Gandara, Samar

Gandara
Municipality
Municipality of Gandara
Aerial view of the Poblacion
Etymology: Bangahon
Map of Samar with Gandara highlighted
Gandara Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 12°01′N 124°49′E / 12.02°N 124.82°E / 12.02; 124.82Coordinates: 12°01′N 124°49′E / 12.02°N 124.82°E / 12.02; 124.82
Country	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
Province	Samar
District	1st district of Samar
Named for	José dela Gándara
Barangays	69 (see Barangays)
Government [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Eufemio de los Santos Oliva
• Vice Mayor	Felomina R. Cabuenos
• Electorate	21,338 voters (2016)
Area [2]
• Total	573.49 km2 (221.43 sq mi)
Population (2015 census)[3]
• Total	34,434
• Density	60/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6706
PSGC	086007000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)55
Climate type	Tropical rainforest climate
Income class	2nd municipal income class
Revenue (₱)	140,230,968.83 (2016)
Native languages	Waray Tagalog
Website	elgu.ncc.gov.ph/ecommunity/gandara-wsamar/

Gandara, officially the Municipality of Gandara, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 34,434 people.^[3]

The town was formerly named Bangahon, but its population was resettled to its current location on September 29, 1902. After settling in its new location, the name Gandæra was given to it in commemoration of the former Governor General José de la Gándara y Navarro.

History

During the 9th century, after the Mesopotamian exploration the Hindus explored the Cambaye Island, they bring Sabai Grass seedlings, Negritos and the Hindus help together to grow the Grass, when the grass are ripe enough they harvest it and sundried it, Sabai fibres were extracted from Sabai Grasses, they weave the dried grass and turn it into dresses by using a catgut as a weaver.

On the 13th century an Arabian-British explorer built and structured this sea farer guide from an Scree with the help of a Negrito inhabitants located nearby with China White as an ingredient as building material, it is lit with a Western Incandescent lamp and powered by a Baghdad Carbon Cell, the said battery is charged by sun at day.

Gandæra's colonial past is evident from the solitary watchtower, the Friars returned after the remaining crew of Magellan came back from Spain, and situated along the Village called Dapdap and their Shrine called Tinago in 1596, and created a Cabecera called Catbalogan, and the Bangahon Church, the relics of the church and fragmented artworks. Statues of saints are of numbers one of which is the St. Niño (An infant Child) a White statue carved from wood and being tell that it is a pair of the Black statue of the St. Niño of Cebu the Magellan remnants they called the Black and White saints. The White statue is being told that a clan "Correche" is now being held it privately. Townspeople quarried the stones from Napalisan cliff or scree carried to Dapdap and then formed and constructed the Tinago Shrine and the church from what they called Galut a clay or Feldspar, Kaolinite used to make a pot or in a pottery business in Bangahon for the church of Bangahon. These are remnants from the old Gandæra, named Bangahon due to its geographical location in the forked of the Gandæra River. "Guin babanga han wala ug too nga salug". The book Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas by Gaspar de San Agustin the Bangahon states it was already a Pueblo or town in 1729, and was made a parish by the Spanish Jesuits Missionaries with St. Michael the Archangel as patron saint.

The Eighteenth Century ended with Bangahon at the height of abundance and prosperity being a trading center complemented with its fertile soil producing plentiful and ample harvest every year. Potable water were carried from a balangay with a Natural Spring of Mineral Water now called San Agustin. However, when the American battleships landed at Calbayog on February 9, 1902, the municipal officials of Bangahon prepared an occasion for the American soldiers. The American Scout then told the officials of this Marlboro that they will be donating a Bell and will constructed a school called Harvard Institute. The problem of where to build this landmark to become a new town was solved during a conference of July 25, 1903, at barrio San Pelayo but Dumalo-ong was unanimously chosen due to its ideal location being at the center and midway of the left river, right river and downstreams barrios. The bell or (Lingganay) a misfortune were carried by a barge and accidentally sunked and collide to it near an adobe rock formation before Bangahon going upstream along with the Bell. This bell were sequestered by the Americans on September 29, 1901 at Balangiga. Furthermore, the chosen site was located almost halfway between Calbayog City and Catbalogan City an ambient place for a Harvard Institute. Gandæra's foundation anniversary is February the 29th.

Established in February 29, 1904 and named after the surname of Spanish Governor General José de la Gándara y Navarro as a respect by the American Soldier, the first captain was Jose Dionesio Mendiola, who died during the year's cholera epidemic and replaced by Jose Pichon on June 15, 1902, the contact of the American Scout not knowing were will be the bell will come from, nodding as his used attitude, served until June 15, 1903. Succeeded by Ramon Mendiola (1903–1906) who was remembered for celebrating the first Gandæra town fiesta on September 28–29, 1904. From the year 1907, town executives were called Presidents. And the Reyes Clan as Royalty.

The town's new poblacion was built on some six hectares of farmland donated by Martino M. Reyes. The donation was executed on January 12, 1909. The school site covered by certificate of title no. 95 dated July 20, 1912, and that of the parish under lot no. 146-CAD-444-D dated August 31, 1914, further supported by an extra judicial donation dated March 20, 1915.

Article 960 dated October 23, 1923, transferred the jurisdiction of baraŋgays Bangon, Buenas Aires, Calanyugan, Cambaye, San Luis, Pangi and Pagsanghan to the Municipality of Tarangnan.

During World War II, there are two Mayors in this municipality, Filadelfo Diaz Aliman for the Japanese Government and Teodoro Bisnar for the Philippine Government the Pulahanes. During the war, the second waorld war, Japanese occupied this town and make the Gavaldon Building their headquarter, all Chinese traders, locals and their offspring were called and enslave them, making them a peasants. Japanese tell one Filadelfo Aliman that this maltreatment is a retaliation on their long aged war the First Sino-Japanese War and the Second Sino-Japanese War, they Chinese (sino) to fight back processed a seasoning called "Vetsin" (a powder from a snailshell or tipaka han wawang nga guin pinu) that causes the illness called schistosomiasis and told the Filipino public that it is from the Japanese armies even its name is a Japanese word. The Japanese leave and promise and then will constructure a steel bridge value that makes them stand and be courageous because of the Filipino hospitality.

In December 6, 1987, San Jorge were created as a new municipality respectively out of Gandæra. 42 Baranggay were dissolved by the town of San Jorge including the Gandereneos owner of Atigbang Senibaran (Villaleona) to the new town administration.

Baraŋgays

Barangays of Gandara

Gandara is politically subdivided into 69 barangays, listed here with its Philippine Standard Geographic Code.

Demographics

Based on latest 2014 survey, the total population was 33,264, consisting of 17,046 males and 16,218 females. The number of households was 6,653, with an average household size of 4.87 persons and a density of 68/km2. Built-up Area population density at town proper 6,652 along Carline Area is 4,992, Coastal Area is 5,751 and Rural Area is 5,748.

Economy

The economy of Gandera started with a barter trading system, they produce and consume by exchanging products to and from farm or towncenter, until a townfolk kadiong convinced them to put up a cooperative or a cooperation of Gandareños products to put up a bunk or a stockade and that cooperative will issue a bunknote to ease the trading of products or goods. Fellows can lend seeds or fishlings from the stockade, lenders now start with their own products and can be trade with the bunk/stockade or cooperative bunknotes. Bunknotes became rampant on the town and they decided to issue a paper and metal money as a bunknote. Products from different villages stocked at the bunk, and every village has a unique bunknote to signify their origins, aside from Bangahon were a calamity had happened they only had a few stocks but in their village that stock equivalent of a bunknote has a higher value, the village with the highest stocks is the reference stocks, their number of products divided by the reference stocks is the particular village bunknote equivalent in trading. Excess stocks in the bunk are used for the development of the town.

The cooperative is until now in service but has a different name, a bank and being run by lists of corporate stores within the town.

The Internal Revenue Allotment from the National Government Budget Management Office for Gandara was PHP 28,202,218 as of 2006.

Administrative Boundaries

Governance

Note: * Tie Breaker

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gandara, Samar.

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System