Southern Leyte

Southern Leyte(Cebuano:Habagatang Leyte;Kabalian:Habagatan nga Leyte;Waray:Salatan nga Leyte;Tagalog:Timog Leyte), officially theProvince of Southern Leyte, is aprovincein thePhilippineslocated in theEastern Visayasregion. Its capital and largest city isMaasin. Southern Leyte comprised thethird congressional districtLeyteuntil it was made into an independent province in 1959. Southern Leyte includesLimasawa, an island to the south where thefirst Roman Catholic Massin Philippine soil is believed to have taken place and thus considered to be the birthplace ofRoman Catholicism in the Philippines.
The province ranks as the second least populated in the region, after the province ofBiliran. According to the 2020 census, the province has a population of 429,573.
Southern Leyte'sgeologicalfeatures created several issues in the province after the flooding of theSubangdaku Riverand the 2006 mudslide inGuinsaugon. Organizations warned the province it was susceptible tonaturaloccurrences likelandslidesandfloods.
Southern Leyte forms an important part of the inter-island transportation system of the country, with ferries transporting people and goods betweenLiloanandSurigao del NorteinMindanao. The province is well known for its qualityabacaproducts and is the country's major producer of abaca fiber.
In September 2017, RepresentativeRoger Mercadoauthored House Bill 6408, proposing to change the name of the province toLeyte del Sur.
The province, being part of Leyte island, is believed to be influenced byDatu Ete, ruler of the historic community of Mairete, meaningLand of Ete, which was centered in Tacloban. The area which is to be Southern Leyte is believed to have been occupied by animist Visayan ethnic groups from Bohol. There is no proof that the indigenous animistWaraysof Samar, who at the time occupied northeast Leyte, ever occupied Southern Leyte.
As early as 1898 during theSpanishandAmericanperiods, there existed a "sub-province" consisting of the municipalities fromPalompontoHinunangan, with Maasin as the center. Some government offices had already been established in Maasin on the southwestern part of Leyte to govern the area.
Historically, the governing city was the depository ofcedulatax collections from Palompon to Hinunangan. This was administered by the office of theAdministrado de Hacienda, equivalent to the Provincial Treasurer, a position under theSecretario de Hacienda.
There was also established in Maasin aCourt of First Instance, then known as the Promoter Fiscal, where all minor administrative and other cases from Palompon to Hinunangan were heard.
During the Spanish colonization, the province was sparsely populated. The continued raiding ofMoroslaves discouraged the province from growing and developing. However, in the 19th century immigrants from adjacent provinces likeBoholandCebupopulated the area.
In 1942,Ruperto Kangleonheld a conference in the town ofSogod, when the first meeting attempt inMalitbog, a town to the east, failed due to many leaders staying away. He was trying to unify allguerrillashelping thePhilippine Commonwealthtroops duringWorld War II.
From 1944 to 1945, the Allied Philippine Commonwealth Army soldiers and Filipino guerrillas attacked theJapanese Imperial forcesin an effort to liberate Southern Leyte, and American troops landed on Leyte on October 20, 1944.
Due to a change of sovereign powers, all the offices in Maasin except the Fiscal's Office were abolished and reverted toTacloban, the capital of Leyte. This created a major problem because of the dearth of transportation, the difficulty in managing the affairs of government in Tacloban and the language barrier between theCebuano-speaking South-westerners and theWaray-speaking North-easterners. The difficulty of managing the entire island from the main city suggested a need to separate the island into two provinces.
At first there was a general movement for aWestern Leyteand soon after, many prominent men and leaders rallied behind the movement. Six attempts to pass a law for the division of Leyte were made. On the sixth attempt, then Congressman Nicanor Yñiguez introduced into theHousea division law similar in substance to that of theKangleon Bill, but recognizing the impossibility of creating an East-West Division, he instead opted to make his own district a province.
Abandoning the firstbill, CongressmanNicanor YñiguezpresentedHouse Bill No. 1318proposing a new province of Southern Leyte comprisingThird Congressional District of Leyteto include sixteen municipalities, from Maasin toSilagoin the mainland, and in thePanaon Island.
The bill becameRepublic Act2227otherwise known as an "Act Creating the Province of Southern Leyte" and was signed intoLawby PresidentCarlos P. Garciaon May 22, 1959.On July 1, 1960, Southern Leyte was inaugurated as a province with sixteen municipalities and Maasin as the capital town. Thus, the third District of Leyte became theProvince of Southern Leyteand theLone District of Southern Leyte.
In December 2003, a landslide inSan Francisco, Southern Leytedestroyed most of the town, killing 200 people.
On February 17, 2006, several mudslides caused by heavy rains, amounting over 200 cm (79 in), and a minorearthquakedestroyed at least one town and many commercial and residential infrastructures, leaving hundreds dead. The municipality ofSaint Bernardwas one of the worst hit areas with 23 confirmed deaths, up to 200 estimated deaths and another 1,500 missing. Barangay Guinsaugon, a mountain village on the said municipality with 2,500 people, was almost completely destroyed, killing 1,800 of its 1,857 residents. Many rescuers from national and international responded to the incident. However, rescue efforts were greatly hampered by poor road conditions and lack of heavy equipment. Survivors also reported lack of coordination of rescue efforts. The few handful of Guinsaugon citizens which escaped the mudslide were put up in emergency shelters without adequate nutrition and care despite the National Government collecting millions of dollars worth of donations.
Southern Leyte occupies the southern quarter of the island ofLeyte. It is bounded by the province ofLeyteto the north, bySurigao Straitto the east,Bohol Seato the south, andCanigao Channel, across fromBohol, to the west. Its totalland areais 1,798.61 square kilometres (694.45 sq mi).The central portion of the province is dominated by theSogod Bay, a longbaythat cuts deep into the island.
Southern Leyte is characterized by relatively flat lands along the coastal areas where population centers lie, but rugged mountains towards the interior.
The province has inland water features. Based on national data, the province has altogether 93 rivers, including 18 major ones, namely the Amparo River inMacrohon, the Canturing River inMaasin, the Das-ay and Pondol Rivers inHinunangan, the Divisoria River inBontoc, the Hitungao and Lawigan Rivers inSaint Bernard, the Maag River inSilago, and the Subangdaku River inSogodwhich is the biggest of all.The province has aninland lakecalledLake Danaolocated in the mountains ofSan JuanandAnahawan, towns in the eastern region.
Subangdaku, the province's largest river, created an issue over the area. It can be considered a braided river composed of severalchannelsfrom near areas that divide and reunite forming analluvial fanwith a very widefloodplain. As such, the river usually became hazardous duringtyphoonsafter heavy rains.The river has overflowed, spilling its waters on the low-lying towns of Liloan and San Vicente and destroyed an ongoing flood control project worth millions of pesos.The river meanders along its course, ever changing its way over time.During the time it floods, it destroys every side of its course. In 2001, portions of the road and banks in Barangay San Miguel along the river were destroyed,including part of the Philippine National Road. Local officials blamed the rechannelizationand uncontrolledquarryingof gravel and sand at the side of the river as the cause of the flood.At a meeting on March 18, 2002, one of the representatives of a government agency alleged that the reason of the incidents of flood and other environmental problems in the river was due to the "Philippine Fault" which caused rocks to rumble down. However, the reason was contended because thefaultis a geological feature and environmental problems in the province just occurred that time.
Along with other mountain forms in the province,Mount Nacolodin Hinunangan town has the highest peak with an elevation of 948 metres (3,110 ft) abovesea level. Youngvolcanic rocksare discovered in the terrain areas, which cover the top of the southern mountain ranges ofMount Cabalianin thePacificArea andMount Nelangcapanin Panaon Area.
The province lies within thePhilippine Fault System. The major fault lines traverse the municipalities of Sogod,Libagon,Saint BernardandSan JuantoPanaon Island. Based onMines and Geosciences BureauRegion 8 data, these areas had experienced strongearthquakesin 1907 and 1948 with a magnitude of 6.9 and on July 5, 1984, with a 6.4scale.The Mines and Geosciences Bureau warned that Southern Leyte'snaturalandgeologicalfeatures make it susceptible to landslides and floodings.The affiliated group stated that there are four contributory reasons: unusually heavy rains; numerous faults and badly broken rocks; steep slopes; and absence of effective vegetative cover.
The province has numerous types ofsoil. Soil types within the Maasin Clay, Guimbalaon Clay, Himay-angan Clay, Bolinao Clay, Quingua Clay and Malitbog Clay series serve as raw materials forceramicsandpotterymade by local residents.
Southern Leyte has two types of climate according to the Coronas Classification. These are Type II and Type IV.
Type II is characterized by the absence of dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period occurring from November to January. This type prevails in the eastern half of the province that includes the municipality of Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, Saint Bernard, San Juan, Anahawan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan and Silago. On the other hand, Type IV has a rainfall that is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. This type prevails in the western part of the province that includes the City of Maasin and the municipalities of Macrohon, Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc and little part of Sogod.
In 2004, the province recorded a maximumtemperatureof 30.95 °C (87.71 °F) and a minimum temperature of 24.09 °C (75.36 °F). In addition, mean minimum temperature was 25.24 °C (77.43 °F). The province has 163 rainy days per year and total rainfall of 1,729.20 millimetres (68.079 in).
Inhabitants of the province plantrice,white corn,bananas,root crops,sugar cane,coconutandabacá.They also plant various types of vegetables.
A three-year project was established inSogod Bayconducted by theSouthern Leyte Coral Reef Conservation Project(SLCRCP) to surveyed coral reefs in the area. The undertaking was to provide local residents educational opportunities to have knowledge on protecting the province's biodiversity as well as to have a long-term sustainability.
Southern Leyte is subdivided into 18municipalitiesand 1city, all encompassed by adouble legislative districtsand further subdivided into 500barangays.
The province originally comprised 16municipalitiesand 349barangays, with four islands:Panaon Island,Limasawa Island, San Pedro Island and San Pablo Island.After the inauguration of the province, three more municipalities were subsequently created:San Ricardofrom Pintuyan,Tomas Oppusfrom Malitbog andLimasawafrom Padre Burgos.
In 2000,Maasinwas converted into acityas capital of Southern Leyte.The remaining component municipality classes ranges from 2nd to 5th level in the province. From 2nd class belongsSogodmunicipality which is the center oftrade,commerceandindustryamong municipalities within the Sogod Bay.Hinunangan, which holds the distinction as the "Rice Granary of the Province" for its vastplainland that is entirely planted withrice,Liloan,Malitbog,Saint Bernard, andMacrohon, are in the 4th level. The remaining municipalities—Anahawan,Hinundayan,Libagon,Padre Burgos,Pintuyan,San Francisco,San Juan(formerly Cabalian),San Ricardo,Silago,Tomas OppusandLimasawa, a component island to the south—are under 5th level.
The population of Southern Leyte in the 2020 census was 429,573 people,with a density of 240 inhabitants per square kilometre or 620 inhabitants per square mile.
The 1980 nationalcensusrecorded the province of Southern Leyte with a population of 296,294 from the historic record in 1903 of 72,369. In 1990, the population of the province increased to 321,940 which was caused byin-migrationand increasing rate of birth over death. In 2000, population increased to 360,160 with a rate of 2.73 from the negative growth rate recorded in 1995 period with 317,565.The sudden decrease of the 1995 records was due to the late census in the province. While regular censuses were done in May where most of the students were at their respective places of residence, in 1995 the census of the population was done in September where the students were out for schooling in nearby provinces. The decrease in population was also, theoretically, attributed toout-migrationof the rural population to cities to seek better employment and livelihood opportunities. A corresponding increase on the number of households was also recorded at 72,894 households higher by 7,327 households over the 1995 figure. Southern Leyte ranked fifth in terms of population among the six provinces inEastern Visayaswith 9.98 percent of the 3.6 million persons of the region. On the contrary, it was the fastest-growing province in the region. At the national level, the province contributed 0.47 percent to the total population of the Philippines with 76.5 million.
According to the 2000 census survey, of the total provincial population of 359,738, about80.74% (290,460) wereBisaya,12.64% (45,458)Boholano,5.15% (18,543)Cebuano,0.2% (711)Tagalogs, and0.15% (536)Waray.
InPanaon, an island situated in the southernmost part of the province, a certainaboriginalfolk are found locally known askongkingor variously calledmamanwawhich means "mountain people".They were believed to be migrants fromMindanao, inhabiting the portions ofAgusan, after their migration from the island to evade militarization and the logging/mining corporations’ intrusion to their ancestral domains in the early 1980s.They have a dark complexion and curly hair, and they are short in stature. Hunting and gathering, mat weaving and rattan craft are among the main economic activities of theMamanwas, so they prefer to inhabit the forested areas in the newfound Southern Leyte mountains. However, they were again displaced by the recent landslides in the province.
Thenative languageis aBoholano dialectvariant ofCebuano.Warayis sometimes spoken (concentrated in some barrios near Waray speaking towns such asAbuyogandMahaplag), whileTagalogand English are used as second languages.Kinabalian, a type of "rare, unique language", is spoken alongsideCebuanoin the towns ofSan JuanandAnahawan.
Limasawa, an island municipality to the south, is believed to be the site of thefirst Christian massin Philippine soil and the birthplace ofChristianity in the Philippines, whenFerdinand Magellan, aPortuguesenavigatorandexplorerlanded on March 28, 1521. The first Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was held on March 31, 1521, led by Friar Pedro de Valderrama, the chaplain ofFerdinand Magellanduring the expedition. The mass marked the start of Christian propagation.
Although most people are Christians, a very few who live in remote villages of the province hold on to pre-Hispanic influences and make offerings and sacrifices before planting their crops. Farmers ritually sacrifice chickens and pigs to ensure that the spirits or elementals which they believe to be the cause of good harvest will grant them one.
Fiesta, a Spanish term meaning "festivity", is celebrated in the province withprayer, food, drinking, dance and music. Every barangay of every town in the province has its own celebration date. For instance,Hinunangancelebrates a town fiesta on the June 29 with the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Fluvial boat parade the day before.Thekuratsa– acourtshipdance-drama – highlights every occasion.
The province also holds its own festivals. "Sinulog sa malitbog" is an annualreligiousstreet pageant inMalitbogto pay homage to the Holy Child Jesus (Santo Niño), the town'spatron saint. Similarly, the historic and religious coming of the Spaniards is commemorated every March 31 inLimasawawith a cultural presentation and anniversary program dubbed "Sinugdan", meaning "beginning."Other festivals held in the province to highlight events are thePagkamugna FestivalandPabulhon Festivalin Maasin,Karomata Festivalin Beunavista,Pintuyan,Tangka-tangka Festivalin Tangkaan,Padre BurgosandManha‑on FestivalinMacrohon.
Most of the people in Southern Leyte go into coconut planting, a widely distributed industry, especially in mountainous and even plain regions. The GIZ of the German Development Cooperation has embarked on a value chain study on one of the most important products in Region 8 – the coconut, particularly inLeyteand Southern Leyte.
In the year 2004, a beetle pest threatened the Philippine coconut industry includingVisayas.Brontispa longissimacauses great damage to seedlings and mature coconut trees and ornamental palms, killing the young spears and eventually the entire trees.
People in Southern Leyte also go intoabacaplanting. The province is one of the major producer of abaca fiber in the country along withCatanduanes,Leyte,Davao Oriental,Northern Samar,Sorsogon,Sulu,Davao del Sur, andSurigao del Sur. The fibers from Leyte and the province are recognized as having the best quality.On the year 1990 to 1999, Southern Leyte produced abaca with a rate of 17 percent.
In 2003,Abaca bunchy top virusthreatened the abaca industry in the province. Almost all of the abaca-producing municipalities in the area namelyMaasin,Padre Burgos,Malitbog,Tomas Oppus,Bontoc,Sogod,St. Bernard,San Juan,HinunanganandSilagowere greatly affected by the deadly virus except from the municipalities atPanaon Island. Eighty percent of the province's abaca, particularly in Sogod town, was greatly affected while Maasin was estimated to suffer about 30 percent in damages.
Some 200,000 tourists visit Southern Leyte each year.
Domestic tourism is mostly those wishing to enjoy the sandy beaches, hotels and resorts along the coastline. Significant numbers also visit for religious festivals such asSinulogandLimasawa.
Most international travelers visit Southern Leyte for reefdivingandsnorkeling, from just outsideMaasinCity, all the way aroundSogod BayviaPadre Burgos. There are also an increasing number of non-divers who come to see thewhale sharksbetween October and April.
In recent yearsthere has been a drive to promote tourism in the region.There is a Zoo and Wildlife Park in Barangay Danao in Maasin. In Sogod, a zip line exists over thehighest bridgein the Philippines.
With this increase in numbers, there is a selection of newhotels along the coast.
Abaca fiber helps livelihood in the province. Women in the selected areas go into abaca-based handicrafts, which is widely known in the area astagakor spooled abaca fiber. Natives usually called it astinagakor continuous spooled abaca fiber. The half-finished product is then made intosinamayor hand woven clothe out oftinagakready to be made into othersinamay‑based products.Products are being exported byLeyteto Japan. Because of a wide distribution of an industry calledtagak, provincial sectors taught farmers on how to cultivate a suitable variety locally calledlaylay.
In Bontoc, a project was successfully established with a mudcrab hatchery with eleven hatchery tanks at the RKKMAFTI Compound. Initially, 25 spawners are being worked-on by the project.
Aside from abaca-based products, ceramics and handicraft items made from coconut andbambooare also the province's industry. Among the province's economic activities are fishing, livestock and poultry raising.
Generally,riceis thestaple foodof the province, andcornis also used. Mountain‑living folks, however, preferroot crops, which are abundant. Native delicacies of the province includetres marias,bocarillo, 'salvaro,bibingka, andstarhoy.They also have their ownkinilaw.
Postal communicationis the main mode of communication in the province. There are fivetelephoneexchange companies operating in the province and two radio stations. These two radio stations (Radio Natin and DYSL) are located in Sogod.
The road network of Southern Leyte consists of major arterial highways that link the province to Leyte, passing through two major outlets. On the western part is theMaasin-Mahaplag-Baybayand the central part by the Mahaplag‑Sogod road via theMaharlika Highway. On the eastern part of the province, the opening of the newAbuyog‑SilagoRoads provides fast and convenient travel to the eastern towns of Southern Leyte. Maharlika road contributes to the development of the province.
There are six designated bus terminals in Southern Leyte:Maasin,Liloan,Sogod,San Juan,HinunanganandSilago. However, these terminals are open spaces used by buses as parking areas and are therefore not equipped with buildings and other facilities.
Southern Leyte has a total of eleven seaports, two of which are declared as national ports, the Maasin and Liloan ports, and the 10 are municipal ports. Of these 10 ports, five are operational: Maasin, Liloan, Saint Bernard, San Juan and Sogod. By sea, travel to Cebu from Maasin port takes an average of six hours and a maximum of two hours. A ferryboat from Liloan toSurigaotakes three hours.
The province has one existing airport,Panan-awan Airportlocated inMaasin. The airport does not service any commercial flight. It has a lone passenger terminal and can only accommodate aircraft for general aviation weighing 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) and below at daytime. It is considered a feeder airport with a total runway length of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and width of 30 metres (98 ft).