Even today people still use the name "Lawis", meaning "promontory", the portion carved out to constitute the municipality of Madridejos being the peninsula located on the northern side of Bantayan island facing the Visayan Sea.

During the time of governor Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera (1635–1644), the Visayas were continually harassed by the Moros[citation needed], who wreaked dreadful havoc, capturing, massacring, robbing, sacking churches, and burning everything there was.

Doroteo Andrada del Rosario[citation needed], parish priest of Bantayan in the 19th century (Moro attacks were worst around 1840s).

[citation needed] The general scenery of Lawis was that of a quiet place, of virgin grounds covered by small shrubs and lantana.

Inside the chapel, there was a framed picture of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception which was the object of devotion and before which the Holy Rosary was prayed every afternoon.

Folklore say there would be times when the clothes of the image were wet and damp although there was no rain, and was full of amorseko (crab grass) [d] – a kind of weed in the fields.

Because of its rich fishing grounds, Madridejos earned the name of "Little Alaska of the Philippines": the first canning factory in the country was established here, but it lost its sustaining impact in the history of the municipality after it was bombed during World War II.

However, qualified voters in Mandaue are allowed to vote in elections for Cebu provincial officials by virtue of Republic Act No.