Don Diego R. de la Viña

Don Diego R. de la Viña

The town was the official residence of the revolutionary leader and hero of Negros Oriental, Don Diego de la Viña y de la Rosa. Don Diego de la Viña shaped the beginnings of the municipality, “Vallehermoso” when he saw the beautiful valley. In 1881, Don Diego de la Viña came from Negros Occidental in search of territories to conquer. The land he saw a top the mountains was the wilderness called Bagawines. Bukidnons, known to be unfriendly aboriginals inhabited the area. However, de la Viña sought the tribal chief, named Ka Saniko and truck barter.

For lands on coastal Bagawines, de la Viña offered wondrous articles from Iloilo, such as fine canes, well-crafted bolos and colorful patadyongs. Ka Saniko then moved further to Pinokawan. De la Viña with a number of Bukidnons cleared the land and constructed his residence, a casa tribunal and a chapel. In less than five years they transformed the valley into a hacienda of sugar cane, tobacco, coconut, rice and corn. He called it the “beautiful valley,” Vallehermoso. De la Vina bought, bartered and did everything else possible to enlarge his landholdings until it stretched from Molobolo on the boundary of Guihulngan, north to Macapso on the boundary of San Carlos and west to the slopes of Canlaon where he pastured his cattle and horses. He opened a road to Negros Occidental, which paved the way for his historic involvement in the local revolution against Spain. Don Diego de la Viña was an illustrado being born from a Spanish-Chinese parentage.

He grew up in Binondo, Manila but went to Basque, Asturias in Spain to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Arts. Upon his return to Manila, he married a “Tagala” with whom he had four children. He brought them with him when he settled in Negros. Endowed with a pioneering spirit he searched for a place where he could establish a residence and fulfill his dream to carve out fortune. When he resided in Bagawines, he influenced the way of life of the bukidnons. They became civilized and tempered their warring tendencies. He inculcated to the bukudnona the love of work and the idea of religion. He frowned on laziness. In the hacienda that De la Viña established, unemployment was not known. His work in the plantation made him physically strong and spiritually active. When his wife died, he remarried an Ilongga Doña Narcisa Geopano from the landed Geopano Clan.

He sired three children with his second wife. It was in the last quarter of 1898 when Don Diego de la Viña became involved in the revolution. His brother, Dr. Jose de la Viña was one of the delegates to the Malolos Congress. Dr. de la Viña regularly informed Don Diego of the latest development of the Republic government under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Gen. Aguinaldo duly commissioned Don Diego de la Viña with the rank of General de Brigada, Commandante del Ejercito Filipino, Provincia de Negros Oriental.

 His son was also commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of the Infantry. He secretly trained his peasants how to handle a rifle. He turned their plowshares into bolos, “pinuti, “talibong”, “bahi”, spears and lances. Soon more and more men joined the group of de la Viña. He was soon around riding on a big white spotted horse during the “revolucionario”. 

De la Viña became known as the “Tigulang or the Grand Old Man”. He was considered a “cacique”, for he had the say in all appointments. He became the judge of local conflicts and designed the improvements for the place .