1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. 8.. 9.. 10.. 11.. 12.. 13.. 14.. 15.. 16.. 17.. 18.. 19.. 20.. Municipality of Payao
Municipality of Payao, before its creation into a regular corporate municipality were found only on tales and legends, verbally handed down through generation of people. These were the only window of its glorious past. Based on this tales and legends. Payao allegedly came to existence only during the early part of the 17th century. Before the 17th century he Poblacion of Payao was just a piece of rocky land jutting towards he sea Taba bay, and inhabited by wild animal and native Subanons. Because of its good harbor, its good harbor, it became a fishing sitio with clustered houses on stilts. The sitio was part of Kulasian a territory of the Sultanate of Sulu, before the tentacles of the Spanish Regime grasped the Kulasian areas. Kulasian territory was governed by a forgotten minor Datu.(note the minor Datu name was later found to be "Datu Dakula", from legend and stores). under the reign of the Datu Kumalarang. One of the last Datu to exercise dominions over the Kulasan area for the Sultanate of Sulu. Under the Datu Kumalarang was certain Datu Alfonso. This discovery of the promise land in this part of Zamboanga Peninsula had spawn the influx of different settlers from the direction of the country which had greatly and adversely the reigns of the Datus, in which some of his power were surrendered to the constituted authority of the Spanish Regime. In due time, the political powers of the Datus were vanished into oblivion, however once in a while the political powers of the Datu were sought in the order to solve or settle dispute between village leader(Timuay), Thus in 1979, Hon. Leonardo G. Bulawin Jr. was conferred a title of Datu Akmad Basser Bulawin by the representative of the sultanate of Sulu with concurrence of the assembled timuays residing within the municipality of Payao. When the municipality of Kabasalan was created with Poblacion Naga, Kulasian become one of the biggest barrio, in fact one of the Vice President of Kabasalan and concurrently Deputy Governor of Zamboanga del Sur was a resident of Kalasian, while Payao is just a sitio of it. Because of the great economic potential of Payao (Poblacion) in term of livelihood, like fishing and agriculture(farming) Payao, became one of the prosperous trading port. Thus Payao become a barrio of Kabasalan separate from Kulasian. And when Siay was created into a regular municipality, the barrio of Payao became one of its regular barrio. The growth of expansion of Payao was traceable to the early part of the 19th century when commerce and trade was established in the area because of its good harbor. Although once in a while Payao was plundered and robbed by pirates, still people came and settled in the area because of the economic potentials found in the area. The origin of the name "Payao" are now almost forgotten with the passing of times. however, there were several tales which were transmitted verbally through generation of native Subanon which were now blurred. One of the legend was that the word Payao was derived from the Subanons term "PIYAO" or deer. It was said once upon a time, deer (piyao) were so abundant in the area of what is now the Poblacion of Payao, that the natives did not have to hunt for deer, but only went to the area and choose the fattest deer among the herds and lassoes by the horn before leading to slaughter. Thus whenever the natives goes to the area, he will always refer to call the place "piyao" area. And from that unrecorded time on the natives started to call the place as "Piyao" However as time goes on "Piyao" was pronounce as "Payao" which remained to the