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Catbalogan City Charter Anniversary

Catbalogan City Charter Anniversary is a charter day observance celebrated every June 16 in Catbalogan City, Samar, Philippines. The date was a special nonworking holiday in 2008 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1528 that was approved June 12 of the same year.

History of Catbalogan City

Catbalogan City is one of the component cities in Eastern Visayas, a region that is composed of Biliran, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte. It is the capital of the province of Samar.

Located in the western seaboard of the island facing the Maqueda Bay, it is an important port in the Visayas.

In 1596, the Jesuits were the first Christian pioneers who arrived and organized their mission in Catbalogan.

Long before their arrival, it was an old settlement according to archeological findings and a fishing community with thriving ports for sailors. Its name comes from balaug, a kind of shrub that grew abundantly.

It became the capital of the historical province of Samar which encompassed the entire island in 1616, a status that it relinquished in 1965 when the island was split into three provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar through Republic Act No. 4221.

For the next centuries, similar to the fates of the nearby islands in Visayas and southern Luzon, it was attacked numerous times by pirates. They came to villages to pillage and capture people for slavery.

When the colonial government stepped up the fight against piracy and infrastructures to defend settlements like fortresses and watch towers were erected, these attacks diminished over time. In tandem with the opening of the Philippines to foreign trade in the 19th century, Catbalogan flourished as a trading port.

The initiative to convert the town to a city prospered as early as the post-war years. Its dream of becoming a city became possible with the passage of Republic Act No. 9391, otherwise known as “An Act Converting the Municipality of Catbalogan in the Province of Samar into a Component City to be Known as the City of Catbalogan.”

The law was signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on March 15, 2007 and it was ratified through a plebiscite on June 16, 2007, which is the date that the charter day anniversary commemorates every year.

How to reach Catbalogan City, Samar

Book a flight to Borongan Airport or Tacloban Airport and continue to Catbalogan City via land trip. Alternative trips are through ferries from Cebu and neighboring islands. Bus trips are also available from Metro Manila.

References

Catbalogan City Charter Anniversary Summary

NameCatbalogan City Charter Anniversary
CelebrationCharter Day
Contact0917 700 3696
CountryPhilippines
DateJune 16
Established2007
Facebookwww.facebook.com
Historical eventCityhood of Catbalogan in 2007
LocationCatbalogan City, Samar
OrganizerCity Government of Catbalogan
Websitewww.catbalogan.gov.ph