Gandara, Samar

Gandara, officially the Municipality of Gandara (Waray: Bungto han Gandara), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,242 people.

History
The town was formerly named Bangahon, but its population was resettled to its current location on September 29, 1902. After settling in its new location, the name Gandara was given to it in commemoration of the former Governor-General José de la Gándara y Navarro.

By virtue of ''Batas Pambansa Blg. 11'' approved in 1978, 29 barangays were separated to create the new municipality of San Jorge.

Barangays
Gandara is politicaly subdivided into 70 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.


 * Adela Heights
 * Arong 1
 * Arong 2 (1998)
 * Balocawe
 * Bangahon
 * Beslig
 * Buao
 * Bunyagan
 * Burabod I
 * Burabod II
 * Calirocan
 * Canhumawid
 * Caparangasan
 * Caranas
 * Carmona
 * Casab-ahan
 * Casandig
 * Catorse de Agosto
 * Caugbusan
 * Concepcion
 * Diaz
 * Dumalo-ong
 * Elcano
 * Gerali
 * Gereganan
 * Giaboc
 * Hampton
 * Hetebac
 * Himamaloto
 * Hinayagan
 * Hinugacan
 * Hiparayan
 * Jasminez
 * Lungib
 * Mabuhay
 * Macugo
 * Malayog
 * Marcos
 * Minda
 * Nacube
 * Nalihugan
 * Napalisan
 * Natimonan
 * Ngoso
 * Palambrag
 * Palanas
 * Piñaplata
 * Pizarro
 * Pologon
 * Purog
 * Rawis
 * Rizal
 * Samoyao
 * San Agustin
 * San Antonio
 * San Enrique
 * San Francisco
 * San Isidro
 * San Jose
 * San Miguel
 * San Pelayo
 * San Ramon
 * Santa Elena
 * Santo Niño
 * Senibaran
 * Sidmon
 * Tagnao
 * Tambongan
 * Tawiran
 * Tigbawon

Geo-Political Boundaries


 * Gomezville (Home Owners Association)

Demographics


Based on latest 2014 survey, the total population was 33,264, consisting of 17,046 males and 16,218 females. The number of households was 6,653, with an average household size of 4.87 persons and a density of 68/km2. Built-up Area population density at town proper 6,652 along Carline Area is 4,992, Coastal Area is 5,751 and Rural Area is 5,748.

Economy
The municipality of Gandara is known for its products such as queseo (kesong puti), tablea, tinapa (smoked fish), kalinayan rice, rootcrops and peanuts exported in the entire region of Eastern Visayas and to any point of the Philippine archipelago. Queseo is one of its tourism and livelihood assets.

Tourism

 * Maria Diana’s Chapel: Gandara is the home also of the well-known corpse of Maria Diana Alvarez believed to be miraculous by the Gandareños.


 * Karabaw Festival: A festival which pays tribute to the draft animal that helps people till their farms and provides milk for Gandara’s local white cheese delicacy called “Queseo”. The festival itself has proven a lot in terms of creativity and uniqueness. In fact, it has already won 7 times in the Samar Day Celebration observed every August 11 where all municipalities and cities in Samar gather at the provincial capitol in Catbalogan to perform and compete.


 * Annual Fluvial Parade: The traditional fluvial procession along the river of Gandara held every month of September is a significant and mainstay event of the yearly fiesta celebration.


 * Bangahon Church Ruins: The Ruins of Bangahon is a historical landmark near the right fork of Gandara river. It was once a town during the revolutionary period, but was abandoned by the old residents who later found the present town of Gandara. The site was the original homage to St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of the townspeople, located in Brgy. Bangahon, Gandara, Samar. The said place of worship was ruined during the Pulajanes-American war. The American used Field Guns destroying the said church. It was noted for its Bangahon Bell (Lingganay). This bell was sequestered by the Americans on September 29, 1901, at Balangiga. The bell of Bangahon church is believed to be one of those Balangiga bells.


 * Great Fire of Gandara: Old Church (Poblacion) and the Harvardian Schools memorabilia Photographies were lost on this fire, the Town Library (Harvardian School) were also damaged by this fire. The Fire started somewhere at an Electric Utility Post near Aguilar Residence and spread by a radius to the Second street.


 * San Jose Rapids: The Rapids are geolocated near Matuguinao, actually it is the Gandara River and Matuguinao River (river source) formed by rock formation, the word (Panaog) in local folks.

Education
Elementary and Kinder School

Gandara Central Elementary School

Gandara Central Elementary School started with the construction of Gabaldon School Buildings. The Gabaldon School Buildings or simply known as the Gabaldons is a term used to refer to heritage school buildings in the Philippines built during the American Colonial Era. They are noted for the architecture inspired from the bahay kubo and bahay na bato. As of about 2024, there are 2,045 Gabaldon School Buildings throughout the Philippines.

The Gabaldon School Buildings, also referred to as the Gabaldons, originated from Act No. 1801 or the Gabaldon Law, a legislation written by Isauro Gabaldón of the Philippine Assembly in 1907. The law provided for the funding of ₱1 million for the construction of modern public schools across the Philippine Islands from 1908 to 1915.

Like Gabaldon, first educators are from other Countries with earlier Educational System, the Old Katon Cristiana and the University of Santo Tomas system to 'pass-on' the Education learned.

By the turn of 20th Century, pupils/students populations are increasing, some are migrants and other from within the town, the former (DECS) - Ministry/Department of Education Culture and Sports now DepEd (Department of Education) decided to create partition on the interior Barrios Schools and along the Road Schools.


 * Gandara Central School I
 * Gandara Central School II


 * Miracle Haven Kinder School

Secondary education
From 1663 to 1768, Bangajon was administered by a priest from the Catbalogan Cabeccera Residencia who had the multiple duties of administering also the Tinago (Tarangnan) and sometimes the Hibatang (now Calbayog) visitas. In 1663, Moro pirates reached the village of Bangajon. After ransacking the village, they burned it. But the Jesuits missionaries were undaunted. They rebuilt the village and built a church made of stone and roofed with zinc and partly with nipa. It measured “26 fathoms (stones) in length wall thickness, 9 fathoms (stones) in width, 4 ½ fathoms (stones) in height” (about 48 meters in length, 16.5 m. in width and 4.5 m. in height). The church was dedicated to St. Michael de Archangel. They also built a convento of the same materials and two parochial schools (one for boys and another for girls) and a casa real of wood.
 * Saint Michael's High School, Incorporated (SMHSi)

After the fire in 1876, a tribunal and an escuela were also constructed under the direction of Fr. Geronimo Asenjo. They also continued with the education of the people, especially the children. The older residents of Gandara remember that the first book they used in the school was the Katon Cristiana. Graduation from school was simple. Any pupil who could recite the contents of the whole book from memory was graduated. Then they writer sent to the barrios to teach the Katon Christiana.

In 1901, the town principalia held a session extraordinaria on April 14, 1901 and passed an Act to build a new town and to transfer its location to the sitio of Dumalo-ong (present-day site of Gandara). When peace finally came to Samar in 1902, the people went about the reconstruction of the town and the church. Religious activities were resumed. Gandaranhons celebrated their first fiesta with their new Mayor on September 29, 1903 after years of war.

Franciscan missionaries returned to Gandara in 1910 after the new Diocese of Calbayog was established. Franciscan priests assigned to Gandara from 1910 to 1926 were Fr. Juan Vicente Carmona, O.F.M., Fr. Roman Perez, O.F.M. and Fr. Victoriano Ranera. O.F.M. Early in the sixties, Msgr. Ponciano Figueroa, then parish priest of Gandara, together with the mayor, Mayor Ramon Tan Diaz, established the St. Michael High School, the first and only Catholic school in the town.


 * Ramon T. Diaz National High School (RTDNHS) (formerly Ramon T. Diaz Memorial High School / Gandara National High School)


 * Piñaplata Integrated School

List of Parish Priest assigned to Bangajon/Gandara
Franciscan Administration (1768-1898) Transition Period (1898-1910) Diocese of Calbayog
 * 1711 Fr. Joannes Ramon
 * 1722 Fr. Bartholomeus de Sugo (with Calbiga)
 * 1724 Fr. Ignatius de Echavarria (with Tinago)
 * 1725-1726 Fr. Antonius Diaz (with Tinago)
 * 1727 Fr. Gregorius Davosa
 * 1728 Fr. Bernardino Ortiz (with Tinago)
 * 1731 Fr. Josephus Chacon (with Hibatang)
 * 1735 Fr. Josephus Chacon (with Tinago)
 * 1737-1739 Fr. Petrus Bolos (with Tinago)
 * 1742 Fr. Joannes Bautista (with Calbayog)
 * 1747-1749 Fr. Michael Catarrola (with Tinago)
 * 1751-1752 Fr. Pedrus Patelani (with Calbayog)
 * 1769 Fr. Juan Salguero
 * 1771 Fr. Joaquin Polo de Rojas
 * 1772 Fr. Juan Mora
 * 1774-1776 Fr. Juan Mora (with Calbayog)
 * 1777 Fr. Juan Bautista Belloc
 * 1778 Fr. Onofre del Montejo
 * 1779-1781 Fr. Juan Bautista Velloc
 * 1782-June 1783 Fr. Onofre del Montejo
 * Dec. 1784 Fr. Juan Bautista Velloc (with Calbayog)
 * June 1786 Fr. Joaquin Jose Martinez (with Calbayog)
 * 1787-1811 Fr. Juan Bautista Velloc (who died in Tarangnan on May 21, 1812)
 * 1813-1816 Vacant
 * 1817-1819 Fr. Felix Carreon (who was also parish priest of Catbalogan)
 * 1820, 1825-1826, 1828-1829, 1831-1832 – Vacant
 * 1834 Fr. Juan Garibo
 * 1835-1841 Fr. Felix Fernandez de Jesus y Maria
 * 1843 Fr. Domingo de Madrid
 * 1844-1855 Fr. Juan del Fregenal
 * 1856-1859 Vacant
 * 1861-1864 Fr. Saturnino Bajo
 * 1865-1867 Vacant
 * 1868 Ynterino
 * 1870 Vacant
 * 1871 (now renamed Gandara), vacant
 * 1870-1876 Fr. Santos Aparicio
 * 1877-1882 Fr. Geronimo Asenjo
 * 1882-1883 Fr. Millan Vicente
 * 1885-1894 Fr. Manuel Benavente
 * 1897-1898 Fr. Hermenegildo Hernandez
 * 1908-1910 Fr. Juan Vicente Carmona, O.F.M.
 * 1910-1914 Fr. Juan Vicente Carmona, O.F.M.
 * 1914-20 Fr. Roman Perez O.F.M.
 * 1921-26 Fr. Victoriano Ranera, O.F.M.
 * 1926-37 Fr. Doroteo de la Vega, O.F.M.
 * 1937-45 Fr. Gregorio Talbo
 * 1941-47 Fr. Pablo Lanuevo, Fr. Angel Hobayan (Assistant)
 * 1947-50 Fr. Francisco Tizon
 * Visiting priests: Fr. Jose Corr, Fr. Jaime Collins, Fr. C. Connoly, Fr. Domingo Tome
 * 1950 Fr. Wenceslao Lagunzad
 * 1950-1951 Fr. Fortunato Planea
 * 1951-1960 Fr. Francisco Tizon, Fr. Jose Pacoli
 * 1960-1968 Fr. Ponciano Figueroa
 * 1966 Fr. Ponciano Figueroa, Fr. Juan Franzuela
 * 1966 Fr. Juan Papel
 * Jan-May 1967 Fr. Orlando Tizon
 * June 1967-1970 Fr. Nicodemus Ricalde
 * 1970-1973 Fr. Emilio Bernardo
 * 1973-1974 Team Ministry: Msgr. Ricardo Tancinco, Fr. Bernabe B. Sison, Fr. Miguel Java
 * 1975-1976 Fr. Simplicio Robles
 * 1977-1979 Fr. Simplicio Robles, Fr. Leonardo Sison, Msgr. Ricardo Tancinco
 * 1980-1986 Fr. Paulino Singzon, Fr. Leonardo Sison
 * 1986-1987 Fr. Felicito Baybay
 * 1987-1989 Fr. Perfecto Nacional
 * 1989-1990 Msgr. Anastacio Labutin
 * 1990-1997 Fr. Ramon Daguman
 * 1997-2001 Fr. Romeo Manzanero
 * 2001-2005 Fr. Teofanes Tabones
 * 2005-2009 Team Ministry: Fr. Jose Balasbas, Fr. Erwin Rodriguez, Fr. Roger Abaigar
 * 2009-present Team Ministry: Fr. Rolando Guiuan, Fr. Guillermo Alorro III