Dagami
Dagami, officially the Municipality of Dagami, is a municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 36,178 people.
Waray-Waray is the language spoken by the residents called Dagamin-on.
It is classified as a third class municipality and mere dependent on agriculture such as coconut, rice and corn farming. The employment rate is 63% of the total population workforce in the municipality. Its total land area of 161.5 square kilometers, equivalent to 16,165 hectares. More than half of its plains on the eastern side is cultivated for rice and corn farming while the western side is planted with coconut trees. Coconut production is a major source of income.Tubâ and copra - the white raw material from the coconut where coconut oil is extracted.
The town of Dagami is famous for its local delicacies called binagól, and morón and sagmani.
The town of Dagami, Leyte celebrates its feast every 27 May, to honor the town's patron, Saint Joseph. They also celebrate this along with their festival, the Dinagamihan Festival
Etymology
When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Leyte in 1521, trade mostly took place in the villages bordering the sea, where Dagilan was located. Locals indicate the name "Dagami" first arose during a confrontation between a group of Spaniards and a group of farmers during the Spanish colonial period:History
According to legend, the island of Leyte was once divided into kingdoms or sultanates:In 1478, two hundred years after the three sultanates unite into one kingdom, changes took place. Its capital, Dagilan, increased in population. The culture and social life of the kingdom further evolved with the entry of the Chinese and the Hindus. The people engaged in trade both with Asia and Europe.
When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Leyte in 1521, trade mostly took place in the villages bordering the sea, where Dagilan was located.
From 1902 to 1907 the Pulahanes challenged the American authorities in Leyte, led by Faustino Ablen, an illiterate peasant who assumed the title of pope. Ablen claimed to have supernatural powers and sold anting-anting that would render one invisible to the enemy and holy oil that could cure any ailment. In some battles, the Pulahanes managed to deploy five hundred to one thousand men. The government was so alarmed that it offered a 2000 peso reward for Papa Faustino, dead or alive. US Major General Leonard Wood sent four battalions of the US Army to Leyte to crush the rebellion. On June 11, 1907, a detachment of Philippine Scouts chanced upon four Pulahan fighters and opened fire. Three men escaped, but one was captured. He was Papa Faustino. With his capture, the rebellion in Leyte came to an end.
During the second World War, Dagami became one of the major battlegrounds between American and Japanese forces. Its mountain ranges served as cover for the Japanese between their base in Ormoc City as the American forces were advancing during liberation. Hilabago became a major Japanese army base. The U.S. military built an access road to the upland mountain but with traces still visible today.
Division into new towns
Dagami became the provincial capital of Leyte when the administration transferred to the interior lands after Dulag was ransacked and burned down by the Moro pirates which were constantly pillaging coastal towns and villages on Philippine islands. Around this time, the capital of the Spanish colonial government was still in Cebu.Clerico-military was the existing type of government that the Spaniards had imposed during the early period of colonization in the Philippines, with the church providing leadership among local people while the military providing the security aspects on securing the islands.
When the Jesuits mission first landed in the Philippines, they were assigned to evangelize the island of Leyte and Samar and were allowed to establish their first rectory in Dagami.
As early as 1613, the Jesuits mission established its rectory in what is now the Saint Joseph complex beside the municipal hall complex. This made the town a cabicera or the equivalent of provincial capital since around that period Palo and Tacloban were not existing yet.
When the Jesuits were expelled in all dominions of the Spanish crown including the Philippines, the Augustinian mission which succeeded them transferred and established their mission in Palo and declared it as a town in 1768.
In 1783, Burauen was carved out from the barrios of Dagami to become a separate town. Burauen used to be a missionary church under the diocese of Dagami.
In 1883, the town of Pastrana was carved out from the barrios of Dagami. Years later, it reverted as part of Dagami in 1893 until it was finally settled as a separate municipality in 1912.
In 1953, barangay Tabontabon together with other barangays of Dagami and Tanauan, were incorporated to constitute a new town of Tabontabon.
In 1957, the barrios of Capahu-an and Guingawan were transferred to the newly founded town of Tabontabon, which used to be a barangay of Dagami.
Geography
Dagami is bounded by Binahaan River across the municipality of Jaro on the northwest and the municipality of Pastrana, on the northeast. The municipality of Palo borders in the east while the municipality of Tanauan borders on the southeast. It is bounded in the south by the municipality of Tabontabon.In the west, it borders with the municipality of
Burauen and
Albuera.
Over the mountain range on Dagami's western upland part, it borders with Ormoc City on the northwest.
The town is located from the provincial capital, Tacloban City.
Climate
Barangays
Dagami is politically subdivided into 65 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.- Abaca
- Abre
- Balilit
- Balugo
- Banayon
- Bayabas
- Bolirao
- Buenavista
- Buntay
- Caanislagan
- Cabariwan
- Cabuloran
- Cabunga-an
- Calipayan
- Calsadahay
- Caluctogan
- Calutan
- Camono-an
- Candagara
- Canlingga
- Cansamada East
- Cansamada West
- Capulhan
- Digahongan
- Guinarona
- Hiabangan
- Hilabago
- Hinabuyan
- Hinologan
- Hitumnog
- Katipunan
- Lapu-lapu Pob.
- Lobe-lobe
- Lobe-lobe East
- Los Martires
- Lusad Pob.
- Macaalang
- Maliwaliw
- Maragongdong
- Ormocay
- Palacio
- Panda
- Paraiso
- Patoc
- Plaridel
- Poponton
- Rizal
- Salvacion
- Sampaguita
- Sampao East Pob.
- Sampao West Pob.
- San Antonio Pob.
- San Benito
- San Jose Pob.
- San Roque Pob.
- Santa Mesa Pob.
- Santo Domingo
- Sawahon
- Sirab
- Tagkip
- Talinhugon
- Tin-ao
- Tunga Pob.
- Tuya
- Victoria
Demographics
The people of Dagami speak Waray, a native language of Leyte and Samar. Waray is closely related to other Visayan languages particularly Hiligaynon and to a lesser extent Cebuano which is spoken by people of greater geographic proximity mainly in western municipalities of Leyte and of entire Southern Leyte.
Economy
Rice and coconut production is the primary economic source of income for the townsfolk. Aside from farming, food processing is another source of income for the town of Dagami. Recently, an upsurge in labor export have contributed to remittances of income from abroad. Commercial businesses are limited to retailing while trading activities are limited to rice and copra trading.Despite popularity of its indigenous food product - the Binagol, Dagami has yet to maximize its economic potentials, such as creation of labor during its production line, income to be generated from sales, and revenue for the local government in terms of income taxes.
Chief economic products of the municipality are the following:
- Copra - Production of copra - a by-product of coconut tree fruit is the main industry of the townfolks. The growth of local economy is highly dependent on copra production due to price fluctuation in the market of its by-products such as oil, dissicated coconuts, and other raw materials made from leaves, bark, and the coconut fruit itself.
- Rice - Rice farming is the second source of livelihood for the people of Dagami. Almost half of the land area is planted with different variety of rice stocks. It is likewise the second most traded product in the town next to copra.
- Binagol - The town of Dagami is known for its local delicacy, the "Binagol" - a sweet, glutinous mixture of cassava, legume crop and other ingredients cooked with filling made of sugar, coconut and milk placed in a coconut shell or "bagul" and wrapped with banana leaves. Dagami also has other local delicacies such as "Sagmani", and "Moron". The "binagol" is sold in the city market primarily in Tacloban City while some reach the international markets.
- Tuba - Tuba is a well-known drink to Leyteños. Aside from copra production, the gathering of this product from coconut sap is another source of livelihood for Dagami-ons. "Tuba" is then traded in the market by local entrepreneurs but often sold directly by the gatherers.
Finance
| Fiscal year | Amount of I.R.A. |
| 2003 | 28,766,859 |
| 2004 | 28,750,702 |
| 2005 | 28,745,616 |
| 2006 | 34,028,285 |
| 2007 | 37,554,040 |
| 2008 | 42,031,499 |
| 2009 | 49,212,979 |
| 2010 | 54,888,115 |
| 2011 | 59,682,268 |
| 2012 | 57,732,620 |
| 2013 | data unavailable |
| 2014 | 71,524,283 |
| 2015 | 82,221,650 |
| 2016 | 89,989,649 |
| 2017 | data unavailable |
| 2018 | data unavailable |