Capul, Northern Samar
Encyclopedia
Capul is a 5th class island municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines
. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 10,619 people in 2,071 households. Prior to its founding as a town, Capul island itself with its lighthouse built on the island, served as a guidepost for the Acapulco-Manila galleon trade vessels passing through the treacherous waters of San Bernardino Strait. The name Capul came from
the word Acapulco, an old trading post in Mexico
. Capul is the only town in the province of Northern Samar
with distinct dialect Inabaknon
instead of Waray-Waray, the native language spoken by the locals of Samar island.
s.
The church of Capul, built during the Spanish Colonial Period
, is dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola and is surrounded by a square fort with bulwarks of dissimilar designs. The church structure was actually the third that was built on the site. The first two structures, made of hard wood and nipa roofs, were razed when Moro pirates plundered the island in 1615 and 1768. In 1781, Fr. Mariano Valero, a Spanish architect-priest led the restoration of the church and built the stonewall fortress similar to that in Intramuros
, Manila
that would fortify it against Moro attacks.
Located on a hill near the Capul fort overlooking the town harbor, a stone watchtower was erected to serve as a sentry or warning system and a refuge for indigents during Moro raids.
Bitō Cave, also known as Beto Cave, is a popular natural attraction located in Sawang.
Timon-timon is a rudder-shaped rock formation located near the southern point of the island.
. Nonetheless the Capul people understand the Waray language, as spoken by the majority of the people in Northern Samar.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 10,619 people in 2,071 households. Prior to its founding as a town, Capul island itself with its lighthouse built on the island, served as a guidepost for the Acapulco-Manila galleon trade vessels passing through the treacherous waters of San Bernardino Strait. The name Capul came from
the word Acapulco, an old trading post in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Capul is the only town in the province of Northern Samar
Northern Samar
Northern Samar is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catarman and is located at the northern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the south are the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar...
with distinct dialect Inabaknon
Abaknon language
The Inabaknon language, also known as the Abaknon language or the Capul language is a language primarily spoken in the island-municipality of Capul, Northern Samar in the Eastern Visayas region...
instead of Waray-Waray, the native language spoken by the locals of Samar island.
Barangays
Capul is politically subdivided into 12 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
- Aguin
- Jubang
- Landusan
- Oson
- Poblacion Barangay 1
- Poblacion Barangay 2
- Poblacion Barangay 3
- Poblacion Barangay 4
- Poblacion Barangay 5
- Sagaosawan
- San Luis
- Sawang
Tourism
- Capul Church and Fortress
The church of Capul, built during the Spanish Colonial Period
History of the Philippines (1521–1898)
This article covers the history of the Philippines from the arrival of European explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, up to the end of Spanish rule in 1898.-Spanish expeditions and conquest:...
, is dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola and is surrounded by a square fort with bulwarks of dissimilar designs. The church structure was actually the third that was built on the site. The first two structures, made of hard wood and nipa roofs, were razed when Moro pirates plundered the island in 1615 and 1768. In 1781, Fr. Mariano Valero, a Spanish architect-priest led the restoration of the church and built the stonewall fortress similar to that in Intramuros
Intramuros
Intramuros is the oldest district in the present day city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. Nicknamed the "Walled City", Intramuros is the historic fortified city of Manila, the seat ot the government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its name in Latin, intramuros,...
, Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
that would fortify it against Moro attacks.
- Capul Watchtower
Located on a hill near the Capul fort overlooking the town harbor, a stone watchtower was erected to serve as a sentry or warning system and a refuge for indigents during Moro raids.
- Bitō Cave
Bitō Cave, also known as Beto Cave, is a popular natural attraction located in Sawang.
- Timon-timon Rock
Timon-timon is a rudder-shaped rock formation located near the southern point of the island.
- Capul Island LighthouseCapul Island LighthouseCapul Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Titoog Point in San Luis on the northern tip of Capul Island, Northern Samar in the Philippines. It marks the western entrance to the San Bernardino Strait coming in from Ticao Pass....
Indigenous Language
Capul has a different language from the rest of Northern Samar and the rest of Eastern Visayas. The native language in the island-municipality is Inabaknon. Inabaknon has been classified by linguists as a Sama language related to the Sama languages of Mindanao, rather than a Visayan languageVisayan languages
The Visayan languages of the Philippines, along with Tagalog and Bikol, are part of the Central Philippine languages...
. Nonetheless the Capul people understand the Waray language, as spoken by the majority of the people in Northern Samar.