Legend of Lumban, Laguna The advent of sixteenth century found the arrival of Spanish friars in Lumban together with

a military contingent. They landed in the shores of Laguna de Bay and settled down in the northern part of the town. The friars made this the center of their missionary activities. The soldiers put up a station for themselves while the friars built a stage made of grass and bamboo. The stage was used for their teachings in spreading Christianity to the natives. It was also used in staging Moromoro plays a cultutral presentation of Lumban folk for the comedia (another term for Moro-moro). This site was later names Entablado which is Spanish for stage. It is now sitio of Barangay Wawa . Because Entablado was too close to the lakewaters, the missionaries transffered their center to the south where they built a chapel. They left again for another location and the chapel site was called Kristiya, now also a sitio of Wawa. Finnaly, the friars decided to move further southward, the place where the catholic church now stands. Here they built a church made a wood, bamboo and leaves of trees, relying mostly on forced labor imposed on the natives. In 1986, Fray Pedro Bautista who is now San Pedro Bautista beacame a parish priest of Lumban. He secured permission for the Governor General to rebuilt in stone the church and convento of Lumban. But there years later, because the work was not progressing, he ask help from Governor Santiago de Vera. Antive leader name Burlon, was assigned with the authority over laborers and the first stone church of the Franciscans was soon finished. It is interesting to note too that it was in Lumban church that Franciscan first reserved the Blessed Sacrament outside in Manila 1600. Fray Pedro Bautista and another Franciscan, Fray Jeronimo de Aquilar, organized an integrated course of musical teachingand traning started a factory of rudimentary musical instruments. In 1590 Lumban, Laguna considered as the first Academy of Music in the Philippines. It was continued and finally organized before 1606 by Fray Juan de Santa Marta, who left his music teaching to become a missionabry to Japan. The church also served as a resthouse of failing Franciscan missionaries until 1618. During the Spanish time, the barangay system of government already existed in Lumban. Records show that the towns barangays were established under Don Juan Tumbaga (1675-1750) during his term as Gobernadorcillo. There were nine original barangay, namely: San Jose, now Primera Parang San Vicente, now Segunda Parang San Rosario, now Salac San Antonio, now Sto Nio Sonora dela Concepcion, now Maracta San Roque, now Balimbingan Santa Cruz, now Primera Pulo San Rafael, now Segunda Pulo San Isidro, now Maytalang I Lumban which got its name from Lumbang Tree, is one of the oldest towns in the province of Laguna. The provinces capital town, Santa Cruz, as well as Cavinti and the famous Pagsanjan, were once part of Lumban. Lumban is also known as the Embroidery Capital of the Philippines.