Southern Leyte
Encyclopedia
Southern Leyte is a province
of the Philippines
located in the Eastern Visayas
region
. Maasin City
is the capital of the province. Southern Leyte was once a sub-province of Leyte before it was divided from the latter. Limasawa, an island to the south is part of the province where the first Christian Mass was held and is said to be the birthplace of Christianity
in the Philippines
.
The province ranks as the second least populated area in the region. According to 2007 census, the province has a population of 390,847 a 1.13% growth compared to last 2000 census with a population record of 360,160.
Southern Leyte's geological
features created several issues in the province after the flooding of Subangdaku River
and the awful mudslide in Guinsaugon
. Organizations warned the province as susceptible to natural
occurrences like landslide
s and flood
ings.
Southern Leyte contributes to the economy of the country. It forms an important part of the inter-island transportation system of the country, with ferries transporting people and goods between Liloan
and Surigao del Norte
in Mindanao
. The province is well known for its quality abaca
products and the country's major producer of abaca fiber.
and American
periods, there had already been existing as "sub-province" consisting of the municipalities from Palompon
to Hinunangan
, with Maasin as the center. Some government offices have already been established in Maasin on the southwestern part of Leyte to govern the area.
Historically, the governing city was the depository of cedula tax collections from Palompon to Hinunangan. This was administered by the office of the Administrado de Hacienda, equivalent to the Provincial Treasurer, a position under Secretario de Hacienda.
There was also established in Maasin a Court of First Instance, then known as the Promoter Fiscal, where all minor administrative and other cases from Palompon to Hinunangan were heard and disposed of.
During the Spanish
colonization, the province was sparsely populated. The continued raiding of Moro slaves discouraged the province to grow and develop. However, on 19th century, immigrants from near provinces like Bohol
and Cebu
populated the area.
On 1942, Ruperto Kangleon
held a conference in the town of Sogod
, when the first attempt in Malitbog
, a town to the east, failed to succeed due to many leaders stayed away. He was trying to unify all guerrillas helped to the Philippine Commonwealth
troops during the outbreak of World War II
.
On 1944 to 1945, the Allied Philippine Commonwealth Army soldiers and the recognized guerrillas attacked by the Japanese Imperial
forces beginning to liberation in Southern Leyte, and the American troops landed in Leyte on October 20, 1944.
-speaking South-westerners and the Waray Easterners. The difficulty of managing the entire island from the main city suggested the need to separate the island into two provinces.
At first there was a general movement for a Western Leyte and soon after, many prominent men and leaders rallied behind the movement. Six attempts to pass a law for the division of Leyte were made. On the sixth attempt, then Congressman Nicanor Yñiguez introduced into the House
a division law similar in substance to that of the Kangleon Bill, but recognizing the impossibility of creating an East-West Division, he instead opted to make his own district a province.
Abandoning the first bill
, Congressman Nicanor Yñiguez presented House Bill No. 1318 proposing a new province of Southern Leyte comprising Third Congressional District of Leyte to include sixteen municipalities, from Maasin to Silago in the mainland, and in the Panaon Island
.
The bill became Republic Act
2227 otherwise known as an "Act Creating the Province of Southern Leyte" and was signed into Law
by President Carlos P. Garcia
on May 22, 1959. On July 1, 1960, Southern Leyte was inaugurated as a province with sixteen municipalities and Maasin as the capital town. Thus the third District of Leyte became the province of Southern Leyte and Lone District of Southern Leyte.
.
In Panaon, an island situated in the southernmost part of the province, a certain aboriginal
folks are found locally known as Kongking or variously called Mamanwa which means mountain people. They were believed to be migrants from Mindanao
, inhabiting the portions of Agusan
, after their migration from the island to evade militarization and the logging/mining corporations’ intrusion to their ancestral domains in the early 1980s.
Literally, their physical attributes are dark complexion, curly-haired and short in height. Hunting and gathering, mat weaving and rattan craft are among the main economic activities of the Mamanwas, so they prefer to inhabit the forested areas in the newfound Southern Leyte mountain. However, they were again displaced by threats of the recent incidents of landslides in the province.
Generally, rice
is the staple food
of the province and also includes corn
. Mountain living folks, however, prefer root crop
s which is abundant in the place. Native delicacies of the province includes "tres marias," "bocarillo," "salvaro," "bibingka," and "starhoy." They also have their own "kinilaw."
is Cebuano
; others speak Waray-waray
as second language. Cebuano and Waray-waray are the major language spoken in the province. The speech used by natives has Boholano influences because of its proximity with the province Bohol
. Natives also understand foreign language
such as English
and Spanish
.
Limasawa, an island
municipality
to the south is believed to be the site of the first Christian
mass
and the birthplace of Christendom
in the Philippines
, when Ferdinand Magellan
, a Portuguese
navigator
and explorer landed on March 28, 1521. The first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was held on March 31, 1521 led by Friar Pedro de Valderrama, the chaplain of Magellan during the expedition, and the start of the Christianity propagation.
People in the province are generally Roman Catholics in religion. Generally, 87.28 percent of which adheres to Roman Catholic Church
but traditional folks still influence the people in the province. Aglipayan
ranks second with 4.51 percent affiliates and Evangelicals
with 2.03. Other religious affiliations include Iglesia ni Cristo
, Jehovah's Witnesses
, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church
among others.
A Spanish-era church can be found in the City of Maasin. The church is embellished with an ornate altar and images of saints believed to be the testament of continuing religiosity of the people in the province.
term which means festivity, is celebrated in the province with prayer
, food/drinking dance and music. Every barangay of every town in the province has its own celebration date. For instance, Hinunangan
celebrated town fiesta on 29 June when they highlight their celebration with the St. Peter and St. Paul Fluvial boat parade the day before. The kuratsa — a courtship
dance drama — highlights every occasion.
The province also held its unique festivals. Sinulog sa malitbog is an annual religious
street pageant in Malitbog
to pay homage to the Holy Child Jesus (Santo Niño) who is their town's patron saint
. Its reception has grown steadily, with devotees from other places flocking to the town. Similarly, the historic and religious coming of the Spaniards is commemorated every March 31 in Limasawa
with a cultural presentation and anniversary program dubbed as Sinugdan, meaning "beginning." Other festivals held in the province to highlight events are Pagkamugna Festival and Pabulhon Festival in Maasin City, Karomata Festival in Beunavista, Pintuyan
, Tangka-tangka Festival in Tangkaan, Padre Burgos
and Manha-on Festival in Macrohon
.
Southern Leyte occupies the southern one-fourth of the island of Leyte. It is bounded by the province of Leyte
to the north, by Surigao Strait
to the east, Bohol Sea
to the south, and Canigao Channel
, across from Bohol
, to the west. Its total land area is 173,480 hectares or 1,734.8 sq. kilometers.
The province is characterized by relatively flat lands along the coastal areas where population centers lay, but rugged and mountainous towards the interior.
The province has inland water-form features. Based on a national data, the province has an overall 93 rivers including 18 majors namely Amparo River in Macrohon
, Canturing River in Maasin City
, Das-ay and Pondol Rivers in Hinunangan
, Divisoria River in Bontoc
, Hitungao and Lawigan Rivers in San Juan
, Maag River in Silago
, and Subang Daku River in Sogod
which is the biggest river among others. The province has an inland lake
called Lake Danao located in the mountains of San Juan
and Anahawan
, towns in the eastern region.
Subangdaku
, the province's largest river, created an issue over the area. It can be considered a braided river composed of several channel
s from near areas that divide and reunite forming an alluvial fan with very wide floodplain
. As such, the river usually became hazardous during typhoon
after a heavy rain. The river sometime overflow spilling its waters on the low-lying towns of Liloan and San Vicente and destroyed an ongoing flood control project worth millions of pesos. The river has been known to meander along its course, ever changing its way over time. During the time it's flooding, it destructs every side of its course. In 2001, portion of the road and banks in Barangay San Miguel along the river have been destroyed. It hampered the economic activities of the local residents as well as national because the destroyed portion is part of the Philippine National Road. The Local officials blamed the rechannelization and uncontrolled quarry
ing of gravel and sand at the side of river as the cause of the flood. At a meeting on March 18, 2002, one of the representatives of a government agency alleged that the reason of the incidents of flood and other environmental problems in the river was due to the "Philippine Fault" which caused rocks to rumble down. However, the reason was contended because the fault is a geological feature and environmental problems in the province just occurred that time.
Along with other mountain forms in the province, Mount Nacolod in Hinunangan town has the highest peak with an elevation of 948 meters above sea level
. Young volcanic rocks are discovered in the terrain areas, which cover the top of the southern mountain ranges of Mount Cabalian in the Pacific Area and Mount Nelangcapan in Panaon Area.
The province lies within the Philippine Fault System
. The major fault lines traverse the municipalities of Sogod, Libagon, St. Bernard and San Juan to Panaon Island. Based on MGB Region 8 data, these areas had experienced strong earthquake
in 1907 and 1948 with a magnitude of 6.9 and on July 5, 1984 with a 6.4 scale
. Bureau of Mines and Geosciences warned that Southern Leyte's natural
and geological
features make it susceptible to landslides and floodings. The affiliated group stated that there are four reasons why there are some incidents like these:unusually heavy rains; numerous faults and badly broken rocks; steep slopes; and absence of effective vegetative cover.
The province has numerous type of soil
. A special soil type within Maasin Clay, Guimbalaon Clay, Himay-angan Clay, Bolinao Clay, Quingua Clay and Malitbog Clay series is found to be a good raw materials for ceramic
s and pottery
activities of the local residence.
destroyed most of the town, killing 200 people.
The incident was caused by heavy rains in the province.
On February 17, 2006, several mudslides caused by heavy rains, amounting over 200 cm (79 in), and a minor earthquake
destroyed at least one town and many commercial and residential infrastructures, leaving hundreds dead. The municipality of Saint Bernard
was one of the worst hit areas where twenty-three are confirmed to be dead with up to 200 estimated as dead and another 1,500 missing. Barangay Guinsaugon, a mountain village on the said municipality with 2,500 people, was almost completely leveled and everything from trees to homes was destroyed killing 1,800 of its 1,857 residents.
Many rescuers from national and international responded to the incident. However, rescue efforts were greatly hampered by poor road conditions and lack of heavy equipment. Survivors reported also lack of coordination of rescue efforts. The Philippine Government again stated their inability to cope with disasters.
The few handful of Guinsaugon citizens which escaped the mudslide were put up in emergency shelters without adequate nutrition and care despite the National Government collecting millions of Dollars worth of donations for this case.
The 1980 national census
recorded the province of Southern Leyte with a population of 296,294 from the historic record in 1903 of 72,369. On 1990, the population of the province increased to 321,940 which was caused by in-migration
and increasing rate of birth over death. In 2000, number of population increased to 360,160 with a rate of 2.73 from the negative growth rate recorded on 1995 period with 317,565. The sudden decrease of the 1995 records was due to the late census in the province. While regular censuses were done in May where most of the students were at their respective places of residence, in 1995 the census on population was done in September where the students were out for schooling in nearby provinces. The decrease in population was also, theoretically, attributed to out-migration
of the rural population to highly urbanized cities to seek for better employment and livelihood opportunities. A corresponding increase on the number of households was also recorded at 72,894 households higher by 7,327 households over the 1995 figure. Southern Leyte ranked fifth in terms of population among the six provinces in Eastern Visayas
with 9.98 percent of the 3.6 million persons of the region. On the contrary, it was the fastest growing province in the region. At the national level, the province contributed 0.47 percent to the total population of the Philippines with 76.5 million.
In terms of ethnicity
, on 2000 survey, 80.8 percent of the people living are Bisaya or Binisaya, 16.6 percent are Boholano, 5.1 percent are Cebuano
, and other includes Waray and other foreign
ethnicity.
Type II is characterized by the absence of dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period occurring in the months of November to January. This type prevails in the eastern half of the province that includes the municipality of Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, St. Bernard, San Juan, Anahawan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan and Silago. On the other hand, Type IV has a rainfall that is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. This type prevails in the western part of the province that includes the City of Maasin and the municipalities of Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc and little part of Sogod.
The province is located within the area of less frequent tropical cyclone
s. Yearly typhoon
s only affect the northern half of the island under the jurisdiction of the Province of Leyte. During passage of typhoons, the province only experienced heavy rains and occasional gusty wind
s. The province is generally affected by typhoons that pass through Surigao
.
In 2004, the province has recorded rain
fall data with maximum temperature
of 30.95 Degrees Celsius
to minimum temperature of 24.09 Degrees Celsius. In addition, mean minimum temperature was 25.24 degrees Celsius. The province has 163 numbers of rainy days and total rainfall of 1,729.20 mm.
People in the province plant rice
, white corn
, banana
s, root crops
, sugar cane, and coconut
and abacá
which is their major products. They also planted various types of vegetable.
A three year effort project was established in Sogod Bay conducted by the Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) to surveyed coral reefs in the area. The undertaking was to provide local residents educational opportunities to have knowledge on protecting the province's biodiversity as well as to have a long-term sustainability.
s. It was composed of four islands namely: Panaon Island
, Limasawa Island
, San Pedro Island and San Pablo Island. After the inauguration of the province, three more municipalities were created subsequently, namely; San Ricardo from Pintuyan, Tomas Oppus from Malitbog and Limasawa from Padre Burgos. Currently, the province is subdivided into 18 municipalities and one city
which is Maasin. It has an overall 501 barangays or villages around the province.
On 2000, Maasin
was converted into a city
as capital of Southern Leyte. The remaining component municipality classes ranges from 2nd to 5th level in the province. From 2nd class belongs Sogod
municipality which is the center of trade
, commerce
and industry
among municipalities within the Sogod Bay. Bontoc
, Hinunangan
, which holds the distinction as the "Rice Granary of the Province" for its vast plain
land that is entirely planted with rice
, Liloan
, Malitbog
, Saint Bernard
, and Macrohon
, are in the 4th level. The remaining municipalities—Anahawan
, Hinundayan
, Libagon
, Padre Burgos
, Pintuyan
, San Francisco
, San Juan
(formerly Cabalian), San Ricardo
, Silago
, Tomas Oppus
and Limasawa
, a component island to the south—are under 5th level.
and Southern Leyte.
In the year 2004, a beetle pest was observed and threatened the Philippine coconut industry including Visayas
. Brontispa longissima
causes great damage to seedlings and mature coconut trees and ornamental palms, killing the young spears and eventually the entire trees.
planting. The province is one of the major producer of abaca fiber in the country along with Catanduanes
, Leyte
, Davao Oriental
, Northern Samar
, Sorsogon
, Sulu, Davao del Sur
, and Surigao del Sur
. The fibers from Leyte and the province are recognized as having the best quality. On the year 1990 to 1999, Southern Leyte produced abaca with a rate of 17 percent.
A project, Study on the Abaca Industry Profile of Southern Leyte, was funded by DOST
8 GIA and implemented by the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), one of the college universities in the province, and the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte. It was aimed to conduct a thorough assessment on the status of the abaca industry of the province being its major crop.
On 2003, a certain virus threatens the abaca industry in the province. Almost all of the abaca-producing municipalities in the area namely Maasin City
, Padre Burgos
, Malitbog
, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc
, Sogod
, St. Bernard
, San Juan
, Hinunangan and Silago were greatly affected by the deadly virus except from the municipalities at Panaon Island
. Eighty percent of the province's abaca plantation particularly in Sogod town was greatly affected while Maasin City was estimated to suffer about 30 percent in damages.
to Japan
. Because of a wide distribution of an industry called tagak, provincial sectors taught farmers on how to cultivate a suitable variety locally called laylay.
In Bontoc, a project was successfully established with a mudcrab hatchery with eleven hatchery tanks at the RKKMAFTI Compound. Initially, 25 spawners are being worked-on by the project.
Aside from abaca-based products, ceramics and handicraft items made from coconut and bamboo
are also the province's industry. Among the province’s economic activity includes fishing, livestock and poultry raising.
is the main mode of communication of the province. There are five telephone
exchange companies operating in the province and two radio stations. It has also other types of communication including SSB radios for government offices and cellular phones
for government and private entities.
There are six designated bus terminals in Southern Leyte: Maasin, Liloan
, Sogod
, San Juan
, Hinunangan and Silago. However, these terminals are open spaces used by buses as parking areas and are therefore not equipped with buildings and other facilities.
The province has only one existing airport that is located in Pananawan, Maasin. This airport is considered a feeder airport with a total runway length of 1200 meters and width of 30 meters.
Southern Leyte has a total of 12 seaports, two of which are declared as national ports, the Maasin and Liloan ports and the 10 are municipal ports. Of these 10 ports, five are operational, namely, Maasin, Liloan, St. Bernard, San Juan and Sogod. By sea, travel to Cebu from Maasin port takes an average of six hours and a maximum of two hours. A ferryboat from Liloan to Surigao takes three hours.
Southern Leyte has one existing airport the Panan-awan Airport
located in Maasin City
. At present, however, the airport does not service any commercial flight. It has no terminal and can only accommodate aircraft for general aviation weighing 12,000 pounds and below at daytime.
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
located in the Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas is one of the two regions of the Philippines having no land border with another region, MIMAROPA being the other, and is designated as Region VIII...
region
Regions of the Philippines
In the Philippines, regions are administrative divisions that serve primarily to organize the provinces of the country for administrative convenience. Currently, the archipelagic republic of the Philippines is divided into 17 regions...
. Maasin City
Maasin City
Maasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
is the capital of the province. Southern Leyte was once a sub-province of Leyte before it was divided from the latter. Limasawa, an island to the south is part of the province where the first Christian Mass was held and is said to be the birthplace of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
The province ranks as the second least populated area in the region. According to 2007 census, the province has a population of 390,847 a 1.13% growth compared to last 2000 census with a population record of 360,160.
Southern Leyte's geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
features created several issues in the province after the flooding of Subangdaku River
Subangdaku River
Subangdaku River is a river situated in Sogod, Southern Leyte. It is the town's biggest river lying on the center part of the area that drains to the Sogod Bay. From the name itself in Cebuano means "big river" or "wide river"...
and the awful mudslide in Guinsaugon
2006 Southern Leyte mudslide
A massive rock slide-debris avalanche occurred on 17 February 2006 in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte that caused widespread damage and loss of life. The deadly landslide followed a ten-day period of heavy rains and a minor earthquake of magnitude 2.6 on the Richter scale...
. Organizations warned the province as susceptible to natural
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
occurrences like landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s and flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ings.
Southern Leyte contributes to the economy of the country. It forms an important part of the inter-island transportation system of the country, with ferries transporting people and goods between Liloan
Liloan, Southern Leyte
Liloan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Liloan is located at the northern part of Panaon Island which is connected to the main island of Leyte by a bridge . Across from Liloan is the province of Southern Leyte...
and Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Caraga region in Mindanao. Its capital is Surigao City. The province consists of two major islands—Siargao Island and Bucas Grande Island—in the Philippine Sea, and a small region at the northernmost tip of the island of...
in Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. The province is well known for its quality abaca
Abacá
Abacá, Musa textilis is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant is of great economic importance, being harvested for its fibre, once generally called Manila hemp, extracted from the trunk or pseudostem. On...
products and the country's major producer of abaca fiber.
Early settlement
As early as 1898 during the SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
periods, there had already been existing as "sub-province" consisting of the municipalities from Palompon
Palompon, Leyte
Palompon is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 50,754 people in 10,790 households.Lat 11°03’N Long 124°23’E W coast of Leyte Island SE of Canagayan Point, Palompon, Leyte....
to Hinunangan
Hinunangan, Southern Leyte
Hinunangan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,712 a 0.90% growth compared to the 2000 census....
, with Maasin as the center. Some government offices have already been established in Maasin on the southwestern part of Leyte to govern the area.
Historically, the governing city was the depository of cedula tax collections from Palompon to Hinunangan. This was administered by the office of the Administrado de Hacienda, equivalent to the Provincial Treasurer, a position under Secretario de Hacienda.
There was also established in Maasin a Court of First Instance, then known as the Promoter Fiscal, where all minor administrative and other cases from Palompon to Hinunangan were heard and disposed of.
During the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
colonization, the province was sparsely populated. The continued raiding of Moro slaves discouraged the province to grow and develop. However, on 19th century, immigrants from near provinces like Bohol
Bohol
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of and a coastline long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines...
and Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
populated the area.
On 1942, Ruperto Kangleon
Ruperto Kangleon
Ruperto Cadava Kangleon was a Filipino military figure and politician. He was a native of Macrohon in what is now the province of Southern Leyte....
held a conference in the town of Sogod
Sogod, Southern Leyte
The Municipality of Sogod is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Sogod is connected in the Maharlika Highway that links Luzon to Mindanao, one of the most important highways in the Philippines...
, when the first attempt in Malitbog
Malitbog, Southern Leyte
Malitbog is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 19,320 people in 3,665 households.-Barangays:Malitbog is politically subdivided into 37 barangays.* Abgao* Aurora...
, a town to the east, failed to succeed due to many leaders stayed away. He was trying to unify all guerrillas helped to the Philippine Commonwealth
Commonwealth of the Philippines
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was a designation of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 when the country was a commonwealth of the United States. The Commonwealth was created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1934. When Manuel L...
troops during the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
On 1944 to 1945, the Allied Philippine Commonwealth Army soldiers and the recognized guerrillas attacked by the Japanese Imperial
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
forces beginning to liberation in Southern Leyte, and the American troops landed in Leyte on October 20, 1944.
Independent province
Due to change of sovereign powers, all the offices in Maasin except the Fiscal’s Office were abolished and reverted to Tacloban, the capital of Leyte. This created a major problem because of the dearth of transportation, the difficulty in managing the affairs of government in Tacloban and the language barrier between the CebuanoCebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
-speaking South-westerners and the Waray Easterners. The difficulty of managing the entire island from the main city suggested the need to separate the island into two provinces.
At first there was a general movement for a Western Leyte and soon after, many prominent men and leaders rallied behind the movement. Six attempts to pass a law for the division of Leyte were made. On the sixth attempt, then Congressman Nicanor Yñiguez introduced into the House
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
a division law similar in substance to that of the Kangleon Bill, but recognizing the impossibility of creating an East-West Division, he instead opted to make his own district a province.
Abandoning the first bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
, Congressman Nicanor Yñiguez presented House Bill No. 1318 proposing a new province of Southern Leyte comprising Third Congressional District of Leyte to include sixteen municipalities, from Maasin to Silago in the mainland, and in the Panaon Island
Panaon Island
Panaon Island,Panaon Island is a small island in the Philippines, in the province of Southern Leyte. It lies south of Leyte, separated from Dinagat to the east, and Mindanao to the southeast by Surigao Strait. The Mindanao Sea lies to the southwest....
.
The bill became Republic Act
Republic Acts of the Philippines
This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Philippine laws have had various nomenclature designations at different periods in the history of the Philippines, as shown in the following table:...
2227 otherwise known as an "Act Creating the Province of Southern Leyte" and was signed into Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
by President Carlos P. Garcia
Carlos P. Garcia
Carlos Polistico García was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist and guerrilla leader...
on May 22, 1959. On July 1, 1960, Southern Leyte was inaugurated as a province with sixteen municipalities and Maasin as the capital town. Thus the third District of Leyte became the province of Southern Leyte and Lone District of Southern Leyte.
Political divisions
Southern Leyte is subdivided into 18 municipalities and 1 cityCities of the Philippines
A city is a tier of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific charters in addition to the Local Government Code of 1991, which specifies the administrative structure...
.
| City Cities of the Philippines A city is a tier of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific charters in addition to the Local Government Code of 1991, which specifies the administrative structure... /Municipality Municipalities of the Philippines A municipality is a local government unit in the Philippines. Municipalities are also called towns . They are distinct from cities, which are a different category of local government unit... |
No. of Barangays |
Population (2007) |
Households (2000) |
| Anahawan Anahawan, Southern Leyte Anahawan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 7,209 people in 1,514 households.-Barangays:Anahawan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.* Amagusan... |
14 | 8,032 | 1,514 |
| Bontoc Bontoc, Southern Leyte Bontoc is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,592 people in 5,363 households.... |
40 | 28,535 | 5,363 |
| Hinunangan Hinunangan, Southern Leyte Hinunangan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,712 a 0.90% growth compared to the 2000 census.... |
40 | 27,712 | 5,438 |
| Hinundayan Hinundayan, Southern Leyte Hinundayan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 11,113 people in 2,510 households.-Barangays:Hinundayan is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.* Amaga... |
17 | 11,610 | 2,510 |
| Libagon Libagon, Southern Leyte Libagon is the home of Southern Leyte's frontier mountain to the world the Mt. Patag Daku. Libagon is known for its Spanish-style municipal building. It is said to be Eastern Visayas' most Hispanic town... |
14 | 14,283 | 2,495 |
| Liloan Liloan, Southern Leyte Liloan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Liloan is located at the northern part of Panaon Island which is connected to the main island of Leyte by a bridge . Across from Liloan is the province of Southern Leyte... |
24 | 22,203 | 4,135 |
| Limasawa Limasawa, Southern Leyte Limasawa is a 6th class municipality and an island of the same name in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 5,831 inhabitants and according to the 2000 census, it has 1,108 households. It lies south of Leyte, in the Mindanao Sea... |
6 | 5,831 | 1,108 |
| Maasin City | 70 | 79,737 | 14,597 |
| Macrohon Macrohon, Southern Leyte Macrohon is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,102 people in 4,684 households.-Profile:... |
30 | 24,583 | 4,684 |
| Malitbog Malitbog, Southern Leyte Malitbog is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 19,320 people in 3,665 households.-Barangays:Malitbog is politically subdivided into 37 barangays.* Abgao* Aurora... |
37 | 20,104 | 3,665 |
| Padre Burgos Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte Padre Burgos is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 8,926 people in 1,672 households.... |
11 | 10,194 | 1,672 |
| Pintuyan Pintuyan, Southern Leyte Pintuyan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 9,567 people in 1,758 households.-Barangays:Pintuyan is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.* Badiang... |
23 | 9,911 | 1,758 |
| Saint Bernard Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte Saint Bernard is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it had a population of 23,089 people in 4,746 households.... |
30 | 25,252 | 4,746 |
| San Francisco San Francisco, Southern Leyte San Francisco is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 10,869 people in 2,337 households.-Barangays:San Francisco is politically subdivided into 22 barangays.... |
22 | 12,084 | 2,337 |
| San Juan San Juan, Southern Leyte San Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It was formerly known as Cabali-an. According to the 2007 National census, it has a total population of 14,442 and 3,055 households.... |
18 | 14,442 | 2,789 |
| San Ricardo San Ricardo, Southern Leyte San Ricardo is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 8,964 people in 1,676 households.-Barangays:San Ricardo is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.* Benit... |
15 | 9,490 | 1,676 |
| Silago Silago, Southern Leyte Silago is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is a coastal town. As of August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 11,163 people.-Barangays:Silago is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.-History:... |
15 | 11,163 | 2,286 |
| Sogod Sogod, Southern Leyte The Municipality of Sogod is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Sogod is connected in the Maharlika Highway that links Luzon to Mindanao, one of the most important highways in the Philippines... |
45 | 39,864 | 2,286 |
| Tomas Oppus Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte Tomas Oppus is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 14,930 people in 2,855 households.-Barangays:Tomas Oppus is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.* Anahawan... |
30 | 15,817 | 2,855 |
People
While ethnicity of the province is widely Bisaya, most people of the province are farmers and fisherfolks.In Panaon, an island situated in the southernmost part of the province, a certain aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
folks are found locally known as Kongking or variously called Mamanwa which means mountain people. They were believed to be migrants from Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, inhabiting the portions of Agusan
Agusan River
Agusan River is a river located in the eastern part of Mindanao island in the Philippines, draining majority of the Caraga Region and some parts of Compostela Valley province. It is the third largest river basin of the Philippines with a total drainage area of 10,921 km² and an estimated...
, after their migration from the island to evade militarization and the logging/mining corporations’ intrusion to their ancestral domains in the early 1980s.
Literally, their physical attributes are dark complexion, curly-haired and short in height. Hunting and gathering, mat weaving and rattan craft are among the main economic activities of the Mamanwas, so they prefer to inhabit the forested areas in the newfound Southern Leyte mountain. However, they were again displaced by threats of the recent incidents of landslides in the province.
Generally, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
is the staple food
Staple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
of the province and also includes corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
. Mountain living folks, however, prefer root crop
Root vegetable
Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Here "root" means any underground part of a plant.Root vegetables are generally storage organs, enlarged to store energy in the form of carbohydrates. They differ in the concentration and the balance between sugars, starches, and other types of...
s which is abundant in the place. Native delicacies of the province includes "tres marias," "bocarillo," "salvaro," "bibingka," and "starhoy." They also have their own "kinilaw."
Language
The native languageFirst language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
is Cebuano
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
; others speak Waray-waray
Waray-Waray language
Wáray-Wáray or Samarnon is a language spoken in the provinces of Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and in some parts of the Leyte and Biliran in the Philippines...
as second language. Cebuano and Waray-waray are the major language spoken in the province. The speech used by natives has Boholano influences because of its proximity with the province Bohol
Bohol
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of and a coastline long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines...
. Natives also understand foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
such as English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Religion
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
to the south is believed to be the site of the first Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
and the birthplace of Christendom
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, when Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
, a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
and explorer landed on March 28, 1521. The first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was held on March 31, 1521 led by Friar Pedro de Valderrama, the chaplain of Magellan during the expedition, and the start of the Christianity propagation.
People in the province are generally Roman Catholics in religion. Generally, 87.28 percent of which adheres to Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
but traditional folks still influence the people in the province. Aglipayan
Philippine Independent Church
The Philippine Independent Church, The Philippine Independent Church, The Philippine Independent Church, (officially the or the IFI, also known as the Philippine Independent Catholic Church or in Ilocano: Siwawayawaya nga Simbaan ti Filipinas (in in Kinaray-a/Hiligaynon: Simbahan Hilway nga...
ranks second with 4.51 percent affiliates and Evangelicals
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
with 2.03. Other religious affiliations include Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo also known as INC, is the largest entirely indigenous Christian religious organization that originated from the Philippines and the largest independent church in Asia. Due to a number of similarities, some Protestant writers describe the INC's doctrines as restorationist in...
, Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
among others.
Beliefs
Although most people are Christians, a very few who live in remote villages of the province hold on to pre-Hispanic influences and make offerings and sacrifices before planting their crops. Farmers ritually sacrifice chickens and pigs to ensure that the spirits or elementals which they believe to be the cause of good harvest will grant them one.Religious events
Fiesta, a SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
term which means festivity, is celebrated in the province with prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
, food/drinking dance and music. Every barangay of every town in the province has its own celebration date. For instance, Hinunangan
Hinunangan, Southern Leyte
Hinunangan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,712 a 0.90% growth compared to the 2000 census....
celebrated town fiesta on 29 June when they highlight their celebration with the St. Peter and St. Paul Fluvial boat parade the day before. The kuratsa — a courtship
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
dance drama — highlights every occasion.
The province also held its unique festivals. Sinulog sa malitbog is an annual religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
street pageant in Malitbog
Malitbog, Southern Leyte
Malitbog is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 19,320 people in 3,665 households.-Barangays:Malitbog is politically subdivided into 37 barangays.* Abgao* Aurora...
to pay homage to the Holy Child Jesus (Santo Niño) who is their town's patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
. Its reception has grown steadily, with devotees from other places flocking to the town. Similarly, the historic and religious coming of the Spaniards is commemorated every March 31 in Limasawa
Limasawa, Southern Leyte
Limasawa is a 6th class municipality and an island of the same name in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 5,831 inhabitants and according to the 2000 census, it has 1,108 households. It lies south of Leyte, in the Mindanao Sea...
with a cultural presentation and anniversary program dubbed as Sinugdan, meaning "beginning." Other festivals held in the province to highlight events are Pagkamugna Festival and Pabulhon Festival in Maasin City, Karomata Festival in Beunavista, Pintuyan
Pintuyan, Southern Leyte
Pintuyan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 9,567 people in 1,758 households.-Barangays:Pintuyan is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.* Badiang...
, Tangka-tangka Festival in Tangkaan, Padre Burgos
Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte
Padre Burgos is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 8,926 people in 1,672 households....
and Manha-on Festival in Macrohon
Macrohon, Southern Leyte
Macrohon is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,102 people in 4,684 households.-Profile:...
.
Topography
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
to the north, by Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait is a body of water in the Philippines located between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. This strait connects the Bohol Sea with Leyte Gulf and is regularly crossed by ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao...
to the east, Bohol Sea
Bohol Sea
The Bohol Sea, also called the Mindanao Sea, is located between Visayas and Mindanao in the Philippines. It lies south of Bohol and Leyte and north of Mindanao...
to the south, and Canigao Channel
Canigao Channel
Canigao Channel is a body of water in the Philippines that connects the Bohol Sea with the Camotes Sea. It lies between Bohol Island and Leyte Island....
, across from Bohol
Bohol
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of and a coastline long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines...
, to the west. Its total land area is 173,480 hectares or 1,734.8 sq. kilometers.
The province is characterized by relatively flat lands along the coastal areas where population centers lay, but rugged and mountainous towards the interior.
The province has inland water-form features. Based on a national data, the province has an overall 93 rivers including 18 majors namely Amparo River in Macrohon
Macrohon, Southern Leyte
Macrohon is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,102 people in 4,684 households.-Profile:...
, Canturing River in Maasin City
Maasin City
Maasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
, Das-ay and Pondol Rivers in Hinunangan
Hinunangan, Southern Leyte
Hinunangan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,712 a 0.90% growth compared to the 2000 census....
, Divisoria River in Bontoc
Bontoc, Southern Leyte
Bontoc is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,592 people in 5,363 households....
, Hitungao and Lawigan Rivers in San Juan
San Juan, Southern Leyte
San Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It was formerly known as Cabali-an. According to the 2007 National census, it has a total population of 14,442 and 3,055 households....
, Maag River in Silago
Silago, Southern Leyte
Silago is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is a coastal town. As of August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 11,163 people.-Barangays:Silago is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.-History:...
, and Subang Daku River in Sogod
Sogod, Southern Leyte
The Municipality of Sogod is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Sogod is connected in the Maharlika Highway that links Luzon to Mindanao, one of the most important highways in the Philippines...
which is the biggest river among others. The province has an inland lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
called Lake Danao located in the mountains of San Juan
San Juan, Southern Leyte
San Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It was formerly known as Cabali-an. According to the 2007 National census, it has a total population of 14,442 and 3,055 households....
and Anahawan
Anahawan, Southern Leyte
Anahawan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 7,209 people in 1,514 households.-Barangays:Anahawan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.* Amagusan...
, towns in the eastern region.
Subangdaku
Subangdaku River
Subangdaku River is a river situated in Sogod, Southern Leyte. It is the town's biggest river lying on the center part of the area that drains to the Sogod Bay. From the name itself in Cebuano means "big river" or "wide river"...
, the province's largest river, created an issue over the area. It can be considered a braided river composed of several channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
s from near areas that divide and reunite forming an alluvial fan with very wide floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
. As such, the river usually became hazardous during typhoon
Pacific typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean between 180° and 100°E. This region is referred to as the northwest Pacific basin. For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern , central , and...
after a heavy rain. The river sometime overflow spilling its waters on the low-lying towns of Liloan and San Vicente and destroyed an ongoing flood control project worth millions of pesos. The river has been known to meander along its course, ever changing its way over time. During the time it's flooding, it destructs every side of its course. In 2001, portion of the road and banks in Barangay San Miguel along the river have been destroyed. It hampered the economic activities of the local residents as well as national because the destroyed portion is part of the Philippine National Road. The Local officials blamed the rechannelization and uncontrolled quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing of gravel and sand at the side of river as the cause of the flood. At a meeting on March 18, 2002, one of the representatives of a government agency alleged that the reason of the incidents of flood and other environmental problems in the river was due to the "Philippine Fault" which caused rocks to rumble down. However, the reason was contended because the fault is a geological feature and environmental problems in the province just occurred that time.
Along with other mountain forms in the province, Mount Nacolod in Hinunangan town has the highest peak with an elevation of 948 meters above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Young volcanic rocks are discovered in the terrain areas, which cover the top of the southern mountain ranges of Mount Cabalian in the Pacific Area and Mount Nelangcapan in Panaon Area.
Philippine Fault System
The Philippine Fault System is an inter-related system of faults throughout the whole of the Philippine Archipelago, primarily caused by tectonic forces compressing the Philippines into what tectonic geophysicists call the Philippine Mobile Belt....
. The major fault lines traverse the municipalities of Sogod, Libagon, St. Bernard and San Juan to Panaon Island. Based on MGB Region 8 data, these areas had experienced strong earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in 1907 and 1948 with a magnitude of 6.9 and on July 5, 1984 with a 6.4 scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
. Bureau of Mines and Geosciences warned that Southern Leyte's natural
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
features make it susceptible to landslides and floodings. The affiliated group stated that there are four reasons why there are some incidents like these:unusually heavy rains; numerous faults and badly broken rocks; steep slopes; and absence of effective vegetative cover.
The province has numerous type of soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
. A special soil type within Maasin Clay, Guimbalaon Clay, Himay-angan Clay, Bolinao Clay, Quingua Clay and Malitbog Clay series is found to be a good raw materials for ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s and pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
activities of the local residence.
Mudslide
In December 2003, a landslide in San Francisco, Southern LeyteSan Francisco, Southern Leyte
San Francisco is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 10,869 people in 2,337 households.-Barangays:San Francisco is politically subdivided into 22 barangays....
destroyed most of the town, killing 200 people.
The incident was caused by heavy rains in the province.
On February 17, 2006, several mudslides caused by heavy rains, amounting over 200 cm (79 in), and a minor earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
destroyed at least one town and many commercial and residential infrastructures, leaving hundreds dead. The municipality of Saint Bernard
Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte
Saint Bernard is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it had a population of 23,089 people in 4,746 households....
was one of the worst hit areas where twenty-three are confirmed to be dead with up to 200 estimated as dead and another 1,500 missing. Barangay Guinsaugon, a mountain village on the said municipality with 2,500 people, was almost completely leveled and everything from trees to homes was destroyed killing 1,800 of its 1,857 residents.
Many rescuers from national and international responded to the incident. However, rescue efforts were greatly hampered by poor road conditions and lack of heavy equipment. Survivors reported also lack of coordination of rescue efforts. The Philippine Government again stated their inability to cope with disasters.
The few handful of Guinsaugon citizens which escaped the mudslide were put up in emergency shelters without adequate nutrition and care despite the National Government collecting millions of Dollars worth of donations for this case.
Demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
recorded the province of Southern Leyte with a population of 296,294 from the historic record in 1903 of 72,369. On 1990, the population of the province increased to 321,940 which was caused by in-migration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
and increasing rate of birth over death. In 2000, number of population increased to 360,160 with a rate of 2.73 from the negative growth rate recorded on 1995 period with 317,565. The sudden decrease of the 1995 records was due to the late census in the province. While regular censuses were done in May where most of the students were at their respective places of residence, in 1995 the census on population was done in September where the students were out for schooling in nearby provinces. The decrease in population was also, theoretically, attributed to out-migration
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
of the rural population to highly urbanized cities to seek for better employment and livelihood opportunities. A corresponding increase on the number of households was also recorded at 72,894 households higher by 7,327 households over the 1995 figure. Southern Leyte ranked fifth in terms of population among the six provinces in Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas is one of the two regions of the Philippines having no land border with another region, MIMAROPA being the other, and is designated as Region VIII...
with 9.98 percent of the 3.6 million persons of the region. On the contrary, it was the fastest growing province in the region. At the national level, the province contributed 0.47 percent to the total population of the Philippines with 76.5 million.
In terms of ethnicity
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, on 2000 survey, 80.8 percent of the people living are Bisaya or Binisaya, 16.6 percent are Boholano, 5.1 percent are Cebuano
Cebuano people
The Cebuano people , are a Visayan ethnic group in Cebu and form the second largest cultural-linguistic group in the Philippines.-History:...
, and other includes Waray and other foreign
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
ethnicity.
Climate
Southern Leyte has two types of climate according to the Coronas Classification. These are Type II and Type IV.Type II is characterized by the absence of dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period occurring in the months of November to January. This type prevails in the eastern half of the province that includes the municipality of Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, St. Bernard, San Juan, Anahawan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan and Silago. On the other hand, Type IV has a rainfall that is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. This type prevails in the western part of the province that includes the City of Maasin and the municipalities of Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc and little part of Sogod.
The province is located within the area of less frequent tropical cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
s. Yearly typhoon
Pacific typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean between 180° and 100°E. This region is referred to as the northwest Pacific basin. For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern , central , and...
s only affect the northern half of the island under the jurisdiction of the Province of Leyte. During passage of typhoons, the province only experienced heavy rains and occasional gusty wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
s. The province is generally affected by typhoons that pass through Surigao
Surigao City
The City of Surigao The City of Surigao The City of Surigao (Filipino Pronunciation: (sů-rēh-GAŮ) ( Filipino: Lungsod ng Surigao; Surigaonon: Siyudad nan Surigao) located at the northeasternmost tip of Mindanao Island in the Philippines and the capital of the province of Surigao del Norte,...
.
In 2004, the province has recorded rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
fall data with maximum temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
of 30.95 Degrees Celsius
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
to minimum temperature of 24.09 Degrees Celsius. In addition, mean minimum temperature was 25.24 degrees Celsius. The province has 163 numbers of rainy days and total rainfall of 1,729.20 mm.
Vegetation and biodiversity
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, white corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, root crops
Root vegetable
Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Here "root" means any underground part of a plant.Root vegetables are generally storage organs, enlarged to store energy in the form of carbohydrates. They differ in the concentration and the balance between sugars, starches, and other types of...
, sugar cane, and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
and abacá
Abacá
Abacá, Musa textilis is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant is of great economic importance, being harvested for its fibre, once generally called Manila hemp, extracted from the trunk or pseudostem. On...
which is their major products. They also planted various types of vegetable.
A three year effort project was established in Sogod Bay conducted by the Southern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project (SLCRCP) to surveyed coral reefs in the area. The undertaking was to provide local residents educational opportunities to have knowledge on protecting the province's biodiversity as well as to have a long-term sustainability.
Government
Southern Leyte was originally consist of 16 municipalities and 349 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s. It was composed of four islands namely: Panaon Island
Panaon Island
Panaon Island,Panaon Island is a small island in the Philippines, in the province of Southern Leyte. It lies south of Leyte, separated from Dinagat to the east, and Mindanao to the southeast by Surigao Strait. The Mindanao Sea lies to the southwest....
, Limasawa Island
Limasawa, Southern Leyte
Limasawa is a 6th class municipality and an island of the same name in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 5,831 inhabitants and according to the 2000 census, it has 1,108 households. It lies south of Leyte, in the Mindanao Sea...
, San Pedro Island and San Pablo Island. After the inauguration of the province, three more municipalities were created subsequently, namely; San Ricardo from Pintuyan, Tomas Oppus from Malitbog and Limasawa from Padre Burgos. Currently, the province is subdivided into 18 municipalities and one city
Cities of the Philippines
A city is a tier of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific charters in addition to the Local Government Code of 1991, which specifies the administrative structure...
which is Maasin. It has an overall 501 barangays or villages around the province.
On 2000, Maasin
Maasin City
Maasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
was converted into a city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
as capital of Southern Leyte. The remaining component municipality classes ranges from 2nd to 5th level in the province. From 2nd class belongs Sogod
Sogod, Southern Leyte
The Municipality of Sogod is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Sogod is connected in the Maharlika Highway that links Luzon to Mindanao, one of the most important highways in the Philippines...
municipality which is the center of trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
among municipalities within the Sogod Bay. Bontoc
Bontoc, Southern Leyte
Bontoc is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,592 people in 5,363 households....
, Hinunangan
Hinunangan, Southern Leyte
Hinunangan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,712 a 0.90% growth compared to the 2000 census....
, which holds the distinction as the "Rice Granary of the Province" for its vast plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
land that is entirely planted with rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, Liloan
Liloan, Southern Leyte
Liloan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Liloan is located at the northern part of Panaon Island which is connected to the main island of Leyte by a bridge . Across from Liloan is the province of Southern Leyte...
, Malitbog
Malitbog, Southern Leyte
Malitbog is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 19,320 people in 3,665 households.-Barangays:Malitbog is politically subdivided into 37 barangays.* Abgao* Aurora...
, Saint Bernard
Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte
Saint Bernard is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it had a population of 23,089 people in 4,746 households....
, and Macrohon
Macrohon, Southern Leyte
Macrohon is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,102 people in 4,684 households.-Profile:...
, are in the 4th level. The remaining municipalities—Anahawan
Anahawan, Southern Leyte
Anahawan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 7,209 people in 1,514 households.-Barangays:Anahawan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.* Amagusan...
, Hinundayan
Hinundayan, Southern Leyte
Hinundayan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 11,113 people in 2,510 households.-Barangays:Hinundayan is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.* Amaga...
, Libagon
Libagon, Southern Leyte
Libagon is the home of Southern Leyte's frontier mountain to the world the Mt. Patag Daku. Libagon is known for its Spanish-style municipal building. It is said to be Eastern Visayas' most Hispanic town...
, Padre Burgos
Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte
Padre Burgos is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 8,926 people in 1,672 households....
, Pintuyan
Pintuyan, Southern Leyte
Pintuyan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 9,567 people in 1,758 households.-Barangays:Pintuyan is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.* Badiang...
, San Francisco
San Francisco, Southern Leyte
San Francisco is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 10,869 people in 2,337 households.-Barangays:San Francisco is politically subdivided into 22 barangays....
, San Juan
San Juan, Southern Leyte
San Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It was formerly known as Cabali-an. According to the 2007 National census, it has a total population of 14,442 and 3,055 households....
(formerly Cabalian), San Ricardo
San Ricardo, Southern Leyte
San Ricardo is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 8,964 people in 1,676 households.-Barangays:San Ricardo is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.* Benit...
, Silago
Silago, Southern Leyte
Silago is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is a coastal town. As of August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 11,163 people.-Barangays:Silago is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.-History:...
, Tomas Oppus
Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte
Tomas Oppus is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 14,930 people in 2,855 households.-Barangays:Tomas Oppus is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.* Anahawan...
and Limasawa
Limasawa, Southern Leyte
Limasawa is a 6th class municipality and an island of the same name in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 5,831 inhabitants and according to the 2000 census, it has 1,108 households. It lies south of Leyte, in the Mindanao Sea...
, a component island to the south—are under 5th level.
Coconut
Most of the people in Southern Leyte go into coconut planting, a widely distributed industry, especially in mountainous and even plain regions. The GIZ of the German Development Cooperation has embarked on a value chain study on one of the most important products in Region 8 — the coconut, particularly in LeyteLeyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
and Southern Leyte.
In the year 2004, a beetle pest was observed and threatened the Philippine coconut industry including Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
. Brontispa longissima
Brontispa longissima
Brontispa longissima is a leaf beetle that feeds on young leaves and damages seedlings and mature coconut palms...
causes great damage to seedlings and mature coconut trees and ornamental palms, killing the young spears and eventually the entire trees.
Abaca
People in Southern Leyte also go into abacaAbacá
Abacá, Musa textilis is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant is of great economic importance, being harvested for its fibre, once generally called Manila hemp, extracted from the trunk or pseudostem. On...
planting. The province is one of the major producer of abaca fiber in the country along with Catanduanes
Catanduanes
Catanduanes is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757 people.-Etymology:"Isla de Cobos" was Catanduanes' first...
, Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
, Davao Oriental
Davao Oriental
Davao Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Mati and borders Compostela Valley to the west, and Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur to the north. Davao Oriental is the easternmost province of the country with Pusan Point as the easternmost...
, Northern Samar
Northern Samar
Northern Samar is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catarman and is located at the northern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the south are the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar...
, Sorsogon
Sorsogon
Sorsogon is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region; it is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north...
, Sulu, Davao del Sur
Davao del Sur
Davao del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is Digos City. The province is bordered by Davao City to the north, and Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Sarangani to the west. To the east lies the Davao Gulf...
, and Surigao del Sur
Surigao del Sur
' is a province of the Philippines located in the CARAGA region in Mindanao. Its capital is Tandag City and borders Surigao del Norte to the north, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur to the west, and Davao Oriental to the south...
. The fibers from Leyte and the province are recognized as having the best quality. On the year 1990 to 1999, Southern Leyte produced abaca with a rate of 17 percent.
A project, Study on the Abaca Industry Profile of Southern Leyte, was funded by DOST
Department of Science and Technology (Philippines)
The Philippines' Department of Science and Technology , abbreviated as the DOST, is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for the coordination of science and technology-related projects in the Philippines and to formulate policies and projects in the fields of science...
8 GIA and implemented by the Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), one of the college universities in the province, and the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte. It was aimed to conduct a thorough assessment on the status of the abaca industry of the province being its major crop.
On 2003, a certain virus threatens the abaca industry in the province. Almost all of the abaca-producing municipalities in the area namely Maasin City
Maasin City
Maasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
, Padre Burgos
Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte
Padre Burgos is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 8,926 people in 1,672 households....
, Malitbog
Malitbog
Malitbog is the name of two places in the Philippines:*Malitbog, Bukidnon*Malitbog, Southern Leyte...
, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc
Bontoc
Bontoc may refer to:Philippines:* Bontoc, Mountain Province* Bontoc, Southern Leyte* Bontoc language* Bontoc, one of the four subprovinces of the large Mountain Province until 1966. Upon becoming a full-fledged province, it adopted the name of its mother province. It is now the current Mountain...
, Sogod
Sogod
Sogod may refer to:* Sogod, Cebu, Philippines* Sogod, Southern Leyte, Philippines...
, St. Bernard
Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte
Saint Bernard is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it had a population of 23,089 people in 4,746 households....
, San Juan
San Juan, Southern Leyte
San Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It was formerly known as Cabali-an. According to the 2007 National census, it has a total population of 14,442 and 3,055 households....
, Hinunangan and Silago were greatly affected by the deadly virus except from the municipalities at Panaon Island
Panaon Island
Panaon Island,Panaon Island is a small island in the Philippines, in the province of Southern Leyte. It lies south of Leyte, separated from Dinagat to the east, and Mindanao to the southeast by Surigao Strait. The Mindanao Sea lies to the southwest....
. Eighty percent of the province's abaca plantation particularly in Sogod town was greatly affected while Maasin City was estimated to suffer about 30 percent in damages.
Industries
Abaca fiber helps livelihood in the province. Women in the selected areas go into abaca-based handicrafts, which is widely known in the area as tagak or spooled abaca fiber. Natives usually called it as tinagak or continuous spooled abaca fiber. The half-finished product is then made into sinamay or hand woven clothe out of tinagak ready to be made into other sinamay-based products. Products are being exported by LeyteLeyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Because of a wide distribution of an industry called tagak, provincial sectors taught farmers on how to cultivate a suitable variety locally called laylay.
In Bontoc, a project was successfully established with a mudcrab hatchery with eleven hatchery tanks at the RKKMAFTI Compound. Initially, 25 spawners are being worked-on by the project.
Aside from abaca-based products, ceramics and handicraft items made from coconut and bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
are also the province's industry. Among the province’s economic activity includes fishing, livestock and poultry raising.
Communication
Postal communicationMail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
is the main mode of communication of the province. There are five telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
exchange companies operating in the province and two radio stations. It has also other types of communication including SSB radios for government offices and cellular phones
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
for government and private entities.
Transportation
The existing road network crisscrossing Southern Leyte consist of major arterial highways that link the province to Leyte, passing through two major outlets. On the western part is the Maasin-Mahaplag-Baybay and the central part by the Mahaplag-Sogod road via the Maharlika Highway. On the eastern part of the province, the opening of the new Abuyog-Silago Road provides fast and convenient travel to the eastern towns of Southern Leyte. Maharlika road contributes to the development of Southern Leyte.There are six designated bus terminals in Southern Leyte: Maasin, Liloan
Liloan
Liloan is the name of two places in the Philippines:*Liloan, Cebu*Liloan, Southern Leyte...
, Sogod
Sogod
Sogod may refer to:* Sogod, Cebu, Philippines* Sogod, Southern Leyte, Philippines...
, San Juan
San Juan, Southern Leyte
San Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It was formerly known as Cabali-an. According to the 2007 National census, it has a total population of 14,442 and 3,055 households....
, Hinunangan and Silago. However, these terminals are open spaces used by buses as parking areas and are therefore not equipped with buildings and other facilities.
The province has only one existing airport that is located in Pananawan, Maasin. This airport is considered a feeder airport with a total runway length of 1200 meters and width of 30 meters.
Southern Leyte has a total of 12 seaports, two of which are declared as national ports, the Maasin and Liloan ports and the 10 are municipal ports. Of these 10 ports, five are operational, namely, Maasin, Liloan, St. Bernard, San Juan and Sogod. By sea, travel to Cebu from Maasin port takes an average of six hours and a maximum of two hours. A ferryboat from Liloan to Surigao takes three hours.
Southern Leyte has one existing airport the Panan-awan Airport
Panan-awan Airport
Panan-awan Airport , also known as Maasin Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Maasin City, located in the province of Southern Leyte in the Philippines. It is the only existing airport in Southern Leyte...
located in Maasin City
Maasin City
Maasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
. At present, however, the airport does not service any commercial flight. It has no terminal and can only accommodate aircraft for general aviation weighing 12,000 pounds and below at daytime.
Colleges and universities
- Saint Joseph CollegeSaint Joseph College Maasin CitySaint Joseph College is located at Thomas Oppus St, in Maasin City. It was established in 1928 and is a member of CHED , through the Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines and the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities...
- Maasin City - Southern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State University is a public university in the Philippines. It is mandated to provide advanced education, higher technological, professional instruction and training in trade, fishery, agriculture, forestry, science, education, commerce, engineering and related courses...
- Main Campus - SogodSogod, Southern LeyteThe Municipality of Sogod is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Sogod is connected in the Maharlika Highway that links Luzon to Mindanao, one of the most important highways in the Philippines... - Southern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State University is a public university in the Philippines. It is mandated to provide advanced education, higher technological, professional instruction and training in trade, fishery, agriculture, forestry, science, education, commerce, engineering and related courses...
- HinunanganHinunangan, Southern LeyteHinunangan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 27,712 a 0.90% growth compared to the 2000 census.... - Southern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State University is a public university in the Philippines. It is mandated to provide advanced education, higher technological, professional instruction and training in trade, fishery, agriculture, forestry, science, education, commerce, engineering and related courses...
- Tomas OppusTomas Oppus, Southern LeyteTomas Oppus is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 14,930 people in 2,855 households.-Barangays:Tomas Oppus is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.* Anahawan... - Southern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State University is a public university in the Philippines. It is mandated to provide advanced education, higher technological, professional instruction and training in trade, fishery, agriculture, forestry, science, education, commerce, engineering and related courses...
- San JuanSan Juan, Southern LeyteSan Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It was formerly known as Cabali-an. According to the 2007 National census, it has a total population of 14,442 and 3,055 households.... - Southern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State UniversitySouthern Leyte State University is a public university in the Philippines. It is mandated to provide advanced education, higher technological, professional instruction and training in trade, fishery, agriculture, forestry, science, education, commerce, engineering and related courses...
- BontocBontoc, Southern LeyteBontoc is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,592 people in 5,363 households.... - STI CollegeSTI CollegeSystems Technology Institute College is the largest network of for-profit information technology-based colleges in the Philippines. This private college system offers a curriculum including business studies, computer science, education, engineering and health care.STI uses a trimestral calendar as...
- Maasin CityMaasin CityMaasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :... - College of Maasin - Maasin CityMaasin CityMaasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
- Maasin City College - Maasin CityMaasin CityMaasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
- Southern Leyte Business College- Maasin CityMaasin CityMaasin City is a 4th class city in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. It is the capital city of Southern Leyte. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 79,737.On August 10, 2000 Maasin was converted into a city.- History :...
- Saint James College - Padre BurgosPadre Burgos, Southern LeytePadre Burgos is a 5th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 8,926 people in 1,672 households....
- Saint Thomas Aquinas CollegeSaint Thomas Aquinas College (Sogod)Saint Thomas Aquinas College is a Roman Catholic private school located at the corner between Bagares Street and Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte, Philippines...
- SogodSogod, Southern LeyteThe Municipality of Sogod is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. Sogod is connected in the Maharlika Highway that links Luzon to Mindanao, one of the most important highways in the Philippines...