EASTERN VISAYAS

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

Eastern Visayas is composed of the provinces of Biliran, Leyte, Southern

Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Samar which was

formerly named as Western Samar. The provinces of Samar taken collectively comprise the island of

Samar which is the 3rd largest while Leyte is the 8th largest island of the

country.

LEYTE has a rugged mountains interior. This mountain ridge is almost continuous from north to south coast of the island except for a low pass found at the narrowest portion of the island.

East of the mountain backbone is a lowland area that extends from Carigara Bay in the north to the Leyte Gulf in the south. This is the most extensive plain of Leyte which is thickly populated. West of the central range are lowlands but there are plains north and south of Ormoc City.

SAMAR is a more hilly country rather than a mountainous one. The general elevation of the hill is between 300 to 850 meters. There are no major plains and the coastal lowlands are very limited.

SAMAR is separated from Leyte by the San Juanico Strait which being 2 kilometers in width and reported as the narrowest strait in the world. It is spanned by the Marcos Bridge which is the most elegant and longest bridge in the Philippines and Southern Asia.

• The destructive climate feature of Eastern Visayas is the high frequency of tropical cyclones or typhoons. About 40 % of he storms visit the Philippines pass through this area. • The northern and eastern sides of both

islands belong to the 2nd climatic type with a very pronounced rainfall from November to January without a dry season. • Western and Southern sides of the

island receive only a moderate quantity of rainfall which is evenly distributed throughout the year.

ECONOMIC RESOURCES

Eastern Visayas is primarily an agricultural region with rice, corn, coconut, sugarcane and banana as its major crops.

Primary sources of revenue are manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and services. Mining, farming, fishing and tourism contribute significantly to the economy Manufacturing firms include mining companies, fertilizer plants, sugar central, rice and corn mills and other food processing plants. Tacloban is the hub of investment, trade and development in the region.

Other industries include mining, rice, corn and sugar milling, coconut oil extraction, alcohol distilling, beverage manufacture and forest products. Home industries include hat and basket weaving, metal craft, needlecraft, pottery, ceramics, woodcraft, shell craft and bamboo craft.

ORMOC contains the only commercial sugarcane area in the whole Easten Visayas.

SAMAR is even less developed then Leyte. Its poor system of transportation and exposure to frequent typhoons are the principal deterrent factors.

RICE, CORN, COFFEE, FRUITS and ROOT CROPS while COCONUT is the most important commercial crops.

FISHING is the most important occupation in both LEYTE and SAMAR.

PLYWOOD Factories and SAWMILLS have been established.

LUMBER EXPORTS are important sources of revenue but the deforestation has caused destructive floods.

Principal minerals of the region includes iron, nickel, copper, gold and silver. Rock asphalt is being mined at Villaba, Leyte.

CULTURAL ASPECTS

• The regional ties between Leyte and Samar are enhanced by the sharing of a common Samar- Leyte (Waray-Waray) ethnolinguistic culture. • The Marcos Bridge across the San Juanico

Bridge across the San Juanico Strait inaugurated in 1973, provides a major link in the 1,500 kilometers in Pan Philippine Highway which stretches from Cagayan in Luzon to Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao. • Samar man-land ratio is below the

national average whereas the density of Leyte is much higher.

Tinikling, the Philippines' national dance is folkdance that originated from the region. But the most popular cultural dance among Warays is the Kuratsa, danced during feast celebrations and special gatherings. The Leyte Kalipayan Dance Company, a local cultural group, held highly successful performances around the world.

Waray people are music lovers whose folkloric music are mostly ballads in form, famous of which is "Dandansoy" while "Iroy nga Tuna" (Motherland) is a patriotic song.

TACLOBAN CITY, the capital of Leyte and the regional center, dominates the trade and financial activities of the region. Located at south of San Juanico strait and it has one of the finest harbors in Visayas. It is a port of entry for both local and foreign vessels which regularly load copra, abaca, fish and mineral products. Historically, Limasaw, Leyte is the site where the first mass was held in the Philippines. Palo, Leyte is the site where General Douglas Mac Arthur

made his first landing in October 1944 with president Sergio

Osmeña which signaled as the general’s promise, “I promise, I shall return”.

Ormoc City is the center for commerce an industry on the western part of Leyte. Lake Danao is a guitar shaped lake on the hills of Ormoc in the province of Leyte.

Agas-Agas Bridge, the highest bridge in the country, located at Barangay Kahupian, Sogod, Southern Leyte as part of the Maharlika Highway.

P R E PA R E D BY:

ROSALYN C . UNGRIANO