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THE HISTORY OF LIBERTAD

Foundation and Administration
The town of Libertad in Antique was formerly a barrio of the town of Pandan, until President Elpidio Quirino’s Executive Order Number 2531 made it into a municipality on August 5, 1949. It was finally inaugurated on October 18, 1949 with Atty. Daniel Dujali as the appointed Municipal Mayor. Mayor Dujali administered the town from September 1949 until December 1951. It was in 1951 when Libertad had its first municipal election. Arsenio Nicopior was the first elected Mayor, who won by protest over his close rival Primitivo Garmillos. In 1955, Primitivo Garmillos became the second elected mayor. In the 1967 local elections, Primitivo Garmillos gave way to Burgos Nicopior.  During the years of martial law until 1986, Burgos Nicopior administered the town. After the EDSA Revolt, by virtue of the executive order of the President Corazon Aquino, Ireneo Ambong was appointed mayor as the transition period from martial law underwent.

Spanish Watch Tower
During the Spanish era, barrio Inaywan or Inyawan was first located at Potipos, a place enclosed with a robust wooden fence. Due to the frequent attacks of the Moro pirates, the barrio folks built a watch tower on the eastern side of the mouth of the Inaywan or Inyawan River, now called Magsapad. The area had twelve (12) houses, a stone tower and a stone church. Much later, four wooden mills were constructed in Agungon, Inyawan (Balud), Carajon (Codiong), and Malatibok (now part of Panangkilon) respectively. But on February 5, 1855, Moro pirates burned the house of Teniente Owa, robbed the barrio folks and murdered one man.

With the migration of many settlers from the southern portion of the province, the barrio grew and progressed which prompted the Spanish authorities to impose taxes known as montes. The people were made to contribute in money or in kind to support the Spanish friars and officers. This system, as well as the imposition of forced labor, caused the eventual retreat of the barrio folks to the frontiers, thus, the barrio was considered "abandoned" - a word which locally means inaywan or binaya-an hence the name Inyawan was derived.

Philippine Revolution
In 1896, the struggle of the Filipinos for independence from the Spaniards began. The revolt spread all over the island of Panay. In 1898, Gen. Leandro Fullon, a revolutionary leader together with his men, landed at Punta Pucio. For four months, his command stationed at a cave at Mt. Agongon, as it was pursued by the Spanish soldiers. In November 1898, the Spanish forces arrested Fullon but he was able to escape for unknown reason. Instead of Fullon, Ignacio Umilongo and his nephew named Felix Unilongo were arrested and presented to the Spanish General at Pandan. They were rescued however, by Gen. Fullon who made a diversionary declaration to the Spanish authorities by telling them to meet him in a battle in Culasi. Ignacio and Felix were set free by the Spaniards. The revolutionary general on the same week changed the names of the following barrios: Inyawan to Libertad; Nipa to Union; Nabat-a to San Roque; and Tinawagan to Patria.  Libertad is a Spanish word for freedom, while union for unity, patria for fatherland, and San Roque, the patron saint of the wounded.  The choice of words were descriptive of the plight of the revolutionary army and the barrio folks at this period of transition.

In November 1891, General Fullon organized the municipalidad de Libertad under the revolutionary government and appointed Ignacio Unilongo as the presidente municipal and Pedro Depuno as the tresorero municipal. The municipality remained unrecognized, however, due to the crisis in the revolutionary government and administration.

In 1899, when the American forces came, they started to administer the community and educate the people, establishing the first public school with Delfin Rodillon as the first mentor. In 1909, the Philippine Independent Church was established in Libertad, with Fr. Leopisto Pacite as the first parish priest.

World War II
During the advent of the World War II, four other houses were built of concrete materials. When the Japanese occupied the country, the guerrilla movement was organized in the Island of Panay, making Libertad or Inyawan as the center of guerilla activities. The guerilla forces under Col. Cirilo Garcia were victorious over the Japanese. This made the enemy so furious that they burned the barrios of Taboc, Olaog, and the hiding place or camps in Magpiyong . With the coming of the Americans in 1945, the locality was liberated. Situation returned to normal. All ruined structures including school buildings were reconstructed.

During World War II, American Submarines docked at the bay of Inyawan or Libertad to unload arms, ammunitions, and all necessary war supplies for the Panay guerilla forces that helped liberate the whole Panay Island from the Japanese. Mt. Agungon became a secret bodega of Panay guerilla arms and other military supplies, including cash for the salary of the soldiers. Mysteriously though, the said bodega was burned. Two civilians were suspected of burning it. The findings proved that the two guards who were assigned there were answerable and were there for shot to death as punishment. It was here in Libertad that the American civilians in Panay and Negros were gathered to be whisked away by the American submarines to Australia.

Libertad is now composed of nineteen (19) barangays.