It was held that the settlers in this part of the archipelago during the early centuries were the B’laans, a community of pagans and worshippers of the god “Anito”. The place is described to be facing exactly a portion of an island-settlement now similarly occupied by the town of Dauis, a municipality of Panglao Island.

Accordingly, bamboo groves and varieties of trees and vegetations grew in the dry land as well as in the swampy parts of this coastal area. It was here where the native B’laans took refuge when the Muslim pirates invaded their territory, a prevalent and recurring event of aggression during that time. This was largely due to the fact that commercial activities, the barter trade, used to flourish in the settlement.

In the shorelines, the Chinese, Malays and the Arabs established their trade relations. Proof of this are the recovered bones, precious relics and artifacts unearthed by digging activities on areas identified to be burial sites if the early settlers, natives and foreign alike. Reportedly, even a fresh-water well could still be found in the vicinity and it was here where potable water was drawn, this being a source of fresh household water.

Our history as a nation account in particular that it was on March 16, 1565 when the fleet of Captain General Miguel Lopez de Legaspi sailed for the province of Butuan. But strong winds forced their galleons to drift towards the shores of Bool. Here, Captain General Miguel Lopez de Legaspi met Datu Sikatuna where they made the “Blood Comapact”.

Years of Spanish rule passed then and so came the period of American rule over the Philippine Islands.

One day an American officer, together with some of his men, came upon a place along the shorelines where they chanced to meet a native who was about to split a bamboo tube. The foreigner approached the native and asked for the name of the place. Believing that the foreigner was asking as to what he was doing on that particular time, the man replied “Magsasa” which means to split bamboo tubes. The foreigner misheard the answer as “Mansasa” so he said, “ah…Mansasa!”

Thus, the Barangay of Mansasa derived its name from the word “Magsasa”.