, formerly '''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 of Samar Island, are located in the province of Samar. Bordering the province to the north is
Northern Samar and to the east is
Eastern Samar . Samar is connected to
Leyte via the
San Juanico Bridge , which spans the
San Juanico Strait , the narrowest
Strait in the country. To the south of the province is the
Leyte Gulf .
The native language of the majority in Samar province is
Waray-Waray (also known as Waray, L(in)eyte-Samarnon, or Samar-Leyte Visayan). However, in the island municipalities of
Almagro and
Santo Niño ,
Cebuano is the native tongue.
The center of kut-kut art. A technique combining ancient
Oriental and
European Art process. Considered lost art and highly
Collectible Art form. Very few known art pieces existed today. The technique was practiced between 1600 and 1800 A.D.
Kut-kut is an exotic Philippine art form based on early century techniques --
Sgraffito ,
Encaustic and layering. The merging of these ancient styles produces a unique artwork characterized by delicate swirling interwoven lines, multi-layered texture and an illusion of three-dimensional space.
Samar is subdivided into 24
Municipalities and 2
Cities .
The explorer
Ruy López De Villalobos , first came to the island in
1543 and named it Las Islas Filipinas.
HISTORICAL TIMELINE
A. Brief History (SAMAR)
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 In 1735, Samar and Leyte were united into one province with Carigara, Leyte as the capital town.
1768 Again Samar became a separate province in 1768.
CATBALOGAN CITY, SAMAR
1596 The city of Catbalogan was founded or settled sometime in October 1596, by the Priests of the Jesuit’s Order.
1735 But, in 1735, Samar and Leyte were united into one province with Carigara, in Leyte, as the capital. The union however, did not prove satisfactory.
1768 Friar Francisco de Otazo, who arrived in the Philippines in 1596, was the first missionary to bring the Catholic faith to the people of Catbalogan in 1768, the Spanish Franciscans took over.The original name of the town was KATBALAUGAN or KABALAUGAN. The two syllables of the name are compounds of the prefix KAT or KA and the substantive noun BALAUG of the Samar Visayan dialect. “Katbalaugan or Kabalaugan” means “a place were seafarers, fishermen or sailors take shelter or cover and are detained.” The old fishing village of Katbalaugan or Kabalaugan was the refuge of people riding in small boats and sailboats when the Northwest and Southwest monsoons blew during the month of July, August, and September. During the early days of Spanish occupation of the Philippines, Samar was under the jurisdiction of Cebu. Later, it was declared a separate province. So in 1768, Samar again became a separate province from Leyte. Since then, Samar has emerged as an independent political unit with Catbalogan City as the capital
1900 On January 27, 1900, the American captured the city of Catbalogan.
1902 Civil government was established on June 17, 1902 with Julio Llorente of Cebu as the first governor of Samar.
1942 On May 24, 1942, the Japanese forces landed in Barrio Pangdan and occupied the capital.
1945 On December 18, 1945, the American liberation Forces re-occupied the city.
1957 The April 01, 1957 conflagration, considered as the most destructive fire, caused damage to properties in the amount of thirty million pesos (P30,000,000).
1965 On June 19, 1965, the Philippine Congress approved Republic Act No. 4221 dividing Samar into Western Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar, respectively. Catbalogan thus ceased to be the capital of the whole island-province after enjoying the prestige of being the premier town of Samar for 197 years since 1768. Later Western Samar was renamed Samar with Catbalogan City still as the capital. The greatest calamities that visited Catbalogan City were big fires.
1969 The next was on May 19, 1969, where damage was estimated at twenty million pesos (P20,000,000) and more than a century-old Catholic Church was razed to the ground. Paradoxically, each time Catbalogan City suffered under the throes of these calamities, better buildings and structures emerged from the ashes. As early as 1960, Catbalogan already agitated to become a city. In 1969, the bill creating Catbalogan into a city was being deliberated in the Senate but the conflagration of 1969 caused it to be shelved.
2007 On March 15, 2007, Catbalogan finally attained its cityhood status. Senator Manny Villar (President of the Senate); Jose de Venecia, Jr. (Speaker of the House of Representatives); Oscar G. Yabes (Secretary of the Senate); Roberto P. Nazareno (Secretary General, House of Representatives); and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (President of the Philippines) were among its signatories.
