Carigara (Tagalog: [kɐɾiˈɡaɾɐʔ]), officially the Municipality of Carigara (Waray: Bungto han Carigara; Tagalog: Bayan ng Carigara), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 54,656 people. [3]
Carigara | |
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Municipality | |
Municipality of Carigara | |
![]() Downtown Area (Real St.) | |
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Etymology: Kan Gara to Kalgara | |
![]() Map of Leyte with Carigara highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap ![]() | |
![]() ![]() Carigara Location within the Philippines | |
Coordinates: 11°18′N 124°41′E | |
Country | Philippines |
Region | Eastern Visayas |
Province | Leyte |
District | 2nd district |
Founded | 25 January 1571; 451 years ago (25 January 1571) |
Named for | Datu Gara |
Barangays | 49 (see Barangays) |
Government | |
• Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
• Mayor | Eduardo "Boy" C. Ong |
• Vice Mayor | Eduardo "Ed" T. Ong Jr. |
• Representative | Lolita T. Javier |
• Councilors | List
|
• Electorate | 36,532 voters (2019) |
Area | |
• Total | 117.86 km2 (45.51 sq mi) |
Elevation | 130 m (430 ft) |
Highest elevation | 1,267 m (4,157 ft) |
Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 54,656 |
• Density | 460/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
• Households | 11,230 |
Demonym(s) | Carigaran-on Kalgaran-on (vernacular term) |
Economy | |
• Income class | 2nd municipal income class |
• Poverty incidence | 25.00% (2018)[4] |
• Revenue | ₱192,246,637.02 (2020) |
• Assets | ₱606,129,666.64 (2020) |
• Expenditure | ₱156,610,346.67 (2020) |
• Liabilities | ₱160,834,424.88 (2020) |
Service provider | |
• Electricity | Leyte 3 Electric Cooperative (LEYECO 3) |
• Water | Metro Carigara Water District (MCWD) |
• Telecommunications | Bayan Telecommunications, Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, Dito Telecommunity |
• Cable TV | G Sat, Sky Direct, Cignal, SatLite |
Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
ZIP code | 6529 |
PSGC | |
IDD : area code | +63 (0)53 |
Native languages | Waray Tagalog |
Major Religion | ![]() |
Local Feast | Magara Festival |
Feast Date | every 25th day of January |
Website | www |
The town, founded in 1571, is the first town established in the entire region of Eastern Visayas. In 1735, Leyte and Samar were separated from Cebu and placed under a single provincial government with Carigara as the first provincial capital.
Carigara is known for its pastillas, humba, sundang (machete), and the hubhob, a local delicacy made from grated cassava, egg, kalamay, milk, and sugar cooked inside a bagacay (bamboo pole) over charcoals.
Carigara was originally called "Kan Gara", meaning "that of Gara" or simply "Gara's." Gara was said to have come from Borneo, one of the unnamed companions of the ten datus who landed in Panay and purchased that island from the Ati (or Aeta) chief Marikudo. Later, for phonetic convenience, "Kan Gara" became Kalgara and when the Spaniards came, they called the place Carigara; hence its present name.
Carigara is the first town established in Eastern Visayas.[5] Its town fiesta which is celebrated every 16 July, commemorates the day of the first coming of the Spaniards dated July 16, 1569. The fiesta that is celebrated almost the entire month of July was dubbed as the Fiesta of the Holy Cross.
In the first quarter of 2018, Puregold was able to penetrate the town market and became operational to serve Carigaran-ons and the neighboring towns. The first mall opened as well, then followed by Goldilocks in the second quarter of 2019.
Last July 14, 2018, Carigara attempted to clinch Guinness World Records for the "Largest Participants in Philippine Folk Dance" by performing Kuratsa or Curacha.[6] The event was part of the town's 423rd fiesta celebration on July 16, it made the locals proud and hopeful that the said event will help to boost their town's economic and tourism activities. With nearly 5,000 participants mostly students and teachers from different schools, municipal workers, the private sector, and local residents have joined. Carigara had already submitted their bid, waiting for the official confirmation.
It is a town in the northern part of Leyte province located right on the shores of Carigara Bay, and surrounded by wide rice fields fanning out towards the mountains in the distance.
Carigara shares borders with Capoocan to the west, Ormoc to the south, Jaro to the southeast, Tunga to the east and Barugo to the northeast.
The climate and topographical features of the vast land, wide rice fields and hilly areas of Carigara make it ideal for the growing of fruit-bearing trees, vegetables and various crops. Among the fruit-bearing trees most fitting to be planted are bananas, coconuts, jackfruits, mangoes, guavas, rambutans, santol, and star apples. For vegetables, gabi, karubasa, pipino, kamalunggay, marigoso, munggos, sitaw, and upo are the most commonly produced by some farmers and local residents in which thrive best in the community. For crops, kamote and balanghoy are the root crops that mainly thrive and rice crops, plus more.
Carigara possesses vast forests especially near the highlands, its fauna is a mixture of domestic and non-domestic animals. Some of those domesticated are carabaos, horses, cats, dogs, chickens, and pigs. Non-domesticated or wild animals should include snakes, frogs, insects, various kinds of lizards, birds and many more.
Carigara is politically subdivided into 49 barangays, namely: [7]
Climate data for Carigara, Leyte | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
30 (85) |
Average low °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 73 (2.9) |
56 (2.2) |
75 (3.0) |
71 (2.8) |
114 (4.5) |
174 (6.9) |
172 (6.8) |
163 (6.4) |
167 (6.6) |
161 (6.3) |
158 (6.2) |
125 (4.9) |
1,509 (59.5) |
Average rainy days | 15.2 | 12.5 | 16.2 | 17.3 | 23.9 | 27.3 | 28.4 | 26.9 | 26.9 | 27.1 | 23.8 | 19.3 | 264.8 |
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[8] |
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Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [9] [10] [11][12] |
In the 2020 census, the population of Carigara, Leyte, was 54,656 people, [3] with a density of 460 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,200 inhabitants per square mile.
The Waray language is the predominant language spoken by the people within the municipality and serves as the lingua franca of the town. Other recognized minority languages are Cebuano and Tagalog. Residents are also literate and knowledgeable in English. Spanish is also present and used in a very few purpose, like building names, street names, in Catholic churches and historical archives, but not in speech and communication.
Carigara is a Christian municipality, and most of the population are Roman Catholics. There are also adherents of other Christian denominations and sects like the Iglesia ni Cristo, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Seventh-day Adventists (Sabadistas), Evangelicals (Born Again Christians and Baptists), Jehovah's Witnesses (Mga Saksi ni Jehova) and many more.
On January 25, 2019, Carigara had officially celebrated its first festival along with their 448th founding anniversary called the Magara Festival.[20] Magara locally means abundant, elegant, and vibrant. The first Magara Festival focuses mainly on the celebration of the abundance of the town's agriculture, local products, history, and its people.
Turugpo is a major public fight event between two male carabaos or two male horses held every Black Saturday. It is a popular event in the town attracting thousands of local and foreign tourists just to witness the famous fight.[21] [22]
Here's a list of some tourist attractions of the municipality of Carigara.
Attractions include:
There are new modernized PUVs that travel from Carigara to Tacloban and vice versa issued by its local government on 24 November 2021.
The municipality owns a port that is located in Barangay Baybay where local boats and ships docks.
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Carigara District Hospital, also abbreviated as CDH is the only public hospital in the town. Other residents of nearby towns also come here to bring their ill patients for admission and further medical service attention.
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There are a total of 30 elementary schools, 5 high schools (1 Private, 4 Public) and 2 college institutions located on Carigara.[23]
![]() | This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
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Century-old houses in Brgy. Jugaban, Carigara, Leyte | Gawas an Harigue | Carigara Municipal Library and Museum |
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Cassidy Central School | Plaza Triunfo | Holy Cross Parish Church | Carigara Tide Embankment |
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Tacloban (capital) | |
Municipalities |
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Component city | |
Independent component city |
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Highly urbanized city |
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Authority control ![]() |
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