Calbayog

Calbayog is a city of 183,000 in Samar Province in the Philippines. It is home to many waterfalls, so its nickname "City of Waterfalls". Calbayog is a stop along the Asian Highway 26 or the Maharlika Highway.

Understand
With an area of, Calbayog is one of the largest cities in the Philippines by land area. Most of the city sits on the coast, and the rest being sea and rainforest. It is a commercial center of Samar Province; it has an airport and seaport, and Calbayog city proper hosts most commercial activity.

History
Calbayog started as one of the earliest settlements in Samar island, the village of Tiaybang. Tiaybang is named after a river of the same name, but a flood forced its residents to move the community into Jibatang, after another river. Jesuit missionaries assigned to Samar first arrived in the 17th century, and that time, Jibatang took its present name.

Calbayog was a visita, a large village with a single chapel, and a barrio of Capul. Its first church is built in Malabungto, and is made of stones from a nearby scree. Calbayog became a town (pueblo), and the visita promoted to a parish in 1785. The pueblo of Calbayog used to include large barrios nearby, namely Caybago, Santa Margarita, Weyler, and Santo Niño; Santa Margarita and Santo Niño became their own municipalities, while Caybago and Weyler will merge back to Calbayog in 1948 as the districts of Oquendo and Tinambacan

In 1878, Calbayog was hit by a cholera epidemic, which killed half of the town's population. The town's parish priest was forced to leave, along with his sacristan named Biktoy, which would become an officer of the Spanish Army stationed in the Visayas. The town was also the hometown of Benedicto Nijaga, a revolutionary fund collector for the Katipunan, which would lead the Philippine Revolution. Nijaga, along with 12 other revolutionaries, were executed in Manila in 11 Jan 1897. Calbayog's central plaza would be named after him.

During the American era, Calbayog was made the seat of the new Roman Catholic diocese covering Eastern Visayas. Also during that era, two major Catholic educational institutions were founded, the Colegio-Seminario de San Vicente de Pablo and the La Milagrosa Academy. During the Japanese occupation, the Calbayog diocese was divided into smaller dioceses.

In 1948, Calbayog became a city, merging with the nearby municipalities of Tinambacan and Oquendo.

Orientation
Calbayog is composed of 157 barangays, but is more conveniently divided into three districts: Calbayog proper, Tinambacan and Oquendo. Calbayog district comprises the downtown area and suburbs, while Tinambacan and Oquendo are mostly rural.

By bus

 * Since Calbayog is along the Maharlika Highway that connects the island of Luzon to Mindanao, plenty of buses run through Calbayog City going to Tacloban and Legazpi City. To get a ride, visit the bus terminal.

By minivan

 * Minivans are available for transport of passengers going to Tacloban, Catarman, Catbalogan.
 * Van terminals for Grand Tours, DupTours and T'urbanada are separate from each other and are stationed on the southern side of Calbayog along Maharlika Highway

By ferry

 * Cokaliong Shipping Lines has an overnight ferry to/from Cebu City three times a week, leaving from the port at Maguinoo, half hour north from Calbayog City.
 * Booking office in town on Rosales Avenue. Free shuttle service is provided to and from the booking office to the port.
 * Lite Shipping lines has a ferry to/from Bogo Cebu island four times a week at 10pm. per person for open air bunk.  Booking office at the Fish Port.  Ferry departs from Calbayog City Port
 * Grand Ferries operate a fast SeaCat, passenger only, ferry daily to Cebu City from Calbayog City Port.  Travel time about 6 hours.  Booking office at Grand Tours terminal in town.

Get around

 * Tricycles are available to anywhere in the city, both pedal and motorised.

Waterfalls




Sleep

 * Bay Park Hotel
 * Bay Park Hotel
 * Bay Park Hotel
 * Bay Park Hotel
 * Bay Park Hotel
 * Bay Park Hotel
 * Bay Park Hotel

Stay healthy

 * Social Hygiene Clinic & City Health office. City Hall compound. S P Jose Avelino Avenue. phone +63 55-2091267. free HIV testing.

Cope

 * Bureau of Immigration Calbayog Office. Room 201. 2nd floor. Calbayog City Convention Center. phone +63 55-2093310.