Compostela, Cebu

Compostela, officially the Municipality of Compostela (Lungsod sa Compostela; ), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,874 people.

Compostela is within the Metro Cebu area.

History
In the year 1844, Spanish authorities established local government units on the northern part of Cebu starting from what is now known as the town of Compostela as far north as what is now called the town of Borbon. Compostela was among the early barrios of the Danao. The newly established barrio was named Compostela on the suggestion of Roman Catholic friar, Fr. Manuel Alonzo, who came from the town of Ibdes in Spain and brought along with him the image of Compostela’s patron saint, St. James the Great.

Adopting the said saint as the local patron, a parish chapel was built from light materials. As the population grew, the Spanish church authorities decided to elevate the chapel into a church so that in the year 1866 the catholic church was constructed on the same site. Up to present time, the same structure continues to be the major place of worship in Compostela.

At the turn of the 20th century, the Americans gained control over the Philippines when they defeated the Spaniards in the Battle of Manila Bay. As a consequence, the Treaty of Paris caused the reorganization and reclassification of all local government units in the country according to their population and income. The reorganization which took place in 1903 resulted in the secession of Compostela to Liloan. In 1919, Compostela became a municipality.

Battle of Guila Guila
The Battle of Guila-guila was a significant event that took place in Barangay Bagalnga, Compostela, Cebu during World War II. On March 5, 1943, Japanese forces under General Sosaku Suzuki were ambushed by Filipino guerillas led by Lt. Agapito "Pete" Admana, under the command of Major Fabian Sanchez. The ambush was successful and inflicted heavy casualties against the invading forces. The guerillas had planned the ambush for a long time, suspecting that the Japanese soldiers' objective was to invade their general headquarters located in Brgy. Tabunan in Cebu City.

Witnesses reported that three machine guns were already in position and foxholes were dug for cover. The fighting started around 2:00 pm, and the guerillas retreated because they were running out of bullets and ammunition. The exact number of casualties on the enemy side is unknown, but official reports account for 232 dead bodies. Some witnesses reported truckloads of dead bodies being transported, and Japanese forces bombarded the area and burned down houses in retaliation. One of the guerillas who participated in the ambush was Jose Bobo, who was later murdered by men in uniform for allegedly supporting the New People's Army.

The Capture of Governor Hilario Abellana
Hilario "Dodong" Abellana was the Governor of Cebu during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II. He was captured by the Japanese on September 3, 1944, while hiding in the Libo hills of Cabadiangan, Compostela. Abellana had previously escaped capture multiple times and was actively involved with the resistance movement in Cebu. Abellana had just returned from Bohol and was passing through the area en route to the mountains when he was caught at early dawn. Despite his efforts to resist the Japanese, he was ultimately executed on January 15, 1945, at the University of the Philippines Cebu campus. Efforts to locate Abellana's remains were exhaustive but unsuccessful.

The Estaca Bay Fight
On October 31, 1944, a group of 33 Japanese soldiers docked their sailboats on the shores of Barangay Estaca, Compostela, the first day of American bombing of Japanese headquarters in Cebu. They were not able to go beyond the seashore as they died in the hands of the guerrillas led by Democrito Mendoza, whose family owns what is now the Stakili Beach resort. In October 1942. He led 60 soldiers, some of them from Liloan and Compostela, in the offensive operation. They killed 50 Japanese soldiers before retreating to the mountains.

Geography
Compostela is bordered on the north by the city of Danao, to the west by Cebu City, on the east by the Camotes Sea, and on the south by the town of Liloan. It is 25 km from Cebu City.

Barangays
Compostela is politically subdivided into 17 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.