Parasao Encomienda

The first and only known Encomendero in Parasao was Garci Sierras Chacon. In the Philippine history, Chacon was a licentiate in the period of Miquel Lopez de Legaspi, the adelantado in the period who became the first Spanish Governor General of the Philippines.

Chacon;s appointment to Parasao with all its plains and mountains, made clear that as early as 1571, the area covering now the towns of Cantilan, Carrascal, Madrid, Carmen and Lanuza, and possibly Cortes, were given to an encomiendero. Tanday could be a possible part of Chacon's encomienda. From the view point, the unknown and unorganized town of Cantilan should be known as Parasao on January 25, 1571. Unless contradicted by other researches, Cantilan's townhood dated back to Chacon's period as encomiendero of Parasao.

Moro Raids

History as orally transmitted noted that for many generations Ilihan and Panikian in Carrascal, like Barangays Calagda-an and Parasao, were often times abandoned and later repopulated because of the disturbances from the Muslims. The series of raids and abandonments in these settlements may have occurred first in the 1590's when Datu Sali and Datu Sirongan of Magindanao raided the Visayas and the northeastern Mindanao provinces including Siargao Islands. Father de la Costa noted that the Moro raids were done for economic reasons.

Catholic Christianization of Cantilang

Catholic christianization of Can Tilang began in the coastal area with the arrival of Francisco de Castro, a Portuguese layman in 1538. It continued with the coming of the friars in Panikian or Ilihan, then to Parasao and Calagdan. But there were no serious efforts done in the aforementioned areas. The time of Chacon in Parasao did not indicate that there was propagation of the Catholic Cross with him.

The first serious attempt to plant the seed of Christianity by the Spaniards in Caraga district took place only in 1596 by the Jesuits in Butuan with Fathers Manuel Martinez and Valerio de Ladesma. Father Odijk noted that the Recollect friars came only to Tandag and Calagdan in 1622 to establish a station in the latter place. This was sixteen years after the first Recollect monks arrived in Manila in 1606.

Unlike that of Tandag, Calagdan's mission station did not have a priest until 1624 when Father Juan de San Antonio was assigned and stationed there. It was years after the recorded first visit of the Recollects in 1622 that Calagdan became an outstation or barrio.

How Can Tilang ended

Father Marzo was wide-awake when the whizzing winds from the northeastern seas of Can Tilang changed directions to the east, west and to the south. The directional changes turned into fury that brought destruction and misery. He could not forget the fury, cruel and painful drama of nature that ended the lives of some of his parishioners.

The living old people told the researcher of the tales and horrors of the happening. According to their parents, they said, the people in the afternoon of October 14, 1856, were not anticipating that something tragic would happen. Farmers came to town from their farms and fishermen went ashore. The gathering clouds were not believed abnormal because the months ending the year were always rainy. For some hours, the winds that blew stronger did not alarm the natives for the planting season was nearing. But in the night of October 14, the experience became horrible.

The typhoon started from 4:00 and 10:00 a.m. and increased to such intensity that tidal waves changed the whole town into a sea. For more than two hours waves kept on rolling over the town. The result of this catastrophe was that with the exception of one strong house and two camarines, everything was swept away. The municipal building disappeared. The walls of the convent still stood but were inclined so very dangerously that the people had to put them down to avoid accidents. During the inundation, thirty people lost their lives and almost all the houses in flayas were destroyed. The river was awfully swollen and on its surface were the grim mantle of trees, vegetables, cattle's, etc… according to Father Marzo (founder of Cantilan).

During that catastrophe, Father Marzo fought hard in order to survive. He used an uprooted tree as a craft. He was tossed to a branch of big tree that made him safe for the duration of the tidal waves.