So much has been told about Señor Santo Niño and how he became the Patron and Protector of the Cadizeños. But what acquired credence and acceptance is the account of Antonio Cabahug, one of the early settlers of Cadiz, who hailed from Mandaue, Cebu City.
Cabahug was a boat builder and a traveler who often sailed the Visayan Sea, traversing the island of Cebu and Panay in the pursuit of his trade. It has been told that in one of his trips to Panay Island, he received a statue of the Santo Niño and several sugarcane points as payment for a boat that he built. He brought the image of the Santo Niño and the said cane points to Cadiz.
Happy for having the Santo Niño and believing in the good fortune and mystery that it carries, the people of Cadiz proclaimed him as their Patron and Protector. Popular stories have it that after Cabahug brought home the image of the child Jesus to Cadiz, the more pirates were failed in their attempts at disembarking the shores of Cadiz. These more pirates were prevented by a big white man carrying a cane who relentlessly guided the shores of Cadiz.
A Moro captive who managed to escape from his capture revealed this story. He related that for several times, his Moro comrades tried to approach the shores of Cadiz, but they were terrified by the presence of a big white man who was robed in splendor and carried a cane that the sight of the man made the Moro pirates flee. The Cadizeños believed that it was the Santo Niño who kept the Moro pirates at bay. They believed that their Santo Niño had been keeping a close watch over them.
As a sign of gratitude, Antonio Cabahug requested a gold smith from Manila to craft a golden crown and a pair of boots out of several Spanish gold coins and semi-precious stones. A rickly embodied cape was also sewn for the image of the Santo Niño.
Now, the image of the Santo Niño enshrined at the altar of the Cadiz City parish church. The Cadizeños believed that with the guidance and blessings of their Patron and Protector, they will ultimately attain the social and economic prosperity that they long have been dreaming of./*
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