Friday, October 10, 2008 Sto. Tomas to recognize outstanding residents By Chris Navarro
STO. TOMAS -- Five outstanding Thomasian in different fields of excellence and eight Barangay Health Workers (BHW) who have rendered 25 years of public service will be given honors during Monday's 57th Foundation Day celebration here.
Mayor Joselito Naguit said on Thursday that one of the highlights of the town's founding anniversary is the awarding of Outstanding Thomasian and recognition of eight BHW's who have served their respective communities in the past 25 years.
Naguit said that among those who will be given awards are Antonio Galang (Poetry); Diomari Ivan Tayag and Arwin Santos (Sports); former Councilor Nelson Canlas (Public Service); Jose Irwin Nucum (Arts and Culture) and BHWs Lourdes Lansangan, Corazon Silva, Teresita Catacutan, Socorro Manansala, Josefina Pangilinan, Rosemarie Pineda, Rosita Bundalian, and Teresita Fernandez.
He said before the awarding ceremonies, a mass will be held to be officiated by Rev. Fr. Ramon Torres, Rev. Fr. Arnel Pineda, and Joel Gamboa.
Naguit said they have invited Philippine National Red Cross administrator Augusto Ocampo and Conresswoman Anna York Bondoc-Sagum to grace the occasion.
Other activities will include passporting services, medical mission, cataract operation and blood letting.
Sto. Tomas was traditionally called "Baliwag," which means tardy in Spanish. The town was called such because the townspeople were always late in attending mass. It was christened after Sto. Tomas Apostol whose festivity was solemnized on the 21st day of December 1792.
Before 1792, the municipality was historically annexed to Minalin. It was only on September 15, 1792 when the municipality was separated from the matrix municipality. On December 19 of the same year, the town's people were able to negotiate for the municipality's political segregation from Minalin.
Historical records show that the municipality had changes of its name from Sto. Tomas de Baliwag in 1830 to 1854 to Pueblo de Sto. Tomas in 1855 to 1926.
On May 4, 1899, the town was captured and occupied by the United States Forces. The town, together with Minalin, was ceded under the political jurisdiction of San Fernando. Minalin was subsequently segregated from San Fernando. It was not until October 12, 1951 that Sto. Tomas was politically segregated from San Fernando.
Through Executive Order (EO) 476, then president Elpidio Quirino mandated the organization of five barrios into an independent municipality to be called St. Tomas. The barrios of San Matias, San Vicente, San Bartolome, Sto. Rosario and Poblacion formed the first independent of Sto. Tomas with the seat of government in Barrio San Vicente.
Quirino appointed the first municipal officials in January 1952. Because of the absence of a government building in the mandated seat of government, then Mayor Patricio Gomez volunteered to house the municipal hall in his house in Barrio San Matias. In 1955 Republic Act (RA) 1250, the seat of government was transferred to Barrio Poblacion.
However, because Poblacion was in the outskirts of the municipality, former president Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree (PD) 1441 transferred the seat of government from Poblacion to Barrio San Vicente. The present location is considered strategic to effect a meaningful change and accelerate progress and development of the town. This was also the desire of barangay and municipal officials at the time.
