Maasin
Maasin, officially the City of Maasin, is a component city and capital of the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,446 people.
It has 70 barangays and located on the western part of the province with land area of.
Maasin is the largest city, commercial and religious center of Southern Leyte and the south-western part of Leyte Island. On August 10, 2000, Maasin was converted into a city. The Diocese of Maasin was founded on August 14, 1968.
It is known as the birthplace of Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th President of the Philippines.
History
Little is known about Maasin's pre-Spanish existence. When the Spanish missionaries became active in their missions, they discovered that the locals were already organized, with its people interested in embracing the Catholic faith. The community was formally established as a parish by the missionaries of the Society of Jesus in the 1700s and was called "nipa". This was authenticated by a piece of stone from a long destroyed convent that bears the inscription: "Pa. De Tagnipa - año 1776."The naming of the town of Maasin is related to the incident when some Spaniards, who needed drinking water, scanned the shorelines and found Canturing River. They asked the natives in Castillan Spanish while gesturing towards the river, "Que pueblo es este?" Without hesitation, the natives answered "Maasin", mistakenly thinking that the Spaniards were asking them how the water tasted.
During the Spanish period, much of Southern Leyte was sparsely populated. Continued Moro slave raiding discouraged the establishment and stabilization of large towns.
The town grew rapidly in the 1700s after the Jesuit priests built the first church of which ruins still exists today between the two districts of Abgao and Mantahan. The Jesuit administration prevailed from 1700 through 1768. Subsequently, Augustinian fathers took over the parish from 1768 to 1843 during which the towns people, with the guidance of the Spanish ecclesiastical authorities, built the town's second concrete church located approximately one kilometer away from the ruins of the first one. The church stands to this day; although it underwent several repairs and renovations on account of damage wrought by the forces of nature and man-made events. In 1843, Franciscan missionaries took over the parish and managed it until 1896 when they were forced to abandon it due to the revolution. A native clergy took over there after.
A historical proof of this account is a document that depicts a record of "gobernacillos" in this municipality in 1880 through 1894. By virtue of the Maura Code passed by the Cortes Generales, the first chosen local executive was changed from Gobernadorcillo to "Capitan Municipal". The last gobernadorcillo was Alejo Alcantara who served from 1892 to 1894, followed by Capitanes Municipal Julio Raagas and Flaviano Aguilar.
In the 19th century, Maasin evolved and became an organized municipality. It became a busy seaport which maintained trading with nearby islands of Cebu, Bohol, and Mindanao. immigration from those regiond increased the population of the region and opened the land towards farming.
The short-lived Philippine revolution against Spain brought about a change in the local government. During the early part of 1899, General Lukban came to Maasin to install the municipal government under the short-lived Philippine Republic. Even before the fall of the Spaniards to the Americans on August 13, 1898, there had already been established in Maasin a Court of First Instance; the office of "Promoter Fiscal" ; and, the office of "Administrador de Hacienda". With the change of sovereign power, the positions were abolished but the Fiscal's which continued to serve cases from distant towns. However, due to the problems emanating from transportation availability for the Tacloban-Maasin span, and the intricate management of governmental affairs in Tacloban, several prominent leaders on the west coast of Leyte began proposing bills that entail the division of the island of Leyte into two distinct provinces.
In 1919, Representative Ciriaco K. Kangleon presented the first bill but lost in the Senate by one vote.
In 1922, Tomas Oppus renewed the move with presentation of House Bill No. 254 which became Act No. 3117. Unfortunately, the Act did not take effect because it was not proclaimed by the Governor-General.
The arrival of the Americans at the beginning of the 20th century and the suppression of all resistance to the American rule stopped all hopes of Philippine independence. However, the epoch-making announcement of President McKinley that the Philippines was not theirs to exploit but to train in the art of self-government and independence brought about new hope for the Filipinos. True to their word, the Americans instituted in this country their democratic institutions. Maasin was one of the beneficiaries of this enlightened American policy. Schools were established; businesses began to rise and prosper; and Maasin became one of the most progressive towns in Leyte. Maasin was enjoying the blessings of democracy up until World War II.
On June 3, 1942, the Japanese occupied Maasin and immediately instituted Martial Law. The locals realized that their immediate task was to live and escape the abuses, atrocities, and murderous acts of the Japanese soldiers. They took refuge at the mountains and hills where they would be concealed in the forests. Others however, including Colonel Ruperto Kangleon, Alfonso Cobile, fought the Japanese invaders making the Leyte guerillas one of the most valiant within the filipino resistance.
As Maasin recovered after the war, it once again became a bustling town trading with the nearby islands of Cebu, Bohol, and Mindanao. Through the initiatives of its leaders, Maasin progressively continued to move forward in its role as the center of commerce and industry in Southern Leyte.
In 1953, Francisco M. Pajao won the re-presentation of the issue that entails the division of the island of Leyte but could not do anything else to complete the move. Hence, now Senator Ruperto K. Kangleon presented and passed the move under Senate Bill No. 2140. The House of Representatives carpeted the Bill.
Then in 1957, Congressman Nicanor Espina Yniguez Jr. filed the House Bill that changed the move's original designation as Western Leyte of Occidental Leyte to "Southern Leyte". At 10:00 AM on Friday, May 22, 1959, President Carlos P. Garcia signed the Bill into law as Republic Act No. 2227. Witnesses to the signing, among others, were Congressman Yniguez, Mayor Alfredo K. Bantug of Maasin, Attorney Manuel Enage Sr., Erlinda Capili, and Attorney Floro Kangleon.
On July 1, 1960, Southern Leyte was officially inaugurated as a province with municipalities including Maasin, Malitbog, Bontoc, Sogod, Libagon, Pintuyan, San Francisco, St. Bernard, Cabalian, Anahawan, Hinundayan, Hinunangan, and Silago. Four more municipalities were subsequently created, namely, Macrohon, San Ricardo, Tomas Oppus, and Limasawa.
Maasin continued to progressively prosper for decades. On April 8, 1999, Congressman Aniceto G. Saludo Jr. filed a move under House Bill No. 7201 to convert the municipality of Maasin into a component city of the province of Southern Leyte, thus becoming City of Maasin in August 10, 2000 celebrated as Charter Day.
In December 2021 the city was severely damaged by Typhoon Rai as it was directly on the storm's path, the recovery was short in the city center but it took further weeks for rural villages to recover from the storm.
Geography
Topography
The terrain of Maasin City is characterized by rugged hills and mountains, typical of karst geography found throughout Visayas, while there is a flat basin in the middle of the city. It has numerous small rivers in addition to the largest and main river, Canturing river.Climate
Even though March–May is considered hot and dry with temperatures ranging from 22 to 32 °C, in general terms, the city, like much of eastern Philippines, relatively has no dry season. This is due to rainfall more or less, distributed throughout the year. June to October is mostly rainy; whereas, November to February is cool with temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 °C. Year round, average humidity is about 76%.Barangays
Maasin City is politically subdivided into 70 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.- Abgao
- Acasia
- Asuncion
- Bactul I
- Bactul II
- Badiang
- Bagtican
- Basak
- Bato I
- Bato II
- Batuan
- Baugo
- Bilibol
- Bogo
- Cabadiangan
- Cabulihan
- Cagnituan
- Cambooc
- Cansirong
- Canturing
- Canjoum
- Combado
- Dongon
- Gawisan
- Guadalupe
- Hanginan
- Hantag
- Hinapu Daku
- Hinapu Gamay
- Ibarra
- Isagani
- Laboon
- Lanao
- Libertad
- Libhu
- Lib-og
- Lonoy
- Lunas
- Mahayahay
- Malapoc Norte
- Malapoc Sur
- Mambajao
- Manhilo
- Mantahan
- Maria Clara
- Matin-ao
- Nasaug
- Nati
- Nonok Norte
- Nonok Sur
- Panan-awan
- Pansaan
- Pasay
- Pinaskohan
- Rizal
- San Agustin
- San Isidro
- San Jose
- San Rafael
- Santa Cruz
- Santo Niño
- Santa Rosa
- Santo Rosario
- Soro-soro
- Tagnipa
- Tam-is
- Tawid
- Tigbawan
- Tomoy-tomoy
- Tunga-tunga
Demographics