According to the legend, the name Badiangan was derived from the Ilonggo vernacular badiang a wild plant belonging to the gabi family. When the Spaniards first set foot in Badiangan, which was then a thriving settlement, they passed by the natives bathing and washing in the spring. The Spaniards asked about the name of the place in Spanish and the natives, thinking, that the foreigners were referring to the plants surrounding the spring answered “kabadiangan”.
From that time, the settlement was known as Kabadiangan. Later when the settlement became a barrio (now barangay), the name was shortened to Badiangan. When RA 5006 was signed into Law on June 17, 1967, by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Badiangan was chosen as the seat of the Municipal Government, thus, the same name was officially adopted as the name of the municipality since it commenced to exist as full-fledged local government unit on January 2, 1968.
Source: The League of Municipalities (Iloilo Chapter) | “A Testimonial Program” | Pototan, Iloilo | January 8, 1998
