Lila

Stories or tales have it that when some Augustinian Recollect missionaries passed the place on their way to Dimiao, not only did they pass a wide tract of rice fields on a narrow plain along the coast, but also saw a good number of water plants blooming with flowers growing on the surface of a clear,  small lake. This sight made one of the friars exclaim, “Las flores son lila muy hermosisima!” “Lila” referred to the violet flowers. It was because of this incident that the present town was called Lila. Lila was a visita of Dimiao for many years. A visita means that no priests were assigned to that place. They were only visited by regular priests from other parishes.

The early inhabitants settled a bit farther from the coast to the low hills of Lungsod-daan and in Cayupo, a barangay adjacent to Loay in the east. It was in Lungsod-daan where the Spanish friars built a temporary chapel and convent.

During the Philippine-American hostilities, a group of US Soldiers burned the chapel and convent in 1899. The people found the statue of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary among the debris. A bigger church and convent where later built in the site. The present church, was built in 1925 during the term of Rev. Fr. Narciso Maglasang. The improvement of the church and the paintings came in later during the incumbency of Rev. Fr. Miguel Ortega. It was only in 1941 when a permanent convent was built.

native name: Lila
no. of barangays: 18
rep. dist.: 3rd district
patron: Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
feast day: October 7