Alegria, Surigao del Norte

Alegria, officially the Municipality of Alegria (Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Alegria; Cebuano: Lungsod sa Alegria; Tagalog: Bayan ng Alegria), is a municipality in the province of Surigao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 16,184 people.^[5]

Alegria
Municipality
Municipality of Alegria
Flag Seal
Map of Surigao del Norte with Alegria highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Alegria Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 9°28′00″N 125°34′36″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Caraga
Province	Surigao del Norte
District	2nd district
Barangays	12 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Dominador G. Esma Jr. (NP)
• Vice Mayor	Rene G. Esma (NP)
• Representative	Bernadette S. Barbers (NP)
• Municipal Council	Members Narciso I. Caliao Jr. (NP) Robert Q. Rafael (NP) Rizaldy A. Esma (NP) Nimfa N. Sagaral (NP) Almasur G. Opalia (NP) Reynaldo Ranay (NP) Estelita Galido (NP) Alexander Micompal (NP)
• Electorate	13,621 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	65.28 km2 (25.20 sq mi)
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Highest elevation	183 m (600 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	17,846
• Density	270/km2 (710/sq mi)
• Households	3,714
Economy
• Income class	5th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	30.53 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 126.3 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 251.9 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 112.7 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 118.3 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative (SURNECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8425
PSGC	1606701000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)86
Native languages	Surigaonon Agusan Cebuano Mamanwa Tagalog
Website	https://lgualegriasdn.gov.ph/

History

Alegria was created by Republic Act No. 5239. It was originally the sitio of Anahaw founded by immigrants from the municipality of Bacuag. Sitio Anahaw was situated near Lake Mainit, and would often be flooded due to heavy rains. During rainy seasons, the local families transferred to a place now called Alegria.

The name Alegria was derived from the Spanish word which means "lively". Its name was given by Judge Sixto Olga who happened to spend a night in the place. The people offered him a party dance. Because their affair was lively he told the people to change the name Anahaw to Alegria.^[6]

Alegria became a barrio in 1927. It was formerly one of the biggest barrios in the municipality of Mainit. The municipality extends from the boundary of Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte, to Pungtod and Dayano that is the boundary of the mother municipality of Mainit.

Geography

Barangays

Alegria is politically subdivided into 12 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Alipao
• Anahaw
• Budlingin
• Camp Eduard (Geotina)
• Ferlda
• Gamuton
• Don Julio Ouano
• Ombong
• Poblacion (Alegria)
• Pongtud
• San Juan
• San Pedro

Climate

Climate data for Alegria, Surigao del Norte
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	27 (81)	27 (81)	28 (82)	29 (84)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	28 (82)	28 (82)	29 (83)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23 (73)	22 (72)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	210 (8.3)	161 (6.3)	123 (4.8)	85 (3.3)	148 (5.8)	186 (7.3)	164 (6.5)	157 (6.2)	141 (5.6)	190 (7.5)	223 (8.8)	200 (7.9)	1,988 (78.3)
Average rainy days	21.0	16.8	18.5	18.2	24.9	27.7	28.4	27.0	26.1	27.6	24.6	22.0	282.8
Source: Meteoblue[7]

Demographics

Population census of Alegria

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1970	5,346	—
1975	6,330	+3.45%
1980	8,129	+5.13%
1990	9,715	+1.80%
1995	11,764	+3.65%
2000	12,923	+2.03%
2007	13,369	+0.47%
2010	14,539	+3.10%
2015	16,011	+1.85%
2020	16,184	+0.23%
2024	17,846	+2.37%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11][12]

The Surigaonon language is the common local language, while Cebuano, Filipino, and English are also spoken.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Alegria

10 20 30 40 50 60 2000 52.41 2003 59.16 2006 47.60 2009 57.15 2012 38.25 2015 36.19 2018 37.37 2021 30.53 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Transport

Railway station (proposed)

There are plans for a Mindanao railway network with a railway station in Alegria which would be an intermediate station on a branch line between Surigao and Davao^[21]

Education

The following are schools in the center of Alegria:

• Alegria Central Elementary School^[22]
• Alegria National High School^[23][24]
• Global Competency Based Training Center^[25]
• Marajaw na Magbalantay Learning Center
• Alegria Stand Alone Senior High School

See also

• Lake Mainit Development Alliance