THERE was sugar demand. When Iloilo opened its port in 1855, it sent sugar to Australia and finally to Europe. Fr. Eusebio Locsin invited his friends and relatives from Molo and Jaro to come to Negros, particularly Silay. Nicolas Loney offered financing loan for sugar crop.
The earliest prominent families who migrated to Silay were the families of Simeon Ledesma, Cornelio Hilado (Bagacay, Matab-ang)... followed by pioneering other families: Lopez, Ledesma, Locsin, Jarra, Hilado, Severino, Tarrosa, Hernaez, and Montinola...Jayme, Gamboa, Jison, Hofilena,... Conlu, Araneta, De la Rama, Montelibano, Valencia.
They were the “admiradas,” ambitious families who had been already nurtured in the atmosphere of culture... according to writer Francisco Varona.
The Frenchman, Yves Leopold Germaine Gaston settled in Guinhalaran, his “Buen Retiro.”
In 1846, he introduced “maquina de vapor horno economico” (steam engine) for the production of quality muscovado sugar replacing “molino de sangre,” “molino de agua” and “molino de fuego.”
Fr. Eusebio Locsin is considered by Francisco Varona as the “Father of Migration.” He is an instrument in opening haciendas in Negros, particularly Silay.
A hacienda is a large property (hundreds of hectares) devoted to sugarcane. Alongside, there could be other areas for rice, corn, and orchard or cattle ranch. Haciendas are named after the original owners or significant events that happened on that particular farm.
We hear of such names as Hda. Adela (owner), Hda. Lugway (log way), Hda. Pula (red soil), Hda. Kinilatan (hit by lightning), Hda. Balaring (balading, a wooden tuba container), Hda. Kudangdang (tree-bearing flowers), Hda. Guinsang-an (near the twin river), Hda. Maquina (named after-maquina vapor de horno economico).
The typical hacienda includes a village of workers. The owner may have his big house (mansion) in a portion of the village. Other structures are bodega (warehouse), hacienda office, garage for trucks and equipment, sacada quarters, chapel (serving also as multi-purpose-center), plaza for recreation (basketball and volleyball court, a diamond for baseball), and the house of the "encargado" (overseer).
We have the terms used in the haciendas: amo, generic name for the owner of the hacienda; hacendero, small-time sugarcane farmer (owner of the farm); hacendado, owner of more haciendas; jornalero, hacienda worker; dumaan, permanent hacienda worker; sacada, transient worker coming to the farm during the milling season and leaving the farm during the off-milling season.
Other common terms are cabo (foreman), encargado (overseer), ronda (watchman), tenedor de libro (bookkeeper), manogpamatdan (those cutting sugarcane), manog-tapas (those cutting sugarcane), manog-abono (those applying fertilizer), and arima (6 a.m. assembly time for workers).
We had all these in Silay before and we still have them now. This is our heritage, our culture, and our life!