From barangay to Congress: The Kintanar legacy in Argao

This week, on May 14, 1915, Isidro C. Kintanar was born in Barrio Talaytay, Argao, Cebu, the penultimate child among 13 children of Carmiano Kintanar and Sofia Camasura. He would go on to serve as municipal mayor of Argao and later as legislator of Cebu’s 4th District, but his story is best understood through his family’s long-standing role in the town’s political and social life.

The Kintanar family of Argao emerged as one of the town’s most prominent lineages during the American period, though its roots reach further back. Oral tradition, recorded by Renato Y. Kintanar, attributes the surname “Quintanar” to a carpenter from Talisay who helped build the Argao church, but documentary evidence points instead to a firmly local origin. Juan Gualverto, an early progenitor, is consistently identified in records as a native of Argao. He married Maria Orilla and had nine children, while his parents, Manuel Silvestre and Juana Maria, were likewise Argawanons. It’s therefore unlikely that Juan himself adopted the surname Quintanar. More plausibly, one of his sons adopted it following the 1849 Claveria decree, with the surname first appearing in Argao’s records on June 15, 1850. “Quintanar” is a Spanish habitational name derived from places so called, ultimately from quintana, referring to a country estate or land assessed at a fifth of its produce. By the American period, the name had evolved into “Kintanar”.

The family has always been associated with leadership. Don Nicolas Quintanar was and early cabeza de barangay and was later succeeded by his nephew Don Roman Quintanar, Isidro’s grandfather. Roman served as gobernadorcillo from 1882 to 1884 and from 1890 to 1892. Known as very pro-indio, he often found himself at odds with Spanish authorities. His 1890 election was opposed by the parish priest and governor, though Manila upheld his victory. His leadership, possibly marked by efforts to ease the burden of polo y servicio, set a pattern for future generations.

His son Felipe Kintanar, vice mayor in the 1920s, continued this tradition of resistance, challenging abuses of power despite repeated suspensions after shifting political affiliations. During the American period, the family further distinguished itself: Teodorico Kintanar became Argao’s second physician in 1921. Later, the family expanded and produced notable figures across various fields. Among them were Simeon L. Kintanar, who served as NTC chair and served three terms as congressman; Papal Nuncios Osvaldo and Francisco M. Padilla; and Edsel A. Galeos, former Argao mayor and current congressman, a seventh-generation Kintanar descendant.

Isidro Kintanar’s life reflected both perseverance and service. Educated in the public school system, he studied at the Visayan Institute --serving as editor of the college paper and a student council member-- before completing Law at the University of Manila in 1940. He worked his way through school as a laborer and later as a government clerk. During World War II, he survived the bombing of Cavite and joined the guerrilla movement after refusing Japanese overtures for collaboration. In the postwar years, he struggled to sustain a law practice in a devastated economy, prompting him to join the National Bureau of Investigation in 1948.

Elected municipal mayor of Argao in 1952, his tenure was cut short by political pressures and legal challenges, including a falsification charge. President Elpidio Quirino ordered his suspension, with Vice Mayor Eliseo Miñoza serving as acting mayor. His supporters maintained that the case was politically motivated.

Kintanar was elected congressman in 1953 and quickly established himself, serving as a member of several key committees, and later chaired the influential ways and means committee and represented the Philippines at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Congress in France, in 1957. He was methodical, and emphasized efficiency in government and maintained an open-door policy for his constituents.

He was serving his fourth consecutive term when he died of a heart attack on April 8, 1968. His life, shaped by a lineage of leadership and defined by resilience, remains part of the enduring public memory of Argao. His son Carmiano served as officer-in-charge of Argao after EDSA I.