Calbiga, Samar

Calbiga
Municipality
Map of Samar with Calbiga highlighted
Calbiga Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°38′N 125°01′E / 11.633°N 125.017°E / 11.633; 125.017Coordinates: 11°38′N 125°01′E / 11.633°N 125.017°E / 11.633; 125.017
Country	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
Province	Samar
Congr. district	2nd district of Samar
Barangays	41
Government[1]
• Mayor	Melchor F. Nacario
Area[2]
• Total	283.70 km2 (109.54 sq mi)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	21,434
• Density	76/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	6715
Dialing code	55

Calbiga is a fourth class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 21,434.^[3]

Barangays

Calbiga is politically subdivided into 41 barangays.^[2]

History

In 1649, Calbiga was an annex or visita of Catbalogan; later in 1768, Calbiga was transferred to the jurisdiction of Umauas. All through Jesuit times, Calbiga remained a visita until 1772, when it had its first residential pastor, the Franciscan Fray Manuel Rico de Jesus. Calbiga was constituted as a separate unit under the advocacy of the Annunciation. In 1803, Fray Juan Caballero de Brozas built a wooden church but in 1808, a typhoon destroyed this church and was rebuilt by the same Fray Brozas. By 1840, Brozas's second church was in bad state.

In 1853, Fray Francisco Moreno de Montalbanejo had gathered enough material for a stone church. However, Redondo (1884, 217) that the church was wood roofed with thatch.

The Jesuits left no permanent architectural imprint in the town.

The present barrio "Binongto-an (meaning, "once a town) was the original Calbiga settlement. Legend - as recorded by Atty. Singzon - has it that the people of Calbiga originated from two brothers, Calpis and Bituan. Bituan established a village near the mouth of the river while Calpis stayed upstream the exact location of the town today. The descendants of Bituan later abandoned the coastal village to join the descendants of Calpis.

Demographics

The Calbiga Fiesta

The Evangelization of Calbiga

When the Jesuits established missions in the island of Samar in 1696, Calbiga was served as a visita by the Jesuit resident mission in Umauas. In 1768, the Franciscans took over the administration of Samar and. Soon after, in 1771, Calbiga was established as a parish appointing Rev. Fray Miguel Rico de Jesus as the first curate. For lack of missionaries. Umauas was joined to Calbiga until separated by a decree on March 12, 1863, giving Umauas its present name, Villareal.

The Original Patrona

CALBIGA was then under the patronage of Nuestra Senora de los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels) and the town’s special feast day was celebrated on August 2 even at the original settlement, Binongtoan, at the mouth of the Calbiga River. The transfer of the seacoast villagers to the upper part of the river, based on legend, was related to the miracles of the Virgin. Here’s a Portion of the report submitted to the Historical Commission by the Alcalde Mayor Perfecto Hacbang in 1938: “We also have a sample of unexplained happenings as follows: at the time when the town was still in the place of Binongto-an, the patron saint, then Ntra. Sra. Del los Angeles, would disappear from its siteand was always found afterwards in the place where the town is located today. It was one of the main reasons why the people moved to this town.” This story was corroborated by historian-writer Atty. Filomeno Singzon in his article La Historia de la virgin de la Anunciacion. The original wooden image of De los Angeles had a special niche beside the altar even after the antique church was demolished and replace by concrete structure in the mid-Sixties, but during the finishing touches of its interiors, the “miraculous” image, together with some precious relics, the other santos, the silver candelabra, the other intricate wood carvings and the other “antiques” disappeared, never to be seen again.

From De los Angeles to De la Anunciacion

WHEN Rev. Fray Juan Caballero de Brozas built a strong wooden church in 1803, he dedicated it to Nuestra Senora de la Anunciacion (Our Lady of the Annunciation) whose feast day falls on March 25. But the Calbiganons continued to venerate the image of Nuestra Senora de los Angeles until it was replaced by a new image of a kneeling virgin with the Angel Gabriel, during the hermandad of Sra. Mamerta Quimbo Abellar de Singzon sometime after the church was built and dedicated to Nuestra Senora de la Anunciacion in 1803.

Schools

• Calbiga Western Samar College
• Easter Visayas Regional Science High School- Annex
• Calbiga National High School
• Calbiga Central Elementary School
• there are also other complete elementary and primary schools in some barangays.

Natural attractions

Langun-Gobingob Caves (Barangay Panayuran): The largest cave system in the Philippines, reputed to be the second largest in Asia and the world's third largest karst formation, is 7 km. long with an area of 900 square km.

Lulugayan Falls and Rapids (Barangay Literon): Hundreds of waterfalls cascade down the 14-kilometer rapids from the source at Lake Kalidongan to the Calbiga River. The most majestic and panoramic is the Lulugayan Falls at Barangay Literon. Approximately fifty meters wide, Lulugayan Falls has been dubbed by tourists as a Mini Niagara.

Kalidongan Lake (Barangay Literon): The eternal spring—the mythical crater-like lake, 90–100 meters in diameter, lined with clean white limestone. Its clear, fresh water endlessly flows down the rapids, onto the Calbiga River and Maqueda Bay.

Maqueda Bay and Mangrove Forests: The richest spawning grounds in Estern Visayas for Fish and crutanceans and one of the pillars of the island's economy.

Calbiga River: The river is the town's thriving lifeline. Small bancas daily go upstream and loaded with native merchandise. It serves 17 barangays as transport byway and water source.

Kanyawa Caves (Barangay Caamlongan): A little farther to the east is another huge caves system recently explored by French and Italian spelunkers. The caves system consists of fifteen galleries of distinctive features and underground rivers, and numerous stalactites and stalagmites.

Children's Play Area and Nature Park (Barangay Bacyaran): The first phase of the Calbiga Nature Park will also include a Visitor's Center, Multi-purpose Pavilion, Amphitheater, Boardwalk and many more.

References

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System
• More photos and information on Calbiga, Samar

	Maqueda Bay	San Sebastian / Hinabangan
	Zumarraga / Villareal Bay		Borongan, Eastern Samar
	Calbiga
		Pinabacdao

v t e Province of Samar Municipalities Almagro Basey Calbiga Daram Gandara Hinabangan Jiabong Marabut Matuguinao Motiong Pagsanghan Paranas Pinabacdao San Jorge San Jose de Buan San Sebastian Santa Margarita Santa Rita Santo Niño Tagapul-an Talalora Tarangnan Villareal Zumarraga Component cities Catbalogan Calbayog