Northern Samar
—  Province  —
Flag Seal
Map of the Philippines with Northern Samar highlighted
Coordinates: 12°20′N 124°40′E / 12.333°N 124.667°E / 12.333; 124.667Coordinates: 12°20′N 124°40′E / 12.333°N 124.667°E / 12.333; 124.667
Country	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
Founded	June 19, 1965
Capital	Catarman
Government
• Governor	Paul R. Daza (Liberal)
• 1st District Representative	Raul A. Daza (Liberal)
• 2nd District Representative	Emil L. Ong (NUP)
Area
• Total	3,692.93 km2 (1,425.85 sq mi)
Area rank	37th out of 80
Population (2010)
• Total	589,013
• Rank	44th out of 80
• Density	160/km2 (410/sq mi)
• Density rank	50th out of 80
Divisions
• Independent cities	0
• Component cities	0
• Municipalities	24
• Barangays	569
• Districts	1st and 2nd districts of Samar
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code
Spoken languages	Waray-Waray, Cebuano, Inabaknon, Tagalog, English

Northern Samar (Filipino:Hilagang 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. To the northwest, across the San Bernardino Strait is Sorsogon; to the east is the Philippine Sea and to the west is Samar Sea.

People and culture[link]

The People

The people of Northern Samar were previously called the "Ibabaonons". Generally, they are members of the "Waray" or "Waray-waray" or "Waraynon", the people of Eastern Visayas or Samar-Leyte region. To distinguish themselves from the Westehanon (people from Samar) and Estehanon (from Eastern Samar) when Samar Island was split into three provinces in 1965, and the Leyteños (the people from the Leyte Island), they now call themselves as "Nortehanon".

Languages/Dialects Spoken

Majority of the people in the province of Northern Samar speak the Norte Samarnon, a variation of Waray-Waray. About 4.5 percent of the population, especially in the island towns, speak Cebuano, while a minority speaks Inabaknon, a unique dialect said to be one of the most preserved languages to date. This is the native tongue of the populace in the island town of Capul.

Norte Samarnon usually is further subclassified into Balicuatro, Central and Pacific speakers.

Tagalog and English are also widely understood in Northern Samar.

Religions

The communities of this province are predominantly Catholic. Other religious groups are Iglesia ni Cristo, Philippine Independent Catholic Church (Aglipayan), Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Church of Latter-Day Saints and other Christian sects. A small number of population are Muslim.

Tourism[link]

Northern Samar has a lot of tourism potentials that are still undiscovered and unknown by many tourists. You can find famous old churches, beautiful falls, rivers, caves, virgin forests, beaches, and other secret places.

Three of these “secret” places are the island Municipalities of Biri, Capul and Dalupirit (San Antonio), all off the coast of Northern Samar.

Remote and desolate, and definitely off the normal tourist track, forgotten Northern Samar evokes powerful images.

Among the last frontiers in the country, its rugged coastline of limestone cliffs along the Pacific Ocean is a historical landmark. During the Spanish colonial era, Samar island was the first Philippine landfall seen by the Manila galleons as they approached the end of their long voyage from Acapulco.

Entering the waters of the Philippine archipelago, the galleons called at the fortified island of Capul off Samar, offered thanks for a safe crossing at the Jesuit church, and then negotiated the rough waters of narrow San Bernardino Strait toward Manila, their final destination.

Capul also became the last stop on Philippine soil of the departing galleons before the long, often treacherous trans-Pacific sail to Acapulco in Mexico.

Geography[link]

Geography

Northern Samar is one of the three provinces comprising Samar Island (the other two are Samar and Eastern Samar provinces). It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east, the San Bernardino Strait on the north, Samar Sea on the west, and the Samar and Eastern Samar provinces on the south. It ranks thirty-seventh (37th) in size among the 80 provinces of the Philippines and accounts for practically 1.2 percent of the total land area of the country. It is located at the eastern edge of the Archipelago with an area of 349,800 hectares. About 52 percent of the total land area is covered by forest and 42 percent is classified as alienable and disposable.

Socio-Demographic Situation

Northern Samar is classified as second class province. Based on the 2010 National Census, the province has a total population of 589,013.

Catarman is the capital town of the province where most political and economic activities take place. It is the seat of administration and the center of trade and commerce as well as industry.

The province is considered a very rural area with 65% of its people residing in the countryside.

Topography

Northern Samar has a very rugged terrain with restricted pocket plains and valleys. River valleys are low-lying and are often interrupted by hills, while the remaining portion is rolling, hilly, and mountainous. The interior of the mainland consists of highly dissected hills and mountain peaks. Low-lying hills are found between the coastal plains of Palapag, the river valley of Gamay, and Catubig Valley.

Climate

Northern Samar falls under the intermediate type climate, which has no distinct dry and wet seasons. The rainiest months are October to January, while the driest is the month of May.

Political[link]

Northern Samar is divided into three (3) major geographical areas, namely: Balicuatro area, Central area, and Pacific area including Catubig Valley – the province’s rice granary. It comprises 24 towns or municipalities with 569 registered barangays. The province is divided into two legislative districts, the first district, covering the Balicuatro and most part of the Central Area, and the second district, covering the some part of the Central Area, the Pacific Area and the Catubig Valley:

Municipalities[link]

Physical[link]

Northern Samar is bounded on the north by the San Bernardino Strait, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the Samar Sea, on the southwest by Western Samar and on the southeast by Eastern Samar. Its total land area is 3,692.93 km².

The province is composed largely of low and extremely rugged hills and small lowland areas. It also has small and discontinuous areas along the coasts and its rivers are usually accompanied by alluvial plains and valleys. The province is endowed with relatively rich and fertile soil that most crops can grow on it.

History[link]

Between 1599 and 1605, the Jesuits established a mission residence in Palapag among the Ibabao populace. These missionaries stayed until the late 17th century when they were expelled from the Philippines and were replaced by the Franciscans.

As the San Bernardino Strait was along the route of the Spanish galleons plying between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico, a royal port was established in Palapag where the richly laden Manila galleons were protected from unfavorable winds and troubled seas.

In the early year of the 16th century, shipbuilders were drafted from Palapag to the Cavite shipyards for the construction of galleons and vessels for the conservation of defense of the island. It was also at this time that these recruits ignited the Sumoroy insurrection, which signaled a general uprising against Spain in the Visayas and Mindanao. The insurrection simultaneously flared northward to Albay and southward to the northern coasts of Mindanao and then Cebu. It took over a year before the Spaniards were able to subdue the rebellion.

Later in 1898, when the Americans landed on the beach of Catarman, they organized a revolutionary army led by General Vicente Lukban who fought the invaders armed with cannons and rifles with only bolos and "paltiks". Although defeated, they, however, continued to harass the Americans through guerilla warfare.

During World War II, the people of Northern Samar organized a platoon of volunteers supported by voluntary contributions. The contingent became a part of the Philippine National Guards in Manila. The province also helped the government by purchasing a considerable amount of bonds floated to finance the National Commission for Independence, then organized by Manuel L. Quezon after a coalition of the Nacionalista and Democrata parties was formed.

Congressman Eladio T. Balite of Northern Samar and Felipe J. Abrigo of Eastern Samar, authored Republic Act 4221 which was approved by Congress in 1963. The law, ratified in a plebiscite on November 9, 1965, divided Samar into three, namely, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Western Samar. The first provincial officials of Northern Samar were elected on November 14, 1967 and on January 1, 1968, they officially assumed office.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Northern Samar

• Official Website of the Provincial Government of Northern Samar
• Official Webpage of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Northern Samar
• Official Webpage of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas, Northern Samar Provincial Federation
• Official Webpage of the Office of the Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Northern Samar
• 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
• Governor's Report 2001-2012

	Sorsogon / San Bernardino Strait	Philippine Sea
	Masbate / Samar Sea		Philippine Sea
		Northern Samar    East
		Samar	Eastern Samar

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

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve it by adding citations to reliable sources. Tagged since October 2011. It may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since October 2010. It may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. Tagged since June 2011.

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