Calbiga, Samar
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Calbiga Calviva |
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The Majestic Falls of Lulugayan,in Calbiga.
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 Map of Samar with Calbiga highlighted |
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.svg)
 Calbiga
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| Coordinates: 11°38′N 125°01′E / 11.633°N 125.017°ECoordinates: 11°38′N 125°01′E / 11.633°N 125.017°E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) |
| Province | Samar |
| District | 2nd district of Samar |
| Barangays | 41 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | David "Bongol" Bacsal |
| Area | |
| • Total | 283.70 km2 (109.54 sq mi) |
| Population (2015 census) | |
| • Total | 22,982 |
| • Density | 81/km2 (210/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) |
| ZIP code | 6715 |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)55 |
| Income class | 4th municipal income class |
| 086004000 | |
| Electorate | 15,080 voters as of 2016 |
| Website | elgu |
Calbiga is a 4th class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 22,982 people.
Calbiga is politically subdivided into 41 barangays.
In 1649, Calbiga was an annex or visita of Catbalogan; later in 1768, Calbiga was transferred to the jurisdiction of Umauas. All through Jesuit times, Calbiga remained a visita until 1772, when it had its first residential pastor, the Franciscan Fray Miguel Rico (de Jesus), O.F.M.. Calbiga was constituted as a separate unit under the advocacy of the Anuncacion.
In 1803, Fray Juan Caballero de Brozas, O.F.M. built a wooden church but in 1808, a typhoon destroyed this church and was rebuilt by the same Fray Brozas. By 1840, Brozas's second church was in bad state.
In 1853, Fray Francisco Moreno de Montalbanejo. O.F.M. had gathered enough material for a stone church. However, Redondo (1884, 217) that the church was wood roofed with thatch.
The Jesuits left no permanent architectural imprint in the town.
The present barrio "Binongto-an (meaning, "once a town) was the original Calbiga settlement. Legend - as recorded by Atty. Singzon - has it that the people of Calbiga originated from two brothers, Calpis and Bituan. Bituan established a village near the mouth of the river while Calpis stayed upstream the exact location of the town today. The descendants of Bituan later abandoned the coastal village to join the descendants of Calpis.
The Evangelization of Calbiga
When the Jesuits established missions in the island of Samar in 1696, Calbiga was served as a visita by the Jesuit resident mission in Umauas. In 1768, the Franciscans took over the administration of Samar and. Soon after, in 1771, Calbiga was established as a parish appointing Fray Miguel Rico (de Jesus), O.F.M. as the first cura paroco. For lack of missionaries. Umauas was joined to Calbiga until separated by a decree on March 12, 1863, giving Umauas its present name, Villa-Real.
The Original Patrona
Calbiga was then under the patronage of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles (Our Lady, Queen of the Angels) and the town’s special feast day was celebrated on August 2 even at the original settlement, Binongtoan, at the mouth of the Calbiga River. The transfer of the seacoast villagers to the upper part of the river, based on legend, was related to the miracles of the Virgin. Here’s a Portion of the report submitted to the Historical Commission by the Alcalde Mayor Perfecto Hacbang in 1938: “We also have a sample of unexplained happenings as follows: at the time when the town was still in the place of Binongto-an, the patron saint, then Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, would disappear from its site and was always found afterwards in the place where the town is located today. It was one of the main reasons why the people moved to this town.” This story was corroborated by historian-writer Atty. Filomeno Singzon in his article La Historia de la Virgen de la Anuncacion. The original wooden image of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles had a special niche beside the altar even after the antique church was demolished and replaced by concrete structure in the mid-Sixties, but during the finishing touches of its interiors, the “miraculous” image, together with some precious relics, the other santos, the silver candelabra, the other intricate wood carvings and the other “antiques” disappeared, never to be seen again.
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