HISTORY:

Historical Background

There was a time in history San Isidro was the premier town of the province of Nueva
Ecija. But with the passing away of Spanish and American sovereignty from the country, the
glory that was once of San Isidro slowly faded away. Till now, every now and then, in the
reminiscence of the old folks who saw the diminishing glow of Spanish domination and
witnessed the brightening gleam of American star.

At present, the only witness to the grandeur it once possessed are its brick walls, now
moss covered and crumbling with age and its once stately Spanish mansions, now untenanted
and decaying in neglect.

Like any of the other in the early Spanish rule, the form of government was that of a
Barangay, headed by a Cabesa who was under a Captain.

In 1571, don Martin de Goite conquered Pampanga and in early 1572, it was formally
created into a province. In 1707, Governor Fausto Cruzat Y Gongora created a portion of
Pampanga into a military Comandancia of that province, naming the district of Nueva Ecija
in honor if his native City in Spain. Nueva Ecija grew into a Province. In 1818, her limits
extended to the Pacific Ocean. The town of Palanan, now part of Isabela was once part of
Nueva Ecija. In 1843, San Isidro was founded as Pueblo (town) by an Augustinian Father
Bernie Barber, in honor of the patron saint of farmers and laborers, San Isidro Labrador,
seeing that the town’s chief industry was farming.

In 1848, Gapan, San Isidro, Cabiao, San Antonio, and Aliaga were separated from
Pampanga and added to Nueva Ecija and the town of San Miguel was given to Bulacan. San
Isidro became the chief commercial town of Nueva Ecija at that time.

During the early years, this town was known as “Factoria” because of the
establishment of tobacco factories in the Poblacion. This was the capital of Nueva Ecija up to
1912 when the seat of government was transferred to Cabanatuan. Thereafter, an educator
from Tarlac established a private high school that was then known as “Luzon Central
Institute” until the outbreak of the last war in 1941.
 The present municipal building was the provincial capitol during the Spanish time.
The one-storey hall made of bricks and adobe was also the provincial jail where Filipinos
who were suspected of disloyalty to Spain were imprisoned and subjected to cruel and
inhuman punishment.

The seat of government of Nueva Ecija was transferred from one place to another.
Baler was the first capital, next was Bongabon, and Cabanatuan the third. In 1852, the
capital was moved to San Isidro where it remained until 1912, at which in time it was
restored to Cabanatuan.

In September 2, 1896, this town was the site of the first cry against Spanish rule. The
revolutionary forces in Nueva Ecija, numbering two thousand, under General Mariano
Llanera, according to the enemy, besieged San Isidro in a somewhat spectacular manner.

The revolutionist wore red ribbons and paraded down the main road to the music of
the Kabiaw Band. The leaders were on horseback. It was Marcos Ventus who fired the first
shot and killed many guardia civils that they encountered. He was said to be more Spanish
lineage. As a tribute to his exploits as one of the revolutionary leaders, the steel bridge
connecting Gapan to San Leonardo was named “Marcos Ventus Bridge”.

This bridge no longer exists as it was torn down and replaced by a new concrete
bridge in 1976. In San Isidro, a street was named after him.

On March 29, 1899, when General Emilio Aguinaldo and his troops arrived in San
Isidro, he proclaimed this town as the capital of the First Philippine Republic, and stayed at
the Sideco house. The house was owned by Crispulo Sideco, known to many as Kapitang
Pulong, former Gobernadorcillo of San Isidro, and one-time acting governor of Nueva Ecija.

Nueva Ecija was one of the eight provinces that rose in revolt against Spain. It
remained a rebel territory right up to the capture of General Emilio Aguinaldo in Palanan in
1901. For this feat, Nueva Ecija was awarded a ray in the national flag.

Aguinaldo sojourn in San Isidro did not leave memories of the great General due
perhaps to the fact that his stay in town was kept secret to prevent his betrayal to the
American forces, who were pursuing him.

The Americans came to San Isidro under the din of battle and smoke of gunfire. Hot
on the heels of General Aguinaldo, they entered San Isidro on October 19, 1899, where they
routed the revolutionist under the command of General Gregorio del Pilar. With the defeat of
the revolutionary forces in San Isidro, the American conquered the town. Colonel Frederick
Funston established his headquarters in the Sideco House, which earlier housed Aguinaldo
and his men. Governor General Wright himself once was guest in the Sideco house. It was
while in San Isidro that Colonel Funston planned the capture of Aguinaldo.

During the American Regime, much more reform was introduced including social,
economic, and political innovations. It was then when the Wright Institute was established in
San Isidro, the first high school outside Manila, which is now the San Isidro Central School.

This Institution became the Nueva Ecija High School until its transfer to Cabanatuan
in 1972. During that time, the town was well known because of its Baseball Team that was
the Philippines’ best, as is defeated even American teams from the bases. This San Isidro
Baseball Team had in its roster such famous name as Arcinas, Martines, Blanco, Guagan,
Sebastian, Fernando and de Jesus. Simeon de Jesus, who later on became a general of the
army during the last war, was called “Supot” because of his ability to catch a ball in any
position.

The Americans were liberal in comparison with the Spaniards. The first town head
was called “President” which was later on changed to “Mayor” in 1936 when Manuel L.
Quezon was President of the Philippine Commonwealth, to distinguish the head of the
Philippines to town heads. The first municipal “President” of San Isidro was Pedro Carmen in
1901 while the first Mayor was Theodoro Talens in 1936.

It was December 1941, out in fields, the palay stalks stood heavy with golden grains
while along the river banks, the vegetable farms groaned with their load of produce. Harvest
would be good, and the coming year would be a season of grace for the San Isidro folks.

Then, out of a blue sky zoomed enemy planes. World War II that was to plunge the
country into chaos and destruction has begun. The Japanese came to San Isidro on December
29, 1941. They arrived by the land in their trucks and tanks. It was a peaceful arrival and the
Japanese met no resistance. The Japanese soldiers occupied the municipal hall, the Wright
Institute, the Sideco house and other big houses in the Poblacion whose owners had earlier
fled the town.

During the Japanese occupation, there were different groups of resistance fighters. In
San Isidro, the best-known groups were the “USAFE” guerillas under Capt. Bernard L.
Anderson, an American Air Craft’s pilot who had escaped from Bataan and the
HUKBALAHAP (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon) under Banal.

The first elected town Mayor of San Isidro after the war was Leonard Castelo (1948-
1951) a native of Poblacion. Perhaps, it was the influence of the Japanese regime that graft
and corruption came about. Vote selling was rampant and every voter, as a potential seller to
the highest bidder.

Then town of San Isidro was again put into the limelight during the 1967 elections,
which was so far as the first time in the history of the Philippine Politics. Two opposing
candidates agreed to campaign on a common stage and poster system and occupy the same
headquarters. There was no mudslinging, no vote buying and election fraud.

The two mayoral candidates who made political HISTORY were Cesario Lopez and
Maximino Lorenzo. In recognition of these two gentlemen’s role in the exemplary conduct of
the 1967 elections, they were given the Juan Dela Cruz Award by a Radio-TV Network with
Maximino M. Lorenzo winning overwhelmingly against Mayor Cesario Lopez.

Before and after Martial Law, San Isidro was a peaceful town. When the President
lifted curfew during the lent in 1976, all the neighboring towns and some towns in Bulacan
were under curfew but not so in San Isidro.

The People Power Revolution in 1986 propelled Enrico P. Lorenzo, a respected

However, in his re-election bid in May 11 1992, a Barangay Captain, Nestor B.

In the succeeding 1998 election, five (5) days before the electoral process, Mayor
Magno was disqualified to run for his last term as Municipal Mayor due to a case filed
against him as initiated by some political rivals. In so doing, Aurora Sonia Ramoso Lorenzo,
wife of former Congressman Victorio A. Lorenzo, was endorsed by Mayor Magno as his
replacement – candidate; and with only five (5) days of campaigning, Aurora Sonia R.
Lorenzo made history by winning and becoming the town’s first Local Chief Executive in the
personality of a woman.

Mayor Lorenzo served as town mayor from 1998 to 2003. She stepped down in office
January 02, 2004 to give way to Mayor Nestor Magno who won in an electoral protest. The
latter served for a short period of six (6) months when Mayor Lorenzo bid for reelection
catapulted her back into office. She served again from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2010 – a two
term period which saw her last days in office. Her running mate for two (2) terms, then Vice
Mayor Cesario I. Lopez, Jr. won the 2010 Mayoralty post over her rival, Mayor Sonia R.
Lorenzo.

Presently, Mayor Lopez holds the reins of the LGU and is imbued with fresh hopes
and confidence to lead the town to greater heights thru ethical governance and his genuine
concern and love for the common man.