Giporlos

Giporlos (IPA: [ˌhiˈporlɔs]), officially the Municipality of Giporlos (Waray: Bungto han Giporlos; Tagalog: Bayan ng Giporlos), is a municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 13,117 people.^[5]

Giporlos
Municipality
Municipality of Giporlos
Flag
Etymology: Waray-waray podlos, 'to slip from capture'
Map of Eastern Samar with Giporlos highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Giporlos Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°07′15″N 125°26′58″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Eastern Visayas
Province	Eastern Samar
District	Lone district
Barangays	18 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Gilbert I. Go
• Vice Mayor	Licelle N. Biong
• Representative	Maria Fe R. Abunda
• Councilors	List • Hyacinth B. Go • Roberto P. Fabillar • Rosalinda P. Llavado • Elisa R. Mestiola • Marvin C. Gonzales • Inigo F. Balagasay • Ernesto P. Elecho • Lilia S. Longatang DILG Masterlist of Officials
• Electorate	10,630 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	97.51 km2 (37.65 sq mi)
Elevation	57 m (187 ft)
Highest elevation	338 m (1,109 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	12,974
• Density	130/km2 (340/sq mi)
• Households	3,167
Economy
• Income class	5th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	41.71 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 136.2 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 374 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 90.72 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 41.86 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative (ESAMELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6811
PSGC	0802608000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)55
Native languages	Waray Tagalog
Website	www.giporlos-esamar.gov.ph

Formerly, Giporlos was a barangay of the municipality of Balangiga, named San Bernardino.

Etymology

The name of the municipality was taken from the Waray-waray word Hi Podlos ('the sly one'), the nickname given to a woman who was nearly kidnapped by marauding "Moros" (Muslims). A folk story in the town tells of two women who went to a coastal area called "Rawis" to gather seashells only to be confronted by Moro men. One of the women, who was quite observant to her surroundings, was able to escape with haste. The other woman, who was already being dragged by the Moros to their vinta, squirmed her way out of their clutches like an eel (Waray: podlos, 'to slip from capture'), leaving them clutching her skirt while she fled triumphantly, earning the name Hi Podlos. It is said that this name was changed to Hi Porlos to name the place or the whole area of settlement and was modified further by the Spaniards into its current spelling: Giporlos.^[6]

Barangays

Giporlos is politically subdivided into 18 barangays. ^[7] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Barangay 1 (Poblacion)
• Barangay 2 (Poblacion)
• Barangay 3 (Poblacion)
• Barangay 4 (Poblacion)
• Barangay 5 (Poblacion)
• Barangay 6 (Poblacion)
• Barangay 7 (Poblacion)
• Barangay 8 (Poblacion)
• Biga
• Coticot
• Gigoso
• Huknan
• Parina
• Paya
• President Roxas
• San Miguel
• Santa Cruz (Cansingkol)
• San Isidro (Malabag)

Demographics

Population census of Giporlos

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1960	10,043	—
1970	8,773	−1.34%
1975	10,015	+2.69%
1980	10,128	+0.22%
1990	11,001	+0.83%
1995	10,050	−1.68%
2000	10,218	+0.36%
2007	11,286	+1.38%
2010	12,040	+2.38%
2015	13,308	+1.93%
2020	13,117	−0.30%
2024	12,974	−0.26%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11][12]

The population of Giporlos in the 2020 census was 13,117 people,^[13] with a density of 130 inhabitants per square kilometre or 340 inhabitants per square mile.

Climate

Climate data for Giporlos, Eastern Samar
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	28 (82)	28 (82)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	28 (82)	29 (84)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	90 (3.5)	67 (2.6)	82 (3.2)	70 (2.8)	97 (3.8)	145 (5.7)	152 (6.0)	127 (5.0)	132 (5.2)	152 (6.0)	169 (6.7)	144 (5.7)	1,427 (56.2)
Average rainy days	17.0	13.5	16.0	16.5	20.6	24.3	26.0	25.4	25.2	26.4	23.0	21.1	255
Source: Meteoblue[14]

Economy

Poverty incidence of Giporlos

10 20 30 40 50 60 2000 53.33 2003 29.67 2006 44.30 2009 44.90 2012 48.10 2015 43.17 2018 51.55 2021 41.71 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]