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Northern Samar Hilagang Samar (Filipino) | |
|---|---|
_passes_the_Capul_Island_Lighthouse_as_it_transits_through_the_San_Bernardino_Straits.jpg)      (from top: left to right)San Bernardino Strait,Dalupiri Island,Church of Bobon,Provincial Capitol,San Vicente Islands, andCapul Lighthouse | |
 Flag  Seal | |
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OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:12°20′N124°40′E / 12.33°N 124.67°E /12.33; 124.67 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Eastern Visayas |
| Founded | June 19, 1965 |
| Capital and largest municipality | Catarman |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
| • Governor | Harris Christopher M. Ongchuan (NUP) |
| • Vice Governor | Clarence E. Dato (PFP) |
| • Legislature | Northern Samar Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,692.93 km2 (1,425.85 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 34th out of 81 |
| Highest elevation | 514 m (1,686 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 645,789 |
| • Rank | 48th out of 81 |
| • Density | 174.872/km2 (452.916/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 51st out of 81 |
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | 0 |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 569 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Northern Samar |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)55 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-NSA |
| Spoken languages | |
| Highway routes | _sign.svg) .svg) .svg) .svg) |
| Website | northernsamar |
Northern Samar (Waray:Amihanan Samar/Norte san Samar;Tagalog:Hilagang Samar[3]), officially theProvince of Northern Samar, is aprovince in thePhilippines located in theEastern Visayasregion. Its capital isCatarman, the most populous town in the province and is located at the northern portion of theisland of Samar. Bordering the province to the south are the provinces ofSamar andEastern Samar. To the northwest, across theSan Bernardino Strait isSorsogon; to the east is thePhilippine Sea of thePacific Ocean and to the west isSamar Sea.
Historian William Henry Scott wrote that a "Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains." In the local epic calledsiday entitled Bingi of Lawan as written in the article of Scott, Lawan is a prosperous settlement in Samar.[4]
In 1596, many names, such as Samal, Ibabao, and Tandaya, were given toSamar Island prior to the coming of the Spaniards in 1596. During the early days of Spanish occupation, Samar was under the jurisdiction ofCebu.
In 1614, theJesuits established amission residence inPalapag among the Ibabao populace. These missionaries stayed until the late 17th century when they wereexpelled from the Philippines in 1768 and were replaced by theFranciscans.
As the San Bernardino Strait was along the route of the Spanishgalleons plying between Manila andAcapulco, Mexico, a royal port was established in Palapag where the richly ladenManila Galleons were protected from unfavorable winds and troubled seas.
In the early years of the 16th century, shipbuilders were drafted from Palapag to theCavite 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 theSumoroy insurrection, which signaled a general uprising against Spain in theVisayas andMindanao. The insurrection simultaneously flared northward toAlbay and southward to the northern coasts of Mindanao and thenCebu. It took over a year before the Spaniards were able to subdue the rebellion.
Samar andLeyte were separated from Cebu in 1735. They were split in 1747 but was reversed in 1762 with the approval of theKing of Spain, following complaints from theJesuits. The province ofSamar was later established as a distinct province in 1768 after it got separated from the province ofLeyte.[5] In 1777, Samar and Leyte split for the last time when it was approved inMadrid in 1786 and had been effective in 1799.
Later in 1898, when the Americans landed on the beach ofCatarman, they organized a revolutionary army led by GeneralVicente Lukban who fought the invaders armed with cannons and rifles with onlybolos andpaltiks. Although defeated, they, however, continued to harass the Americans throughguerrilla warfare.
DuringWorld War II, the people of Northern Samar organized a platoon of volunteers supported by voluntary contributions. The contingent became a part of thePhilippine National Guard in Manila. The province also helped the government by purchasing a considerable amount of bonds floated to finance theNational Commission for Independence, then organized byManuel L. Quezon after a coalition of theNacionalista and Democrata parties were formed.
Samar Congressmen Eladio T. Balite (1st district), Fernando R. Veloso (2nd district), and Felipe J. Abrigo (3rd district), authoredRepublic Act No. 4221 which was approved byCongress in 1963. The law, ratified in aplebiscite on June 19, 1965, divided Samar into three: Northern Samar,Eastern Samar and (Western)Samar.[6] The first provincial officials of Northern Samar, aside from the lone district congressman, were elected on November 14, 1967, and on January 1, 1968, they officially assumed office.
The beginning months of the 1970s had marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Northern Samar.[7][8] During hisbid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of foreign debt-funded public works projects. This caused[9][10] the Philippine economy to take a sudden downwards turn known as the1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which led to a period of economic difficulty and a significant rise of social unrest.[11][12][13][14]: "43" With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines underMartial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years.[15] This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record ofhuman rights abuses,[16][17] particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[18]
One of the infamous incidents of the Marcos dictatorship era was the September 15, 1981Sag-od massacre inLas Navas, Northern Samar.[19] Eighteeen security personnel ofJuan Ponce Enrile's[19] San Jose Timber Corporation - who were also members of the Special Forces of theCivilian Home Defense Force (CHDF) allied with a paramilitary group called "the Lost Command" - ordered residents of Barrio Sag-od out of their homes and then opened fire on them. 45 men, women and children were killed, leaving only 13 inhabitants of Barrio Sag-od alive.[19] It was also noted that a majority of the children in the Sag-od massacre died with their mothers while many others were reportedly killed due to their being unable to "stifle their cries of fear and terror" when Special Forces-ICHDF personnel were "marching them off for massacre".[19][20]
The Marcos era wasa time of significant deforestation in Northern Samar and throughout the Philippines, with the forest cover of the Philippines shrinking until only 8% remained.[21][22][23] In Northern Samar, one of the major companies given Timber License Agreements (TLAs) to cut down trees during Martial Law was San Jose Timber, which was owned byJuan Ponce Enrile.[23] Enrile was the government official Ferdinand Marcos put in place to approve Timber License Agreements during Martial Law.[23]
_passes_the_Capul_Island_Lighthouse_as_it_transits_through_the_San_Bernardino_Straits.jpg)
Northern Samar covers a total area of 3,692.93 square kilometers (1,425.85 sq mi)[24] occupying the northern section of Samar Island in theEastern Visayas region. The province is bounded by north by theSan Bernardino Strait, on the east by thePacific Ocean, on the west by theSamar Sea, on the southwest bySamar and on the southeast byEastern Samar. 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. About 52 percent of the total land area is covered by forest, while 42 percent is classified as alienable and disposable.
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 byalluvial plains and valleys. The province is endowed with relatively rich and fertile soil that most crops can grow on it.
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. There are lagoons and lakes (Cinco Forest), and falls near Catubig namedPinipisikan (citation tourism) too.
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.
Northern Samar comprises 24municipalities with 569 registered barangays. The province is divided into twolegislative districts. The first district covers all municipalities located west ofMondragon (including Mondragon itself), with the rest comprising the second district.
† Provincial capital
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 67,680 | — |
| 1918 | 93,559 | +2.18% |
| 1939 | 155,050 | +2.43% |
| 1948 | 227,957 | +4.38% |
| 1960 | 261,424 | +1.15% |
| 1970 | 306,114 | +1.59% |
| 1975 | 354,665 | +3.00% |
| 1980 | 378,516 | +1.31% |
| 1990 | 383,654 | +0.13% |
| 1995 | 454,195 | +3.21% |
| 2000 | 500,639 | +2.11% |
| 2007 | 549,759 | +1.30% |
| 2010 | 589,013 | +2.54% |
| 2015 | 632,379 | +1.36% |
| 2020 | 639,186 | +0.23% |
| 2024 | 645,789 | +0.25% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[25][26][26] | ||
The population of Northern Samar in the 2020 census was 639,186 people,[2] with a density of 170 inhabitants per square kilometer or 440 inhabitants per square mile.
The people of Northern Samar were previously calledIbabaonon. They are predominantly Waray-Waray orWaray, 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 asNinorte Samarenyo orNortehanon. They are primarily speaking inWaray-Waray which is the mainlingua franca of the province.
Bicolano andMasbateño inhabitants coming from respective neighboring provinces ofSorsogon andMasbate are also common at Northern Samar.
| Language | Speakers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waray | 632,379 | |||
| Cebuano | 14,436 | |||
| Abaknon | 10,668 | |||
| Binisaya | 8,885 | |||
| Tagalog | 746 | |||
| Others | 3,306 | |||
| Not Reported | 1,571 | |||
The majority of the people in the province speak the Ninorte Samarnon variation ofWaray-Waray. About 4.5 percent of the population, especially in the island towns, speakCebuano, particularly in the island town ofSan Antonio.Inabaknon, a unique language said to be one of the most preserved languages to date, is the native tongue of the populace in the island town ofCapul.
Ninorte Samarnon usually is further subclassified intoBalicuatro, Central andPacific speakers.
Tagalog andEnglish are also widely used and understood in Northern Samar.
The communities of this province are predominantlyCatholic (80%).[citation needed]
Other religious groups areMembers Church of God International (MCGI),Iglesia ni Cristo,Philippine Independent Church (Iglesia Filipina Independiente),Seventh-day Adventists,Jehovah's Witnesses,The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and otherChristian sects. A small number of population areMuslim.
Northern Samar is classified as a second class province, according to thePhilippine Statistics Authority, the data gathered from theDepartment of Finance Department Order No.23-08 (Effective July 29, 2008).[24]
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.
Poverty incidence of Northern Samar
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 2000 41.65 2003 40.80 2006 53.41 2009 52.10 2012 50.19 2015 60.25 2018 34.26 2021 19.30 Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] |
Northern Samar has several tourism potentials that remain undiscovered by tourists. Some of these include old churches, waterfalls, rivers, caves, virgin forests, and beaches.
Among the last frontiers in the country, its rugged coastline of limestone cliffs along the Pacific Ocean is a historical landmark. During theSpanish colonial era, Samar island was the first Philippine landfall seen by theManila galleons as they approached the end of their long voyage fromAcapulco.
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 the 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 voyage to Acapulco in Mexico.
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The Coat of Arms of Samar represents the political, geographical description, historical, economic, and social representation and allegorical ideas of the province. The lettersN andS represent Northern Samar. Themap of Northern Samar represents the geography and 24 municipalities of the province, including the five island towns. Thegalleon represents the Spanish conquistadors that reached the land of the Ibabao to preach the gospel of Christianity, spread the Creed of Roman Catholicism and introduce civil governance thru the Royal Port of Palapag in 1640.Mount Bubuya (Palapag Mesa) represents the highest mountain range inPalapag, whereAgustin Sumuroy and his men retreated to and encamped after killing Fr. Miguel Balberan, thus starting the Sumuroy Rebellion. Therice field,abaca,timber, andcoconut are all economic representations.
The following are the allegorical ideas of the province:Blue, the color is symbolic of vast marine and aquatic resources, a source of livelihood for the fisher folks of the coastal towns.Tangerine represents the cheerfulness, high spirits, and optimism of the people of the province.Yellow represents golden harvest, and abundance of resources.White symbolizes transparency in governance. Thetorch is meant to illuminate the province and set it afire with quality education, a primary thrust of the provincial government.Rope ties the emblems together in a circular shape, it represents equality in rights and justice, and unity for peace and development.
Geographic data related toNorthern Samar atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Northern Samar | |
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 Province ofNorthern Samar | |
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Catarman (capital and largest municipality) | |
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