Silago, Southern Leyte - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Silago is a 4th class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines

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...

. It is a coastal town. As of August 1, 2007 census, it has a population of 11,163 people.

Barangays

Silago is politically subdivided into 15 barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

Barangay	Population(2007)
Balagawan	727
Catmon	134
Poblacion District I	1224
Poblacion District II	1007
Hingatungan	2049
Katipunan	480
Laguma	677
Mercedes	1767
Puntana	171
Salvacion	608
Sap-ang	551
Sudmon	315
Tuba-on	438
Tubod	839
Imelda	176

History

The Filipinos are liberty-loving people. Our earliest ancestors came to the Philippines in search for freedom. Their love for independence could be traced to the independent barangays they established. The Spaniards easily conquered the barangays because they were not united under one leader. Besides, the Spaniards had their weapons. The natives lost their independence and one by one the latter were place here in the Philippines. When the Spaniards came to our place, they asked the natives on what was the name of the place. The native then, could not understand the language of the Spaniards and with fear that triggered on their feelings, they failed to answer the question and instead pointed the Tuog trees where there were so many bats hanging and said “Tuay daghang Cabug”. The Spaniards looked towards the Tuog trees and happened to see many bats hanging and in Spanish, bat means “Murcielago”. So at that moment, the Spaniards called the place Murcielago. Till, at that point in time, the name of the place is Murcielago. As many score years have passed and the natives were so old and eventually had a difficulty in pronouncing long words as compelled by their age, so the word Murcielago was shortened to Silago.

Silago was once part of the Municipality of Hinunangan, Southern Leyte, located in the northernmost part of the said town. For several years, Silago was under the political jurisdictions of Hinunangan even during World War I and II.

After the Second World War, Silago became more progressive and had increased its population, and thus became the biggest barangay of the mother Municipality of Hinunangan. Progress served as pushing factor that Silago has availed and gained qualifications to become a municipality.

In 1948, through the intercessions of the Secretary of National Defense, Ruperto K. Kangleon who worked hard for the conversion of barrio Silago to a municipality. Finally, the reaping of the grace was favorable because on June 20, 1950 was the inauguration of the new Municipality of Silago by virtue of an Executive Order No. 326 issued by Pres. Elpidio Quirino. Such Executive Order was chartered through Republic Act No. 5962 “Creating the Municipality of Silago in the Province of Southern Leyte” on June 21, 1969.

This was made possible also through the invaluable services and voluntary effort extended by the late Apolonio A. Lucero and Cunato Capapas. These two Silagonhons even donated real properties as lands to meet the requirements of becoming a municipality.

The Municipality of Silago comprises the following barangays: Pob. Dist. 1, Pob. Dist. II, Pob. Dist III (Tubod), Sudmon, Sap-ang, Mercedes, Balagawan, Catmon, Puntana, Katipunan, Imelda, Tubaon, Lagoma, Salvacion and Hingatunggan.

The first set of Municipal Officials were appointed by Pres. Elpidio Quirino on May 17, 1951. This was headed by Hon. Felix Balagon as Municipal Mayor, Hon. Leon Fortaliza as Vice Mayor, Hon. Manuel Tomol, Hon. Enrique Sarona, Hon. Modesto Miras and Hon. Manuel Cruzada as councilors.Mr. Pedro Tomol was appointed as Municipal Secretary.

Republic Act

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 5962 - AN ACT CREATING THE MUNICIPALITY OF SILAGO IN THE PROVINCE OF SOUTHERN LEYTE

SECTION 1. The barrios of Silago, Hingatunggan, Laguma, Kikilo, Bulac, Sap-ang, Awayon, and Balagawan, and the sitios of Combis, San Roque, Talaque, Malen and Mabadyang in the Municipality of Hinunangan, Province of Southern Leyte, are separated from said municipality, and constituted into a distinct and independent municipality, to be known as the Municipality of Silago, same province. The seat of government of the new municipality shall be in the present site of the barrio of Silago.

The boundary line of the Municipality of Silago and the Municipality of Hinunangan shall be a straight line starting from a point immediately north of the center of the barrio of Pondol passing through the summit of Mt. Nacolod to the intersection of this line with the Hinunangan-Libagon boundary line.

SECTION 2. The Municipality of Silago shall acquire corporate existence upon the election and qualification of the first mayor, vice-mayor and councilors in the next general elections for local officials. For election purposes, the municipal officials of the mother municipality charged with the election duties in accordance with the Revised Election Code shall hold office until the first officials shall have been elected and qualified.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Natural Sceneries

Silago is a small coastal town set at the northernmost part of the province

Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

of Southern Leyte

Southern Leyte

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...

, Philippines

Philippines

. The town is composed of only 15 barangays. Silago got her name from the word “murcielago” which is a Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

term for bat, because of this species' dominance in the locality. Proof to this is the giant bat sanctuary at Barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

Catmon. Traveling through the coastal barangays of the town, one can notice beautiful clean beaches and a structure designed by nature lying in the town’s deep blue sea known as Pelada Rock also locally known as “Batong Dako means huge rock”, which was then occupied and utilized as a camp by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. The peculiar beauty of this rock is enhanced with the abundance of birds hovering and built their nest on it, sea snakes making the rock as their dwelling place, with fish and other marine products surrounding it.

The rock is located just a short distance from the shore of Barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

Laguma and Barangay Salvacion. Riding on a motorboat will take only 5 minutes from those Barangays; or more or less ten minutes from the brown fine clean sand beach of Silago town proper.

Farther north, is a natural rock formation with a length of more or less 50 meters from the shore and about 10 meters wide.

Added to this beauty is the upland of Silago, which displays the town’s picturesque mountains, exuding a distinctive charm and even a mystery. In these mountains is the town’s vast forest, home of the wild pigs locally known as “Baboy Ihas”. Among all the municipalities of the province

Province

, Silago is identified to have the biggest forest area.

The municipal tree park is another kind of tourist attraction in the municipality where fresh breeze and songs of the birds make the atmosphere pleasantly unique. On its northern part is a clean and clear river that allows everybody an enjoyable swimming.

Additionally, the different astounding shapes of waterfalls are not an illusion for Silago. In the upper portion of the town, at different locations, are falls that urge one to come and feel the placidity, of the environment, with a very cool and clean water.

Kagut-an falls is more or less 1 kilometer away from the national highway, along Barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

Katipunan. This falls is paired with another falls near its vicinity, locally called as Kagut-an Dako Dos Falls, which possesses an exceptional attraction to all who sees it.

In the same barangay of Silago, is another falls called Kagut-an Gamay falls. The beauty of this falls could be greatly enhanced by a wise and sustainable human intervention.

In Barangay Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

of this municipality can be found other falls of different gorgeous impact. Sitio Kawayan Falls has a more or less 1-kilometer distance from Mercedes Barangay Road, with a height of about 10 meters.

Another falls is in Barangay Tubod distinctive in structure with matching cave on its opposite side. Water from this falls, along its way meets the Lanang River flow, which also has its own unique attraction. The beauty of Lanang River would catch the eye of any viewer with a warm invitation to get into it.

Aside from Lanang River, which is located at the town’s mountain barangay

Barangay

A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...

, is the Maag River that crosses along the national highway in Poblacion District 1. This river forms like lake that is suited for enjoyable boating recreation. At the mouth of the river is the brown fine clean sand beach of Silago, which is more or less 1 kilometer long.

Rocky Beach Resort is a newly operating beach resort, which is adorned with beautiful stones and clean brown sand, typical for picnics. This resort does not have room accommodations yet, but there are places to stay comfortably in the heart of the town, about more or less 5 minutes away.

The Municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

of Silago is blessed with the riches of nature, which is not common to other places. It has not only the natural beauty sights, but it is also rich in marine products for delicious and nutritious meals.

In Months of November to February Silago beaches is ideal for those who love SURFING with huge sea wave, it can be comparable to that waves in Siargao which is Silago topograpically located in from of the Pacific Ocean. (Martom)

Hopes and Visions

Inspired by the success story of many LGU’s (Local Government Unit) that had been developed and became progressive though tourism activities, the local government unit of Silago is doing its best to grab possible developmental opportunities through tourism programs and activities as these are given priority consideration both by the nation

Nation

A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...

al and provincial

Province

government. Being a fourth class municipality, it cannot be denied that it needs assistance and support from other outside sources in order to develop its bountiful gift of nature, and generate income through these gifts. As it looks forward to becoming one of the tourist destinations in the province

Province

, determined to eradicate poverty in its jurisdiction, it will continue to discover more of its natural wealth ready to be developed and improved, and welcomes any interested individual / investor who is willing to participate in the pursuit of this noble undertaking.

Why Invest at Silago? Silago is a place that takes two-hour travel from the DZR Airport, Tacloban City

Tacloban City

The City of Tacloban is a port city approximately 360 miles southeast of Manila. It is the first in Eastern Visayas to be classified as a Highly Urbanized City. It is the capital of the Philippine province of Leyte and is the largest city in terms of population in Eastern Visayas...

, Leyte

Leyte

Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...

, the center of Region 8. Major carriers serve direct 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,...

-Tacloban flights daily. From Tacloban City, air-conditioned shuttle vans and ordinary fare buses are available going to Silago. Aside from being a peaceful town, Silago is a consistent awardee of the clean and green program as cleanest and greenest municipality in Southern Leyte

Southern Leyte

, where good and friendly people reside.

Silago Hymn
----

O, lungsod kong mahal ikaw akong ampingan

Tuburan sa kinabuhi sa mga lumulupyo

Ikaw ang pag-laum nga nagagikan sa sidlakan

Ikaw akong pangga-on ug akong mahalon

Silago, Silago, buot ako nga magpabilin kanimo

Ang imong katahom gakson ko hangtud sa kahangturan

Himuon ko ang tanan alang kanimo lungsod ko

Kay ikaw ang gimat-an ko minahal nga yuta

Kalimyo, kahimsog ug kalinaw, mao ang dalan sa Kalambuan

Ug kining akong kinabuhi ihalad ko kanimo Silago

Luha sa kagul-anan modagayday kung ikaw pasipad-an

Kalipay og katawa ang matagamtaman

Kung ang bidlisiw sa kalampusan makit-an

Silago, Silago, matin-aw pa ang suba sa paglaum

Malunhaw pa gihapon ang tanaman sa kabukiran

Ang balod sa kadagatan may panahon pa sa iyang paglurang

O, Silago, ikaw ang lungsod kong mahal

O, Silago, ikaw ang lungsod kong mahal

Written and Composed by Fr. Pluth & Neil (2000)
Implemented by Mayor Martin P. Tomol, Sr.

PAROKYA NI SENIOR SANTIAGO APOSTOL (St. James the Apostle Parish) PATRON SA SILAGO (Parish Hymn)
----

Kalipay namong mga Silagonhon

Usa ka gasa ang among naangkon

Sa among katilingban siya ang gisaligan

Siya among gitahod isip among manlalaban (Break)

Nagmaisugon siya sa pagmantala

Sa Apostolikanhong pagtoo

Sa mga Apostoles siya ang unang ehemplo

Pagpaambit sa kalis sa kasakit ni Hesukristo (Break)

CHORUS:

Senior Santiago Apostol, Patron sa Silago

Bantugang manlalaban sa mga katalagman

Ang kinabuhi mong balaanon among subayon

Kang Hesukristo kami mahigugmaon ug mo-alagad

Sa tanang panahon (Break)

Sa kakabos, suliran, ug kasakitan

Gugma, kalinaw, ug kahiusahan

Uban kanimo sa Dios among pangayoon

Ang iyang panalipod, panalangin,

Lamdag ug bendisyon (Break)

BRIDGE:

Senior Santiago Apostol among Patron

Higala kang tinuod ug takos pasidunggan

Kaming tanan manghinaot nga pinaagi kanimo

Nga sa kanunay sa Dios kami may pagto-o.

(CODA) Nga sa kanunay sa Dios kami may pagto-o----

Written and Composed by Fr. Pluth & Neil (2006)

Elementary schools

Silago Central Elementary School-Poblacion, Silago
Sudmon Elementary School - Sudmon, Silago
Hingatungan Elementary School-Hingatungan, Silago
Awayon Elementary School-Mercedes, Silago
Almost all barangay has Elementary / Primary Schools

High schools

Silago National Vocational High School - Poblacion District II, Silago
Hingatungan National High School - Hingatungan, Silago
Mercedes National High School - Mercedes, Silago
Katipunan National High School- Katipunan, Silago

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.