Gandara, Samar

Gandara, Samar
Gandara, officially the Municipality of Gandara (Waray: Bungto han Gandara), is a 2nd class Local Government Unit at a level of municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,242 people.
History
The town was formerly named Bangahon, but its population was resettled to its current location on September 29, 1902. After settling in its new location, the name Gandara was given to it in commemoration of the former Governor General José de la Gándara y Navarro.
By virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. 11 approved in 1978, 29 barangays were separated to create the municipality of San Jorge.
Geography
Barangays
Gandara is politicaly subdivided into 69 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Adela Heights
Arong
Balocawe
Bangahon
Beslig
Buao
Bunyagan
Burabod I
Burabod II
Calirocan
Canhumawid
Caparangasan
Caranas
Carmona
Casab-ahan
Casandig
Catorse de Agosto
Caugbusan
Concepcion
Diaz
Dumalo-ong
Elcano
Gerali
Gereganan
Giaboc
Hampton
Hetebac
Himamaloto
Hinayagan
Hinugacan
Hiparayan
Jasminez
Lungib
Mabuhay
Macugo
Malayog
Marcos
Minda
Nacube
Nalihugan
Napalisan
Natimonan
Ngoso
Palambrag
Palanas
Piñaplata
Pizarro
Pologon
Purog
Rawis
Rizal
Samoyao
San Agustin
San Antonio
San Enrique
San Francisco
San Isidro
San Jose
San Miguel
San Pelayo
San Ramon
Santa Elena
Santo Niño
Senibaran
Sidmon
Tagnao
Tambongan
Tawiran
Tigbawon
Climate
Demographics
Based on latest 2014 survey, the total population was 33,264, consisting of 17,046 males and 16,218 females. The number of households was 6,653, with an average household size of 4.87 persons and a density of 68/km2. Built-up Area population density at town proper 6,652 along Carline Area is 4,992, Coastal Area is 5,751 and Rural Area is 5,748.
Economy
The municipality of Gandara is known for its products such as queseo (kesong puti), tablea, tinapa (smoked fish), kalinayan rice, rootcrops and peanuts exported in the entire region of Eastern Visayas and to any point of the Philippine archipelago. Queseo is one of its tourism and livelihood assets.
Tourism
Maria Diana’s Chapel Gandara is the home also of the well-known corpse of Maria Diana Alvarez believed to be miraculous by the Gandareños.
Karabaw Festival A festival which pays tribute to the draft animal that helps people till their farms and provides milk for Gandara’s local white cheese delicacy called “Queseo”. The festival itself has proven a lot in terms of creativity and uniqueness. In fact, it has already won 7 times in the Samar Day Celebration observed every August 11 where all municipalities and cities in Samar gather at the provincial capitol in Catbalogan to perform and compete.
Annual Fluvial Parade The traditional fluvial procession along the river of Gandara held every month of September is a significant and mainstay event of the yearly fiesta celebration.
Bangahon Church Ruins The Ruins of Bangahon is a historical landmark near the right fork of Gandara river. It was once a town during the revolutionary period, but was abandoned by the old residents who later found the present town of Gandara. The site was the original homage to St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of the townspeople, located in Brgy. Bangahon, Gandara, Samar. The said place of worship was ruined during the Pulajanes-American war. The American used Field Guns destroying the said church. It was noted for its Bangahon Bell (Lingganay). This bell was sequestered by the Americans on September 29, 1901, at Balangiga. The bell of Bangahon church is believed to be one of those Balangiga bells.
Great Fire of Gandara Old Church (Poblacion) and the Harvardian Schools memorabilia Photographies were lost on this fire, the Town Library (Harvardian School) were also damaged by this fire.
Education
Elementary and Kinder School
Gandara Central Elementary School
Gandara Central School I
Gandara Central School II
Miracle Haven Kinder School
Secondary education
Saint Michael's High School, Incorporated (SMHSi)
From 1663 to 1768, Bangajon was administered by a priest from the Catbalogan Cabeccera Residencia who had the multiple duties of administering also the Tinago (Tarangnan) and sometimes the Hibatang (now Calbayog) visitas. In 1663, Moro pirates reached the village of Bangajon. After ransacking the village, they burned it. But the Jesuits missionaries were undaunted. They rebuilt the village and built a church made of stone and roofed with zinc and partly with nipa. It measured “26 fathoms (stones) in length wall thickness, 9 fathoms (stones) in width , 4 ½ fathoms (stones) in height” (about 48 meters in length, 16.5 m. in width and 4.5 m. in height). The church was dedicated to St. Michael de Archangel. They also built a convento of the same materials and two parochial schools (one for boys and another for girls) and a casa real of wood.
After the fire in 1876, a tribunal and an escuela were also constructed under the direction of Fr. Geronimo Asenjo. They also continued with the education of the people, especially the children. The older residents of Gandara remember that the first book they used in the school was the Katon Cristiana. Graduation from school was simple. Any pupil who could recite the contents of the whole book from memory was graduated. Then they writer sent to the barrios to teach the Katon Christiana.
In 1901, the town principalia held a session extraordinaria on April 14, 1901 and passed an Act to build a new town and to transfer its location to the sitio of Dumalo-ong (present-day site of Gandara). When peace finally came to Samar in 1902, the people went about the reconstruction of the town and the church. Religious activities were resumed. Gandaranhons celebrated their first fiesta with their new Mayor on September 29, 1903 after years of war.
Franciscan missionaries returned to Gandara in 1910 after the new Diocese of Calbayog was established. Franciscan priests assigned to Gandara from 1910 to 1926 were Fr. Juan Vicente Carmona, O.F.M., Fr. Roman Perez, O.F.M. and Fr. Victoriano Ranera. O.F.M.
Early in the sixties, Msgr. Ponciano Figueroa, then parish priest of Gandara, together with the mayor, Mayor Ramon Tan Diaz, established the St. Michael High School, the first and only Catholic school in the town.
Ramon T. Diaz National High School (RTDNHS) (formerly Ramon T. Diaz Memorial High School / Gandara National High School)
Piñaplata Integrated School
List of Parish Priest assigned to Bangajon/Gandara
1711 Fr. Joannes Ramon
1722 Fr. Bartholomeus de Sugo (with Calbiga)
1724 Fr. Ignatius de Echavarria (with Tinago)
1725-1726 Fr. Antonius Diaz (with Tinago)
1727 Fr. Gregorius Davosa
1728 Fr. Bernardino Ortiz (with Tinago)
1731 Fr. Josephus Chacon (with Hibatang)
1735 Fr. Josephus Chacon (with Tinago)
1737-1739 Fr. Petrus Bolos (with Tinago)
1742 Fr. Joannes Bautista (with Calbayog)
1747-1749 Fr. Michael Catarrola (with Tinago)
1751-1752 Fr. Pedrus Patelani (with Calbayog)
Franciscan Administration (1768-1898)
1769 Fr. Juan Salguero
1771 Fr. Joaquin Polo de Rojas
1772 Fr. Juan Mora
1774-1776 Fr. Juan Mora (with Calbayog)
1777 Fr. Juan Bautista Belloc
1778 Fr. Onofre del Montejo
1779-1781 Fr. Juan Bautista Velloc
1782-June 1783 Fr. Onofre del Montejo
Dec. 1784 Fr. Juan Bautista Velloc (with Calbayog)
June 1786 Fr. Joaquin Jose Martinez (with Calbayog)
1787-1811 Fr. Juan Bautista Velloc (who died in Tarangnan on May 21, 1812)
1813-1816 Vacant
1817-1819 Fr. Felix Carreon (who was also parish priest of Catbalogan)
1820, 1825-1826, 1828-1829, 1831-1832 – Vacant
1834 Fr. Juan Garibo
1835-1841 Fr. Felix Fernandez de Jesus y Maria
1843 Fr. Domingo de Madrid
1844-1855 Fr. Juan del Fregenal
1856-1859 Vacant
1861-1864 Fr. Saturnino Bajo
1865-1867 Vacant
1868 Ynterino
1870 Vacant
1871 (now renamed Gandara), vacant
1870-1876 Fr. Santos Aparicio
1877-1882 Fr. Geronimo Asenjo
1882-1883 Fr. Millan Vicente
1885-1894 Fr. Manuel Benavente
1897-1898 Fr. Hermenegildo Hernandez
Transition Period (1898-1910)
1908-1910 Fr. Juan Vicente Carmona, O.F.M.
Diocese of Calbayog
1910-1914 Fr. Juan Vicente Carmona, O.F.M.
1914-20 Fr. Roman Perez O.F.M.
1921-26 Fr. Victoriano Ranera, O.F.M.
1926-37 Fr. Doroteo de la Vega, O.F.M.
1937-45 Fr. Gregorio Talbo
1941-47 Fr. Pablo Lanuevo, Fr. Angel Hobayan (Assistant)
1947-50 Fr. Francisco Tizon
Visiting priests: Fr. Jose Corr, Fr. Jaime Collins, Fr. C. Connoly, Fr. Domingo Tome
1950 Fr. Wenceslao Lagunzad
1950-1951 Fr. Fortunato Planea
1951-1960 Fr. Francisco Tizon, Fr. Jose Pacoli
1960-1968 Fr. Ponciano Figueroa
1966 Fr. Ponciano Figueroa, Fr. Juan Franzuela
1966 Fr. Juan Papel
Jan-May 1967 Fr. Orlando Tizon
June 1967-1970 Fr. Nicodemus Ricalde
1970-1973 Fr. Emilio Bernardo
1973-1974 Team Ministry: Msgr. Ricardo Tancinco, Fr. Bernabe B. Sison, Fr. Miguel Java
1975-1976 Fr. Simplicio Robles
1977-1979 Fr. Simplicio Robles, Fr. Leonardo Sison, Msgr. Ricardo Tancinco
1980-1986 Fr. Paulino Singzon, Fr. Leonardo Sison
1986-1987 Fr. Felicito Baybay
1987-1989 Fr. Perfecto Nacional
1989-1990 Msgr. Anastacio Labutin
1990-1997 Fr. Ramon Daguman
1997-2001 Fr. Romeo Manzanero
2001-2005 Fr. Teofanes Tabones
2005-2009 Team Ministry: Fr. Jose Balasbas, Fr. Erwin Rodriguez, Fr. Roger Abaigar
2009-present Team Ministry: Fr. Rolando Guiuan, Fr. Guillermo Alorro III
References
External links
[ Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
Philippine Census Information
Local Governance Performance Management System
Municipalities of Samar (province)