Canlaon was formerly a part of
Vallehermoso as Sitio Mabigo of Barrio Panubigan. In 1941, Isidoro Bautista Sr., a geodetic engineer, along with its residents petitioned the Philippine government to convert Mabigo into a separate municipality.
World War II During the
Second World War, the
Japanese Imperial Army captured Canlaon on April 10, 1942, right after the
Battle of Bataan. The occupation ended in early 1945 when soldiers from the
Eighth United States Army under
Lieutenant General Robert Eichelberger including the
40th Infantry Division (United States) and the
23rd Infantry Division (United States), landed in
Negros Island to drive out the Japanese. On liberating the island, they were assisted by newly formed
Philippine Commonwealth Military Forces and
Negrense guerillas who helped in clearing out Japanese
pockets of resistance throughout the island. In fact, the honor of liberating Canlaon from the Japanese went to Commonwealth soldiers belonging to the 7th, 71st, 73rd and 75th Infantry Regiments of the
Philippine Army, the 7th Regiment of the
Philippine Constabulary and the guerillas.
Post-World War II Creation as a municipality On October 11, 1946, President
Manuel Roxas signed Executive Order no. 19, creating the municipality of Canlaon out of two barrios (Mabigo and Panubigan) and nine sitios. It was inaugurated on January 1, 1947. Isidoro Bautista Sr. became its first municipal mayor.
Cityhood Lorenzo Teves, then congressman of the
first district of
Negros Oriental, filed House Bill 4346 to convert Canlaon into a city. The bill was approved and became Republic Act 3445. However, then President
Carlos P. Garcia did not sign the bill. It was only on April 20, 1967, when president
Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation no. 193, formally converting the municipality to a city. It took effect on July 2, 1967, making Canlaon the second city in the province after Dumaguete. ==Official Website==