| Information: |
The Philippines is an archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, sharing maritime borders with Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country, with a population approaching 90 million people. There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide (about 11 percent of the total population), making it the largest diaspora network in the world. Ecologically, Philippines is considered to be among 17 of the most diverse countries in the world.
The Philippines became a Spanish colony in the 16th century and an American territory at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1896, it won independence from Spain. American occupation of the Philippines during the Spanish-American War led to the outbreak of the Philippine-American War. A Commonwealth-style government was established in 1935, which allowed self-governance as well as the first national elections. The country gained its independence from the United States on July 4, 1946. Martial law was declared in 1972 by Ferdinand Marcos, which led to the insurgencies of the New People's Army and the Moro National Liberation Front. Ninoy Aquino's assassination would soon inspire his widow, Corazon Aquino, as well as the country's then-spiritual leader Jaime Cardinal Sin to lead the People Power Revolution of 1986, which would bring the country back to democracy. Catholicism is the country's predominant religion, although pre-Hispanic indigenous religious practices still exist. There are also followers of Islam.
|
| Southern Leyte, Philippines: |
Southern Leyte is one of the two survey sites in the Philippines selected for the MICRODIS study. It is a province located in the Eastern Visayas region. Maasin is the capital of Southern Leyte. Limasawa, an island to the south, is part of the province where the first Christian mass was held and is said to be the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines.
The province ranks as the second least populated area in the region. According to the 2007 census, the province has a population of 390,847, a 1.13% growth compared to the last census in 2000 where it recorded a population of 360,160.
Southern Leyte's geological features created several issues in the province after the flooding of Subangdaku River and the mudslide in Guinsaugon. Organizations warned the province as susceptible to natural occurrences like landslides and floodings.
Southern Leyte contributes to the economy of the country. It forms an important part of the inter-island transportation system of the country, with ferries transporting people and goods between Liloan and Surigao del Norte in Mindanao. The province is well known for its quality abaca products and the countries' major producer of abaca fiber.
|
| Demography: |
The population of Southern Leyte has reached 390,847 in the 2007 census of the National Statistics Office. The recent census revealed a lower population growth rate compared to the last census undertaken in 2000. For the past seven years, the growth rate is pegged at less than one percent. Lower growth rate was attributed primarily to an out-migration phenomenon of the residents from the province to other places around the globe.
|
| Geography: |
Southern Leyte occupies the southern one-fourth of the island of Leyte. It is bounded by the province of Leyte to the north, by Surigao Strait to the east, Bohol Sea to the south, and Canigao Channel across from Bohol to the west. Its total land area is 173,480 hectares.
|
| Economy: |
Most of the people in Southern Leyte go into coconut planting, a widely distributed industry, especially in mountainous and even plain regions.
The people are also into abaca planting. The province is one of the major producers of abaca fiber in the country. The fibers from Southern Leyte and the province are recognized as having the best quality. Abaca fiber helps livelihood in the province. Many women go into abaca-based handicrafts, which are widely known in the area as tagak or spooled abaca fiber. The half-finished product is then made into sinamay or hand woven clothe out of tinagak, ready to be made into other sinamay-based products. Products are exported by Manila to Japan.
Aside from abaca-based products, ceramics and handicraft items made from coconut and bamboo are also the province's industry. Among the province’s economic activity includes fishing, livestock and poultry raising.
|
| Health: |
In 1996, the health and medical need of the province were provided by 8 government hospitals, 6 private hospitals and clinics, 20 rural health units/Municipal Health Centers, 93 Barangay Health Stations and 10 out-patient private clinics. The total bed capacity of government hospitals is 265 while that of private, 110.
|
| Education: |
Southern Leyte has one state university and six colleges. Most of these colleges are located in Maasin City, the capital of the province.
|
| Religion: |
People in the province are generally Roman Catholic, 87.28 percent of which adheres to the Roman Catholic Church. Aglipayan or the Philippine Independent Church ranks second with 4.51 percent affiliates and Evangelicals with 2.03 percent. Other religious affiliations include Iglesia Ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, among others.
|
| Language: |
The native language is of Southern Leyte Cebuano, which is the main language spoken in the province. The speech variety used by natives has also Boholano influences because of its proximity with the province Bohol. Furthermore, Tagalog and Waray are widely spoken as second languages in the province. Some people also understand English and Spanish.
|
| Etnicity: |
In terms of ethnicity, in the 2000 census, 80.8 percent of the people are Bisaya or Binisaya, 16.6 percent are Boholano, 5.1 percent are Cebuano, and other includes Tagalog, Waray and other foreign ethnicity.
|
| Disaster experience: |
The province of Southern Leyte, according to the Mines and Geo Sciences Bureau (MGB), is one of the ten (10) provinces in the country that is highly prone to natural disasters.
Southern Leyte is located within the Philippine Rift Zone. The major fault line traverses the municipalities of Sogod, Libagon, St. Bernard and Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan and San Ricardo in Panaon Island. Other regional geological structures which indicate its vulnerability to earthquakes are likewise found in the municipalities of Silago, Hinunangan, Bontoc, Tomas Oppus, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Limasawa and Macrohon and the City of Maasin.
The impact of a disaster in Southern Leyte is far-reaching. Based on the report of MGB, some 104 barangays (21 percent) of the total barangays in Southern Leyte are highly susceptible to landslides that would likely affect about 36,431 hectares and around 75,633 people.
On February 17, 2006, several mudslides caused by heavy rains (amounting over 200cm) and a minor earthquake destroyed at least one town and various commercial and residential infrastructure, leaving hundreds dead. The municipality of St. Bernard was one of the worst hit areas, where up to 200 were estimated dead and another 1,500 missing. Barangay Guinsaugon, a mountain village with 2,500 people, was almost completely levelled. Everything from trees to homes was destroyed, killing 1,800 of its 1,857 residents. Many rescuers from national and international teams responded to the incident. However, rescue efforts were greatly hampered by poor road conditions and lack of heavy equipment. Survivors reported a lack of coordination of rescue efforts. The Philippines Government again stated their inability to cope with disasters. The handful of Guinsaugon citizens which escaped the mudslide were put up in emergency shelters without adequate nutrition and care, despite the National Government collecting millions of dollars worth of donations for this case.
|
| Reference: |
- Mines and GeoSciences Bureau (MGB)
- National Statistics Office 2007 Census
- Wikipedia
- Maps extracted from Google Earth and Googlemaps
|
|
Photo Album:
  
Source: XU MICRODIS Team Affected area in Southern Leyte Source: XU MICRODIS Team
Source: XU MICRODIS Team
|
