Demetrio Larena

Demetrio Larena was a political hero and former governor of Negros Oriental (East Negros), a province on Negros Island in the Philippines. He was the vice-president of the Republic of Negros and eventually the governor of Negros Oriental from 1901 until 1906. Larena was instrumental in the establishment of Silliman University in Dumaguete. When Dr. David Hibbard came to the Philippines to scout for a good location of the school that the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions wanted to be founded, Dumaguete was not one of the places originally contemplated. The places that were considered as prospects for the school's location were Iloilo, Cebu and Zamboanga. But due in part to Larena's accommodating gesture and Dumaguete's natural environment at that time, Hibbard decided that the best place to establish the school would be in Dumaguete.

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Larena era and 1903 in Negros Oriental
On 1 July 1902, the United States Congress passed a bill to conduct a Census of the Philippines for the year 1903. The general directors were J. P. Sanger and T. B. Taylor. Assisting them were Henry Gannett and Victor H. Olmsted.

To supervise the 1903 Census in the province of Negros Oriental was Provincial Governor Demetrio Larena. Coordinating with the governor were H. A. Peed as treasurer and Santiago Gonzalez as clerk.

Most of the municipal presidents (the old term for mayors) served as special agents of the census in the different towns. They were as follows: Antero Bandoquillo (Amblan); Felipe Remollo (Ayuquitan); Basilio Trumata and Ramon Cuadra (Bacong); Emilio Teves (Bais); Simon Galon and Sebastian Remalador (Bayawan); Petri Remalada and E. E. Webster (Dauin); Meliton Larena (Dumaguete); Simplecio Villegas (Guihulngan); Ramon Euraoba (Jimalalud); Hilario Caili (Manjuyod); Isaac Dionaldo (La Libertad); Bartolome Damooc and D. Rotter (Valencia); Santiago Tayco (Siaton); Diego Divinagracia and E. M. Buttler (Sibulan); Pelagio Lopez (Tanjay); Tomas Calijan (Tayasan); Rufino Lapig and Sebastian Remalador; and Filomeno Deloria (Zamboanguita).

In the same census, it showed that in the province of Negros Oriental, there were 29 churches whose estimated value was 377,360 pesos. Those 29 churches had an estimated capacity of 34,869. It also noted that there was no church of another religion having any following. As shown in past issues of this column, some of these government officials, at the very least, figured in the religious landscape of the province. At the time, there were several instances the Roman Catholic Church was dispossessed of its properties, causing protracted litigations.

So it came to pass that a case known as "Catholic Church vs. Municipalities" reached the Supreme Court in Manila. More particularly, it was called "The Roman Catholic Apostolic Church Et Al., plaintiffs, vs. Certain Municipalities in the Province of Oriental Negros et al, defendants".

The original action in the Supreme Court was a recovery of possession of realty. Lawyers Hartigan, Rohde and Guitierrez were for the plaintiffs, while General Juan Araneta, Leopoldo Rovira, Felipe Buencamino and Ramon Diokno, for the defendants.

In part, the recital of the case dated 23 January 1908 was described as follows: "The land whereon the church and convent of Sibulan are located; bounded on the north by the beach, a distance of 132 brazas; on the south by the plaza of the town of Sibulan, a distance of 132 brazas; on the east by a street which leads to the beach, a distance of 86 brazas; and on the west by a street, which leads to the sea, a distance of 94 brazas. -->