Sogod, Southern Leyte

Sogod (IPA:), officially the Municipality of Sogod (; ), is a 1st income class municipality in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 48,815 people.

Sogod is located along the Southern Leyte section of the Pan-Philippine Highway, south of Tacloban City, the regional center of Eastern Visayas. Rugged mountains envelop most of the town's northern terrain with numerous river systems flowing throughout the southern lowlands. Known as the center of trade, commerce and industry in the south-central region of Leyte, Sogod is also home to Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) Main Campus and Saint Thomas Aquinas College (STAC).

Etymology

The name of the municipality originated from the Cebuano word sogod, meaning "to start." Founded as a Catholic mission station by Jesuit priests in 1601, Sogod became a regular municipality on June 10, 1853.

History

The dearth of resource materials brought difficulty in providing a complete historical account of Sogod from the pre-Hispanic era up to today. Most of the references identified in the account were chronicles written by Spanish missionaries – the Jesuits, the Augustinians, and the Seculars (the Franciscans were assigned to parishes of northeastern Leyte and Samar) – who administered the town. At the forefront of colonization, the islands of Leyte and Samar were neglected by the Spanish colonial government which brought short-term revolts and insurrections to the region. In addition, it is worthy to attribute the Catholic Church's influence in the islands which further improved the shaping of cultural, political, economic and spiritual dimension of the people of Sogod.

Pre-Hispanic period

Early annals account that Sogod was first located near the mouth of the Subangdaku River. It was then a satellite territory under the domain of Seilani, which comprises the areas from Bontoc and Sogod to the island of Panaon. Around 1544, due to unfavorable winds, a Spanish expedition headed by Ruy López de Villalobos arrived at the eastern town of Abuyog, Leyte where an aged inhabitant informed Garcia de Escalante Alvarado, the chronicler of the expedition, on the presence of trading posts found in the archipelago:<blockquote>"I asked him [writes Escalante], whether there was a big town anywhere on the island of Abuyo [mistakenly referred by the Spaniards as Leyte] and he said yes, on the other side of the island to the north-west [south-west?] there was a big town called Sugut whither Chinese junks come every year and where there are resident Chinese who have a house for their merchandise. He said that what they buy there is gold and slaves..."</blockquote> On September 6, 1571, Leyte was established as an encomienda with Tandaya as the command post of the Spanish colony in the island.Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the first Governador-General of the Philippines, assigned Juan de Trujillo as the first encomendero, or land trustee, of Tandaya. Miguel de Loarca, one of the first Spanish conquistadores to arrive in the Philippines and conducted one of the earliest census in the country, affirmed that Sogod was already drafted to the encomienda system in 1582. However, the town was pronounced as Tugud or Tugut:<blockquote>"Island of Baybay". About three (3) leagues [fourteen (14) kilometers from Camotes] farther east lies the island of Baybay, or Leyte, as it is also called. It is a large and well-provisioned island, although the people dress in medriñaque [a fiber from the sago palm in the Philippines]. Leyte is thickly settled; it may have a population of fourteen or fifteen thousand (14,000-15,000) Indians, ten thousand of whom pay tribute because that has been a people hard to conquer. There are twelve (12) encomenderos; but his Majesty owns none of the Indians. This island is about eighty (80) leagues in circumference, and fifteen (15) or sixteen (16) wide. Its principal settlements and rivers are Vaybay, Yodmuc, Leyte, Cavigava, Barugo, Maraguincay [a river and a current village in Tanauan, Leyte (barangay Malaguicay)], Palos, Abuyo, Dulaque, Longos, Bito [a lake bordering the towns of MacArthur and Abuyog in Leyte], Cabalian, Calamocan [the old name of Inopacan, Leyte] and Tugud. This island possesses neither mines nor gold-placers; the only cloth it produces is medriñaque, which, as I have said before, resembles calico, and is made from a kind of wild banana."</blockquote>

The early years of Jesuit evangelization

The missionaries of the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA) were the first to Christianize Leyte in 1580. But because they were lacking in number, the mission was given to the care of the priests of the Society of Jesus (SJ) in 1595. The Vice-Provincial of the Jesuit mission in the Philippines, Padre Antonio Sedeño, chose four priests, Pedro Chirino, Antonio Pereira, Juan del Campo, and Cosme de Flores, and one lay brother, Gaspar Garay to reopen the mission of Leyte. Of the five, Padre Chirino was the superior of the expedition. The missionaries arrived in the town of Carigara on the morning of July 16, 1595, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, from Zebu. They introduced themselves to the encomendero of Carigara, Cristobal de Trujillo, and presided an assembly for the construction of the mission residence there. While the rest of the Jesuits studied Visayan and catechize the natives to the Faith, Padre Chirino and Padre Pereira crossed the central Leyte valley towards the eastern Pacific coast and founded the town of Dulac. Within a span of two years, the Sons of Saint Ignatius of Loyola founded five permanent mission stations: Carigara (July 1595), Dulag (September 1595), Palo (October 1596), Alangalang (May or June 1595) and Ogmoc (1597). Since the settlement was frequented by Moro raids, a baluarte [watchtower] was built to warn villagers against the approach of the raiders. There were no Jesuits stationed in southern Leyte at this time and that all commands came from the datu. In such crisis, Bancao, who was, and until now, revered as Mangkaw, emerged among the populace. The son of a certain Mangaris, his presence in Sogod was explained by some Portuguese chroniclers. Around 1563, some Portuguese from Moluccas raided and depopulated Limasawa, with a fleet of eight (8) praus. Eventually, Bancao and a number of his household managed to escape to Sogod, while his brother fled to Butuan for refuge.

Notorious for his defense against the pirates, Bancao was a known net-fisherman. Already a fishing ground that it is today, Sogod then had houses clustered close to shore around the watchtower. Being an expert in the art of casting the net, Laya, he could send out the casting net in a perfect circle in the sea. As the community grew bigger, the residents agitated for a name for their place. Meetings after meetings were held presided by Mangkaw. But every time a meeting is ongoing, a shoal of fish would form a quick shifting shadow beneath the surface. The eyes of the pondering datu kept stalking it, interfering with the discussion. Satisfying his unequalled fisherman's instinct, he would leave the session unattended. The body language of the datu, which portrays an artful slide of the feet, the legs and the hips, while getting a perfect hold of the fishes through his laya would amaze the attendees from the shore. As a father to the community, he shared his catch with the people for the asking, even by strangers. After which, shouts of "Sogod, sogod!" (vernacular for "to begin") would reconvene the meeting. Thus the word "Sogod" became the name of the town.

Although the name Sogod already existed before the 1600s, the Bancao account remains to be the accepted etymological origin of the name of the town. However, it might be deduced that the first name, which is pronounced as (sú.gut.) fits the Escalante description of Sogod being a bustling commercial town of the pre-Hispanic era. The major means of initiating trade during those days were done by barter, that is "to comply," or "to consent" with the suggested value offered by the merchant to the townsfolk of Sogod. Thus, whenever the buyer and the seller came into agreement on the bartered item, the expression was affirmed in Cebuano, "ming-súgut."

The term Tugud, on the other hand, seems like a concealed version of the former. The Spaniards, as accounted by many town histories in Leyte [such as the case of the town of Barugo, Leyte], have difficulty reading and pronouncing Visayan.

Moro attacks

Before the Jesuits could speed up the missionary endeavor, the Portuguese came into Leyte through Mindanao, plundering major settlements known to be in alliance with the Spaniards. The Portuguese already sacked vital trading towns in Mindanao, arousing hostility among the Moros against the Europeans and the newly baptized Visayan Christians. As a result, a fleet of seventy caracoas [rowboats], under the command of Datu Buwisan, raided Palo, Dulag and the towns of north-eastern Leyte in August 1603. The pirates held the Jesuit, Padre Sebastian Hurtado, as captive. Fortunately, a storm prevented the onslaught from sacking Sogod and Cabalian.

In the nearby island of Bohol, a babaylan [spiritualist] named Tamblot rebelled against Jesuit hamletting around 1622. This revolt would spread to Leyte and influenced Bancao, who welcomed Legazpi to the Philippines in 1565, baptized at the same time and settled in the town of Carigara. Bancao had been having trouble with Muslim onslaughts in his territory, in particular, in Limasawa. He had witnessed the massacre and bloodshed brought about by the raids of the Moros on his land and kinsmen.

When the Moros gave out a condition that they would stop the plundering if the Christian natives would abandon the Church, Bancao grasped what it meant and returned to his old pagan religion. The datu then consigned to halt the conversion process undergone by the Jesuits to the Leyteños. With Pagali, his high priest, Bancao solicited the assistance of other chieftains of the neighboring settlements of Baibai, Panaon, and Sogod and easily won his way across the island to the very capital in the north which was Carigara.

The rebels, as they were divided all over the settlements that revolted, were not equal, however, to the force of fifty (50) Spaniards and one thousand (1,000) Cebuanos that Don Juan de Alcarazo, the alcalde mayor [equivalent to a governor] of Cebu, quickly mustered to suppress the rebellion. After refusing to surrender, Bancao and his followers died valiantly in their defense of Calanaga, situated between Limasawa, Panaon and Sogod The head of Bancao, as ordered by the Spaniards, was publicly exposed on a pike in the town plaza of Carigara.

Afterwards, in 1632, Padre Ventura Barcena, a Jesuit administering the towns of Sogod, Cabalian and Hinundayan, was captured in Sogod and died in captivity in Tawi-tawi. Some two years later, around 1634 that a squadron of twenty-two rowboats, with an army of 1,500 Maguindanaos, under the command of Cachil Corralat, devastated and plundered Dapitan, Bohol and Leyte. This dreadful event brought havoc to Baibai, Cabalian, Ogmoc, and Sogor, with members of the clergy held as captives. Fortunately in Sogod, Padre Juan Francisco de Luzon, together with a good number of Indios were able to escape this incident through a mountain pass to Cabalian. However, local establishments, like the chapel and the houses of the natives were not spared. These structures were burned and other precious items were seized.

Local grapevine states that the church and watchtower boasts of a bell made out of pure gold, the Kampanang Bulaw. Moments before the siege, the watcher already signaled the villagers of the impending attack by pealing the bell. In a hurried state, with no resident pastor present, the villagers took the artifact and buried it in the rice fields opposite the present Subangdaku River. However, there are possible accounts that the kampana was tossed to a nearby quicksand, in what is now the bus station in barangay Zone III, the old site of Sogod poblacion. Until now, the bell has never been recovered. Upon the return of Augustinians, the entire island province of Leyte had already exceeded to 11,000 tributos divided among seventeen (17) settlements.

The Augustinian years

On their first years of evangelizing, the Calced Augustinians encountered severe problems and evaluated some methods that the Jesuits initiated. At first, there were only three (3) priests administering the eastern and southern sections of the island province and were not well-received in most towns. More Leyteños were inclined to live in the hinterlands where the farming and fishing was better than in the settlements. And lastly, the Babaylanes spread rumors that the friars were "royal agents who procured babies to fatten tigers of the King of Spain."

Because of their dislike of the missionary work of the Jesuits in Leyte, the Augustinians transferred the poblacion of each municipality in Leyte to the visitas. Some barrios were separated from the town centers and were made independent municipalities. Examples of which were the relocation of the town centers of Carigara to Barugo, Dagami to Burauen, and Sogod and Liloan to Cabalian. The construction of roads and stone churches and the cultivation of farmlands were prioritized by the friars as means of improving the economic lifestyle of Leyte. They also appealed to the Spanish monarch for the building of fortresses and supplying ammunition to the civil guards stationed in the settlements, which was granted by the king. However, owing to the 1754 raid, Sogod was not included on the census conducted by Padre Agustin Maria de Castro, which reports the condition of churches and fortifications in the towns administered by the Augustinians.

The order was also responsible for catechizing the Leyteños to the Christian faith through the building of schools.

The Dagohoy revolt prompted more Boholanos to settle the southern towns of Leyte, in particular in Hilongos, Bato, Matalom, Maasin, Macrohon, Malitbog and Hinunangan. Sometime in 1771, seventeen (17) families from the different towns of Bohol migrated in the southeastern coast of Sogod. Led by Marciano Escaño, Agun Espedilla, Fernando Escueta, Mariano Evailar, Lazaro Idhaw (now spelled as Idjao), Jose Endriga, Soldiano Arot, Fausto and Agustin Enclona (some families changed their spelling Encluna), Rosendo Evalin, Mauro Escamilla, Laurente Edillo, Domingo Espinosa, Francisco Felipe and Tiburcio Egina, they founded the visita of Libagon. The first appointed cabeza de barangay of Libagon was Domingo Mateo Espina, which was the son of Agustin Mateo Espina and Francisca Barbara and the grandson of Pedro Espina of Duero, Bohol. Upon the insistence of the settlers, Andres Espina, a resident of Tamolayag [now Padre Burgos town], Malitbog, was invited to instruct the children how to read and write. Despite its growing population, Libagon was only recognized as a visita of Malitbog sometime in 1850. They began a massive campaign in the island, having a stronghold over the towns of Baybay, Maasin, Padre Burgos, Cabalian and Hinunangan. By the mid-1930s, Reverend Rath and a number of newly-baptized Leyteño Presbyterians made a number of converts from Buntuk, Sogod, Consolacion and from the sitios of Libagon. These believers would lay the very foundation of the present-day United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the first Protestant church to be established in the municipality, and would attract more Protestant sects and denominations to the towns of Sogod bay region.

Don Ladislao Decenteceo, who has already pledged his allegiance to the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, won against the reelection bid of Faelnar during the 1904 elections and transferred again the town center to barrio Consolacion, his residence. The voting process was done by whispering the name of a candidate of the voter's choice to the municipal secretary. While Don Dionisio Labata became the first municipal mayor who won the first election thru balloting in 1905.

Geographically, Sogod was hardly accessed through land due to the lack of roads resulting in the scanty presence of Japanese forces in the area. The situation made the guerillas more organized compared to other municipalities in Leyte which were led by the former United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) members Lieutenant Sergio Nuqui and Captain Francisco, both under the leadership of Colonel Ruperto Kangleon. However, with the Church silent and the absence of a strong centralized civil government, political disputes, corruption and allegiance marred most of the Japanese rule of Sogod.

Prior to the war, Severino Macasocol won the local elections of December 1940 as municipal mayor. against his political rival Cadio, an ex-USAFFE member. The bitter rivalry between the two that continued after the elections brought tragic events in the political situation of Sogod. It was reported that Macasocol, as well as the municipal vice mayor, Pablo Maglinte, were murdered around June 1942. These murders were presumably ordered by Cadio. Since that event happened, Sogod no longer had chief local officials to administer the welfare of the townspeople. To solve this problem, prominent citizens assembled and nominated the former chief of police Hospicio Labata to assume the mayoral office.

| Severino Macasocol

! style="text-align: center;" scope=row | 1942–1943 (?)

| Gervacio Cadavos

! style="text-align: center;" scope=row | 1943–1944 (1942–1943?)

; Buac Daku and Buac Gamay:Buac was one of the sitios forming the barrio of Consolacion. Although "Burak" is the generic Cebuano term for a flower ["Buwak" in Cebuano; "Bulaklak" in Tagalog], now virtually unused, the name of the village specifically refers to the ilang-ilang (Cananga odorata), a tree whose fragrant flowers are extracted for oil used in the perfume industry. The village is home to the largest Seventh-day Adventist church in Sogod, with an elementary school for educating the residents of barrios Buac Gamay and Malinao; the adjoining La Caridad and Bendicar Farms, owned by the Gerona family; and the Consolacion Catholic Cemetery. Currently, Buac is divided into two villages with Buac Gamay covering the original site of Buac, and Buac Daku in the north, which is only accessible via footpath in barangay Suba.

; Cabadbaran:Named after a local shrub or tree known as Badba-an that abounded in the area, this interior barangay was officially established on June 21, 1959, through the provisions of the Republic Act No. 2563. Cabadbaran was formerly a sitio of barangay Libas.

; Consolacion:Originally, barangay Consolacion used to be part of barrio Maac. The hamlet gained prominence when the Augustinian friars administered a school for boys and girls in the site from 1774 to 1785. It became a farming estate when the Javier and the Veloso clans cultivated the western lands of Maac in the 1880s. On account of the productivity of the area, the settlement became “Consolacion,” which was a sentiment nearer to the Cebuano terms, “makapahuway” and “makalipay”. The settlement was also called as such because the produce of the land brought relief and gratitude to the people farming the area. By 1883, Maak was divided into two (2) subdistricts as a result of the Velosos' influence on the area and migrations from Cebu, Bohol and Surigao. Aside from the Javiers and the Velosos, families of Spanish descent like the Decenteceos and Mercados also came to the sitio and acquired farmlands from its residents. This resulted to a gradual exodus of the original settlers from Consolacion to the uplands, where they continued farming coconuts, abaca, corn and rice. The new settlements would later be recognized as villages in the 1940s. By 1891, Maak was placed under the jurisdiction of Consolacion after the latter was elevated into a barrio. During the 1900 Philippine–American War, the Americans garrisoned Consolacion due to its participation in guerilla activities. The name of the village derived from the Cebuano word, “Nahidagsa” or “Dinagsa,” which means “to swarm, to invade or to flock.” Jose Flores and his family discovered the site around the early 1920s. Before the barangay site was settled, the area was then forested. Engaged in primitive farming, Flores claimed huge tracts of land in the area. Until such time, that people from the poblacion and the neighboring barrios settled and flocked the site. These migrants, forming a small sitio, decided to celebrate this accomplishment with a fiesta. At that time, a vendor came to the hamlet selling a statue of San Jose. Accordingly, the hamlet heads came into an agreement to purchase the image and made Saint Joseph as patron saint of Dagsa. It was at this moment that the annual fiesta date of the barangay falls every March 19. The village is also famed for its waterfalls, which is a fifteen-minute trek from the barangay site.

; Hibod-Hibod: Early records account that Hibod-hibod existed as a hamlet in 1947 under the civil jurisdiction of barangay San Isidro. The name “Hibod-hibod” evolved from the Cebuano word, “Tubod”, which is attributed to the springs existing in the village. The springs in the area lure many people from Sogod and Bontoc in search of potable water. According to local grapevine, when the color of the water of the spring near Hiloctogan Creek turns milky or whitish, the villagers were reminded of an upcoming typhoon. Through the mandated provisions of the Republic Act No. 2563, dated June 21, 1959, Hibod-hibod was granted the status of a barangay.

; Hindangan:The barangay is named after the Hindang, also known as Anubing (Artocarpus ovatus), a tree reaching a height of about thirty (30) meters and a diameter of about one hundred (100) centimeters. The tree was used as a marker of the location of the settlement during the early 1920s. It was only on June 21, 1959, through the provisions of the Republic Act No. 2563, that Hindangan was made a village. One of the frontier barangays of Sogod, Hindangan is only accessible through a foottrail from barangay Cabadbaran.

; Hipantag: This interior barangay was established on June 19, 1965, through the provisions mandated by the Republic Act No. 4306. Hipantag is only accessible by river from sitio Balintulay in barangay Kahupian.

; Immaculada Concepcion (Concepcion I) and La Purissima Concepcion (Concepcion II):Named after its patroness, La Purissima Concepcion de Maria, barangay Concepcion was formerly a large farming village. Aside from the size of the barrio, most of its inhabitants were scattered from one place to another. Some of the villagers settled at the barrio’s southern coastal end, which was called by the locals as “Punong” [fishpond or fishing site]. During the 1950s, Mangko (Euthynnus affinis) once thrived the shores of Punong and the mouth of Subangdaku River, attracting fishermen from Consolacion, Maak and Sogod. Concepcion was divided into two barangays after Republic Act No. 2600 was enacted on June 21, 1959 [the barangay records in Concepcion accounted that the founding date of the barrio was June 22, 1959] to maximize government services to the rural areas of Sogod.

; Kahupian:Considered as the seedbed of abaca and copra industries in the entire municipality, Kahupian is the largest and the northernmost barangay of Sogod. The first settlers of the village were the Duran family. It was accounted that the Kalapi (Mauritia flexuosa), a palm tree fruit, deep chest nut in color, grew in abundance in the village giving the name "Kahupian" ["an area where the fruit is plenty"]. It was created as a barangay on June 19, 1971, under the mandated provisions by the Republic Act No. 6230. The sitios of Bood Taas, Tabunan, Hap-on, Kabugua-an, Tigbawan, Lubong Sapa [sitio Lubong Sapa], Kahupian Centro and Pangalkagan [sitio Balintulay] were drafted to the territory of the village upon its creation. Today, the barangay of Kahupian is divided into six (6) sitios: Balintulay, Hagna, Kabernal, Kahupian Centro, Lubong Sapa and Silao Bato.

; Kanangkaan:Named after the Nangka (Artocarpus heterophyllus), a species of tree in the mulberry family, Kanangkaan was founded as a barrio in 1952. It was narrated that a cluster of Nangka trees once served as boundary markers for the territory of the village. Thus, the village was recognized as "Kanangkaan", a place where the trees abound. With the recent opening of a new resort complex, the Negulian Mountain Resort, in the barangay, it is expected that it will boost the area's potential for eco-tourism.

; Kauswagan: Formerly a sitio of barangay Libas, Kauswagan was created a barangay on June 21, 1959, through Republic Act No. 2563. By June 19, 1960, Republic Act No. 2810 was passed in Congress, stating that the jurisdiction of the new barrio covers the sitios of Kantabuan, Baycasili, Mamingaw, Tag-abaca and Kampuwa. The name of the place, which originated from the Cebuano “Uswag,” means progress.

; Libas:Situated along the Bonbon River, Libas is one of the most populous barangays in the municipality. The present village was founded by a group of kaingeros [upland farmers] searching for abaca vegetation in the early 1930s. The mountains of western Sogod were then rich of abaca and coconut plantations leading to the establishment of hamlets in the area during this period. Before the campsite was cleared, the kaingeros were aware of the presence of trees locally known as Libas (Spondias pinnata), a medium-to-tall tree reaching a height of about twenty-five (25) meters and a diameter of about sixty (60) centimeters. Upon its recognition as a barrio of Sogod, the settlers decided to name the area after the tree. In 1940, Ceberino Caballes assumed as the village chieftain of Libas and was succeeded by Miguel Abella and Rafael Calooy, who assumed the position until the Second World War of 1944. After the war, Serafin Dalinog, Sergio Agoylo (1950), Eliseo Benero (1960), Jose Miculob and Leopoldo dela Piña (now spelled as dela Peña) came to head the civil administration of Libas. It was during the incumbency of Miguel Alao that the production of abaca and copra in the village increased. By 1972, Libas registered the biggest number of population in the municipality of Sogod with Prudencio Tomon (1972–1977) as the barangay chief. Tomon held the office until 1977 when Alma Labrador (1979–1994) replaced him during the elections. One of Labrador’s main accomplishments was the construction of school buildings in the village. By 1995 onwards, Concepcion Tomon (1995–2002) and David Tuble (2007–present) served the people of Libas as barangay chairmen.

;Lum-an

:Known for its waterfalls, the village was then a sitio of barangay Libas. A landlocked barangay, Lum-an is accessible through a concrete road from barangay Taa in the town of Bontoc.

;Maac

:One of the oldest barangays in Sogod, Maac was founded as a visita by the missionaries belonging to the Society of Jesus in February 3, 1730. As to the etymology of the name of the barangay, there exist three accounts. Accordingly, the name “Maak" evolved from the old Cebuano term, “Maag” or “Maa”, which means "river current". Presently, barangay Mabicay has a total land area of 250 hectares, divided into three (3) puroks and two (2) sitios: Mabicay proper and Paril.

; Magatas:A landlocked village nestled in a valley, Magatas was established as a barrio on May 8, 1942. It was first settled by the Timpla clan. The name of the village is derived from the word “Gatason” [“milkish”], which is told by two accounts. According to the villagers, the kinds of trees growing in the slopes of the village caused the color of the nearby stream to be whitish or milk-like in color. Another account states that every time the creek turns milkish, the residents of Magatas would see it as a sign of a pending storm. Hence, the village chiefs expressed the situation of Hiloctogan creek as “Mag-gatas ang sapa ” [“the stream is milkish”]. Presently, the barangay of Magatas is divided into three (3) sitios: Magatas proper, Tigao [which is accessible via the National Highway in barangay Olisihan] and Tininaan.

; Mahayahay, Maria Plana and Javier:Mahayahay existed as a sitio of barangay Consolacion before the outbreak of Second World War. At first, the area was not considered a sitio but was a private lot settled by a clan. Among the family members lived an elderly man named Iyo Saloy [elder Saloy]. He was popular and respected by the people around him, not because he was very rich, but because of his refined manners. Because of his attitude, many went to Iyo Saloy for advice. His house, located a kilometer from the shore, was a two-storey structure made up of hardwood, bamboo and nipa. Every summer, at noontime, the elder used to stay on the porch of the upper floor of his house to breathe and freshen himself from the sea breeze. Seeing the elder enjoying the scent of the sea, the villagers would express the gesture as “Magpahayahay” or “Magpahangin”. Hence, the settlement was christened to “Mahayahay”. After the 1944 American liberation from Japanese control, the barrio of Mahayahay was subdivided into eight (8) sitios: Mahayahay Centro, Anas [in the records of the barangay, the sitio was called Slide], Hunan, Magkasili, Labong, Magsuhot, Tinago and Panyawan. By order of the municipal council of Sogod, the sitios of Pedyak, Magsagay, Anas, Hunan and Magkasili was separated from Mahayahay and was erected a barrio in 1946. This village was further formalized through the provisions of Republic Act No. 2563 dated June 21, 1959 with the name “Maria Plana”. Around 1972, the sitios of Labong, Tinago and Panyawan were carved out from barangay Mahayahay to form the present-day barangay of Javier, which was a namesake of the family residing in the area. The Javiers, together with the Velosos, were known farming clans of the barrios of Consolacion and Maac. The village was also named in honor of Don Daniel Falcon Javier, a former teacher and principal of the Cebu Normal College [now Cebu Normal University]. A native of barrio Consolacion, Javier’s achievement as a principal of the university and providing education, health and extensive farming activities to the various villages of Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte and in barangay Bugho, Abuyog, Leyte, gave prestige in naming the sitio after him. Eventually, Bugho was renamed after him in 1965, eight (8) years after the barangay was elevated a municipality in 1957.

; Malinao: The sitio was founded by the settlers of nearby barrio Buac as Iloco on May 1, 1958. In the vicinity of the area lies a large reservoir, which was then described by the locals as “Malinao” or clear. Today, this reservoir supplies the southeastern villages of the town with potable water. Upon its establishment as a barangay on June 21, 1959, through Republic Act No. 2563, the barangay was renamed “Malinao”. By June 19, 1960, Republic Act No. 2810 was passed in Congress to redefine the metes and boundaries of the village.

; Milagroso:Milagroso was founded around 1883 by the Tagoon and Lamoste families. Legend has it that a man came to plant a stalk of banana in his lot at the village site [some narratives accounted that the man planted a “tree”]. Accordingly, water gushed out from the soil and after several days, the plant grew. Thus, the expression “Milagroso” ["miraculous"] came as an adapted name of the village. Milagroso remained a part of barangay San Roque until June 21, 1959, when the national government enacted Republic Act No. 2563 for the creation of barrios in Leyte. A circumferential road links the barrio from barangay San Roque and barangay San Pedro.

; Olisihan: In the former days, the sitio of Olisihan was located atop a mountain ridge with the Vanzuela and Chato families as its first settlers. The abundance of Olisi trees got the attention of the natives and called their place "Olisihan". When the national highway was constructed at the mountainside, many barrio folks transferred near the road leaving the old site abandoned. The area became the new site of the hamlet until it was granted a barangay status on June 21, 1959, through Republic Act No 2563. Olisihan was then under the territorial jurisdiction of barangay Suba.

; Pancho Villa: Formerly known as Pinamonoan, the barrio of Pancho Villa was first settled by the Dikit, Oquendo and Balengkit families. The area was named so because of the convergence, known in Cebuano as “Pinamonoan” of the rivers of Subangdaku and San Francisco. After it was created a barangay on June 21, 1959, through Republic Act No 2563, the name of the village was changed in honor of the first Filipino boxer Pancho Villa. Today, barangay Pancho Villa is divided into two (2) sitios: Dampoy and Pancho Villa Centro.

; Pandan:The village got its name from the Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius), which was growing abundantly in the area. Presently, the barangay of Pandan is the site of the 10-mega volt ampere Sogod power substation of the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative (SOLECO).

; Rizal:During the 1945 liberation, influx of new settlers came and resided in the southern part of the ba The rise of population in the area already qualified the settlement to be a fully pledged barangay. However, according to barangay accounts, the people residing near the poblacion and Rizal Street Extension, were not considered part of the sitio. Hence, the village heads accounted that the households situated near the Pandan River, at the northernmost area of sitio, were deemed legible residents of the settlement. It was on June 21, 1959, that the sitio was established a barangay through the provisions of Republic Act No. 2563. The new settlement was called "Rizal", not because it was named in honor of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, but the area stood at the end of the town's main street. By the year 1966, a barangay charter was imposed for the definition of the exact boundary of Rizal with the poblacion. It emphasized that Rizal Street form the barangay's southern boundary with the poblacion. Today, barangay Rizal is home to various low-price lodges, dormitories and apartments for students enrolled at the province's only state university.

; Salvacion: The increase of area and population in Consolacion prompted the creation of a new barrio in 1973, by virtue of the Presidential Decree Nos. 210 and 211 inaugurated by President Ferdinand Marcos. By the time of its division, the southern area of the barrio remained as Consolacion while the northern part was named “Salvacion”. The name of the barangay was a namesake of Salvacion Oppus-Yñiguez, the governor of Southern Leyte from 1972 to 1986, who initiated the barangayhood of Salvacion. The barangay chieftains who served Salvacion were Mileton Ramos, followed by Froilan Echavia, Luciano Diaz, Maurillo Canon-Pingco and Luis Beliso. Two educational institutions are located in this highway barangay: the Consolacion Elementary School and the Consolacion National High School.

; San Francisco Mabuhay: Founded in 1952 after the World War II by settlers from the poblacion, San Francisco Mabuhay got its name from a combination of words. Francisco Garlet, the teniente del barrio of this far-flung sitio, spearheaded the move to declare the sitio as a barangay. The appeal of Garlet and the rest of the sitio were granted by the municipal council of Sogod. During its declaration, loud shouts of "Mabuhay, Mabuhay!" circulated through the village. With no name, the villagers decided to name their place, “San Francisco”, as dedication to the efforts done by the barrio chief. Later, Mabuhay was attached to the official name of the barangay. The barangay was formally organized as a barangay on June 21, 1959, through the mandated provisions of Republic Act No. 2563. Presently, the barangay is divided into two sitios: San Francisco proper and Honob, which is accessible through a mountain trail from sitio Kabernal in barangay Kahupian via the National Highway.

; San Isidro: The first known settlers of Malupao, the first name of barangay San Isidro, were the families of Pedro Senillo, Ceriaca Dalugdugan and Apolonia Aguillon. Nestled along the town's rice producing area, the barrio folks renamed it after San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers.

; San Jose: The village was established around 1948 as part of barangay San Pedro. The distance of the settlement from San Pedro earned the site's name as "Sudlonon" ["a place located in the interior"]. The growth and expansion of the poblacion led to the creation of this barangay on June 21, 1959, through the enactment of Republic Act. No. 2563. Representative Nicanor E. Yñiguez sponsored this bill to create more barangays in the 3rd District Leyte, now the province of Southern Leyte. The pebbled shorelines of San Jose are dotted with beach resorts and hotel accommodation. Renamed after its patron saint, the residents in the area celebrate their annual fiesta in honor of San Jose every March 19.

; San Juan: The barangay was formerly called as "Agta", a legendary creature that resides on trees and far-flung places. Many residents believed that the Agta owned and lived in the present site of the village. A certain educated stranger later emerged in the barrio and taught the settlers of basic education there. He was also symbolic in making San Juan el Bautista the patron saint of the settlement. By June 21, 1959, under Republic Act No. 2563, San Juan was created as a barangay. But it was on June 19, 1960 that the territorial jurisdiction of San Juan was defined, further covering the sitios of Hubasan, Agta Proper, Manduduknay, Kabas-an and Cabadbaran.

; San Miguel:The barangay was once known as “Batang”, a term coined from a phenomenon of fallen logs, or driftwood, carried away from the currents of the Subangdaku River whenever a typhoon occurs. The western bank of the Subangdaku River was then settled by the families of Severo Obra Jr., Eleuterio Maasin Jr. and Eleuterio Balogo, which were Cebuano migrants hailing from Argao, Cebu in the 1940s. As the barangay expanded during the 1960s, the villagers decided to change the name of the site in honor of San Miguel Arcangel, the patron saint of the town of Argao.

; San Pedro:One of the oldest visitas of Sogod, barangay San Pedro was formally founded in 1857 with Selverio Biliza, Victoriano Catajoy and Esteban Rana as the first cabezas de barangay. The village was formerly the site of a high school administered by the Augustinian friars, which was operational from 1774 to 1785. There exist two narratives portraying the etymological origin of the name "Hipgasan.". The first account states that the term was a namesake of the river passing through the village. Accordingly, the village site was then the “Hugasan,” a place where the settlers washed their spears, bows and arrows and their hunted animals. A village chief came to this place for hunting and killed a number of wild animals. As soon as the chieftain dipped the carcasses to the river for cleaning, a maiden appeared, warning him not to kill the animals in the area. The fairy also cautioned him not to dirty the water with blood. To his surprise, the chieftain ran away and warned his people not to go to the present-day Banat-e spring, the source of the river, where the maiden lives. Hence the name “Hipgasan” is an evolution of the Cebuano word, “Hugasan”. Another account was based on the acronym, “Hipno nga gawi ug pamatasan”. The name came to be since the settlers of the village were hospitable to the visitors bathing in the river. The efforts of teniente del barrio Alberto Linga, together with the cooperation of the settlers of the village, materialized the creation of irrigation canals in the southwestern areas of Sogod with its source in sitio Banahaw. Thus, the expression, “Hipno nga gawi ug pamatasan” or “HipGaSan”, was attached to the identity of the people of barangay San Pedro. The population of barrio Hipgasan increased when the Boholanos migrated the area in the 1920s. Raymundo Carpiz and the clan of Felipe Vistal Sr., whose offspring bore the Capilitan and Damalerio clans, were recognized as the earliest recorded inhabitants of barangay San Pedro. Sooner, a couple of Cebuano families migrated in the area and prospered before the World War II. Demetrio Angcoy, who hails from the town of Argao, Cebu, married a Sogodnon, Cirila Vargas. The couple was to be the main bearer of the Angcoy and Albert families in Sogod. By 1955, through the efforts of teniente del barrio Dionisio Logronio, the name of the barangay was changed after the village’s patron saint, San Pedro Apostol. A native of Bohol, Logronio married Eulalia Diola, a native of this settlement. Presently, barangay San Pedro is politically subdivided into four (4) puroks and a sitio.

; San Roque:Barangay San Roque was formerly known as "Himaylag", which is named after a stream coursing through the northern part of the district. In the old days, people from the poblacion would flock to get water from the brook. Due to the pristine quality of the water, the name of the area was shortened to "Maylag". As the settlement grew, a meeting was convened by the village chief for the first barrio fiesta. It was agreed that the event be celebrated every August in honor of San Roque de Montpellier, the patron saint of pilgrims. It is also believed that the villagers choose the saint as the barangay patron because the teniente del barrio of Maylag, who was suffering from an unknown disease during that period, was allegedly cured on August 16 through the intercession of the saint. Later, the name of the village was changed to "San Roque" as a tribute to the patron saint. Today, barangay San Roque is divided into four (4) puroks and is the site of Southern Leyte State University (SLSU), the province's state university.

; San Vicente:The earliest record accounts that the village existed in 1950. Situated at the foot of a mountain, the hamlet experienced frequent landslips during rainy seasons. Thus, the settlers called their area as “Anas” [landslides] as a consequence of that phenomenon. It was later renamed in honor of the hamlet's patron saint, San Vicente Ferrer. By June 21, 1959, the place was recognized a barangay through the provisions of Republic Act No. 2563.

; Santa Maria: Before the area was settled, a species of fruit known locally as Santa Maria (Passiflora foetida) surround the landscape. After the place was cultivated by the farmers and residents from the village of Libas, it was coined as "Santa Maria". It was officially carved out from barangay Libas on June 21, 1959, by Republic Act No. 2563. The patron saint of the barangay is the Santo Niño de Cebú.

; Suba: Located along the Subangdaku River, the site was first settled by the Aklan family. Upon its founding, the site was known as “Tindahan”, which means a mini-grocery. When the Typhoon Amy ravaged Leyte in December 1951, the hamlet experienced severe destruction as the river flooded the area and the nearby villages in Sogod. It was told that every rainy season, the river becomes very wide, swollen and destructive that the trail connecting the hamlet to the poblacion becomes impassable. And during summer months, the dried riverbed serves as an airport for small airplanes. Thus, the barangay was called “Suba” ["river"], and the river, “Subangdaku” ["big river"].

; Tampoong:The present-day barangay of Santa Cruz, now part of Bontoc town, serves as boundary between the poblacion of Sogod and the visita of Bontoc in 1897. Santa Cruz, which was then called “Malangsa,” had the barangays of Tampoong and Casao [now under the civil jurisdiction of Bontoc town] under its territorial jurisdiction. The settlers of Malangsa decided to rename their village after the patron, the Holy Cross, which is also the patron of barangay Tampoong. Tampoong existed when the barrio of Bontoc became a municipality on July 31, 1950 and divided the barrio of Santa Cruz into two regions. Since that division, Santa Cruz was transferred to Bontoc while the northern half of the village, which has no official name, remained to Sogod. After the split, four (4) persons from barangay Santa Cruz, namely Amado Mondragon, Dionesio Lubang, Francisco Andoyo and Nicolas Rogero called for a session to name the other half of the village. At the end of the meeting, the people came to an agreement to name their village as “Tampoong,” which is an evolution from the Cebuano word, “Tampo-tampo”. The newly formed barangay was called so because the session provided an avenue of ideas and suggested names for the settlement. Thus, each attendee of the meeting had a contribution [“ikatampo”] to the subject matter.

; Zone I:Having a land area of about 27.40 hectares, the barangay of Zone I is the residential, educational, and commercial core of the poblacion of Sogod. The barangay was then a sitio once known as "San Antonio," after the street which passes through the chapel, dedicated to San Antonio de Padua and the barangay hall. It was on 1973, when President Ferdinand Marcos decreed the creation of San Antonio as a barangay and renamed the district as Zone I. Today, this barrio is divided into nine (9) puroks and houses the municipal hall complex, police station and Regional Trial Court (RTC), Grace Christian School of Sogod (GCS), Royal Waldorf School, Sogod Central School, Sogod SPED Center, Sogod National High School, Sogod District Hospital, Sogod Water District and other government and commercial establishments.

; Zone II:The late President Ferdinand Marcos passed Presidential Decree Nos. 210 and 211 in 1973, further establishing barangays in the country. Mayor Ignacio Siega (1964–1986), through a municipal resolution authorized the creation of districts in the poblacion of Sogod. Popularly known by the residents as "Kalanggaman" [“a haven for birds”], the newly-created barangay has jurisdiction over the area south of Osmeña Street to Concepcion Street, ending at the municipal wharf; and the area north of the shoreline, which includes the entire span of Gervacio Cadavos Street, monitoring from the wharf to the creek bounding barangay San Jose. The barangay chieftains who served Zone II were Luis Yap (1973–1976), Felipe Rio (1976), Benjamin Caadyang (-1986), Renato Altejar (1986–1992), Rodulfo Telin (1992–1994), Samuel Dagohoy (1994–1997) and Oscar Tan Jr. (1997–2000).

; Zone III:This historic barangay was formerly known as "Baluarte," after the former watchtower that existed during the colonial years. The Moro raid of 1754 destroyed the Spanish-era church and watchtower, which houses the golden bell, and killed and enslaved most of the town’s inhabitants. Being the original locus of the poblacion, much of the town’s history revolved around this district. By 1973, the poblacion of Sogod was divided into five (5) barangays through a municipal resolution. The jurisdiction of Baluarte covers the area east of Concepcion Street, from the municipal wharf to Osmeña Street; the site south of Osmeña Street monitoring towards Subangdaku river; and the area west of Subangdaku river to the shoreline. After the 1987 canonization of San Lorenzo Ruiz, the barangay council passed a resolution to the municipal hall in 1991 for the changing of the name of the district after the first Filipino saint and patron of the new district. The motion was approved by the provincial government of Southern Leyte in 1992. With an area of eleven (11) hectares, barangay Zone III is the commercial center of Sogod with the Sogod Integrated Market and the Doctor Gonzalo Yong Bus Terminal as its major establishments. The barangay chieftains who served Zone III were Francisco Cajoles (1973–1980), Conchita Telin (1980–1986), Mario Cajoles (1986–1988), Floro Espina (1988–1992, 1994–1997 and 1997–2000), Agustin Lagat (1982–1998), Teofila Barosa (2000–2001), and Bonifacio Felicilda (2001–2004). Presently, there are six (6) puroks composing the barangay of Zone III: Block Market 1, Block Market 2, Bitoon, Maligaya 1, Maligaya 2 and Santo Niño.

; Zone IV: Situated in the innermost area of the poblacion, Zone IV is considered as the residential and commercial hub of Sogod. The barangay is the site of the Sogod Auditorium, Police Station, Firemen’s Hall, the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) Office, Rural Health Unit (RHU) Building, a government-run birthing facility and other national and provincial offices. The town center was divided into five different barangays in 1973.

; Zone V: With a total land area of 46,186.594 square meters, the barangay of district Zone V has a jurisdiction over the areas east of Rizal Street monitoring towards sitio Katambisan, Rizal Street Extension; the areas east of sitio Katambisan to Pandan River, which covers south; the areas west of Subangdaku River to the southern boundary facing barangay Zone III; and the areas north of Osmeña Street to the intersection of Rizal Street. At present, barangay Zone V is divided into seven (7) puroks and is the site of Southern Leyte Provincial Public Safety Company (SLPPSC) Headquarters, Gaisano Capital Mall of Sogod, Corrompido Specialty Hospital and among others.

Geography

The town covered a total land area of until 1953. Due to the enactment of Republic Act No. 522 on June 15, 1950, which establishes the municipality of Bontoc, the municipal area of Sogod decreased. However, the newly ordained act was proven to be lax in nature. The juridical boundaries of the town of Bontoc were not fully indicated, causing much tension between the two municipalities. After the 1959 promulgation of the Executive Order No. 368, all conflicting areas between the municipalities of Sogod and Bontoc were reorganized and reevaluated. Many complaints and petitions were sent to the Provincial Board of Southern Leyte and to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to reconcile the disputed villages to Sogod, but all were in vain. As a result, the land area of the municipality was reduced to in land area.

With the coordinates of 10°23'10 North Longitude and 124°58'48 East Latitude, Sogod is situated in the northern portion of the province of Southern Leyte and in the south-central side of Leyte Island, facing the Sogod Bay. It is approximately 72 kilometers east from the city of Maasin, the provincial capital of Southern Leyte; 127 kilometers south from Tacloban City, the regional center of Eastern Visayas and the provincial capital of Leyte; 106 kilometers from Ormoc City, a port city on the north-western coast of Leyte.

right|thumb|Rice paddies in barangay Salvacion with the Abuyog-Liloan Cordillera in the background. Wide plains characterize much of the south-eastern terrain of the town.

The town is bounded by the municipality of Mahaplag, approximately 38 kilometers northbound via the Maharlika Highway; in the east are the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, and Saint Bernard; in the southeast is the municipality of Libagon, about 22 kilometers eastbound via the national highway; facing to the south is Sogod Bay, the only water form that divides the province from west to east; 6 kilometers south-west lies the municipality of Bontoc; in the west are the towns of Bato, Hindang, Hilongos, and Inopacan.

The Mahaplag-Sogod mountain rim is the boundary line of the two provinces of Leyte and Southern Leyte. Two bridges in sitio Balintulay, barangay Kahupian serve as markers for the boundary. In the east and west sides of the municipality are much similar to the north. The slopes serve as barricades from the municipalities facing the eastern Pacific region. Every rainy season, frequent landslips would mar the soil condition of upland barangays causing the feeder roads to be impassable. The southern part is bordered by rivers and creeks. The Santa Cruz Creek serves as a demarcation line between the towns of Bontoc and Sogod. Gakat Creek functions as boundary between Sogod and Libagon.

Barangay

Sogot is politically subdivided into 45 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Benit
Buac Daku
Buac Gamay
Cabadbaran
Concepcion
Consolacion
Dagsa
Hibod-hibod
Hindangan
Hipantag
Javier
Kahupian
Kanangkaan
Kauswagan
La Purisima Concepcion
Libas
Lum-an
Mabicay
Mac
Magatas
Mahayahay
Malinao
Maria Plana
Milagroso
Olisihan
Pancho Villa
Pandan
Rizal
Salvacion
San Francisco Mabuhay
San Isidro
San Jose
San Juan
San Miguel
San Pedro
San Roque
San Vicente
Santa Maria
Suba
Tampoong
Zone I
Zone II
Zone III
Zone IV
Zone V

Topography

The municipality has flat-to-rolling plains in the southern part, with rivers crisscrossing the lowland. The rivers of Subangdaku and San Francisco are the major waterways of the town. The headwaters of these rivers are located at the Leyte Cordillera. The rivers flow southward from the villages of Kahupian, Pancho Villa, San Francisco Mabuhay and San Juan to its mouth at the Sogod Bay near the Sogod poblacion.

Numerous springs are located in the town. Some of them are situated in barangay Consolacion, Hibod-Hibod, Kahupian, Lum-an, Pancho Villa, and San Juan. The Magaupas Spring in barangay Pandan and Banat-e Spring in barangay San Pedro supplies the water needs of the Sogodnons.

Rugged peaks covered the town’s northern area. These slopes are dotted with thick rain forests which served as habitat for rare species of flora and fauna, like the Philippine Eagle and Tarsier. Of the twenty-four mountains in Southern Leyte province, five are located in Sogod. These are the mountains of Bitanhuan , Cagbano , Capuloan , Llave and Panjongon .

Recently, two new species of frogs belonging to the genus Platymantis were discovered specifically inhabiting the montane and mossy forests of the Nacolod Mountain Range (the Hinunangan-Silago-Sogod corridor of the Leyte Cordillera) in Southern Leyte. Both species differ markedly from other known species of Philippine Platymantis frogs by their body size, coloration patterns, and advertisement calls. The two species are allied to two different species groups, the Platymantisguentheri group and Platymantishazelae group. This is the first time that a Platymantis species belonging to the Hazelae group has been discovered in Mindanao faunal region, of which the island of Leyte belongs to.

There are three mountain ranges that separates the municipality from the other towns of the province, these are: Baybay-Maasin Cordillera, the Abuyog-Liloan Cordillera and Mahaplag mountain range.

The Baybay-Maasin Cordillera consists of rolling hills and varied upland plains. This area is known for its lush and productive coconut and abaca plantations. Rice paddies formed the rest of the agricultural thicket of the area.
The Abuyog-Liloan Cordillera is regarded as the bounty for endangered animals such as tarsiers, eagles, deers and monkeys. The mountain range has an altitude of about 2,000 above sea level. In the recent years, this part of the province had experienced deforestation. Due to massive exploitation of hardwood in the area, it resulted to severe flowing of the Subangdaku River and landslides in Sogod’s mountain villages. In the mid-1980s, the Philippine Government issued the banning of timber cutting in the entire country, leading to the massive restoration of the forests in the country.
The Mahaplag cordillera is an arm of the Abuyog-Liloan mountain range and has the same characteristics with the other mountain ranges. Being isolated by human activities, it is also home to rare species of flora and fauna.

Being a coastal town, the bay that divides the province into two regions is named after Sogod. Of all the municipalities comprising the province of Southern Leyte, the municipality has the shortest shoreline.

Subangdaku River

Subangdaku is the largest river in the province of Southern Leyte that empties into Sogod Bay. Based on the physical description of rivers done by the Ateneo de Naga University, Subangdaku is considered a braided river since there are several channels that divide and reunite forming an alluvial fan with very wide floodplain. Sediments of various sizes are deposited in this floodplain every typhoon season, causing the river to swell. The larger materials are deposited first while the finest materials such as silt and clay are deposited last as the river moves towards its mouth to meet the sea, which is seen as a natural occurrence.

The town center of Sogod and a number of barangays along the banks of Subangdaku were reportedly affected by a strong flood similar to that experienced with Typhoon Amy in 1951. Typhoon Amy had the strength and volume of water that caused sediments of various sizes to roll downstream sweeping away several villages, vegetation, and farm animals. After the typhoon, logs were seen floating in Sogod Bay together with dead bodies. For months, the people of Sogod and the surrounding villages did not eat fish caught from the bay.

thumb|Mounds of gravel deposits are dumped beside the banks of Subangdaku River for the strengthening of the river control in barangay San Miguel. Farmers along the river banks complained on the soil erosion caused by the rechannelization project. Environmentalists in the province also claim that the sand and gravel quarrying in barangay Immaculada Concepcion was not a re-channeling project but a large-scale mining which exports these mineral deposits to Cebu and abroad.

Recent typhoons did not result to the terrible destruction brought about by Typhoon Amy. Flooding happens only every heavy rains. Some of the destroyed agricultural lands were reclaimed by local people when some of the portion of Subangdaku dried out as a result of quarrying and rechanneling activities. The river has been known to meander along its course, ever changing its way over time.

Exploitation

thumb|A map showing the Subangdaku River, as part of a position paper presented at the Ateneo de Naga University, dated March 21, 2002.

For years, following the floodings of the river, Subangdaku created an issue over the province. The quarrying in the area became rampant and destructive. After many attempts of conserving the site, the issue remained unsolved until today.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recommended to the Southern Leyte Governor Oscar Tan, for the rechannelling of the river in order to “redirect the flow of water straight to the bridge (present Subangdaku Bridge in barangay Suba) waterway.” A permit was granted to Shemberg with the “objective of rechannelling the meandering Subangdaku River, thereby protecting the existing infrastructure, the lives and properties of Sogodnons” on July 13, 1993. Rechannelling was commenced shortly after. In 1998, a group of Sogodnons complained about the destruction in the river allegedly due to the quarrying operations of Shemberg. Supporting papers in 1998 backed the continued rechannelling operations of said company, thus quarrying and rechanneling activities were resumed.

Shemberg-Rockland Marketing Corporation was granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) by the Regional Department of Environment of Natural Resources (DENR-8), through the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB-8), to conduct quarrying operations in the river. Although the ECC allowed them to extract 60,000 cubic meters per year (ECC was granted on June 25, 1993), some sectors believed that what was extracted from the river was more than this amount. For instance, it was alleged that small operators and local residents also collect sand and gravel and sell them to Shemberg. By June 5, 1998, MGB-8 issued a renewal of permit (SAG No. IP-98-011) to Shemberg Marketing Corporation (SMC) allowing it to extract 350,000 cubic meters for five years, renewable for the same period and volume. This amount has increased by 10,000 cubic meters annually. Aside from Shemberg, there were also other operators that extracted sand and gravel, such as Reeline Commercial Aggregates and a Gaudencio Ang.

On December 12, 2001, Typhoon Nanang damaged a road shoulder in barangay San Miguel. Shemberg, however, denies responsibility for the destruction. The company reports that the total concession area of Shemberg is only 19 hectares which occupies about 2 kilometers of the river and that its “upstream boundary is located near the concrete structure, at the bend of San Miguel and is approximately 300 meters downstream of the newly collapsed road pavement.”

The Save Subangdaku Movement (SSDM) requested for assistance from the people hearing mass at the Immaculate Conception of Mary Parish during the celebration of the patronal fiesta on December 15, 2001. While the local officials blamed the rechannelization project of the government and uncontrolled quarrying of gravel and sand at the side of river as the cause of the flood. At a meeting on March 18, 2002, a government agency alleged that the reason of the incidents of flood and other environmental problems in the river was due to the Philippine Fault System which caused rocks to rumble down. However, the reason was contended because the fault is a geological feature and environmental problems in the province just occurred that time.

An irrigation dam was constructed beneath the Subangdaku Bridge I in Barangay Suba to control the flow of the current to the farmlands in the south-eastern portion of the municipality. However, the dam was destroyed after strong river currents breached the infrastructure in January 2011.

The Subangdaku Bridge II was inaugurated in March 2013, connecting it to barangay San Miguel and barangay Inmaculada Concepcion. It was seen as a solution to cut the travel time from Maasin City to the rest of the province.

Today

The provincial government is seeking for the immediate suspension of two-decade-old quarrying operation in the river after numerous violations done by the permit holders. Last August 20, 2013, Governor Roger Mercado told the press that the government is "waiting for the complete assessment report from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)."

The suspension of sand and gravel extraction of Subangdaku will give way to delineation of the areas as part of the revised rechanneling plan. Extractors are to resume operations after implementing the rechanneling plan, under the supervision of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).

The governor added that the Cebu-based Shemberg Marketing Corporation "keep on renewing from MGB-8 since 1993." The quarrying firm never sought an approval from the provincial governor and committed a grave violation under existing environmental laws and the local government code.

Records of the MGB regional office showed that as of June 2013, there are two existing sand and gravel industrial permits. Shemberg Marketing Corporation has the biggest concession area at 19 hectares. Selena Salas, a permit holder from Cebu City were given go signal to quarry in 12.53 hectares. There are two pending application for sand and gravel industrial permits in the area. These local firms are owned by Emily Chiongbian and Rodolfo Gervacio with a combined proposed extraction area of 13.73 hectares.

Despite the call for suspension, MGB clarified that the provincial government of Southern Leyte has no authority to suspend quarrying operations along Subangdaku. The latter can only recommend for suspension of sand and gravel extraction but it has to be approved by the MGB regional office. The office also added that the permit holders have no violations.

Sogod Bay

thumb|An aerial view of Sogod Bay from Milagroso hill. Every Lenten season, Catholics flock at the summit of the hill for the reenactment of the passion and death of Christ. The trail, leading to the summit of the hill, which starts from the national high school in barangay San Roque, is complete with life-size statues depicting the stations of the cross.

Sogod is situated at the head of Sogod Bay. The bay, home to a variety of fishes, provided food and livelihood to the people of Sogod and nearby municipalities.

The Subangdaku River is a major tributary of the bay, emptying into the bay at the municipality of Sogod. Much of the bay's ecology has been disturbed due to human activity, ranging from quarrying and rechanneling to improper waste management.

Sogod-Bontoc boundary dispute

The enactment of the Republic Act No. 522 on June 15, 1950, granted the creation of the municipality of Bontoc, a village situated six (6) kilometers west from Sogod. But it was on July 29, 1950, that Bontoc was formally inaugurated as a fully pledged municipality. In the latter times of the Spanish colonization, Bontoc was already a functioning village of Sogod with a status of a visita (barrio with chapel) around 1886.

The Republic Act included the villages of Bontoc, Divisoria, Union, Paku, Beniton, Catmon, Hilaan, Taa, Santa Cruz, and Mahayahay, which were under the political jurisdiction of Sogod, to be part of the municipality of Bontoc. The problem was that the boundaries between the two towns were not “well-defined” and the majority of the people residing in Bontoc preferred to have their transactions in Sogod. Much worse when the municipio (town hall) in Sogod began exacting taxation and jurisdiction from the barangays mentioned in the Republic Act 522 in which falls under the area of the local government unit (LGU) of Bontoc.

On June 17, 1952, the provincial board of Leyte issued the holding of a plebiscite among the villages of Pangi, Taa, Santa Cruz, Tuburan, Lawgawan and their corresponding sitios (hamlets). The purpose of such activity is to determine whether the people in these barrios would like to remain with the municipality of Sogod or with Bontoc. The plebiscite was conducted on August 1, 1952, and the results show that more votes were cast in favor of Sogod than those in favor of Bontoc.

After seven years, the controversy was recommended by the provincial board of Leyte to Manila for the amendment of Republic Act No. 522 to include the villages of Baugo, Himakilo, Esperanza, Hibagwan, Pamahawan, Mahayahay, Bunga, Dao and Maoylab to the municipal jurisdiction of Bontoc. At that time, a series of Republic Acts were approved and enacted to make sitios into barangays in the province of Leyte.

One interesting feature of the said development is that the provincial board of Leyte recommended to Manila that the villages of Lawgawan, Taa, Tuburan, Santa Cruz and Pangi, equidistant to the poblacion of Sogod, be annexed to the municipal jurisdiction of Sogod. The proposal got the support of President Carlos Polestico Garcia and approved the move to include the newly established barangays, located in the hinterlands of Bontoc, to be part of the territorial jurisdiction of the municipality of Bontoc. After the 1959 promulgation of the Executive Order No. 368, all conflicting areas between the municipalities of Sogod and Bontoc were reorganized and reevaluated. Many complaints and petitions were sent to the Provincial Board of Southern Leyte and to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to reconcile the disputed villages to Sogod, but all were in vain.

On July 18, 1960, the Provincial Board of Southern Leyte permanently suspends implementation of Executive Order 368. The board conducted a plebiscite in the barrios and sitios affected by Executive Order 368 and to finally settle the boundary dispute.

On June 24, 1970, the municipality of Sogod filed Civil Case No. R-1706 for certiorari and prohibition with the Court of First Instance of Southern Leyte (now Regional Trial Court), to enjoin the provincial board and provincial governor from taking cognizance of the long pending boundary dispute between the two municipalities and to enjoin the municipality of Bontoc from exercising territorial jurisdiction over the barrios of Pangi, Taa, Casao, Santa Cruz, Tuburan and Lawgawan all allegedly belonging to the municipality of Sogod.

On August 31, 1973, the trial court dismissed the action for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter of the case.

Presidente Carlos P. Garcia promulgated Executive Order No. 368, which approved the recommendation of the provincial board of Leyte and reconstituted the barrios and sitiosunder the territorial dispute between the two municipalities with Granada Creek as its boundary line, on December 28, 1959.

However, on July 14, 1960, then Executive Secretary Castillo sent a telegram to the Provincial Board of Southern Leyte which states as follows:

The Provincial Board of newly established Southern Leyte passed Resolution No. 62 suspending the implementation of Executive Order 368 on July 18, 1960. The board also created a committee to conduct the holding of a plebiscite in the barrios and sitios affected by the Executive Order and to finally settle the boundary dispute.

On June 24, 1970, the municipality of Sogod filed Civil Case No. R-1706 for certiorari and prohibition with the Court of First Instance of Southern Leyte (now Regional Trial Court [RTC]), to enjoin the provincial board and provincial governor from taking cognizance of the long pending boundary dispute between the two municipalities and to enjoin Bontoc town from exercising territorial jurisdiction over the said barrios. However, the trial court dismissed the action for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter of the case on August 31, 1973.

On December 17, 1973, the trial court denied petitioner’s motion for reconsideration. Hence, this petition was filed alleging that the respondent judge acted with grave abuse of discretion in dismissing the case.

Climate

The average climate in Sogod presents a low mean seasonality in comparison to similar climates in other parts of the world. This means that, on average, seasons (whether hot or cold or dry or wet) are not marked. The mean monthly temperature ranges from 23.6 °C to 25.4 °C and Precipitation from 147 to 351 millimeters/month.

According to the Coronas Classification, the main climate classification system used in the Philippines, the largest part of Sogod falls under Type II, which characterized by the absence of a dry season and months with the largest rainfalls between November and January. A small part of Sogod, the western part of the province of Southern Leyte, falls under Type IV and has an even more evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year.

Demographics

Population

The population of Sogod exceeded 45,000 during the 2015 Philippine National Census. Of about 3,382 inhabitants, Zone V is the most populous barangay in Sogod, followed by Zone III and Maac with a population of 1,934 inhabitants and 1,869 inhabitants, respectively. But the barangay with the lowest population is Lum-an, having a population of only 90 individuals; followed by Hindangan and Buac Daku with a population of 116 and 119, respectively.

Pandan, Rizal, San Jose, San Miguel, San Pedro, San Roque, Tampoong and Casao and Santa Cruz in Bontoc are the immigration barangays within the poblacion. Mountain barangays such as Benit, Lum-an, Hindangan, Hipantag, Maria Plana and Santa Maria are experiencing a decline in population. Employment and livelihood lead the people from these villages to settle in the poblacion and in other urban centers in the province. The lack of road systems and infrastructures linking these villages to the town proper is one of the factors that attribute to this problem. This migratory pattern is called Rural Exodus. It is exacerbated when the population decline leads to the loss of rural services such as business enterprises and schools, which leads to greater loss of population as people leave to seek those features.

Ethnicity and language

The local populace of Sogod is of Boholano and Cebuano descent with Cebuano as the major language spoken in the municipality. But most native speakers have Boholano (Bol-anon) intonation because of its proximity to Bohol province. Waray-Waray and Surigaonon are regarded as secondary languages. However, Tagalog is still the lingua franca when conversing to other ethnic groups.

Natives also understood foreign languages such as English and Spanish (currently endangered).

Economy

thumb|[[Gaisano Capital|Gaisano Capital Sogod is the largest department store in the province.]]

At present, the municipality still relies much on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government. However, it is worthwhile noting that local revenue collection has been increasing from year to year without passing a new revenue-raising ordinance. Sogod is now classified as a municipality.

The total Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of Sogod for the fiscal year of 2012 was ₱64,820,215.00 and ₱24,200,000.00 for the local-sourced revenues that become one of the fastest growing economies in province.

Gaisano Capital Group, one of largest shopping mall chains in the country, opened its first branch in the province during the town’s 158th founding anniversary on June 10, 2011.

List of banking institutions

{| class="wikitable"

!Name of bank

!Address

|BPI BanKo

|L. Regis Street, Barangay Zone V

|Cantilan Bank, Inc.

|Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone II

|Landbank

|Doctor Gonzalo Yong Bus Terminal, Barangay Zone III

|Metrobank

|Rizal Street, Barangay Zone IV

|Philippine National Bank

|Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone II

|Rural Bank of Hindang, Inc.

|Rizal Street, Barangay Zone IV

|United Coconut Planters Bank

|Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone IV

Industry

Manufacturing and trade

thumb|The port of Sogod

Manufacturing is small-scale: charcoal (burnt coconut shells or uling), abaca products, ceramics, coconut oil, furniture making, hollow block making, and gravel and sand. Export products are copra, abaca, abaca handicrafts and fiber craft items.

Minerals

As of 1992, the province of Southern Leyte's metallic reserves totaled 771,830 metric tons. All of the municipalities and one city in the province have mineral deposits including Sogod. The town has magnesite, gold, silver and copper deposits. However, Sogod's mountains are unexplored and the soil is not suitable for mining due to soft clay surface. The Tans have been active in politics since 2004.

{| class="wikitable"

|Mayor

|Imelda Uy-Tan

|Vice Mayor

|Jose Ramil Golo

|Municipal Councilor

Rogelyn Paranas
Ely Faelnar
Jose Autida
Nilo Casil
Tommy Dejarme
Ellyn Villa
Rufo Caindoy-Olo
Patrick Feliano

Political subdivisions

thumb|The newly-constructed Sogod Municipal Hall replaced the old town hall built during the Marcos regime.

Sogod is politically subdivided into forty-five barangays; ten (10) of which compose the poblacion (town proper): Rizal, San Jose, San Pedro, San Roque, Tampoong, Zone I, Zone II, Zone III, Zone IV and Zone V.

thumb|right|Sogod Municipal Trial Court alongside the municipal jail.

Kahupian is the largest barangay in the municipality, in terms of land area. Other large villages such as San Francisco Mabuhay, Hipantag, Kauswagan, Javier, Hindangan and Magatas are only accessible by habal-habal via feeder roads (with the exception of barangay Javier, which is reachable by jeepney and motorcab plying for Libagon town).

Most of the smaller barangays are found in densely populated areas in the municipality, particularly in the poblacion. These barangays are Zone I, Zone II, Zone III, Zone IV and Zone V, San Jose, Rizal, Mabicay and Consolacion.

Barangays

These are the subdistricts that constitute the municipality of Sogod:

From September 1992 to March 1993, the parish launched an intensive doctrinal and spiritual formation program through the Catholic Faith Lay Apostolic Movement of the Philippines (CF-LAMP), a local group tasked of defending the Catholic faith from proselytizing sects. This program has brought about remarkable conversations especially among the nominal and indifferent Catholics that the effects have been dubbed balik-Simbahan. One of the fruits of this program is that the barrio faithful have also embarked on renovations and extensions of their respective chapels.

Communications

Telecommunication facilities, broadband and wireless internet connections are provided by Globe Telecoms, Smart Communications and Sun Cellular.

Tourism

thumb|The pebble beaches in barangay San Jose.

left|thumb|The Gerona Farm in barangay Buac Gamay owned by the Gerona Family.

thumb|upright|A stalagmite adorned the entrance of a cavern in Magsuhot Park in barangay Mahayahay.

The main attraction of the town is the Agas-Agas Bridge, the country’s tallest viaduct. Other sites found in the municipality are the Banat-e Spring of barangay San Pedro, the CTL Farms in barangay Concepcion, Dagsa-Pasanon Falls in barangay Dagsa, the Lanao Spring in barangay San Juan, the Calvary Trail of barangays San Roque and Milagroso, the mighty Subangdaku River in the barangays of Suba and San Miguel, the Buac-Malinao Reservoir of barangay Malinao, La Caridad Farms in barangay Buac Gamay, Labong Cave in barangay Javier, the Magapso Fish and Marine Sanctuary of barangay Maac, the Manubsuab Falls in barangay Kanangkaan, the Bagacay Beach of barangay Consolacion and the Prima, Cabadoy and Palanca Pebble Beaches in barangay San Jose. Inns and hotel accommodations are concentrated in the poblacion.

Agas-Agas Bridge and Adventure Park

The Agas-Agas Bridge zipline or what they call "Zipline Leyte" is a twin zip line and one of the longest in the country gliding diagonally above the bridge and the riverine below it.

Cainting Cave and Falls

Cainting Cave and Falls has been discovered in 2003 by foreign visitors trailing in the northern mountainous area of the town. Undisturbed by human activities, the cave matched with a cascading falls has not yet been fully explored. This site, which forms part of the lush Sogod Rainforest served as meeting point of three (3) rivers which offers a scenic junction of a natural pool. The presence of leeches locally known as “limatok” thrive on its waters.

The area can be reached after a five-kilometer walk from the road proper in barangay Pancho Villa to the barrio of San Francisco Mabuhay. Pancho Villa is a 20-minute habal-habal ride from Doctor Gonzalo Yong Bus Terminal in the poblacion. It is also accessible via a feeder road in barangay Kahupian which connects it from the sitios of Lubong Sapa, Silao Bato, Kabernal and Hagna. The latter, which is the farthest of the sitios and under the territorial jurisdiction of barangay San Francisco Mabuhay, is the location of the cave and falls.

Magsuhot Park

The 500-hectare forested Magsuhot National Park, located three (3) kilometers from barangay Mahayahay, has a four 20-meter high waterfalls falling into a common basin. It is located in the barangay of Maria Plana.

References

External links

Sogod Profile at PhilAtlas.com
Sogod Official Website
[ Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
Philippine Census Information
Local Governance Performance Management System