Paranas is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 27,926 people in 5,200 households.
During the Philippine Commonwealth period, the town was renamed after General Wright by the new administrators. However, locals retained and till this day refer the area as Paranas.
Many of the townsfolk work or attend school in nearby Catbalogan City. Trade is also prevalent with Calbayog City farther north.
Domestic air travellers prefer to return to Paranas via dominant Tacloban's Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport due to the length of the runway and the accessibility of land transportation. Other options include the improved airport of Calbayog and the less utilized Catbalogan airport (which is only ideal for smaller aircraft). International air travellers may also reach Paranas via Manila, Cebu or Davao en route to Tacloban. In the next few months, Tacloban's airport is being readied for direct international flights.
The Philippine Pan-American Highway traverses Paranas.
A part of Paranas is devoted to a nature reserve watershed designated as such by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
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During the American period, Paranas was renamed as Wright. It absorbed the former town of San Sebastian. In 1950, the barrios of San Sebastian, Jitaasan, Dolores, Camanjagay, Bontod, Campidasa, Campiyak, Maslog, Balogo, Maropangpang, Binongtoan, and Bolwan was re-created as a town.[1]
In 1955 the sitio of Madalanit was converted into a barrio.[2]
Paranas is politically subdivided into 44 barangays.
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Townspeople living off the coast of Paranas believe turtles that come to die ashore are omens of danger, harbingers of typhoons and ocean-related accidents. The old fisherfolk dare not touch nor disturb these docile creatures because of this superstition. Green sea turtles and Loggerhead turtles frequent some coves off Samar to lay eggs or wade near the shallow areas to explore. Gigantic Loggerhead turtles are especially rare visitors even in the yesteryears. When they come ashore and do not lay eggs, tears flow from their eyes like humans. They would then die as the blazing sun rises and their bodies are scorched. Afterwards, fishermen go missing at sea, typhoons arrive, bancas capsize or cargo ships sink. Residents attest turtles came to die on their shores when M/V Dona Paz sank causing thousands of people to drown to their deaths.
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