Paranas, Samar
Encyclopedia
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 27,926 people in 5,200 households.
During the Philippine Commonwealth period, the town was renamed after General Wright by the new administrators. However, locals retained and till this day refer the area as Paranas.
Many of the townsfolk work or attend school in nearby Catbalogan City
Catbalogan City
Catbalogan City is the city capital of Samar Province, Philippines with a population of 92,454 . It is Samar's main commercial, trading, educational, political and financial center. It is also an important and major seaport serving inter-island vessels...
. Trade is also prevalent with Calbayog City
Calbayog City
Calbayog City is a first class city in the province of Samar, Philippines. It lies along the coastal region of the province stretching about from the northern tip of the island and from southern boundaries...
farther north.
Domestic air travellers prefer to return to Paranas via dominant Tacloban's Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
-Facilities:Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport's facilities include a single-storey terminal building, a communications tower and administrative building. Small cafes surround outside the terminal across the parking area.* Terminal...
due to the length of the runway and the accessibility of land transportation. Other options include the improved airport of Calbayog and the less utilized Catbalogan airport (which is only ideal for smaller aircraft). International air travellers may also reach Paranas via 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,...
, Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
or Davao
Davao
Davao refers to several closely related places in Mindanao in the Philippines. The term is used most often to refer to the city.*Davao Region, an administrative region*Davao del Norte province*Davao del Sur province*Davao Oriental province...
en route to Tacloban. In the next few months, Tacloban's airport is being readied for direct international flights.
The Philippine Pan-American Highway traverses Paranas.
A part of Paranas is devoted to a nature reserve watershed designated as such by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
History
During the American period, Paranas was renamed as Wright. It absorbed the former town of San SebastianSan Sebastian, Samar
San Sebastian is a 5th class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 6,779 people in 1,263 households.San Sebastian was absorbed into the town of Wright during the American occupation...
. In 1950, the barrios of San Sebastian, Jitaasan, Dolores, Camanjagay, Bontod, Campidasa, Campiyak, Maslog, Balogo, Maropangpang, Binongtoan, and Bolwan was re-created as a town.
In 1955 the sitio of Madalanit was converted into a barrio.
Barangays
Paranas is politically subdivided into 44 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
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Local Beliefs
Townspeople living off the coast of Paranas believe turtles that come to die ashore are omens of danger, harbingers of typhoons and ocean-related accidents. The old fisherfolk dare not touch nor disturb these docile creatures because of this superstition. Green sea turtleGreen Sea Turtle
The Green sea turtle or green turtle is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans...
s and Loggerhead turtles frequent some coves off Samar to lay eggs or wade near the shallow areas to explore. Gigantic Loggerhead turtles are especially rare visitors even in the yesteryears. When they come ashore and do not lay eggs, tears flow from their eyes like humans. They would then die as the blazing sun rises and their bodies are scorched. Afterwards, fishermen go missing at sea, typhoons arrive, bancas capsize or cargo ships sink. Residents attest turtles came to die on their shores when M/V Dona Paz sank causing thousands of people to drown to their deaths.