"The history of a nation is often interwoven with persons who in one way or another have been instrumental in its progress-political, educational, economic,social and to some extnt religious. Such is the history of a small barrio turned into a beautiful town. This is a brief history of La Libertad, a town 105 kilometers north of Dumaguete City."
"Hugging closely the coasts of Tanon Strait, and nesting cozily in the wide and fertile valley swept by the Hinoba-an River lines, La liBertad against a backdrop of a sylvan scenery. It bears a Castillan name which connotes "freedom" and whose yesteryears are filled with tender memories."
"Barrio Hinoba-an During the Spanish Regime. The place was then inhabited by the primitive tribes who were mostly Negritos. Several enterprising families from neighboring towns and distant provinces came to settle in this barrio. Among the first pioneers was a certain Pedro Absin. He came from the distant province of Camarines Sur with the Spanish friars, who spread the Christian religion to this part of Negros. He married a lovely lass who later was baptized as Mauricia. This was the beginning of the large and progressive Francisco Acar Absin clan."
"The other families were the Facturans from Jimalalud, the Carinals from Tayasan, and the de Paduas form Ilo-ilo. These people were the leading pioneer families of the "old" Hinoba-an. Most of them were engaged in farming and fishing."
"The fertile valleys of Hinoba-an were so enticing that several families immigrated to this barrio in the later part of the Spanish period. One of the prominent families that moved in was the Libo-on family. The head of this family was an Ilonggo. However, he did not come directly to Hinoba-an. A certain Maestro Tomas Libo-on of Miag-ao, Iloilo, arrived at the barrio of Jimalalud where he was employed as a private tutor by some families. He was a widower when he came but he brought with him his only son, Luciano, and a niece, Romana Libo-on. They lived in the barrio for several years. Later, Luciano was married to Bernabela Facturan, a native of the place. However, they were attracted by the richness of the soil of the neighboring barrio of Hinoba-an. They bought a pave of land at the mouth of the Hinoba-an River and built their first house there.
"Another family worthy of mention is the Banogon family. The head of this clan was Pio Banogon. Born on May 5, 1876 in Tanjay, another town of this province, Pio grew to be a promising young man. After he finished grade school, his parents sent him to Manila to study at San Juan de Letran for two years. When he returned home, he was so moved by his adventurous spirit that he decided to go northward. In 1896, he arrived at Jimalalud. It was in this barrio where he found his life's mate, one Petra Sevilla, a scion of the Facturans of Jimalalud. Like the others, the Banogons were also magnetized by the richness of the farmland of Hinoba-an. They bought some parcels of land at Canlaro in the barrio of San Jose and at Binatangan in Martilo."
"The other prominent families that moved to Hinoba-an were the Dionaldos from Moalboal, Cebu; the Somozas from Bais; the Emperados from Ayungon; and the Villaesters from Toledo, Cebu."
(lifted from "Souvenir Program 50th Anniversary of the creation of La Libertad as a Municipality of Negros Oriental, Dec 30, 31, 1968; Jan 1, 1969)
