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Samar
—  Province  —
Flag Seal
Map of the Philippines with Samar highlighted
Coordinates: 11°50′N 125°00′E / 11.833°N 125°E / 11.833; 125Coordinates: 11°50′N 125°00′E / 11.833°N 125°E / 11.833; 125
Country	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
Founded	1543, separated from Leyte in 1768; became Western Samar on June 19, 1965; renamed Samar in 1969
Capital	Catbalogan City
Government
• Type	Province of the Philippines
• Governor	Sharee Ann T. Tan (NUP)
• Vice-Governor	Stephen James T. Tan (NUP)
• 2nd District Representative	Milagrosa T. Tan (Lakas-Kampi)
• 1st District Representative	Mel Senen S. Sarmiento (Liberal)
Area
• Total	6,048.0 km2 (2,335.1 sq mi)
Area rank	12th out of 80
Population (2010)
• Total	733,377
• Rank	37th out of 80
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
• Density rank	62nd out of 80
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	2
• Municipalities	24
• Barangays	951
• Districts	1st and 2nd districts of Samar
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code
Spoken languages	Waray-Waray, English

Samar, formerly and also known as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catbalogan City and covers the western portion of Samar Island as well as several islands in the Samar Sea located to the west of the mainland. Catbalogan City and Calbayog City, two of the three cities on Samar Island, are located in the province of Samar. The province is bordered by Northern Samar and Eastern Samar. Samar is connected to island and province of Leyte via the San Juanico Bridge, which spans the San Juanico Strait, the narrowest strait in the country. To the south is the Leyte Gulf.

Languages and Dialects[link]

Residents of Samar are mostly Waray, the sixth largest cultural-linguistic group in the country. 90.2% of the household population speaks the Waray language while 9.8 percent also speak Cebuano; 8.1% speak Boholano; 0.07% speak in Tagalog and 0.5% speak other languages. There are two types of Waray spoken in the province, Waray Lineyte-Samarnon which is spoken from the southernmost tip of the province up to the municipality of Gandara and Waray Calbayog which is an intermediate between the Waray of Northern Samar and the Waray of Samar and is spoken in Calbayog City, Santa Margarita, and in some parts of Tagapul-an, Santo Niño and Almagro. Cebuano on the other hand is spoken in some parts of the first district of Samar, mainly in Calbayog City, Almagro, Santo Niño and Tagapul-an English and Chinese languages are also spoken.

Climate and Rainfall[link]

Areas of the Samar province that are characterized by having no dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period which usually occurs from December to January are generally along or very near the eastern coast, thus are open to the northeast monsoon. Municipalities in the southeastern part of the province experience this type of climate.

Those areas located in the northwestern part of the province have a more or less evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year.

Economy[link]

Fishing and agriculture are the major economic activities of the province. Economical Data

Geography[link]

Samar island occupies the eastern portion of the Philippines. It lies southeast of Luzon and occupies the northernmost section of Eastern Visayas. It is separated from Luzon on the north by San Bernardino Strait and from Leyte on the southwest by the narrow San Juanico Strait. It is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Leyte Gulf and on the west by the Samar Sea.

Topography[link]

Samar province is hilly, has some mountain peaks ranging from 200 to 800 metres (660 to 2,600 ft) high and narrow strips of lowlands, which tend to lie in coastal peripheries or in the alluvial plains and deltas accompanying large rivers. The largest lowlands are located along the northern coast extending up to the valleys of Catubig and Catarman rivers. Smaller lowlands in Samar are to be found in the Calbayog area and on the deltas and small valleys of Gandara and Ulot rivers. Slopes are generally steep and bare of trees due to deforestation. Run-off waters after heavy rains can provoke flooding in low-lying areas and the erosion of the mountains enlarges the coastal plains of the province.

Governance[link]

The province of Samar is composed of two (2) congressional districts, twenty four (24) municipalities and two (2) cities (Catbalogan and Calbayog). It has a total of nine hundred fifty two (952) barangays

Cities[link]

• Calbayog
• Catbalogan

Municipalities[link]

History[link]

The explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, first came to the island in 1543 and named it Las Islas Filipinas.

• 1596: Many names (Samal, Ibabao, Tandaya) were given to Samar Island prior to the coming of the Spaniards in 1596. The name Samar was derived from the local dialect “samad”, meaning wound or cut, which aptly describes the rough physical features of the island that is rugged and deeply dissected by streams. During the early days of Spanish occupation, Samar was under the jurisdiction of Cebu.
• 1735: Samar and Leyte were united into one province with Carigara, in Leyte, as the capital town.
• 1768: Samar again became a separate province in 1768.
• 1901: The Balangiga massacre occurred during the Philippine–American War.
• 1941: The invasion by the Japanese fighter and bomber planes in the province of Samar.
• 1941 to 1942: During the Japanese invasion in the Second World War, Filipino troops of the 91st Infantry Division, Philippine Commonwealth Army, and USAFFE (under the Visayan-Mindanao Force) were established, but they all fell to the invading Japanese forces. The general headquarters in Samar also fell to the Japanese. This resulted in the defeat of the Filipino troops of the USAFFE 91st Division.
• 1942: The occupying Imperial Japanese forces arrived in the province of Samar.
• 1942 to 1944: During the Japanese occupation, thousands of local Samareños - men and women - joined guerrilla groups in the province and helped local Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army units fight the Japanese Imperial forces which led to the latter's defeat and started the pre-Allied Liberation.
• 1942 to 1944: During the Japanese Occupation, the 4th, 9th, 93rd, 95th and 96th Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were re-established from 1942 to 1946 at the military general headquarters and military camps. The military unit organizations started the anti-Japanese military operations in the province from 1942 to 1945.
• 1942 to 1944: The 96th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was founded and established from 1942 to 1946 at the military general headquarters in the province of Samar, Eastern Visayas.
• 1942 to 1944: During the Japanese insurgencies and occupation, the Philippine Guerrilla Forces or PGF were established from 1942 to 1945 as a guerrilla resistance organization with headquarters in San Andres, Villareal, Samar.
• 1944: The Battle off Samar took place on October 24, 1944 as Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's Center Force warships clashed with several allied naval vessels in a collision course. His forces sank escort carrier USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73), destroyers USS Hoel (DD-533) and USS Johnston (DD-557), and escort destroyer USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413), but at a cost of his cruisers Chikuma, Chokai, and Suzuya. Despite having a tactical victory for the Imperial Japanese Navy, it did not alter the course of the entire Philippines campaign.
• 1944 to 1945: Combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth military forces, including recognized guerrillas, liberated the province of Samar and defeated Imperial Japanese forces. The local Filipino soldiers, under the USAFFE 91st and the 4th, 9th, 93rd, 95th and 96th Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and 9th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary, started the battles in Samar and fought against the Japanese troops.
• 1945: Filipino and Filipino-American soldiers under the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment of the United States Army began the Battle of Samar and aided the local Filipino soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army 4th, 9th, 91st, 93rd, 95th and 96th Infantry Division and the Philippine Constabulary 9th Infantry Regiment, the local Samareño guerrilla resistance and the U.S. liberation military forces defeats and attacking the Japanese liberated the province of Samar.
• 1965: On June 19, 1965 the Philippine Congress along with the District's Congressman, Felipe Abrigo, approved Republic Act No. 4221 dividing the region of Samar into three divisions: North Samar, East Samar, West Samar. Each region adopted a new capital: Catbalogan (West Samar), Borongan (East Samar), and Catarman (North Samar).
• 1969: On June 21, 1969, under Republic Act No. 5650, Western Samar was renamed Samar with Catbalogan still as the capital.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Samar

• Official Website of the City Government of Calbayog
• Official Website of the City Government of Catbalogan
• Samar News.com—based in Catbalogan, it is a source of news and information on Eastern Visayas.
• Province of Samar—Profile of the Samar province
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (1)
• 2007 Philippine Census Information (2)
• Local Governance Performance Management System

		Northern Samar
	Masbate  Biliran / Samar Sea		Eastern Samar
		Samar    East
	Leyte / San Juanico Strait	Leyte Gulf

v t e Political divisions of the Philippines Capital Manila National Capital Region Autonomous region Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Provinces Abra Agusan del Norte Agusan del Sur Aklan Albay Antique Apayao Aurora Basilan Bataan Batanes Batangas Benguet Biliran Bohol Bukidnon Bulacan Cagayan Camarines Norte Camarines Sur Camiguin Capiz Catanduanes Cavite Cebu Compostela Valley Cotabato Davao del Norte Davao del Sur Davao Oriental Dinagat Islands Eastern Samar Guimaras Ifugao Ilocos Norte Ilocos Sur Iloilo Isabela Kalinga La Union Laguna Lanao del Norte Lanao del Sur Leyte Maguindanao Marinduque Masbate Misamis Occidental Misamis Oriental Mountain Province Negros Occidental Negros Oriental Northern Samar Nueva Ecija Nueva Vizcaya Occidental Mindoro Oriental Mindoro Palawan Pampanga Pangasinan Quezon Quirino Rizal Romblon Samar Sarangani Siquijor Sorsogon South Cotabato Southern Leyte Sultan Kudarat Sulu Surigao del Norte Surigao del Sur Tarlac Tawi-Tawi Zambales Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga Sibugay Former Provinces Agusan Ambos Camarines Camarines Cotabato Davao Kalinga-Apayao Lanao Lepanto-Bontoc Manila Mindanao and Sulu Mindoro Misamis Moro Province Negros Negros del Norte Occidental Leyte Oriental Leyte Samar Shariff Kabunsuan Surigao Tayabas Zamboanga Other subdivisions Island groups (Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao) Regions Cities Municipalities Barangays Legislative districts Territorial disputes North Borneo (Sabah) Scarborough Shoal Spratly Islands

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Myriam Fares ميريام فارس
Myriam Faris on stage
Background information
Also known as	The Queen of the stage (ملكة المسرح)
Born	(1983-05-03) May 3, 1983 (age 29)
Origin	Lebanon
Genres	Arabic Music
Occupations	Singer, dancer, actress, record producer, fashion designer
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Myriam Music
Website	www.myriamfares.com

Myriam Fares (Arabic: ميريام فارس‎ mīryam fāris; born May 3, 1983) is a Lebanese singer and entertainer. She is best known for her album "Bet'oul Eh”.

Early life and beginnings[link]

Myriam was born in Kafar Shlal, a small village in Southern Lebanon, near Kafarhata village, 5 miles east of Saida. Since her childhood, Myriam has been devoted and dedicated to arts which encouraged her to develop her talents and interests. She started learning classic ballet at the age of five which impelled her to develop her musical talents. She had a profound feeling of becoming a professional dancer which was accomplished at the age of nine when she was accepted in a TV program "Al Mawaheb Al Saghira" on Tele Liban and was awarded the first prize in oriental dancing.

As a brilliant student in arts, Myriam was encouraged by her impressed teachers to participate in the schools' events which were a motive to improve her dancing, singing and acting skills.

Inspired by her angelic strong voice, Myriam wanted to explore her talents further in singing. She joined the Lebanese National Conservatory and succeeded in learning the principles of oriental singing for four years.

At the age of sixteen, she participated in the Lebanese Festival for Songs and won the first prize as the best popular Lebanese singer.

Her seventeen was highlighted by her participation in the TV program on LBCI "Studio-El-Fann" 2000-2001 under the category of the Lebanese song. Myriam won the prize of best singer in the South of Lebanon which was followed by Dr. Walid Ghoulmiye's prize as best singer in South Lebanon, Beirut and Mount Lebanon.

Music career[link]

[edit] 2003: Myriam

At age 21,she launched her first album with Music Master Records which was sold out in a few days. She filmed the song "Ana wil Shoq" with director Ghassan Koteit, which proved to be a major success and it spread throughout the Arab world and was played on all Arab televisions. This was a turning point in Myriam's career. Afterwards Myriam proceeded to UAE to sign her first album at Virgin Mega Store in Dubai on the ninth of March where she was received by a crowd of Arab and international reporters to express their admiration of her art and music.

Myriam's next hit was the shooting of "La Tes'alni" video clip with director Selim Turk from her album "Myriam". It was a big hit as well especially that her audience were waiting for the new clip after her success in he first clip "Ana Wil Shoq". "La Tis'alni" impressed he eager audience from the first time where Myriam proved to enjoy the main characteristics of a professional artist, by having a wonderfully balanced voice, a talent in body expressions and capable in performing her role naturally in a perfect way coming from the heart.

In 2004, Myriam became more and more famous and was elected as "best young female singer" in the Arab World. She also won the prize of best video clip during he visit to Egypt. Her beautiful voice, nice appearance, flexible motion and magnificent dancing made from Myriam a big star in Lebanon and the Arab World which allowed her to be distinguished by her audience and especially the big success in: The Bacardi Night in Beirut, New Year's Eve in Biel, Al Fateh Festivals in Libya and Hala Febayer in Kuwait.

During her concerts, Myriam performed songs from modern and popular oriental to classic and she visited during her tours many Middle Eastern and Moroccan countries. "Myriam" the album, shocked artists and audience, but Myiam's dream will never stop…

[edit] 2005: Nadini

In July 2005, the Lebanese star presented her new album "Nadini Myriam" with a video clip for the song entitled "Nadini".

"Nadini Myriam" album is the result of months of preparation and collaboration with Lebanese and Arab composers and writers. "Nadini" was the first time to be shot as a video clip from the album with director "Amir Kreidiye".

"Haklik Rahtak" is a song from "Nadini Myriam"'s album, written by Myriam's sister, Roula Fares, composed by Muhammad Raheem and arranged by Mark Abdel Nour and was shot in a magical décor in Paris where director Wissam Smayra found the best locations to execute the clip. This song helped boost Myraim's career and was ranked number one in Lebanon, Egypt and Tunis.

In their second collaboration, after the clip "Haklik Rahtak", Myriam Fares and director Wissam Smayra presented their second video clip entitled "Waheshny Eah" written and composed by Mohammad Rifai and arranged by Jean Marie Riachi. A professional French team specialized in high-tech techniques in the world of suspense and special effects were the basis of this video clip.

"Wahichni Eah", a song that occupied the listeners' hearts, made Myriam a famous star and was ranked number one in Egypt, Gulf, Tunis Morocco and Yemen!

In November 2006,"Al Ahram Al Masriya" one of the leading newspapers in Egypt, elected Myriam the best young singer in the Arab world. The survey was done in all the Egyptian universities and Myriam was honored at the British university in Egypt.

At the same time, MTV Europe invited Myriam, the first Arab artist who appeared on this TV, bearing in mind that only international stars appear on that T.V. station. She was also elected as the best Arab singer who combines a taste of both the west and the east in her style in music.

Myriam ended the year 2007 with a new hit Khaliji song “Moukanoh Wein” that was shot as a music video under the direction of Yehya Saade. The song was a success all over the Middle-East and she was considered as one of the best non-khaliji artists who sang the khaliji accent.

[edit] 2008: Bet'oul Eh

Myriam's third album "Bet'oul Eh”, was released in April 2008, and has been doing great in the charts within all the Arab World . The album has a mixture of music genres that are creatively put together to satisfy all listeners, especially her fans. The album consists of 9 songs one is "Mouch Ananiya" which is definitely guaranteed to please listeners who prefer romantic ballads. The music video successfully shows Myriam’s surprising acting skills, and the video was executed under the direction of Leila Kanaan.

Two other songs of the Album "Bet'oul Eh” which are: “Betrouh & Iyyam EL Shiti “ were shot as music videos in Paris incarnating a very special cinematographic idea under the direction of Wissam Smayara

[edit] 2011: Min Oyouni

Myriam's fourth and latest album "Min Oyouni”, was released in First of September 2011,and it was her first Khaliji Album. The album consists of 9 songs. Myriam's hit was the shooting of "Min Oyouni" video clip with director Joe Bou Eid, From the first week the album was on top of the Virgin Mega Stores and last for many weeks on the top, Other song from the album is "Khalani" was shot as a music video before the end of 2010 with director Yehya Saade, After two months from releasing date the album land on top of Music charts again, one of the great songs of the album was Tela7 which is her first Moroccan song, Etla7 was on top of all the Moroccan songs for a long time since it was released in Myriam's Fawazir at Ramdan 2010, This album is also special because it features her first try to the Moroccan accent with the song "Tlah", Myriam also shot another song which is "El-Gasayed" with the director Joe Bou Eid, this album was also her first album with Emi Arabia Records as a distributing company for the album, the album was produced by Myriam Music company.Other song from the Album "Ah Yoma" was shot by Tomy Qawaji as a Stage Clip on LBC(Celebrity Duets)Stage but not released yet.

Fawazer[link]

During the holy month of Ramadan 2010, Myriam Fares presented Fawazeer Myriam where she presented three upcoming songs from her next album: Ertah an Iraqi song, Atlah which is a typical Moroccan song and Ya Sariyah a traditional Khaleeji song.She presented three characters in every episode,one of them was an old advertising for Tarek Nour, other was a dance from a country -she danced different 30 dances during the 30 episodes-,the last character was to act a job.

Filmography[link]

Silina 2009[link]

Under the supervision of director Hatem Ali, the masterpiece of the Rahbani brothers "Hala wal malek" (Hala and the King) was made into a film carrying the name of "Silina", starting Myriam Fares along with a large group of stars from Lebanon and Syria such as Elie Choueiri, Dureid Laham, Antoine Kerbaj, Georges Khabbaz, Hussam Tahssin Beik and a wide list of other famous stars. ^[1][2]

Studio albums[link]

Myriam[link]

• Mastering : Tony Haddad
• Design : Kinda Mourani
• Year : 2003

1. Ana Wel Shoq
2. Ghmorni
3. La Tis'alni
4. Shou Badou
5. Inta el Hayat
6. Ahebbak Heil
7. Hal Gharam Mish Gharam
8. Ya Alem Bil Hal

Nadini[link]

• Mastering : Tony Haddad

• Design : Kinda Mourani
• Photography : Carine & charbel
• Year : 2005

1. Nadini
2. Aanadiya
3. Hasisni Beek
4. Haklek Rahtak
5. Leih Habibi
6. Maarafsh Had Bel Esmi Da
7. Haset B Aman
8. Khalini Teer
9. Zaalan Menni
10. Waheshni Eih

Bet'oul Eih[link]

• Mastering : Tony Haddad
• Design : Kinda Murani & Music is my life
• Photography : Hussien Salman
• Year : 2008

1. Mouch Ananiya
2. Eih Yalli Byohsal
3. Bet'oul Eih
4. Betrouh
5. Iyyam El Chitti
6. Ana Albi Lik
7. Ala Khwana
8. Law Konte Radi
9. Moukanoh Wein

Min Oyouni[link]

• Mastering : Tony Haddad
• Design : Nijad Abdelmassih
• Photography : Rudy Darwich
• Year : 2011

1. Min Oyouni
2. Khalani
3. Walaou
4. Ya Sariah
5. Ah Youma
6. Artah
7. Sid Al Koul
8. Atlah
9. Kether Al Khayel
10. Min Oyouni (music instrumental)
11. Khalani (music instrumental)

Videography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official page for Myriam