Mansalay

The etymology of Mansalay is thought of to have originated from a conversation between the indigenous datu of Mansalay at the time, Abucay, and Spanish conquistadores. When Spanish conquistadors arrived at present-day Mansalay, they inquired the datu of Mansalay, Abucay, about the name of the area. To which, Datu Abucay responded with the phrase: "Man may malay" in the indigenous language which meant "I don't know." Indicating the failure of Datu Abucay to understand the inquiry of the Spanish conquistadors. Subsequently, they (Spanish conquistadors) thought that Abucay gave the real name of the area in spite of the clear language barrier. Henceforth, Spanish conquistadors recorded the area's name as Mansalay.

Prior to the Spanish arrival, and eventual colonisation in the Philippines, Mansalay was inhabited by migrants from nearby islands in the Philippine archipelago such as Palawan and Panay.

During the Spanish colonisation of the Philippines, Mansalay was under the jurisdiction of the government of Mangarin, Mindoro. (present-day San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.)

In the year of 1901, during the Philippine-American War, Mansalay was occupied by American forces.

On 24 July 1929, Mansalay was made its own municipality by a bill authored by Mariano Leuterio, representative at the time for Mindoro. Teotimo P. Cusi became the first Municipal-President.

During the later-Interwar years, Mansalay attracted migrants from provinces in Central Luzon, Batangas, Romblon, and Capiz.

On 16 December 1944, Mansalay was liberated by American troops from the Japanese occupation forces in the Battle of Mindoro^[8]

Poverty incidence of Mansalay

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]}

Its people relies heavily on fishing and farming to survive and earn a living. Because of meager income opportunities, Mansalay has produced a large number of overseas Filipino workers who send remittance back.

The Mansalay Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[24]