During his circumnavigation of the globe, Ferdinand Magellan had set foot on the tiny island of Homonhon in the southern part of the province. On March 16, 1521, the area of what is now Eastern Samar is said to be the first Philippine landmass spotted by Magellan and his crew.[4][5][6]
On September 28, 1901, Filipino guerrillas led by Valeriano Abanador and Eugenio Daza in Balangiga ambushed American troops, killing 48 members of the US 9th Infantry. The incident triggered the infamous American retaliation March across Samar against the Samar populace and guerrillas.[6]
Japanese occupation era
In 1944, combined Filipino-American troops involved in the liberation of the Philippines from Japan built in the town of Guiuan the largest military base in the Pacific. In the same town in 1949, approximately 5,000 Russian refugees escaping from communist China temporarily settled on Tubabao Island until 1951, when they were transferred to Australia and the United States.[5]
Philippine independence
Foundation
Eastern Samar, as a province, was created from Samar province through Republic Act No. 4221 on June 19, 1965.[7] Approved by Congress in 1963, it was authored by Samar congressmen Eladio T. Balite (1st district), Fernando R. Veloso (2nd district), and Felipe J. Abrigo (3rd district). The law, ratified in a plebiscite on June 19, 1965, divided Samar into three: Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and (Western) Samar.
Contemporary
Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded, made its first landfall in the coastal town of Guiuan in November 2013.[8]
Geography
Eastern Samar covers a total area of 4,660.47 square kilometers (1,799.42 sq mi)[9] occupying the eastern section and majority of southern Samar's coast of Samar Island in the Eastern Visayas region. The province is bordered to the north by Northern Samar and to the west by Samar. To the east lies the Philippine Sea, part of the vast Pacific Ocean, while to the south lies Leyte Gulf.
Because it faces the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, Eastern Samar suffers heavily from powerful typhoons.[4]
The population of Eastern Samar in the 2020 census was 477,168 people,[2] with a density of 100 inhabitants per square kilometre or 260 inhabitants per square mile. The predominant language is Waray[6] and it is the main lingua franca of the entire island of Samar.[citation needed]
In the 2000 Census, Warays comprised 97.78% (366,787) of the total provincial population of 375,124 at that time. Kapampangan came second at 0.55% (2,067), Bisaya/Binisaya 0.43% (1,613), Cebuano at 0.18% (680), and Tagalog at 0.17% (621).[12]
The province has one operational airport; Borongan Airport located in the capital city. Currently, only Leascor operates out of Borongan Airport with flights weekly to serve locals and tourists to and from Cebu.
Borongan's Wilsam Uptown Mall, the largest shopping mall in the province
By land, mini buses and vans ply from the regional center in Tacloban, Catbalogan, and Calbayog in Samar province and to some towns in Eastern Samar. From Borongan, buses ply to Metro Manila. Motorized boats plies through Leyte Gulf ferrying passengers going to Tacloban City seaport.
Economy
Poverty Incidence of Eastern Samar
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Commercial activities in the province are centered on the provincial capital of Borongan while tourism activities are centered in Guiuan town where Calicoan Island and the historical Homonhon Island are located.[6] Generally, the province's major economic resource is fishery and agriculture which include production of coconut, copra, corn, rice, sugar, and vegetables.[6] Tourism potential is untapped on the northern part of the province.
References
^"List of Provinces". PSGC Interactive. Makati, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
^ abLancion, Conrado M. Jr. (1995). "The Provinces; Eastern Samar". Fast Facts about Philippine Provinces. cartography by de Guzman, Rey (The 2000 Millenium ed.). Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines: Tahanan Books. p. 72. ISBN971-630-037-9. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
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