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Libagon
Municipality in Southern Leyte, Philippines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Libagon (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Libagon; Tagalog: Bayan ng Libagon) is a Municipality of Libagon in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, the population is 15,244 people.[5] It is home to the province's frontier mountain, Mount Patag Daku.[6]
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Every 16 July and 8 December, Libagon celebrates two separate town fiestas: the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,[7] and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.[8]
The main sources of income for the residents of Libagon are copra, abacá, agriculture, and fishing.
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Etymology
Libagon's name is derived from the Cebuano language, libaong, which means 'small depression of the ground'. Spanish authorities mistakenly recorded this as the area's name, and since then, the area has been known as Libagon.[6]
History
Archaeological and oral histories indicate that Libagon was settled by migrants from Bohol in the late eighteenth century. In 1771, seventeen Boholano families established the visita of Libagon under the jurisdiction of Sogod.[9]
Libagon was formally recognised as a barrio of Sogod in 1850.[10] In March 1870, Governor Don Gabriel Ydjao transferred the town centre (poblacion) to Libagon and briefly renamed it Sogod Nuevo, before the parish seat returned to Sogod in 1924.[11]
During Gobernadorcillo Luis Espina’s term (1891–1893), the sitio of Maak was incorporated into the Consolacion barrio, and Libagon remained under Hipgasan visita.[12] In 1885, Gobernadorcillo Nicolas Idjao reinstated Libagon as Sogod Nuevo and Sogod as Sogod Viejo; subsequent municipal centre relocations occurred until 1912.[13]
On 16 October 1913, Libagon and Sogod were separated into independent municipalities, with Libagon comprising fourteen barrios under Presidente Municipal Mariano L. Espina.[13]
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Geography
Barangays
Libagon is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.[14] Each barangay consists of puroks, and some have sitios.
- Biasong
- Bogasong
- Cawayan
- Gakat
- Jubas (Poblacion)
- Magkasag
- Mayuga
- Nahaong
- Nahulid
- Otikon
- Pangi
- Punta
- Talisay (Poblacion)
- Tigbao
Climate
Demographics
Language
The Cebuano language and Boholano dialect (Binol-anon) are commonly spoken in Libagon, with slight linguistic variations in form, meaning, or context. The Filipino language (or Tagalog) and English are taught in elementary and high school.
Religion
Libagonons (or Libagonians) are predominantly Roman Catholic.
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Economy
Poverty incidence of Libagon
10
20
30
40
50
2000
39.72 2003
33.43 2006
30.30 2009
42.09 2012
40.90 2015
42.24 2018
28.12 2021
26.31 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] |
Culture
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Feasts
Libagon celebrates its annual fiesta on 8 December in honor of the Immaculate Conception, the town's patron saint and patroness of the Philippines.[28] Local barangay feasts and Catholic holy days are observed throughout the year.
The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on 16 July, followed by the traditional Pangilis ceremony on 17 July.[29] The Pangilis (from the Visayan "ilis," meaning "change") begins at dawn with a bugle call known locally as "dayana" (from Spanish "diana," meaning reveille). The ceremony transfers the custody of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue from the outgoing hermano or hermana mayor to their successor for the following year's feast.[30]
The celebration includes a street procession, traditional dancing, and the selection of annual "King and Queen" figures. Both December and July feasts feature decorated caro (carriages) bearing religious images, with floral arrangements adorning the carriages and church altar.[31]
The Parish of the Immaculate Conception
The original parish church and convent in Libagon were timber structures built by volunteer labour under the bayanihan tradition. Local hardwoods—including narra (Pterocarpus indicus), molave (Vitex parviflora), and white lauan (Shorea contorta)—were felled, hauled by rope, and hewn into beams and posts.[32] Foundations comprised crushed stone and sand, with egg-white and lime mortar reinforcing the timber columns. Roof tiles were imported from Barcelona, Spain, and the belfry housed three cast bells audible across Sogod Bay.[33]
The wooden church survived earthquakes, typhoons, and wartime fires until it was destroyed by Japanese forces in World War II. It was subsequently rebuilt in a reduced-scale design, reusing salvageable materials where possible.[33]
Padre Don Tomás Logroño of Inabanga, Bohol, served as the first parish priest from June 1870 to April 1882, overseeing the church's early construction and furnishing.[33]
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Government
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List of former chief executives
During the early years of the Spanish regime, the town's leader was addressed as the "Capitan", similar to "Alcalde Municipal" or "Presidente Municipal", and is currently addressed as "Municipal Mayor". The recorded succession of leaders in Libagon from Spanish to American regimes to the Postwar period (Philippine Independence) from 1946–1965 is as follows:[34]
- Capitan Domingo Espina
- Capitan Pedro Espina
- Capitan Felix Espina
- Capitan Estanislao Decenteceo
- 1870: Gobernadorcillo Don Gabriel Ydjao
- 1885-Gobernadorcillo Don Nicolas Idjao
- 1889-1891: Gobernadorcillo-Don Cepriano Lebiste (Tomas Jabonillo)
- 1913-1916: Presidente Municipal Mariano L. Espina
- 1917-1920: Presidente Municipal Macario Logroňo
- 1921-1928: Presidente Municipal Mariano L. Espina
- 1929-1931: Presidente Municipal Fabio Bayon
- 1931-1932: Presidente Municipal Isidro Pajuyo
- 1933-1940: Municipal Mayor Rito Monte de Ramos
- 1941-1944: Municipal Mayor Gregorio E. Edillo
- 1944-1945: Municipal Mayor Francisco E. Espina
- 1945-1946: Municipal Mayor Gregorio E. Edillo
- 1946-1947: Municipal Mayor Joaquin Siega
- 1948-1951: Municipal Mayor Francisco E. Espina
- 1952-1955: Municipal Mayor Agustin E. Espina
- 1956-1959: Municipal Mayor Mario E. Espina
- 1960-1963: Municipal Mayor Rito Monte de Ramos
- 1964-1967: Municipal Mayor Mario E. Espina
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1942–1945), Petronilo "Liloy" Ebarle was appointed as the Municipal Mayor from 1942 to 1944. However, the guerrillas alluded to him as a "puppet mayor". Though Mayor Ebarle held the Japanese-appointed position, Mayor Gregorio E. Edillo continued to be the official leader under the authority of the Philippine Commonwealth with the United States. On the other hand, the people also recognized the command of the guerrilla forces of Leyte or the Leyte Area Command under Colonel Ruperto Kangleon, and supported the supervision of the Volunteer Guards at the town level. There were only two leaders of the Volunteer Guards in Libagon; the first was Lieutenant Francisco Barros, followed by Francisco "Dodo" Espina.[35]
The only Libagonian officials of the Leyte Area Command (LAC) were Lieutenant Catalino "Nongnong" E. Soledad, Lieutenant Feliciano "Lily" A. Espina, and Lieutenant Marcelo "Celing" E. Espina, who were also officers of USAFFE (U.S. Army Forces in the Far East). These three Libagonians fought in the Battle of Bataan, which represented the most intense phase of Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. Marcelino Espina did not return to his hometown; his body was left on the battlefield of Bataan. He was the younger brother of Francisco "Dodo" Espina, who became the town's mayor for two terms. Like Celing, many guerrillas from Libagon died during the war. A memorial stone (Ang Bato sa Paghandum) was built in memory of these men of Libagon. Their names were engraved on granite to honor their lives and monumentalize their memory and courageous deeds.[36] The memorial stone now stands in the midst of Libagon Rizal Park.
The Contemporary period includes the final years of the Third Republic (1965–72) and the entirety of the Fourth Republic (1972–86) to the succeeding years following the 1986 People Power Revolution.
- 1968-1979: Municipal Mayor Salvador M. Resma
- 1979-1986: Municipal Mayor Domingo P. Espina
- 1986-1992: Municipal Mayor Rogato J. Paitan
- 1992-2001: Municipal Mayor Domingo P. Espina
- 2001-2010: Municipal Mayor Rizalina Espina née Bañez (formerly a.k.a. Inday S. Bañez)
- 2010-2019: Municipal Mayor Oliver E. Ranque
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Tourism
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Libagon offers several natural and cultural attractions backed by official sources.
Patag Daku Rainforest
Patag Daku ("big plain") is a 500-hectare rainforest on the slopes above Libagon town. Guided treks traverse dense vegetation over approximately six hours, connecting to Pacific coastal vistas.[37]
Hindag-an Falls
Hindag-an Falls, located 1 kilometer from the St. Bernard town center, features a series of cascades with visitor pools ranging from 0.6 to 4.5 meters in depth.[38]
Pangi Black Sand Beach
Pangi Beach contains fine black sand of volcanic origin. Its formation likely relates to historic lava-sea interactions, though no active volcano exists nearby.[39]
Biasong Springs
Biasong Springs in Barangay Biasong supplies clear spring water to a concrete-lined pool used for local recreation.[40]
Peter's Mound
Peter's Mound is an offshore coral pinnacle 200 m from Otikon shores, noted for diverse reef fish and depths from 10 m to over 40 m.[41]
Municipal Town Hall
The century-old Spanish-style municipal hall, located in Libagon's plaza, is listed among Southern Leyte's heritage buildings.[42]
Old Seaport and Rizal Park
Ruins of the prewar seaport at Jubas and the adjacent Rizal Park are municipal heritage sites commemorating Libagon's maritime history and national hero José Rizal.[43]
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Education
The Parish Convent and Libagon Academy
The Parish Convent, built adjacent to the town church, survived wartime fires and numerous typhoons and earthquakes.[44] From 1945 to 1949, rooms in the friary housed the municipality's first Catholic secondary school, initially known as Libagon High School, Inc.[45]
The school's curriculum combined the "3 R's" (reading, writing, and arithmetic) with catechism instruction and Spanish language classes. Students are also trained in music for the church choir and town band.[46]
In 1949, following a recommendation by the Bureau of Private Schools, the board renamed the institution Libagon Academy and reconstituted it as the non-profit Libagon Academy Foundation, Inc., directing all proceeds toward campus improvements.[47] The academy remains the only Catholic secondary school in the municipality.[48]
Infrastructure
Transportation
In Sogod, Southern Leyte, single motorcycles known locally as habal-habal provide transport to remote and mountainous villages.[49] Sogod serves as a regional terminus linking Leyte Island with nearby provinces by road.
Scheduled bus, jeepney, and for-hire van services operate from Sogod to Maasin City, Ormoc City, Tacloban City, Bato, Hilongos, Liloan (via Libagon), Hinunangan, and Silago.[50]
The Libagon Highway forms part of the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26), a 3,517 km network of roads, bridges, and ferry links that connects Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. Its northern terminus is in Laoag City, and its southern terminus is in Zamboanga City.[51]
Travel by bus from Libagon to Manila, including a ferry crossing from Northern Samar to Matnog, typically takes about 24 hours.[52]
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References
External links
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