August 1, 1948. Two years after the restoration of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946 after the Japanese occupation, President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order No. 156 creating the Municipality of Governor Generoso (Sigaboy) in honor of the late Governor Sebastian Generoso who died in 1937.
Gov. Gen is Sigaboy, Sigaboy is Gov. Gen.
Common tradition attests to the legend on how Sigaboy got its name. Accordingly, the word Sigaboy comes from two words “Siga” and “(ba) boy”. Legend has it that one day there was an apparition seen by the settlers in the little islet of Sigaboy with Saint’ Elmo’s fire called by the natives as “siga” with the presence of the pig called “baboy”. The first settlers then asked as to where this first apparition occurred, pointed fingers to that small islet (at present, fronting Barrio Tibanban) coupled with mumbled words like “Sigaboy!” since then on, the whole area (latter, also renamed into Governor Generoso) was called to both settlers and passers-by.
It was said that Sigaboy was aboriginally settled by the Manobo and Tagacaulo tribes. But the Tagacaulo settlers later on immigrated to the southern side of the archipelago just adjacent to the Malita, Davao del Sur, as they are presently found in the hinterlands of Malita area. The early Manobo settlers had traces to the nearby Asian cultures like Malaysia, Indonesia and China as shown by some artifacts excavated in the area. Intermarriages between foreigners and the natives resulted in the many mestizas and mestizos in Sigaboy. Up to the present times, local immigration still thrives in the area due to the promising fishing industry and other agri-business ventures.
