Biliran | |
|---|---|
    clockwise from top: Biliran Bridge,Almeria,Sambawan Island, Biliran island satellite in 2009 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:11°35′N124°29′E / 11.58°N 124.48°E /11.58; 124.48 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Eastern Visayas |
| Founded | 11 May 1992 |
| Capital and largest town | Naval |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Gerard Roger M. Espina (NP) |
| • Vice Governor | Brigido C. Caneja III (NP) |
| • Legislature | Biliran Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 536.01 km2 (206.95 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 78th out of 81 |
| Highest elevation | 1,346 m (4,416 ft) |
| Population (2020 census)[3] | |
• Total | 179,312 |
| • Rank | 75th out of 81 |
| • Density | 330/km2 (870/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 21st out of 81 |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | 0 |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 132 |
| • Districts | Lone district of Biliran |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)53 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-BIL |
| Spoken languages | |
| Income classification | 4th class |
| Website | biliran |
Biliran, officially theProvince of Biliran (Waray-Waray:Probinsya han Biliran;Cebuano:Lalawigan sa Biliran;Filipino:Lalawigan ng Biliran), is an island province in thePhilippines located in theEastern Visayasregion (Region VIII). Biliran is one of the country's smallest and newestprovinces. Formerly a sub-province ofLeyte, it became an independent province in 1992.
Biliran lies less than a kilometer north of the island ofLeyte. Abridge-causewayfixed link over Poro Island in the gateway town ofBiliran connects the province to Leyte.[4] Its capital is the municipality ofNaval on the western coast of the island which is the most populous in the province.
During the earlySpanish era, what is now called Biliran was known asIsla de Panamao. The present name, believed to be adopted sometime between the late 17th century and the early 18th century, was, according to many publications, derived from a native grass calledborobiliran which once grew abundantly on the island's plains. A contending theory states that the name came from the wordbilir, which was defined in an oldVisayan dictionary to be the "corner or edge of a boat, vase or anything protruding, like veins, or the furrow made by the plow." The dictionary also givesbiliran as an alternate spelling forbilir. This theory is supported by the fact that Biliran was site of the first large-scale shipyard, built in the 17th century.Galleons were built to support theGalleon trade betweenManila andAcapulco inMexico.[5]
The first town, namedBiliran, was founded in 1712 after petitioning for a municipality andparish status. During this time, the island was a part ofCebu Province. Biliran, together with the islands ofSamar andLeyte, were constituted into a separate province in 1735. Later when Samar and Leyte were split into two provinces in 1768, Biliran became part ofLeyte Province as its sub-province. The first parish priest,Gaspar Ignacio de Guevara, was assigned in 1765, but its parish status was apparently withdrawn because of Padre Gaspar'sapostasy. The parish was re-established on February 22, 1782.[5]
In May 1735, representative inhabitants of Leyte petitionedGovernor-General Fernando Valdes y Tamon to allow them to resettle Biliran Island. They claimed it had been abandoned for the past 50 years and was presently inhabited bybagamundos (vagabonds) due to the frequentMoro raids.
On May 26, 1754, Moros destroyed Biliran and the town ofCatbalogan inSamar. Panamao was reportedly razed to the ground and only thegobernadorcillo (mayor) of Biliran town escaped capture by the raiders. The old settlements ofCaybiran, Mapuyo andMaripipi were also destroyed by the Moros.
The Moros staged their attack by marching inland along the Anas River for a distance of 1.5-2 leguas (leagues). Having covered part of the interior around a mountain, they managed to capture the inhabitants, with the exception of thegobernadorcillo who escaped. The houses and property of the natives were burned or destroyed. The church building suffered the same fate and its valuables were taken away by the raiders.[5]
When the Muslim raiders were diminished in the early 19th century, Leytenians organized new towns in the present geography of Biliran Province.
In 1828,Caibiran on the east became an independent municipality and parish, the second to be created on Biliran Island.
Naval became the third town, carved out of the territory of Biliran town. It first became a separate parish in 1860. The Spanish colonial government officially recognized its municipality status on September 23, 1869, following the petition submitted around 1861.
Almeria became a separate town in 1886 and was named after the city ofAlmería in Spain.
Maripipi used to be a barrio of Naval. It was officially inaugurated as a town in 1867, two years ahead of its mother town, then folded up and was reduced into a barrio of Almeria, and then became a town again in 1899. Maripipi and the new towns of San Clemente (later Kawayan), Culaba and Esperanza (later Cabucgayan) were created around 1899 by therevolutionary government under PresidentEmilio Aguinaldo.[5]
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During theWorld War II, Biliran had its ownguerrilla forces under the Leyte command of ColonelRuperto Kangleon. The guerrilla operation was of invaluable assistance to the successful landing of the American liberation forces atPalo,Leyte, on October 20, 1944, just before theBattle of Leyte Gulf.[5]
In 1945, Biliran was liberated by thePhilippine Commonwealth forces of the 9th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who landed in Biliran. Aided by the local guerrilla forces, they attacked the Japanese troops on the island during the Battle of Biliran duringWorld War II.[5]
On April 8, 1959,Republic Act No. 2141 was signed into law effectively making Biliran a sub-province of Leyte. The island became an independent province on May 11, 1992, throughRepublic Act No. 7160, making it one of the newest provinces in the country.[6]
NASA Landsat image of Biliran | |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Samar Sea |
| Coordinates | 11°31′23″N124°32′06″E / 11.523°N 124.535°E /11.523; 124.535 |
| Archipelago | Visayas |
| Area | 535 km2 (207 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,340 m (4400 ft)[7] |
| Administration | |
Philippines | |
Biliran has a total land area of 536.01 square kilometres (206.95 sq mi), making it the fourth smallest province in the Philippines.[1] The island lies off the northern coast ofLeyte island across Biliran Strait. To the southeast isCarigara Bay, to the northeast is theSamar Sea, and across this sea isSamar. To the west is theVisayan Sea andMasbate lies 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the northwest. The province is composed of two majorvolcanic islands: the main island also named Biliran andMaripipi, a smaller island to the northwest. Other smaller islands include Higatangan and Dalutan.
The main volcanic island of Biliran features mountainous interiors with very narrow coastal areas. Only the municipalities ofNaval andCaibiran have wide plains extending about 7 km (4.3 mi) from the coast suitable for agriculture. Mount Suiro, aninactive volcano, is the highest point on Biliran with an elevation of 1,301 m (4,268 ft).
The only known historical volcanic activity atBiliran was aphreatic eruption and possible debris avalanche at a thermal area on September 26, 1939.[2]Ashfalls were reported atCaibiran and adjoining areas with maximum deposits at 6.35 centimetres (2.50 in) thick.[7] There are five activesolfatara fields on the island. The solfatara on the west side of Mt. Giron contained more than 400 tones ofsulfur in 1880.[8]
Maripipi is a 924-metre (3,031 ft) volcanic island with the Maripipi Volcano located in the center and the Municipality of Maripipi surrounding its shores and lower slopes. The volcano is classified aspotentially active but has had no historical eruptions.[9]
Biliran has a combination of warm and cool climatic zones, thus the prevailing climate is ideal for the cultivation of a wide range of agricultural crops. There is no distinct dry season but the heavy wet season generally occurs in December.[10]
| Climate data for Biliran | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.2 (84.6) | 30.3 (86.5) | 31.5 (88.7) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.3 (90.1) | 32 (90) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32 (90) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 31.4 (88.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24 (75) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.9 (76.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 290.5 (11.44) | 241 (9.5) | 192.2 (7.57) | 118.2 (4.65) | 139.2 (5.48) | 189.5 (7.46) | 178.5 (7.03) | 184.4 (7.26) | 155 (6.1) | 215.2 (8.47) | 265.4 (10.45) | 385.5 (15.18) | 2,554.6 (100.59) |
| Average rainy days | 21 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 202 |
| Source 1:Storm247(for average temperature and rainy days)[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:WorldWeatherOnline(for average precipitation)[12] | |||||||||||||
Biliran is subdivided into 8municipalities, with a total of 132 barangays. All municipalities are located onBiliran Island, with the exception ofMaripipi, which is an island municipality located to the northwest. The largest among the towns in terms of land area is the provincial capitalNaval, while the smallest is Maripipi.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 21,661 | — |
| 1918 | 35,751 | +3.40% |
| 1939 | 54,367 | +2.02% |
| 1948 | 67,661 | +2.46% |
| 1960 | 87,285 | +2.14% |
| 1970 | 90,498 | +0.36% |
| 1975 | 103,270 | +2.68% |
| 1980 | 111,421 | +1.53% |
| 1990 | 118,012 | +0.58% |
| 1995 | 132,209 | +2.15% |
| 2000 | 140,274 | +1.28% |
| 2007 | 150,031 | +0.93% |
| 2010 | 161,760 | +2.78% |
| 2015 | 171,612 | +1.13% |
| 2020 | 179,312 | +0.87% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[14][15] | ||
The population of Biliran in the 2020 census was 179,312 people,[3] with a density of 330 inhabitants per square kilometre or 850 inhabitants per square mile.
Based on the May 2000 census, the province had a total population of 140,274, which made it the fifth least populous province in the country, and the smallest in the region. There were 27,907 households in the province with an average size of 5.02 persons, slightly higher than the national average of 4.99. 87.05% of the population wasRoman Catholic.[16]
Waray-Waray andCebuano are the languages spoken by the majority of the people in Biliran Province. The latter is primarily spoken inNaval,Almeria andKawayan. WhereasWaray-waray is spoken in the towns ofCaibiran,Culaba,Cabucgayan,Biliran andMaripipi. Both areVisayan languages.
The majority of the residents also speak and understandEnglish andFilipino.
The economy of Biliran is largely based on fishing. Most of its towns, especiallyNaval andBiliran, have excellentseaports. There are 95 hectares (230 acres) ofbrackish waterfish ponds which produceprawns,shrimps andmilkfish. Another 30 hectares (74 acres) of seawater are suitable forseaweed farming and 10 more hectares for fishcage culture.
Being mountainous, Biliran can support various agricultural crops. The warm lowlands are conducive torice (palay) production and other tropical crops. The cool highlands are favorable to high-value crops such ascut flowers and varieties of upland vegetables.
The inhabitants also engage inhunting,lumber, and manufacturing. The principal raw material produced iscopra andcoconut oil. Processed goods include white clayceramics, dried fish, rawgulaman, andcitronella oil.
The untapped natural resources of the island includegeothermal power and the abundantsulfur andgypsum deposits.
Major industries includes fashion bags, Romblon bags,baskets,shellcrafts,placemats, hot pads,beverage coasters andtrays.
Biliran has been eyed as an emerging destination for mountaineers, bikers, canyoneers, hikers, and other adventure seekers. For example, Sampao River in the municipality of Almeria has been developed into a canyoning venue.[25][26]
Download coordinates as:
Biliran travel guide from Wikivoyage
Media related toBiliran at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toBiliran atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Biliran | |
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 Province ofBiliran | |
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Naval (capital and largest municipality) | |
| Municipalities | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
