Capul

Capul, officially the Municipality of Capul (Waray: Bungto han Capul; Tagalog: Bayan ng Capul), is an island municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,323 people.^[4]

Capul
Municipality
Municipality of Capul
USS Essex passes Capul Island while passing through the San Bernardino Strait
Flag
Map of Northern Samar with Capul highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Capul Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 12°25′23″N 124°10′55″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas
Province	Northern Samar
District	1st district
Barangays	12 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Teresita S. Bandal
• Vice Mayor	Joselito C. Catucod
• Representative	Paul R. Daza
• Councilors	List • Leonora F. Alfaro • Isidro S. Bandal • Jerome E. Encina • Danilo D. Ampuan • Mark Eric T. Magdaraog • Alfredo P. Castillo • Zeto C. Tan • Clodualdo B. Bayabay DILG Masterlist of Officials
• Electorate	10,333 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	35.56 km2 (13.73 sq mi)
Elevation [3]	73 m (240 ft)
Highest elevation	585 m (1,919 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[4]
• Total	12,323
• Density	350/km2 (900/sq mi)
• Households	2,712
Demonym(s)	Abaknon, Capuleño
Economy
• Income class	5th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	17.91 % (2021)[5]
• Revenue	₱ 97.8 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 207.6 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 79.7 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 22.65 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Northern Samar Electric Cooperative (NORSAMELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6408
PSGC	0804804000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)55
Native languages	Abaknon Waray Tagalog
Website	www.capul-nsamar.gov.ph

The natives of Capul are known as the Abaknon or the Capuleño people. It is the only town in the province of Northern Samar with a distinct language, Inabaknon (also known as Capuleño, Abaknon Sama, or Capul Sinama), instead of Waray, the native language spoken by the locals of Samar island. Inabaknon is unique in it being only distantly related to the languages spoken in the entire Visayas and Luzon regions. Instead, it is classified by linguists as a Sama-Bajaw language.

A lighthouse was built on the island which served as a guidepost for the Acapulco-Manila galleon trade vessels passing through the treacherous waters of San Bernardino Strait. It also served as the capital of the former province of Samar from 1848 to 1852.

Etymology

According to folklore, the name Capul is said to be derived from the word Acapulco, an old trading post in Mexico.^[6]

History

According to oral folk history, the native Abaknon people of the island of Capul were originally from the island of Balabac, off the southern coast of Palawan. They were originally a Sama-Bajau group. In the 1300s, their island was annexed by the Sultanate of Sulu. The people who refused to submit to the Sultanate and convert to Islam fled Balabac under the leadership of a datu named Abak. They sailed northwards until reaching the island of Capul.^[7] Here, they established a settlement which they called Abak. By 1610, Spanish Jesuits arrived in the island and construction of the first church began around this period. The Inabaknon language of the Abaknon people are still classified by linguists as a Sama-Bajaw language, though the Abaknon people have converted to Christianity and have become culturally Visayan due to proximity with Visayan groups.^[8][9]

On June 18, 1966, barrios Mahaba, Maragat, Mongolbongol, Panganoron, Sila, Ternate, and Sang-putan were excised from Capul to form the new municipality of San Vicente.^[10]

Geography

The municipality is contiguous with Capul Island, located at the southern entrance to the San Bernardino Strait.

Barangays

Capul is politically subdivided into 12 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Aguin
• Jubang
• Landusan
• Oson
• Poblacion Barangay 1
• Poblacion Barangay 2
• Poblacion Barangay 3
• Poblacion Barangay 4
• Poblacion Barangay 5
• Sagaosawan
• San Luis
• Sawang

Climate

Climate data for Capul, Northern Samar
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	27 (81)	28 (82)	29 (84)	30 (86)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	28 (82)	29 (84)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	84 (3.3)	59 (2.3)	58 (2.3)	55 (2.2)	93 (3.7)	133 (5.2)	149 (5.9)	125 (4.9)	155 (6.1)	165 (6.5)	140 (5.5)	136 (5.4)	1,352 (53.3)
Average rainy days	18.1	13.6	15.8	16.1	21.7	25.5	26.6	25.1	24.8	25.8	22.7	20.1	255.9
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[11]

Demographics

Population census of Capul

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	3,969	—
1918	4,257	+0.47%
1939	7,488	+2.73%
1948	9,257	+2.38%
1960	10,678	+1.20%
1970	8,648	−2.08%
1975	9,386	+1.66%
1980	10,237	+1.75%
1990	9,510	−0.73%
1995	9,964	+0.88%
2000	10,619	+1.37%
2007	11,289	+0.85%
2010	12,659	+4.26%
2015	12,679	+0.03%
2020	12,323	−0.56%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][14][15]

Economy

Poverty incidence of Capul

10 20 30 40 50 60 2000 46.85 2003 38.11 2006 38.50 2009 41.62 2012 45.23 2015 51.15 2018 37.35 2021 17.91 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Language

Capul has a different language from the rest of Northern Samar and the rest of Eastern Visayas. The native language in the island-municipality is Inabaknon. Inabaknon has been classified by linguists as a Sama-Bajaw language closely related to those found in Mindanao, rather than a Visayan language. Nonetheless, the Capul people can speak and understand the Waray language as it is spoken by the majority of the people in Northern Samar.

Tourism

The Capul Church, the main church-fortification of Capul island and the capital of the central trading route of the historic Manila-Acapulco galleon trade route. The property, along with the entire municipality, is being pushed to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Capul Church and Fortress

The Capul Church, built during the Spanish colonial period, is dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola and is surrounded by a square fort with bulwarks of dissimilar designs.^[24] The church structure was actually the third that was built on the site. The first two structures, made of hard wood and nipa roofs, were razed when Moro pirates plundered the island in 1615 and 1768. In 1781, Fr. Mariano Valero, a Spanish architect-priest led the restoration of the church and built the stonewall fortress similar to that in Intramuros, Manila that would fortify it against Moro attacks.^[25]

Capul Watchtower

Located on a hill near the Capul fort overlooking the town harbor, a stone watchtower was erected to serve as a sentry or warning system and a refuge for indigents during Moro raids.

Bitō Cave

Bitō Cave, also known as Beto Cave, is a popular natural attraction located in Sawang.

Timon-timon Rock

Timon-timon is a rudder-shaped rock formation located near the southern point of the island.

Capul Island Lighthouse