San Benito, Leyte

San Benito is a barangay in the municipality of Dagami, Leyte, Philippines. The village is located at the periphery of the town proper just across the river that serves as natural boundary of the barangay.

History

Before the Japanese invaded the Philippines San Benito was just a small settlement in Dagami across the Panda River. The national road you can see nowadays was just a crust-pie crack slithering in-between the Acacia trees.

Traditional folk often claim that they feel these trees are cozies of Elves, White Ladies, Dwarves and other beings haunting the trees. During the Japanese occupation in 1942–1945, folks would wander the woods for their safety and survival.

After the occupation and the return of Filipino freedom, the people began to build their houses along the slithering path that turned into a mud pool during rainy days. Most of the people are farmers, coconut- climbing and carpentry. There was just few of the pioneers that settled in the beginning.