History of the town Sta Cruz, Zambales
At the beginning of the 17th century, in the year 1612, the town of “Sigayan”, now Sta. Cruz was founded in the Sitio of Tambobong which is now within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Dasol, Pangasinan.
It is said that when the first Spanish missionaries arrived at the Sitio, they asked the natives the name of the place, but the latter thinking that the strangers were asking for the name of the shells that they found in abundance on the seashore, answered “Sigayan”. Hence the name.
Tha Catholic priest of the town later built a church which was placed under the care of Fr. Alonzo de San Agustin. One day, many years later, a Negrito by the name of Utahat killed the priest whose sermon on the church’s pulpit was mistaken for insults directed at the natives.
This incident forced the founders of the town to transfer the town site to another place, the sitio of “Salasa”, which is now within the jurisdiction of the barrio of Bayto, perhaps because they feared further depredation by the native Negritos.
This town was named “Alinsaog”, founded at the beginning of the 18th century, whose ruins could still be seen up to the present. The town site remained in this place until the later part of the 19th century when it was abandoned by the natives because of the overflowing of the Bayto river which brought death and destruction to the inhabitants. The natives had to move to another townsite, the present location of the municipality.
Years later, the people of this town found the image of St. Michael the Archangel, among the debris carried by the floodwater of the Bayto river years back. They forth with placed a cross on the spot where they found the holy image on which they built the present church and named the town Sta. Cruz.
Barangay of Sta Cruz
- Poblacion North
- Poblacion South
- San Fernando
- Tubo-tubo North (Lupa)
- Tubo-tubo South
- Lipay
- Biay
- Bolitoc (Longos)
- Sabang
- Bayto
- Naulo
- Lucapon North (Calibungan)
- Lucapon South (Acoje)
- Pagatpat
- Malabago
- Gama
- Bolawon
- Bangcol
- Canaynayan
- Pamonoran
- Almasin (Lomboy)
- Tabalong
- Guisguis
- Guinabon
- Babuyan