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Eastern Samar

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Eastern Samar
Province
Province of Eastern Samar
Flag of Eastern Samar
Flag
Location in the Philippines
Location in the Philippines
CountryPhilippines
RegionEastern Visayas (Region VIII)
FoundedJune 19, 1965
CapitalBorongan
Government
 • TypeSangguniang Panlalawigan
 • GovernorConrado B. Nicart, Jr. (Liberal)
 • Vice GovernorMarcelo Picardal (LDP)
Area
[1]
 • Total4,660.47 km2 (1,799.42 sq mi)
 • Rank26th out of 80
Population
 (2010)[2]
 • Total428,877
 • Rank60th out of 80
 • Density92/km2 (240/sq mi)
  • Rank68th out of 80
Divisions
 • Independent cities0
 • Component cities
1
 • Municipalities
22
 • Barangays597
 • DistrictsLone district of Eastern Samar
Time zoneUTC+8 (PHT)
ZIP code
6800–6822
IDD : area code +63 (0)55
ISO 3166 codePH-EAS
Spoken languages
Websiteeasternsamar.gov.ph

Eastern Samar (Waray-Waray: Sidlangan nga Samar; Tagalog: Silangang Samar) is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Borongan. Eastern Samar occupies the eastern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the north is the province of Northern Samar and to the west is Samar. To the east lies the Philippine Sea, part of the vast Pacific Ocean, while to the south lies the Leyte Gulf.

History

Colonial period

During his circumnavigation of the globe, Ferdinand Magellan had set foot on the tiny island of Homonhon in the southern part of the province. On March 16, 1521, the area of what is now Eastern Samar is said to be the first Philippine landmass spotted by Magellan and his crew.[3][4][5]

On September 28, 1901 during the Philippine-American War, Filipino guerrillas in Balangiga ambushed American troops, killing 48 members of the US 9th Infantry. The incident triggered the infamous American retaliation against the Samar populace and guerrillas.[5]

Further information: Balangiga massacre

During the Second World War in 1944, Americans involved in the liberation of the Philippines from Japan built in the town of Guiuan the largest military base in the Pacific. In the same town in 1949, approximately 5,000 Russian refugees escaping from communist China temporarily settled on Tubabao Island until 1951, when they were transferred to Australia and the United States.[4]

Independent province

Eastern Samar, as a province, was created from Samar province through Republic Act No. 4221 on June 19, 1965.[6] Congressmen Eladio T. Balite (1st Dist. Samar), Fernando R. Veloso (2nd Dist. Samar), and Felipe J. Abrigo (3rd Dist. Samar), authored Republic Act 4221 which was approved by Congress in 1963. The law, ratified in a plebiscite on June 19, 1965, divided Samar into three: Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and (Western) Samar.

Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, made its first landfall in the coastal town of Guiuan on November of 2013.[7]

Geography

The province occupies a total land area of 466,047 hectares (1,151,630 acres).[1] Because it faces the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, Eastern Samar suffers heavily from powerful typhoons.[3]

Administrative divisions

Political divisions

Eastern Samar comprises 22 municipalities and one city, all encompassed by a single legislative district.

  •  †  Provincial capital and component city
  •   Municipality

Demographics

The province has a population of 461,300 as of the 2010 census. The predominant language is Waray.[5]

Population census of
Eastern Samar
YearPop.±% p.a.
1990 329,335—    
1995 362,324+1.80%
2000 375,822+0.79%
2007 405,114+1.04%
2010 428,877+2.10%
Source: National Statistics Office[2]
Languages Spoken (2000)[10]
Language Speakers
Waray
 
 366,787
Kapampangan
 
 2,067
Binisaya
 
 1,613
Cebuano
 
 680
Tagalog
 
 621
Others
 
 2,510
Not Reported
 
 846

Religion

The people of the province are devoted Christians where a majority adhere to Roman Catholicism.[5] The dominant Catholic faith influences the events of the provincial education, politics and social functions of the people. Other Christians usually form the remaining groups of believers such as the Born-again Christians, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Baptists, Methodists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Seventh-day Adventists. Non Christians (mostly Muslims) are also found.

Transportation

The province has one operational airport; Borongan Airport located in the capital city. Currently, only SkyJet Airlines operates out of Borongan Airport with flights weekly to serve locals and tourists to and from Manila.

By land, mini buses and vans ply from the regional center in Tacloban City to some towns in Eastern Samar. From Borongan City, buses ply to Manila. Motorized boats plies through the Leyte Gulf ferrying passengers going to Tacloban City seaport.

Borongan City's Wilsam Uptown Mall, the largest shopping mall in Eastern Samar.

Economy

Commercial activities in the province are centered on the provincial capital of Borongan City while tourism activities are centered in Guiuan town where Calicoan Island and the historical Homonhon Island are located.[5] Generally, the province's major economic resource is fishery and agriculture which include production of coconut, copra, corn, rice, sugar, and vegetables.[5] Tourism potential is untapped on the northern part of the province.

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References

  1. ^ a b "List of Provinces". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Population and Annual Growth Rates for The Philippines and Its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities" (PDF). 2010 Census and Housing Population. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b Lancion, Jr., Conrado M.; cartography by de Guzman, Rey (1995). "The Provinces; Eastern Samar". Fast Facts about Philippine Provinces (The 2000 Millenium ed.). Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines: Tahanan Books. p. 72. ISBN 971-630-037-9. Retrieved 4 December 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Labro, Vicente S. (11 June 2011). "Guiuan's treasure chest of history, natural wonders". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "The Province of Eastern Samar". National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Republic Act No. 4221 - An Act Creating the Provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Western Samar". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  7. ^ Baylis, Paul; Te-Ping Chen (22 November 2013). "How One Philippine Town Avoided Calamity". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Province: Eastern Samar". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay: as of May 1, 2010 (Eastern Visayas)" (PDF). 2010 Census of Population and Housing. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  10. ^ Table 4. Household Population by Ethnicity and Sex: Eastern Samar, 2000

External links

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