The Eastern Visayas region is a diamond in the rough. Sure, you won’t find luxe hotels or glitzy party scenes around here. But you will find raw natural attractions that speak for themselves, waiting to be discovered.
The region consists of the provinces of Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar and Southern Leyte and the cities of Baybay, Borongan, Calbayog, Catbalogan, Maasin,Ormoc and Tacloban. Tacloban City is its regional center. The local climate varies between wet and wetter — the region’s perpetually lush landscapes reveal the absence of a real dry season.
Majority of the locals here are Waray and speak Waray-Waray.Warays are descendants of Austronesian migrants who settled in the Philippines in the Iron Age. In 1521, they became the first Filipinos encountered by Europeans, care of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. They subsequently became one of the first local groups to convert to Christianity. Notable Warays include Former First Lady Imelda Marcos and statesman Norberto Romuáldez.
The region remains relatively under-the-radar compared to other tourist destinations in the Philippines, but this is slowly changing. More and more people troop here in pursuit of rugged coasts and landscapes, secret caves and waterfalls, and fascinating histories — as well as the company of people content with the simple life, happy to enjoy the bounty of nature.
BILIRAN
During the early Spanish era, what is now called Biliran Island was known as Isla de Panamao. The term refers to an ethnic fishing net. The present name, believed to be adopted sometime between the late 1600s and the early 1700s, was, according to many publications, derived from a native grass called borobiliran which once grew abundantly on the island’s plains. A contending theory states that the name came from the word bilir, which was defined in an old Visayan dictionary to be the “corner or edge of a boat, vase or anything protruding, like veins, or the furrow made by the plow.”
The first town, named Biliran, was founded in 1712. During this time, the island was a part of the province of Cebu. Biliran, together with the islands of Samar and Leyte were constituted into a separate province in 1735. Later when Samar and Leyte were split into two provinces in 1768, Biliran became part of Leyte.
It is an island province in the Philippines located in the
Eastern Visayas region. Biliran lies just a few kilometers north of Leyte Island.
Its capital is Naval. Biliran is one of the country's smallest and newest
provinces, being formerly a part (sub-province) of Leyte until achieving
full-fledged province hood in 1992.
EASTERN SAMAR
It's a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Eastern Samar occupies the eastern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the north is the province of Northern Samar and to the west is Samar province and to the east is the vast Pacific Ocean. Off the coast of Leyte Gulf, the province faces the province of Leyte. The province occupies a total land area of 466,047 hectares (1,151,630 acres). The province has a population of 461,300 as of 2010 census. The common language is Waray. Commercial activities in the province are centered on the provincial capital of Borongan City. Generally, the province's major economic resource is fishery and agriculture which include production of copra, corn, rice, sugar, and vegetables. Tourism potential is untapped on the northern part of the province.
Capital: Borongan
NORTHERN SAMAR
Northern Samar may be reached over land via the Pan Philippine Highway, which connects the key cities of the Samar provinces. Most of the towns are situated along the northern coasts facing the San Bernardino Strait. Another point of entry into Northern Samar is through the north-western town of Allen. It is possible to take the ferry from Matnog off Sorsogon (the southernmost province of the Bicol Region) to this town, which is connected to Catarman by the winding highway along the coast. Northern Samar is bounded on the north by the San Bernardino Stait, on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the Samar Sea, and on the south by Western Samar. Its total land area is 3,498 sq. kilometers.
The province is composed largely of low and extremely rugged hills and small lowland areas. It also has small and discontinuous areas along the coasts and its rivers are usually accompanied by alluvial plains and valleys. The province is endowed with relatively rich and fertile soil that most crops can grow on it. It consists of 24 towns.
Capital: Catarman
WESTERN SAMAR
Western Samar, formerly Samar, is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas Region. It is 802 kilometers from Manila and occupies the westernmost section of the Samar Island. It is bounded on the north by the province of Northern Samar, on the east by Eastern Samar, on the west by Samar Sea and on the south by Leyte Gulf.
Prior to the coming of the Spaniards in 1596, many names were given to Samar Island such as Samal, Ibabao and Tandaya. The name Samar was derived from the local dialect “samad” which means wound or cut. This term appropriately describes the rough physical features of the island that is rugged and directly cut apart by streams.
Relative to its location, Western Samar serves as a reference point for tropical cyclone occurrences as it is within the typhoon belt of the country. But this does not mean that it is frequently hit by tropical cyclone. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year and the province has no distinct dry and wet season.
Western Samar has its share of nature’s beautiful spots. Among its jewels which attracts tourists and local folks include unexplored mountains and caves with exotic wildlife, unspoiled shores with coral reefs, beautiful beaches and waterfalls. The major industries in Western Samar are agriculture, cattle raising, fishery, forestry, mining and tourism. Hematite and magnetite chromate, nickel and manganese are the major ores which can be found in the province. It is the main supplier of fishes in the country due to its relatively long coastline in the western side extending over 300 kilometers.
Capital: Catbalogan
LEYTE
Leyte is one of the bigger islands of the country. The island counts only two cities of moderate size. Tacloban, situated in the northeast, is the provincial capital of the island and far out the biggest city of Leyte. Ormoc City in the western part of the island, is smaller and a more typical region town with the mixture of feature of modern and traditional services.
The island measures about 180 kilometres (110 mi) north-south and about 65 kilometres (40 mi) at its widest point. In the north it nearly joins the island of Samar, separated by the San Juanico Strait, which becomes as narrow as 2 km (1.2 mi) in some places. The island province of Biliran is also to the north of Leyte and is joined to Leyte island by a bridge across the narrow Biliran Strait. To the south Leyte is separated from Mindanao
by the Surigao Strait
. To the east, Leyte is somewhat "set back" from the Philippine Sea
of the Pacific Ocean
, Samar to the northeast and Dinagat Islands
to the southeast forming the Leyte Gulf
. To the west is the Camotes Sea
.
Southern Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Maasin City is the capital of the province. Southern Leyte was once a sub-province of Leyte before it was divided from the latter. Southern Leyte includes Limasawa, an island to the south where the first Christian Mass was held and considered to be the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines. The province ranks as the second least populated in the region. According to the 2010 census, the province has a population of 399,137.
Southern Leyte's geological features created several issues in the province after the flooding of the Subangdaku River and the 2006 mudslide in Guinsaugon. Organizations warned the province it was susceptible to natural occurrences like landslides and floods. Southern Leyte contributes to the economy of the country. It forms an important part of the inter-island transportation system of the country, with ferries transporting people and goods between Liloan and Surigao del Norte in Mindanao. The province is well known for its quality abaca products and is the country's major producer of abaca fiber.
\
