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25-535: About a third of the island of Samar is protected as a natural park, known as the Samar Island Natural Park . Many names, such as Samal , Ibabao , and Tandaya , were given to the island prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in 1596. During the early days of Spanish occupation , Samar was under the jurisdiction of Cebu . It later became part of Leyte in 1735 until its separation to become

50-500: A wildlife sanctuary since 1999. The area is a known nesting site and natural habitat of the critically endangered Philippine eagle . The endemic giant forest raptor was first spotted in the island in the municipality of Paranas on June 15, 1856, by the British explorer John Whitehead . The Jicontol Watershed Forest Reserve, first gazetted in 1992 and reclassified as a natural park in 1998, covers 6,483 hectares (16,020 acres) in

75-750: A "Samar datu by the name of Iberein was rowed out to a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbor in 1543 by oarsmen collared in gold; while wearing on his own person earrings and chains." Scott recounted a Samarnon saga, which was called siday , about Bingi of Lawan, a prosperous Lakanate in Samar, and he also recorded that Datu Hadi Iberein came from the Lakanate of Lawan. Samar also had names which are recorded in early Spanish sources, including Ibabao (or Cibabao ), Achan , Camlaya , and Taridola . The Spanish captain Miguel Lopez de Legaspi also infamously called

100-427: A distinct province named Samar in 1768. On June 19, 1965, through Republic Act No. 4221, Samar was divided into three provinces: Northern Samar , (Western) Samar and Eastern Samar . The capitals of these provinces are, respectively, Catarman , Catbalogan , and Borongan . In commemoration of the establishment of these provinces, June 19 is celebrated as an annual holiday and many have the day off from work. Samar

125-524: A gorge, and an extensive cave system with unique limestone formations. It covers 840 hectares (2,100 acres) and was earlier established on July 19, 1935, through Proclamation No. 831 issued by Governor-General Frank Murphy . The Langun-Gobingob cave system is in the natural park. It is considered the biggest cave in the Philippines . In the municipality of Taft, Eastern Samar , 3,728.98 hectares (9,214.5 acres) of rainforest have been protected as

150-636: A large biodiversity . It is a center of plant and animal diversity and endemism in the Philippines containing a number of threatened species belonging to the Eastern Visayas and Mindanao biogeographic region. Samar Island Natural Park was declared a national park under Republic Act No. 11038 (Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018) signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in July 2018. The Samar Island Natural Park occupies

175-666: A pall on the army's achievement and, for generations, has been associated in the public mind as typifying the Philippine War." The waters off the east side of the island also hosted the Battle off Samar on October 25, 1944, wherein a small, unarmored force of United States Navy escorts fought off the center force of the Imperial Japanese Navy , including the Japanese battleship Yamato . During World War II

200-457: A surrounding limestone or karst terrain. In the southern portion, the landscape is composed of jungle-covered limestone ridges. Its geology is mostly Miocene and Holocene with a sedimentary formation consisting of basement rocks and overlying clastic rocks or limestone. Its ecosystems include grasslands, agroforestry areas, forest-over-limestone, riparian ecosystem , lowland mixed dipterocarp forest , and mossy or cloud forest. The park

225-421: A third of the entire island of Samar. The park includes some of the island's well-known natural landmarks and landscapes which have been earlier designated for protection, namely the former Sohoton Natural Bridge National Park, the former Calbiga Caves Protected Landscape, the former Taft Forest Wildlife Sanctuary, the former Jicontol Watershed Forest Reserve and the former Bulosao Watershed Forest Reserve. It has

250-565: Is a known habitat of the Philippine eagle . It also has a significant population of the Philippine eagle-owl , Philippine tarsier , Philippine flying lemur and Philippine tree squirrel . It was declared a forest reserve in 1996 but raised to the status of natural park in 2003. The Sohoton Natural Bridge Park is a conservation area and ecotourism site in the municipality of Basey known for its geological features including its natural stone bridge which connects two mountain ridges across

275-527: Is the third-largest island in the Philippines by area, after the islands of Luzon and Mindanao . Mount Huraw is Samar's highest point, with an elevation of 2,920 ft (890 m). Samar is the easternmost island in the Visayas. It lies to the northeast of Leyte , separated from it only by the San Juanico Strait , which at its narrowest point is only about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) across;

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300-856: The Samar Province municipalities of Basey , Calbayog , Calbiga , Catbalogan , Gandara , Hinabangan , Jiabong , Marabut , Matuguinao , Motiong , Paranas , Pinabacdao , San Jorge and San Jose de Buan in the island's central and southern regions. The headwaters of 25 watersheds begin from the slopes in the natural park. The largest is the Suribao watershed with an area of 60,145 hectares (148,620 acres), followed by Can-avid (58,653 hectares (144,930 acres)), Dolores (48,033 hectares (118,690 acres)), Catubig (43,050 hectares (106,400 acres)), Gandara (39,943 hectares (98,700 acres)), and Taft (37,127 hectares (91,740 acres)). The natural park consists of an interior highland with marked accordant peaks and

325-405: The Samar island was approximated as Zamal by Antonio Pigafetta in 1521. In 1543, King Iberein with his official oarsmen approached a Spanish vessel anchored in his harbour. Iberein is from Lawan. There is also a Samarnon saga that tells the story of Bingi of Lawan. There are other principalities on the island such as Ibabao (or Cibabao ), Achan , Camlaya , Taridola , and Candaya . Samar

350-661: The highest peaks reaching to 850 metres (2,790 ft). There have also been sightings of the Southern silvery kingfisher and the Philippine eagle in the forest. The Bulosao watershed reserve in the forests of the southern Samar mountain range adjacent to the MacArthur mountains was established in 1992 to preserve and maintain the usefulness of the Bulosao River as a source of water for domestic use and irrigation of

375-583: The island Tandaya , after mistaking the name of a lord with the name of the island (not to be confused with Datu Daya of northern Cebu). This was spelled by Miguel de Loarca as Candaya . The final campaign of the Philippine–American War (1899-1902) took place in Samar and is one of the best known, and most notorious, of the entire war. A combination of factors resulted in particularly violent clashes. On September 28, 1901, Eugenio Daza , Area Commander of Southeastern Samar and Valeriano Abanador,

400-550: The island Filipinas, while the Portuguese called it Lequios. Although Samar was the first island of the Philippines sighted by Magellan, he did not land there. He continued south, weighed anchor at Suluan Island, and then finally, on 17 March 1521, he landed on Homonhon Island. Later in the 1700s, Samar was recorded to have about 103 Spanish Filipino families and 3,042 native families. Years later, other Spanish expeditions arrived. The historian William Henry Scott wrote that

425-568: The island was part of a large US Navy base Leyte-Samar Naval Base . Samar Island Natural Park The Samar Island Natural Park , in Samar , is the largest contiguous tract of old-growth forest in the Philippines. It is the country's largest terrestrial protected area , with an area of 333,300 hectares (824,000 acres). The buffer is spread north to south over the island's three provinces ( Eastern Samar , Northern Samar and Samar province ) and totals 458,700 hectares (1,133,000 acres), about

450-645: The low rugged central mountain range of the island of Samar shared by all three provinces in the island. It extends from the Northern Samar municipalities of Catubig , Las Navas , Lope de Vega , Mondragon and Silvino Lobos in the north to the Eastern Samar municipalities of Arteche , Balangiga , Balangkayan , Borongan , Can-avid , Dolores , General MacArthur , Giporlos , Hernani , Jipapad , Lawaan , Llorente , Maslog , Maydolong , Oras , Quinapondan , San Julian , Sulat and Taft ; and

475-713: The municipalities of Dolores , Can-avid and Maslog . It is a component of the Mounts Cabalantian-Capotoan Complex, an important bird area , which comprises the mountains of central Samar at the border of Eastern Samar and Samar provinces. This forest is home to many threatened and restricted-range species of the Mindanao and Eastern Visayas Endemic Bird Area, such as the Samar hornbill , Visayan broadbill and yellow-breasted tailorbird . Its forest cover consists of typical dipterocarp and molave -dipterocarp with mid mountain type vegetation in

500-479: The municipalities of Marabut and Lawaan . The 4,055-hectare (10,020-acre) forest park borders the Sulat River to the north and west, and includes Mount Honop, its highest peak at 731 metres (2,398 ft). Datu Daya Datu Daya was a legendary lord of Kandaya ("Daya's (kingdom)"), the place that is now known as Daanbantayan, Cebu , in the Philippines . According to oral tradition , Datu Daya

525-403: The order during the pacification of Samar "I want no prisoners. I wish you to kill and burn; the more you kill and burn, the better it will please me ... The interior of Samar must be made a howling wilderness ..." — Gen. Jacob H. Smith which brought about the slaughter of thousands of Filipinos by American Marines .. In his history of the war, Brian McAllister Linn asserts "Samar cast

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550-799: The strait is spanned by the San Juanico Bridge . And it lies to the southeast of the Bicol Peninsula on Luzon , separated from it only by the San Bernardino Strait . To the south is Leyte Gulf , which in October 1944 became the site of one of the most consequential naval battles of World War II . And to the north and east of Samar lies the Philippine Sea , part of the Pacific Ocean . The name for

575-477: The town's police chief, launched an attack on U.S. Army Company C 9th Infantry Regiment who were occupying Balangiga . This action, commonly known as the Balangiga massacre , brought one of the only Filipino victories of the war and the worst American defeat in decades. In 1989, "Balangiga Encounter Day" was established as a provincial holiday in Eastern Samar to celebrate that victory. The action resulted in

600-622: Was the first island of the Philippines sighted by the Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan (transcribed as Zamal in the diary of Antonio Pigafetta ). He sighted it on 16 March 1521, having sailed there from the Mariana Islands . Realizing he had arrived at an archipelago , he charted the islands, and called them San Lazaro ( Saint Lazarus in English) because they were sighted on Lazarus Saturday . The Spaniards later called

625-489: Was the ruler of the first settlers in northern Cebu . The new settlers cleared forests and in a few years were able to establish a progressive community. Muslim raiders continually attacked the community and kidnapped women and children until a bantayan (watchtower) was constructed to defend the town. For his glory, Datu Daya was idolized. The town of Daanbantayan, Cebu has an annual celebration of chants and dances known as Haladaya (literally, "a tribute to Daya"). Before

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