P9-Engineers and mechanics installed the power plant.....a pose in the shops and rooftop.

The PIONEERING ……..

It was the late 1940’s when the late Col. Andres Soriano, the great philanthropist and businessman, along with his most trusted men, acquired hectarages of land in Bislig Bay to set up on what was going to be the biggest forest product company in the Philippines or perhaps in southeast Asia.  Soriano bought some land from the natives of Bislig whom we called”Bisliganons or Kamayo, as also the dialect”, or from people who hailed from different regions and settled in Bislig, years before.   Those  early pioneers were, to mention a few, the Castillo’s, the Picasales, the Polinas, the Cordova’s and others.  


 
P10-Andres Soriamo, Jr.             P11- Aerial view of Picop           P12-Aerial view in the early days


Capt. Ramon Olbes and his          Gloria and G.V.(Bill) Misa      
wife Rosie Olbes                                                                             
                                                                                                   

      
 William Godinez, Sr. in his 
younger days as the 2nd. 
Resident Manager of the millsite.
Courtesy of Becca Godinez-Miranda


     



                       

Milagros Godinez and Mr Misa 
are draping a train on someone....
who please? Courtesy of Becca G. Miranda



        
PXXX- An aerial view showing    PXXX- Mr. Soriano with            Some early days equipments
the millsite and the barrio.          with wife, Carmen and son,       and establishments........
                                       Andres, Jr.
The only means of accessing the site at that time was by boat.  Mr. Soriano then had a small airstrip built along with a very small sawmill for the management and it’s employees.  The sawmill equipment used were the ones bought from the Macalibre Sawmill in Misamis Oriental.  The power plant was erected to supply electricity to the compound.  The dry kilns and finishing/moulding plant was put up along with other auxiliary buildings. 

P13 - BBLCI Employees               P14  - Inocencio Sayawan, Sr.,    P15 - Main Bodega 
                                                     Herculano Basanez, et al.            personnel. Circa 1957 
                                                   


P16 - Yard & Shipping Dept.      P17 - Road Construction            P18 - Fr. Grol and the Knights of
picnic party.                                Department                               Columbus
                                                                                                     

It was in the early fifties that most of the staff and employee housing along with the bankhouses were built in the upper and lower hills close to the mouth of the Bugak River.  A medical clinic was first located in one of those bankhouses and later on relocated close to the gym and named Bislig Bay Hospital.  But in the early 1970’s, a much bigger and modern hospital was constructed where the company Chapel and Bislig Bay Elementary School used to be, by the road going to Bayview Hill, and was named Andres Soriano Memorial Hospital.


P19 - Sunrise at Bislig  Bay         P20 - Bislig River by the bay      P21-Bislig Catholic Church
                           
                                                                                                    

The Bislig Inn sometimes called the mess hall, was built close to the Main gate or Security Post #1.  This is where social gatherings or once a week movie night treats were held in those days.  And of course the Clubhouse, located on the northeast side of the upper hill, facing the veneer and plywood plants and the bay, with it’s  guestrooms and a swimming pool, was the mainstay of high profile company guests, and a venue for senior staff parties and events.

     

P22  - Engineering            P162 - Mr. E. Gaspar and O.    PXXX- The caption:
Dept. personnel - 1950's   Cordova with BBLCI                "The first newsprint company
                                          Security force.                           in southeast asia".

The company Gym later became the main venue of big parties and night movies, as the company’s family of employees grew to over 10,000.  The traditional distribution of Christmas gifts from the Soriano’s along with the Christmas eve or New Year’s eve parties were held in the gym.  And of course the athletic events of basketball, badminton, pingpong, etc… were held in the gym.  Later, on the second floor of the Bowling Alley, a billiard table and pingpong table and a barbershop and beauty salon were built.   Pelota court and tennis court followed. 

 
P25 - Ramon Villa's 5th. birthday  P26-Andres Soriano's visit to           PXXX- G.V. Misa, the 2nd 
 celebration with the sons and       Bislig municipality.                         resident manager of BBLCI
daughters of the pioneers.                                                                    with brother Eriberto.
                   

At the same time, the general staff and other rank and file employees built their own homes outside the millsite compound.  Just outside the main gate was the area of Cagui-on.  Next was the narrow wooden bridge that led to the boardwalk area and the barrio, the bugak and tabon or otherwise known as Kilometro Uno. More  rural roads and bridges, as well as the connecting links between it’s neighbouring barrios and towns, were built in the barrio of Mangagoy. 
        
P28 - Lower camp Santos' residence     P29 - Lower camp Villa's second residence
after the Castillos left for their Km. 1      which is just across the house on the
farm.                                                      left.   

   
PXXX- The Castroverde      PXXX- Andres Soriano & party    PXXX- Herculano Basanez oath
Family, 1951                       visit Bislig in 1961.                     taking as Mayor with Pres. Garcia
"Another priceless........!"                                                        and Gov. Recaredo Castillo.
                                                                                              " Another rare photo...."

A separate overview of the Historical Milestones of Bislig City and the barrio of Mangagoy can be seen on Bislig History Page  – also the private businesses and life of the people who are not directly or partly involved with the company....also to include the life and times of the people before BBLCI came into existence....

Saint Margaret Mary School was built beside the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, which had a big playground filled with woodchips.  It was truly a memorable area for everyone as it was where the PMT drills and parade assemblies were held such as the one in October, month of human rosary.  It was the center of children’s activities on Saturdays or Sundays, as coordinated by the Knights of the Altar, as well as the site for numerous school activities and town festivities.



 
P31 - Church of St. Vincent de     P32  - Bislig Bay Elementary       Bill and Gloria Misa (Right)i
                                                                                                         in one
Paul                                             Faculty and student body 1961   of the social gatherings.
                                                                               


 
P34 - Labor Day Parade, 1952            P35 - Virtucio's kids        P36 - Saint Margaret Mary School
                                                     B-Day Party                 for the elementary grades.
                                                                                       

There was another building put up partly behind the church to accommodate the intermediate grades of Saint Margaret Mary School, but later transformed into a female teacher’s housing.  As the population of Mangagoy grew rapidly, John Bosco School was constructed and later on managed by the Maryknoll Sisters.  It was financed by the company, mainly to accommodate its employees’ children.  There was only one public school at that time, the Andres Soriano Institute, located on a delta shaped piece of land just across the Church.  This school had a big playground which was used for different public activities.  

 

P37 - John Bosco School on top    P38 - The BISLIG BAY        PXXX- Mrs. Linda Lim, the long
of the hill.                                      NEWS Quarterly Magazine   time Mayor of Bislig with husband
                                                                                                   Basilio.

A brief overview of the Historical Milestones of John Bosco College can be seen on the School Page – this relates the evolution of Bislig Bay Elementary School to St. Margaret Mary School merging with St. John Bosco Technical High School under the name of John Bosco School which was to become  John Bosco College. All contents on the JBC page were taken from the Ruby Year Book published on 2003 celebration. 

A longer pier made of timber was constructed with a considerable draft to -accommodate cargo ships from overseas. At a later stage, a jetty, (or what is popularly called the Causeway or Coastway or Picop pier, because the tip is shaped like a letter P), about a kilometer long, was reclaimed on a strip of land in the Danipas beach area to serve as a barrier for log water storage. It was another romantic place and a perfect place for stargazing on a clear night.  This spot had a 360 degree view of the surroundings.  Picnicking and shoreline fishing was commonly done here.  The nearby Danipas beach was for swimming and family picnics. 


P40                                               P41                                           P74 - The millsite
Danipas and Picop pier                      

In the early 1970’s, new staff houses for PICOP executives  were built at the top of  Bayview hill.  Extensive expansion of operations and  facilities   like the new administration offices, warehouse buildings and the merger of Plywood plant 1 & 2 and engineering departments into Timber Products Group occurred  at this time.

After  more than a year of pile driving, structural and equipment installations, the Pulp and Paper mills were erected. 

 
P43 - The Pulp & Paper Mill        PXXX- The reforestration          PXXX- Double trailer
                                                                            log hauling machine



P46                                             P47                                           P48
Administration Bldg.                   Admin. Conference Rm.            Engineering Compound ??

Likewise, approximately 15 kilometers west of Bislig, the Forest Drive Village was developed. Located in Coleto,  the housing project accommodated most of the PICOP employees and their dependents. 
  

 PXXX- The Forest Drive               PXXX- A typical village house    PXXX- FDV Chapel
Village in Coleto