Borongan, officially the City of Borongan (Waray: Siyudad han Borongan; Filipino: Lungsod ng Borongan), is a component city and capital of the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 71,431 people.
It is the most populous LGU in Eastern Samar and it is also nicknamed as the "City of the Golden Sunrise/Sunshine" and aspiring to be the "King City of the East". Its cityhood was settled by the Supreme Court of the Philippines when it decided with finality on April 12, 2007, the constitutionality of its city charter, Republic Act 9394, which conferred upon and elevated the status of the municipality of Borongan into a component city of the province of Eastern Samar.
Etymology
Pronounced bo-róng-gan, the name Borongan was taken from the local word "borong", which in the Waray-Waray language means "fog". The mountainous terrains surrounding Borongan is covered by a heavy veil of fog which can usually be seen during the cold and raining seasons and in the early hours of the morning. Because of this characteristic, the pre-Hispanic natives attributed the name borongan to the place, which was then a fragmented commune of households.
History
Pre-Hispanic period
Boronganons were known to be fierce fighters according to William Henry Scott, who stated that, "There was an Indio of gigantic stature called Pusong, a native of the town of Magtaon in the interior of the island of Samar and lbabao, who used to make frequent invasions of the towns of Calbiga and Libunao which are on the Samar side, but not so much around Borongan because those on that coast were much more feared."
Its development into a town, and eventually into a city, is traced back to the early 1600 out of the scattered hamlets located on the banks of the adjacent Guiborongani (Borongan or Sabang) River and Lo-om River. Guiborongani was the larger settlement and was later on called Borongan because of the heavy fog that usually covered the place. The people inhabiting the eastern coast of Samar were originally called "Ibabao" during the pre-Spanish period.
As early as 1595, or 74 years after Ferdinand Magellan's landing in Homonhon (now an island barangay of Guiuan, Eastern Samar) Spanish Jesuit missionary priests from mission centers in Leyte began to evangelize the southern portion of the island of Samar. The first evangelical mission was established in Tinago, Western Samar and gradually expanded to Catubig. In 1614 Palapag was selected as the mission center of the Ibabao region or the north-eastern coast of the island; from this mission center in turn was the eastern coast of Samar subsequently evangelized. The missionaries proselytized to the inhabitants in the faith, raised stone churches, and protected the people from the Muslim predatory/piratical raids from the south. This is probably the reason why the town itself was established some distance away from the shoreline and built on a hill overlooking the northern banks of the Lo-om River.
In fact, the old Catholic church convent has its own self-contained water supply: a deep dugout well lined with big blocks of ancient hewn stones located underneath the convent building itself. The major settlements then were Borongan, Bacod/Jubasan/Paric (now Dolores), Tubig (Taft), Sulat, Libas/Nonoc (now San Julian), Butag (now Guiuan) and Balangiga.
The development of Borongan was greatly influenced by the religious missions of the Jesuits during the period 1604–1768, and the Franciscans from 1768 to 1868. Borongan was established as a pueblo on September 8, 1619. On this date, the Commandancia and the Very Rev. Father Superior of the Jesuits from Palapag, a town in Northern Samar, went to Ibabao to install the first priest of Borongan, Fr. Manuel Martinez, who served up to 1627.
American occupation
At the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in 1898, Borongan was the site of an uprising led by the Pulahanes. The first public municipal officials were Sr. Magno Abenis, President, and Sr. Andres Hipe, vice-president, who held office from 1899 to 1903. After the Japanese occupation in 1941–1945, the town was henceforth led by a mayor and a vice mayor. Hilarion Basada and Ignacio Brozas were the first mayor and vice mayor, respectively, from 1945 to 1947.
Borongan was legally constituted as a provincial capital when Eastern Samar was created as a separate province under Republic Act No. 4221, which was enacted on June 19, 1965. The law dividing the original province of Samar was later ratified through a plebiscite held on November 9, 1965. Borongan's first municipal mayor as the capital town of Eastern Samar was Luis Capito.
Cityhood
On June 21, 2007, Borongan became the first city in Eastern Samar. However, it subsequently lost its cityhood, along with 15 other cities, after the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines, and declared the cityhood law (RA 9394) which granted the town its city status, unconstitutional. The said 16 cities, the court ruled, did not meet the requirements for cityhood.
On December 22, 2009, the cityhood law of Borongan and 15 other municipalities regain its status as cities again after the Supreme Court reversed its ruling on November 18, 2008. On August 23, 2010, the court reinstated its ruling on November 18, 2008, causing Borongan and 15 cities to become regular municipalities. Finally, on February 15, 2011, Borongan becomes a city again including the 15 municipalities declaring that the conversion to cityhood met all legal requirements.
After six years of legal battle, in its board resolution, the League of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Borongan and 15 other cities.
Geography
The City of Borongan is located along the middle coastal part of the province of Eastern Samar. The city center itself is situated along the northern banks of the Lo-om River and is set back a little distance away from the shoreline of Borongan Bay. The province itself comprises a part of the Eastern Visayas region (Region VIII) of the Republic of the Philippines.
The city is bounded on the north by the municipality of San Julian, in the south by the municipality of Maydolong, in the west by the Samar municipalities of Hinabangan, Calbiga, Pinabacdao and Basey, and in the east by the Pacific Ocean. The city's territory include the islands of Ando, Monbon, and Divinubo in Borongan Bay.
Barangays
Borongan is politically subdivided into 61 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
- Alang-alang
- Amantacop
- Ando
- Balacdas
- Balud
- Banuyo
- Baras
- Bato
- Bayobay
- Benowangan
- Bugas
- Cabalagnan
- Cabong
- Cagbonga
- Calico-an
- Calingatngan
- Campesao
- Can-abong
- Can-aga
- Camada
- Canjaway
- Canlaray
- Canyopay
- Divinubo
- Hebacong
- Hindang
- Lalawigan
- Libuton
- Locsoon
- Maybacong
- Maypangdan
- Pepelitan
- Pinanag-an
- Purok A (Poblacion)
- Purok B (Poblacion)
- Purok C (Poblacion)
- Purok D1 (Poblacion)
- Purok D2 (Poblacion)
- Purok E (Poblacion)
- Purok F (Poblacion)
- Purok G (Poblacion)
- Purok H (Poblacion)
- Punta Maria/Gintagikan/Point Mary
- Sabang North
- Sabang South
- San Andres
- San Gabriel
- San Gregorio
- San Jose
- San Mateo
- San Pablo
- San Saturnino
- Santa Fe
- Siha
- Songco
- Sohutan
- Suribao
- Surok
- Taboc
- Tabunan
- Tamoso
Demographics
According to the 2007 census conducted by the CBMS, Borongan had a total population of 59,354 people in 10,699 households. This rose to 64,457 people in the 2010 census. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 71,961.
The local dialect is Waray-Waray and some locals are able to speak and understand Cebuano with varying fluency, locals are literate in both English and Filipino. Boronganons are predominantly Roman Catholic, but it also has other small Christian as well as minority religious sects.
Economy
Poverty incidence of Borongan (%)
10
20
30
40
2000 27.58
2003 20.87
2006 26.40
2009 37.64
2012 25.96
2015 32.25
2018 37.42
2021 26.51
2023 25.94
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
Livelihood
Borongan's main product is copra. It has lively commercial activity throughout the year not only catering to the needs of the local city populace but serving as well as the central business hub of the entire province of Eastern Samar. Many families rely on coastal and deep-sea fishing as well as lowland and upland farming as means of livelihood. Others have spouses, children, parents or other relatives working in Manila or in other places within the Philippines or abroad either as professionals, contract workers or domestic helpers who regularly remit part of their earnings to their families back home. The single biggest employer of its local populace is the government.
Commercial activity
Borongan has a wet market located a little upstream and beside the northern bank of the Lo-om River in the Puray district of Barangay H (Tarusan) selling the usual foodstuffs like rice & corn grains, dried & fresh fish (either caught locally or brought in frozen from Catbalogan or Guiuan as well as other nearby towns), pork, beef, chicken, carabeef, preserved meats, vegetables, fruits, condiments & spices, rootcrops, native cakes and the like. The place also sells locally made and beautiful native basketware.
In 2005, the municipality (then) saw the opening of the largest and only Mall in Eastern Samar, the Uptown Mall which opened in 2005 for business operations and is located along the national highway in Barangay Songco at the northern fringe of the city. Appliance stores, mini-groceries and 'sari-sari' stores also abound throughout the length and breadth of the city selling items ranging from basic necessities to supplies for recreational and entertainment activities.
There are several hardware stores that also operate catering to the needs of the city's construction industry. The city has numerous restaurants and eateries offering local cuisine randomly located throughout the city limits while nightspots can be found mostly along the length of Baybay Boulevard at the eastern edge of the city immediately abutting the shoreline of Borongan Bay. Major and new oil companies have their own oil refueling stations within the city limits selling engine lubricants, kerosene as well as regular, unleaded and premium gasoline and diesel fuels.
Now, Borongan boasts several large establishments that opened throughout the years. These include several department stores and another Mall that opened in 2017. Most of these establishments are located within the city proper.
Tourism
Borongan's virginal forests contain streams, river rapids, waterfalls and caves that are popular with locals and tourists for recreation.
There is said to be a hidden cave in one of the offshore islands of Borongan Bay containing the long-boned remains and antique artifacts (i.e. necklaces, porcelain, etc.) of apparently ancient people. Local people protect the caves from the curious and from the occasional vandal/looter, believing that allowing such remains and artifacts to be disturbed or taken away will bring misfortune.
Festivals
The City celebrates its annual Fiesta celebration in honor of its Patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Albeit the actual Feast day is on September 8, the celebration is usually a month long as each Barangay will hold its own "Barangay Night" where barangays would have a barangay-wide party through programs held in their respective Barangay Plazas. At the same time, schools would also have their annual reunions and respective "School Night". The series of celebrations is in anticipation of the actual Feast day.
Surfing and skimboarding
Being part of Eastern Samar, the surfing capital of the Visayas, Borongan is blessed with several surfing spots. More often than not, these spots are uncrowded, easily making it a surfer's paradise. The city's waves are at their best during the Amihan (Northeast Monsoon) season which runs from November to April.
Among the numerous surf sites in the city, the following are considered to be the top pick for surfers and tourists: