisher=Islands Philippines|access-date=June 2, 2012|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107011859/http://guimaras.islandsphilippines.com/guimaras-history.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Douglas MacArthur]], a fresh graduate from [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] as a [[Second Lieutenant]] at the age of 23, came to Iloilo as the head of the company of [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]]. They constructed roads and the Santo Rosario Wharf, presently named MacArthur's Wharf, which are still in use today. In November 1903, while working on Guimaras, he was ambushed by a pair of Filipino brigands or guerrillas; he shot and killed both with his pistol.<ref>{{cite book |title="Volume 1, 1880–1941", The Years of MacArthur |last=Clayton |first=James, D. |year=1970 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=Boston |isbn=0-395-10948-5 |pages= 87–89}}</ref>

===Japanese occupation===
In 1942, [[Japanese Imperial Army|Japanese Imperial forces]] landed on Guimaras Island as the [[Empire of Japan]] began its [[Japanese occupation of the Philippines|occupation]] of the country during the [[Second World War]]. The Japanese controlled almost every island between the Philippines and Hawaii. The U.S. Forces needed these islands to run aircraft to and from the Philippines, while denying Japan usage. The U.S. Army and Navy planned indirect attacks that would eventually lead them to [[Luzon]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Forces Began Main Battle For Philippines 75 Years Ago |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2048611/us-forces-began-main-battle-for-philippines-75-years-ago/https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2048611/us-forces-began-main-battle-for-philippines-75-years-ago/ |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In 1945, 10 U.S. divisions and 5 independent regiments would battle for Luzon, making it the largest campaign of the war and involving more troops than the United States had used in North Africa, Italy or southern France. The combined [[United States]] and [[Philippine Commonwealth]] forces landed on Guimaras Island, attacking the Japanese and defeating them in the Battle of Guimaras, which led to the liberation of the island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Triumph/USA-P-Triumph-31.html|title=US Army in WW II|publisher=Robert Ross Smith}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

===Philippine independence===
====Provincial status====
Guimaras gained its status as a sub-province of Iloilo through ''[[Republic Act]] 4667'',<ref name=ChanRobles-RA4667>{{cite web|title=Republic Act No. 4667 - An Act Creating the Subprovince of Guimaras in the Province of Iloilo|url=http://laws.chanrobles.com/republicacts/47_republicacts.php?id=4671|website=Chan Robles Virtual Law Library|access-date=December 20, 2015}}</ref> which was enacted by [[Congress of the Philippines|Congress]] on June 18, 1966. It was proclaimed as a regular and full-fledged province on May 22, 1992, after a [[plebiscite]] was conducted to ratify the approval of its conversion pursuant to Section 462 of ''R.A. 7160''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1991/ra_7160_1991.html|title=An Act Providing for a Local Government Code of 1991|publisher=The LawPhil Project}}</ref>

Shortly after Guimaras acquired its provincial status, [[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Fidel V. Ramos]] appointed Emily Relucio-López as its first Governor.

The province of Guimaras was originally composed of three municipalities: Buenavista, Jordan, and [[Nueva Valencia]]. In 1995, through ''Republic Act No. 7896'' and ''Republic Act No. 7897'',<ref name=GovPH-RA7896>{{cite web|title=Republic Act No. 7896; An Act Creating the Municipality of Sibunag in the Province of Guimaras|url=https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1995/02/20/republic-act-no-7896/|website=Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines|date=February 20, 1995 |access-date=December 20, 2015}}</ref><ref name=ChanRobles-RA7897>{{cite web|title=Republic Act No. 7897 - An Act Creating the Municipality of San Lorenzo in the Province of Guimaras|url=http://laws.chanrobles.com/republicacts/79_republicacts.php?id=7901|website=Chan Robles Virtual Law Library|access-date=December 20, 2015}}</ref> the municipalities of Sibunag and [[San Lorenzo, Guimaras|San Lorenzo]] were created. The two new municipalities officially acquired their municipal status after the May 8, 1995, [[plebiscite]] held simultaneously with the local election.

Ernesto L. Gedalanga was the first appointed mayor of Sibunag and Arsenio Zambarrano was also appointed mayor of San Lorenzo. The temporary seat of government of the Municipality of Sibunag is at Barangay Dasal while the temporary seat of Government of the Municipality of San Lorenzo is at Barangay Cabano.

===Contemporary===
====Guimaras oil spill====
In August 2006, the [[Guimaras oil spill]] occurred. The 998-ton MT ''Solar 1'', [[Chartering (shipping)|chartered]] by [[Petron]] (the Philippines' largest oil refiner), carrying 2.4 million litres of [[bunker fuel]], sank {{convert|17|km}} off the island's southern coast, contaminating {{convert|24|km2}}. The [[Philippine Coast Guard]] called this the worst oil spill in the country's history. According to officials, {{convert|1,100|ha}} of [[mangrove]]s were affected, including parts of the [[Taklong Island National Marine Reserve]].<ref name="Bulatlat-2006OilSpill">{{cite news|last1=Ombion|first1=Karl G.|last2=Lachica|first2=Ryan B.|title=Guimaras Oil Spill Ship Found Unfit for Sailing|url=http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-28/6-28-spill.htm|access-date=April 15, 2016|work=Bulatlat|date=2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109204031/http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-28/6-28-spill.htm|archive-date=January 9, 2007|quote=As of press time, the ship’s sinking has already caused an oil spill contaminating 200 kilometers of the coastline of  Nueva Valencia, Sibunag and San Lorenzo towns. This has reportedly affected more than 20 sq. km of coral reefs, 1,100 has. of the Taclong  national marine reserve in Nueva Valencia, at least 4,000 fishermen and 17,000 households in several coastal villages.}}</ref>