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Tunga
Municipality
Municipality of Tunga
Flag of Tunga
Flag
Official seal of Tunga
Seal
Map of Leyte with Tunga highlighted
Map of Leyte with Tunga highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Map
Tunga is located in Philippines
Tunga
Tunga
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°15′N 124°45′E / 11.25°N 124.75°E / 11.25; 124.75
CountryPhilippines
RegionEastern Visayas
ProvinceLeyte
District 2nd district
FoundedNovember 15, 1949
Barangays8 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorReinbert C. Costelo
 • Vice MayorEgidio G. Baac
 • RepresentativeLolita T. Javier
 • Councilors
List
 • Electorate7,136 voters (2022)
Area
[2]
 • Total7.70 km2 (2.97 sq mi)
Elevation
56.9 m (186.7 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[3]
 • Total7,656
 • Density990/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
 • Households
1,764
Economy
 • Income class6th municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence
18.24
% (2018)[4]
 • Revenue₱ 56.19 million (2020)
 • Assets₱ 138.6 million (2020)
 • Expenditure₱ 60.93 million (2020)
 • Liabilities₱ 48.64 million (2020)
Service provider
 • ElectricityLeyte 3 Electric Cooperative (LEYECO 3)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
6528
PSGC
0803750000
IDD : area code +63 (0)53
Native languagesWaray
Tagalog
Websitetunga.gov.ph

Tunga (IPA: [tu'ŋaʔ]), officially the Municipality of Tunga (Waray: Bungto han Tunga; Tagalog: Bayan ng Tunga), is a 6th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 7,656 people.[3]

It is the smallest municipality in Leyte, both in population and area. [5]

History

The municipality of Tunga existed as early as 1860 as a barrio of Barugo. At that time, only about fifty families were residing there, most of them coming from the different towns of Barugo, Carigara and Jaro. There are different versions that have been told as to why the place was called Tunga. Due to their stronger credibility, only two of these legends have been selected as the possible ones. One states that before Tunga became a barrio, people from Ormoc, Carigara, Barugo, Jaro and Tacloban engaged in trade with each other and they had to stop by on this place. Some of them even made it their contact point for conducting their business. Through their exchange of ideas and conversations, they concluded that this place was halfway between Ormoc, Tacloban and Carigara and Jaro. Since it had no name at the time, people started calling it Tunga, Waray term for "half". When it became a barrio, the residents, due to their familiarity with the name christened the place Tunga.

During World War II after the American landing in Leyte, Tunga was captured by the American forces coming from Jaro on 1 November 1944.

On March 4, 1948, Pag-Urosa Han Mga Tungan-on, an association that led the campaign to make Tunga an independent municipality, was organized. Its elected officials included Domingo A. Ponferrada, president; Martino Ariza, Blas Uribe and Vicente Catenza, vice presidents; Primitivo Geraldo, secretary; Norberto Quintana, treasurer; Ramón Santillan Sr. and Juan Avila, auditors; and Paulo Cotoner, Magno Buñales and Arsenio Carit, sergeants-at-arms. The organization invited Leyte 5th District Representative Atilano R. Cinco, to join them on the move for an independent municipality of Tunga. Upon Cinco's urge, a consensus committee was created with Martino Ariza as chairperson, with its members being some of the students of Tunga Institute.

Subsequently, President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order No. 266 on September 24, 1949, creating the independent municipality of Tunga. However the appointed local officials had to assume their posts a few days after the elections.

On November 15, 1949, Provincial Board Secretary Ricardo Collantes, representing Leyte Governor Catalino Landia, proclaimed the foundation of the Municipality of Tunga before a huge crowd of joyous Tungan-on and distinguished visitors.

The patron saint of Tunga is Saint Anthony of Padua. The Tungan-ons celebrate their town's fiesta annually on the 13th of August.[6]

Geography

Barangays

Tunga is politically subdivided into 8 barangays. [5] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Climate data for Tunga, Leyte
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 28
(82) 		28
(82) 		29
(84) 		30
(86) 		30
(86) 		30
(86) 		29
(84) 		29
(84) 		29
(84) 		29
(84) 		29
(84) 		28
(82) 		29
(84)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22
(72) 		22
(72) 		22
(72) 		23
(73) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		23
(73) 		23
(73) 		23
(74)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 73
(2.9) 		56
(2.2) 		75
(3.0) 		71
(2.8) 		114
(4.5) 		174
(6.9) 		172
(6.8) 		163
(6.4) 		167
(6.6) 		161
(6.3) 		158
(6.2) 		125
(4.9) 		1,509
(59.5)
Average rainy days 15.2 12.5 16.2 17.3 23.9 27.3 28.4 26.9 26.9 27.1 23.8 19.3 264.8
Source: Meteoblue[7]

Demographics

Population census of Tunga
YearPop.±% p.a.
1960 5,168—    
1970 3,876−2.83%
1975 9,413+19.48%
1980 4,969−11.99%
1990 5,413+0.86%
1995 6,530+3.58%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2000 6,111−1.41%
2007 6,221+0.25%
2010 6,516+1.70%
2015 7,584+2.93%
2020 7,656+0.19%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [8][9][10][11]

In the 2020 census, the population of Tunga, Leyte, was 7,656 people,[3] with a density of 990 inhabitants per square kilometre or 2,600 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Tunga
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13]
[14][15][16][17][18]


The socio-economic situation in Tunga can be described as poor with little outside investment and few opportunities for most of the municipality's citizens to improve their economic status. Income per capita is very low and the poverty incidence is alarming. The magnitude of families living below the poverty threshold is much too high. The under-employment rate is high and most people hold informal jobs and carry out various activities daily to earn barely a subsistence income for their families. The percent of households without their own dwellings is high.

Elementary education participation is low, reflecting low incomes because families cannot afford to put their children through school and/or children are taken out of school to assist families with income-earning activities. As a result, the simple literacy rate is low.

Crop production indicates very low land productivity with the majority of farmers involved in coconut tree cultivation for copra as their main economic mainstay. Rice cultivation is the second main agricultural activity. Some farmers also raise pigs and chickens to sell to the local meat shop in the local market.

The fish catch, which is mainly Tilapia, in the Tunga River, which flows through the municipality, has decreased since 2005.

Education

There are a total of 4 Elementary Schools and 1 Secondary/High School in Tunga Leyte.[19]

Grade School/Elementary Schools

Secondary/High School

References

  1. ^  Municipality of Tunga | (DILG)
  2. ^ "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Census of Population (2020). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Province:". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Philippines Tacloban Mission Alumni | Welcome". Mission. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  7. ^ "Tunga: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  8. ^ Census of Population (2015). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  9. ^ Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  10. ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.((cite encyclopedia)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
  14. ^ "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
  15. ^ "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
  16. ^ "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
  18. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Philippine Schools Directory". schools.trokis.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.

External links

Places adjacent to Tunga, Leyte
Province of Leyte
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