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Allen La Granja | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Allen | |
 Port of Allen | |
 Flag | |
| Nickname: Gateway to Eastern Visayas | |
 Map of Northern Samar with Allen highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Allen | |
.svg)  Allen Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:12°30′05″N124°16′55″E / 12.50125°N 124.28205°E /12.50125; 124.28205 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Eastern Visayas |
| Province | Northern Samar |
| District | 1st district |
| Founded | December 1, 1863 |
| Named after | Henry Tureman Allen |
| Barangays | 20 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Katrina Mae Enzon Suan |
| • Vice Mayor | Christian Gatacilo Lao |
| • Representative | Paul R. Daza |
| • Councilors | List
|
| • Electorate | 21,201 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 47.60 km2 (18.38 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 37 m (121 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 222 m (728 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 26,527 |
| • Density | 557.3/km2 (1,443/sq mi) |
| • Households | 6,045 |
| Demonym | Allenon |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 5th municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 18.14 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 148.3 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 381.7 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 125.8 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 103.3 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Northern Samar Electric Cooperative (NORSAMELCO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 6405 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)55 |
| Native languages | Waray Tagalog |
| Website | www |
Allen, officially theMunicipality of Allen (Waray:Bungto han Allen;Tagalog:Bayan ng Allen), is amunicipality in theprovince ofNorthern Samar,Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 26,527 people.[5]
It is located on the northwestern tip of the province, bordering the municipality ofVictoria to the south, the municipality ofLavezares to the east, and the strategicSan Bernardino Strait to both the north and west.
Allen is an important port for inter-island transport, specifically between the island of Samar and the island ofLuzon.
Before the Spanish colonisation of the Philippines, the original Malayan name of the town wasMinapa-a. During the Spanish colonisation period, the name of the town was changed toLa Granja. The nameAllen was given by the Americans in honor of the American GeneralHenry Tureman Allen, the military governor of theVisayas after the victory of the Americans over the Spaniards in theSpanish–American War. During theJapanese occupation, the town's name was changed toTanaman, in accordance withExecutive Order No. 110 signed in December 1942, to be "in line with the objective of theGreater East Asia War of eradicating all traces of Anglo-Saxon influence in East Asia."
The area of present-day Allen was originally populated by natives of Malay stock from the western and central portions of the island of Samar, particularly Catbalogan and Calbayog. Successive migrations to Allen from other islands that are near Allen were characterised by several waves. Malays from the neighbouringBicol Peninsula in what is nowSorsogon crossed what is now the San Bernardino Strait using small sailing barges, trading with the locals before settling in, and inter-marrying with the local Malays many years after. Simultaneously, Malays of southern stock from Bohol through the islands of Capul and San Antonio crossed the strait and settled in the area.
The heavy waves of migration fromBicol to Allen in Samar in the course of the centuries is attested by the fact that almost 70% of the peoples of Allen trace their ancestries to the families in Bicol, from the province ofSorsogon.
The first recorded persons to have their names officially entered into a Spanish census in Allen were that of Cosmenia Cajandab and Mariano Cabacang; both surnames originated from the island of Capul.[6]
Allen is also the hometown of Filipino sailing heroFlorentino Das who holds the earliest record of a Trans-Pacific crossing fromHawaii to the Philippines. A memorial commemorating his achievement of 1956 is found in the town.[7]
Allen is politically subdivided into 20barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroks and some havesitios.
| Climate data for Allen, Northern Samar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (74) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 84 (3.3) | 59 (2.3) | 58 (2.3) | 55 (2.2) | 93 (3.7) | 133 (5.2) | 149 (5.9) | 125 (4.9) | 155 (6.1) | 165 (6.5) | 140 (5.5) | 136 (5.4) | 1,352 (53.3) |
| Average rainy days | 18.1 | 13.6 | 15.8 | 16.1 | 21.7 | 25.5 | 26.6 | 25.1 | 24.8 | 25.8 | 22.7 | 20.1 | 255.9 |
| Source: Meteoblue[8] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 4,903 | — |
| 1918 | 8,497 | +3.73% |
| 1939 | 14,734 | +2.66% |
| 1948 | 20,760 | +3.88% |
| 1960 | 15,275 | −2.52% |
| 1970 | 13,474 | −1.25% |
| 1975 | 15,668 | +3.07% |
| 1980 | 15,166 | −0.65% |
| 1990 | 15,404 | +0.16% |
| 1995 | 17,972 | +2.93% |
| 2000 | 20,066 | +2.39% |
| 2007 | 22,334 | +1.49% |
| 2010 | 23,738 | +2.24% |
| 2015 | 25,469 | +1.35% |
| 2020 | 25,228 | −0.20% |
| 2024 | 26,527 | +1.21% |
| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[9][10][11][12][13] | ||
Poverty incidence of Allen
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]
Allen serves as an important transit point, connecting Samar and other islands withLuzon. It is opposite the Luzon transit point in the municipality ofMatnog, Sorsogon. The primary modes of transport are the inter-island bus route via theMaharlika Highway, and the ferry crossing the San Bernardino Strait.
Ferries cross the strategically important Strait of San Bernardino, transporting passengers and vehicles to and from Allen in Samar and Matnog in Luzon. Travel time ranges between one hour to 2 hours depending on the speed of the ferry.
Buses from the various provinces of the Visayas and Mindanao bound for various destinations in Luzon pass through Allen, riding the ferry services of Allen to Matnog, and vice versa.
The bus terminals servicing the numerous passengers crossing the San Bernardino Strait are located at the piers and ports that are operational in Allen. Booking offices for buses that ply the route are also located at these terminals.
A number of relatively low-priced hotels and inns within the town serve most of the transit passengers for overnight stay, specially during bad weather when some stranded passengers take refuge in the small hotels and inns. During bad weather conditions, ferries cannot cross the San Bernardino Strait due to high waves.
Places adjacent to Allen, Northern Samar | ||||||||||||||||
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