CALBAYOG CITY
The City of Calbayog is situated in the western part of the island of Samar. It lies just along the coastal region of the province stretching about 60 miles from the northern tip of the island and 180 miles from the southern boundaries of Calbayog City. Compared with other municipalities of Samar, Calbayog City has the largest area that even surpasses that of Catbalogan, the capital of the province.
It consists of 3 districts (Calbayog, Oquendo, and Tinambacan) and has 157 barangays.
The lone city in Samar Island is Calbayog City also known “as city of waterfalls” . It as an airport with daily flights to and from Manila. Its seaport/fishport services the needs of the western island-municipalities of the Province. Calbayog was the first municipality converted into a chartered city in the whole of Eastern Visayas. Its other claim to fame is that it is the repository of Eastern Visayan culture and traditions. It has a vast collection of Visayan literature, dance & music, both traditional and contemporary, and visual arts. That is why, a visit to the Samar Archeological Museum is a must for any traveler to Calbayog.
Its moniker as the “city of waterfalls” gives this unique city an added value with 7 “discovered” waterfalls of various height and breadth with many more to explored. Its coasts also boasts of white sand beaches perfect for beach combers and bums!
- History
Calbayog began as early as 1600 in a settlement called Hibatang by the river bank of the present Oquendo River. It had 2,000 inhabitants under the spiritual guidance of a certain Jesuit, Father Ignacio de Alzina.
The present barangay Anislag was the forerunner of Calbayog settlement. The barangay is located along the river bank of Oquendo river, about ten kilometers north off the city proper. Historical remains of what was once a village church can be noticed by travelers passing this barangay.
The place was often visited by flood during stormy days, so Anislag settlement became unsafe. The hardy settlers left the place in “balotos” (bancas) and hastily rigged bamboo raffs following the river towards the sea. At Cahumpan (now barangay Cahumpan) they decided to stop just for a moment’s break. Somehow, at the spur of the moment and by common consent, they settled down at Cahumpan to start life anew.
More settlers came. Some crossed the river to Sabang (now barangay Trinidad). After a certain period of time, the restless settlers moved again and settled at Taboc (now barangay Obrero), a settlement which directly face the open Samar sea. The place was once a vast swampland which extended from the present Nijaga Park, where the monument of national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal and local hero Benedicto P. Nijaga now stand.
Taboc is the place where the name Calbayog began. Taboc, so legend says, once abounded with “Bayog” trees. They were cut down and burned for fuel in making “Cal” (lime) out of sea shells and corals. From these two things, the Spaniards called the place “Calbayog”. The second version says that there was once a man named “Bayog”. It so happened that there was no other path leading to the sea except at Bayog’s place. Fishermen used to say “tikang kami kan Bayog” (we came from Bayog) or “makadto kami kan Bayog” (we shall go to Bayog).
One day a “guardia civil” asked for the name of the place. The fisherman mistaking the query for another thing, answered “tikang kami kan Bayog” (we came from Bayog), with the correct query and a wrong answer, the Spaniard took the last words, “kan Bayog”, for the name of the settlement. A lot of tongue-twisting and mispronunciation changed the original name of Calbayog.
