Maasin
| Maasin City | ||
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| Component City | ||
| City of Maasin Dakbayan sa Maasin (Cebuano) Lungsod ng Maasin (Tagalog) |
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Aerial view of urban Maasin City
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| Nickname(s): Religious and Miraculous City in the Philippines | ||
 Map of Southern Leyte showing location of Maasin |
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.svg)
 Maasin
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| Coordinates: 10°08′N 124°51′E / 10.133°N 124.850°ECoordinates: 10°08′N 124°51′E / 10.133°N 124.850°E | ||
| Country | Philippines | |
| Region | Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) | |
| Province | Southern Leyte | |
| Congr. district | Lone district of Southern Leyte | |
| Founding | 1770 | |
| Cityhood | August 10, 2000 | |
| Barangays | 70 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Nacional V. Mercado (Lakas-CMD) | |
| • Vice Mayor | Maloney L. Samaco (Lakas-CMD) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 211.71 km2 (81.74 sq mi) | |
| Population (2015 census) | ||
| • Total | 85,560 | |
| • Density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Maasinhon | |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) | |
| ZIP code | 6600 | |
| Dialing code | +63 (0)53 | |
| Income class | 4th city income class | |
| 086407000 | ||
| Electorate | 52,532 voters as of 2016 | |
Maasin, officially the City of Maasin or simply Maasin City, is a 4th class city and capital of the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 85,560 people. It has 70 barangays and located on the western part of the province with land area of 21,171 hectares (52,310 acres).
Maasin City is the commercial and religious center of Southern Leyte and the south-western part of Leyte Island. On August 10, 2000, Maasin was converted into a city. The Diocese of Maasin was founded on August 14, 1968.
The island of Limasawa in Southern Leyte carved a very significant place in Philippine history. In 1521, a Portuguese-born Spanish explorer and navigator, Ferdinand Magellan and his crew came ashore and celebrated the first Roman Catholic Mass on the island. Incidental to the historic event, Magellan made peace with two Filipino rulers, Rajah Kolambu and Rajah Siani who subsequently were converted to Christianity. A marker notes the spot on Limasawa where their blood compact of friendship and alliance was sealed.
Southern Leyte, for centuries, was actually an integral part of the island of Leyte. During the Spanish period, the region was sparsely populated. Continued Moro slave raiding discouraged the establishment and stabilization of other large towns. In the 19th century, immigration from the provinces of Cebu and Bohol increased the population of the region and opened the land towards farming.
One of the oldest towns in Southern Leyte is Maasin, nowadays called Maasin City. Little is known about its pre-Spanish existence. When the Spanish missionaries became active in their missions, they discovered that the Maasin community was already organized, with its people friendly and interested in embracing the Catholic faith. The community was formally established as a parish by the missionaries of the Society of Jesus in the 1700s and was called "nipa". This was authenticated by a piece of stone from a long destroyed convent that bears the inscription: "Pa. De Tagnipa - año 1776."
The renaming of the town of Maasin is related to the incident when some Spaniards, who needed drinking water, scanned the shorelines and found Canturing River. They asked the natives in Castillan Spanish while gesturing towards the river, "Que pueblo es este?" Without hesitation, the natives answered "Maasin" (meaning salty), thinking that the Spaniards were asking them how the water tasted. From that time on, the place has been called Maasin.
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Wikipedia