Mabini : "balincaguin"

Dating back in the seventeenth century, settlers in the eastern part of Zambales group themselves on a plain situated near the mountains and called the site "Coventa". Records found in the old writing show that Coventa began to exist in 1800 A.D. May years after, 1832 to be exact, Coventa was flooded. It was a big flood as evidenced by the fact the Catholic Church and convent and all other houses erected therein were under water.

Aware of the danger of a repetition of the incident, the settlers transferred the town site to its present location. This time the people began to adopt the word "balincaguin" as its name. Balincaguin is Zambal word, this town being formerly a part of Zambales, meaning "Home of Bats". During those day numerous bats inhabited the town and this drove the people to catch them. The catching of bats continued for many years, until finally in1930, they had gone deeper to the forest.

The townpeople noted the change and immediately demanded from the town officials a change of name of the town. Names of Filipino great men were submitted to the Municipal Council. After a careful evaluation of the individual activities of the Filipino heroes, it was finally decided that Balincaguin be change to Mabini, after the great sublime paralytic and brains of the revolution, who hails from the barrio of Talaga, municipality of Tanauan, Batangas. A monument of Apolinario Mabini now stands infront of the Municipal Building. #