Historya
1596 – Arrival of Jesuit Missionaries “The Conquista in Samar”
October 15 Jesuit Missionaries arrived for the first time in Tinago, Tarangnan, Samar. (1996) 400th years.
1599 – 1605 Palapag Residence
Establishment by the Jesuit priests of Palapag Residence.
1600s - 1800s “Two Centuries of Moro Raids Ravage the Coast of Samar.”
1616 – “Cabecera of Samar”
Catbalogan as “Cabecera of Samar” was established with the arrival of Jesuits after a Moro raid of their residence in Tinago, Tarangnan, Samar. After Moro raiders burn down Tinago, the Jesuits transfer their Residence to Catbalogan, a village made into a pueblo by being merged with the nearby villages of Cotay, Cawayan,Canahawan and others. The Catbalogan Residence has jurisdiction over “The Six Pueblos”: Catbalogan itself, Calbiga, Paranas, Bangahun (now Gandara), Yvatan and Capul. As the Jesuits double as administrators and engaged in trade by having warehouse in Catbalogan and Paranas for wax, pearls, medicinal plants, Catbalogan was titled the “Cabecera of Samar”for becoming not only a missionary center but also a center of government and commerce.
1621 – Public Execution of Rebel Leader Manlopig & “Return of the Camacunes”
The burning of the rebel leader Manlopig, whose fellow chieftains in the “Bangkaw Rebellion”, among them Datu Pagali and Datu Mancao, the son of that Datu Mangaris who was the first to welcome Magellan in Limasawa and on whom King Philip II bestowed gold-plated jewelry, a sword, and the title of prince, have earlier been beheaded in Leyte their followers quartered. The Camacunes return to Catbalogan, but this time the Corregidor, Captain Juan de Leon Vandalo, is ready for them: he has built a small fort of logs; it has one arquebus. When the Camacunes attempted to storm the church, “they [fall] within the range of fire from the arquebus.” And they retreated, turning toward Tomalistis, ransacking houses as they go. Some Jesuit brothers rally from the fort, followed by natives; the Camacunes panicked, drop all their booty and flee.
1625 – The Return of the Camacunes
The Camacunes make the first successful Moro attack on Catbalogan. One Saturday on the month of October, the very day Catbaloganons invoke as patroness against “these enemies”, the Camucones strike, coming stealthily in at dawn, when most of the people are still asleep. But the church bells are just now ringing for the Angelus and the Camacunes themselves, as is their custom, accompany their attack with frightening shouts; the sleeping town is roused in time for some of the townsfolk to escape. With them flee the parish priest, Fr. Jeronimo Perez, who meets three Spanish ladies, the Corregidor’s wife and daughters, who have ran straight from bed “completely naked”. The Camacunes do not pursue those who flee, but even so live up to their notoriety for “complete plunder” they strip the church and the houses, taking everything they find; and the captives they carry away include even the prisoners they find in the stockade and some travelers and fishermen in small boats they capture on the bay. Smallpox has been plaguing Catbalogan for almost two years already; those they find stricken the Camacunes behead. But in their greed the Camacunes take even the clothes of the diseased and themselves soon catch the pox.
1627 – Failed Raid of Datu Hache & The 3rd Camacunes Raid
On his way back to Jolo from failed mission in Manila, the great Datu Hache raids Camarines, then, splitting his fleet in two, leads one half on to Leyte and sends the other off to Samar. The Joloans appear ashore on Cape Cugao and are met with artillery fire from the fort in Catbalogan. They back off toward Tomalistis, where Catbaloganons lie in ambush. But before they get there they hear what sounds like a mighty troop of defenders coming at them in a rush but actually is a herd of cattle let out of their corrals and sent stampeding along the shore. Running for their lives, as it were, and swimming they make for their boats, which they have anchored quite a way off, and sail away. It is a proud victory for Catbalogan even though the enemy has been led only by Datu Hache’s subaltern and not by Datu Hache himself, who is then wrecking great havoc on Leyte. This same year the Camacones return to Samar for the third time. They veer toward the east, sailing through the Embocadore of Baliquatro to raid the towns of Biri, Laoang and Palapagbefore rounding back toward Catbalogan. The Corregidor, still the same Captain Juan de Leon, meets them in battle at sea, capturing some of their smaller vessels. Their remaining boats turn tail.
1636 – The 4rth Camacunes Raid
Back in Samar the fourth time, the Camucones strike Palapag and Baco on the east coast Ybabao and Bangahun on the west, where they capture hundreds of Christian, but steer clear of Catbalogan where a force of Spanish soldiers has been sent by Don Sebastian of Cebu.
1649 – The Sumuroy Rebellion
Sometime in the month of June in Palapag, led by Agustin Sumuroy, rises in rebellion against Governor General Fajardo’s decree compelling able-bodied men from Samar to work off their taxes in corvee labor at the Cavite shipyards far away. The rebellion, quickly spreading to the neighboring provinces, will last for a year.
1650 – Assembly Againts Sumuroy
Sometime in May, Catbalogan was stirred with a large force assembled against Sumuroy: a ragtag army of adventures (who are also collectors of tributes), mestizos and indios mustered by the alcalde mayor of Catbalogan; an armada from the garrison in Zamboanga with 400 Lutaos (Muslims turned Christian) in four caracaoas; troop reinforcement from cebu; and another armada of 13 oared vessels and two champans from Panay laden with war supplies.
1655 - Fray Miguel Solana
Fray Miguel Solana, Father Provincial of the Jesuits in the Philippines, reports to the royal government that in Catbalogan, where the alcalde of the jurisdiction also lives, four priests are in charge: fathers Melchor delos Reyes, Baltasar de Porticela, Ignacio de Alcina and Matias de Montemayor. Father Alcina, who arrived in 1632, will write the Historia de las Islas e de Bisaya: 1668, a rich source of the history and culture of Catbalogan and the rest of Samar.
1656 - The Pestilence
Moro raids and pestilence have reduced the population of Samar from more than 20,000 tributarios at the beginning of 1600 to only 6,000 to 7,000 now of which 1,000 are in Catbalogan.
1754 - July 25 Feast day of Saint James
On this feast day of St. James the Apostle, the patron saint under whose aegis the Spanish drove the Moros out of Spain, fifty boatloads of Moros land in Catbalogan, split into two bands and attack from two sides but are repulsed by fire from lantacas in the fort. For a week they besiege Catbalogan without success, then withdraw, their commander vowing to return with stronger force to avenge their injuries.
1754 – Moro Attacked Catbalogan
On August, Moros attack Catbalogan but are again repulsed with no Catbaloganon losses.
1757 – 38 Days Moro Raid of Catbalogan
From January to May, Moros besiege Catbalogan for 38 days. Accounts of Catbaloganon casualties vary from an incredible 60,000 to a likely 60 dead.
1767-1831 - Moros Continous Raid
The Moros continually come raiding Samar. Of one seven-year period, Fr. Vincent Lopez, parish priest of Calbiga, notes: “scarely a week went by…without an attack by the Morros”. They attack Paranas, Villareal, Calbiga, Tarangnan, Calbayog, Gandara, Catubig, Paric, Borongan, Tubig, Pambujan; but they no longer make any attempts on Catbalogan, whose defenses by now consist of five redoubts of stone, a stockade, and watchtowers that give early warning of Moro presence and enable the Catbaloganons to intercept and engage the enemy at sea as theCorregidor Captain Juan de Leon taught them early in the 17th century, a hundred years ago.
1760 or 1762 - The Church Fire of Catbalogan
A great fire destroys the beautiful church the Jesuits have built in Catbalogan, which has been under their administration for some 152 years. – (Built in 1608?)
1768 - Jesuits leave Catbalogan
Following King Charles II’s order of the previous year expelling them from all Spanish territories, the Jesuits leave Catbalogan. Franciscan, Fr. Jose Fayo, the first Franciscan assigned to Catbalogan, inherits from the last Jesuit parish priest a camarin of nipa for a church.
1767 - Infirmary of Catbalogan
The Franciscan establish an infirmary for the people of Catbalogan and assign Fray Jose de Jesus Maria, a lay brother, as its infirmarian.
1778-1894 - Chinese Traders
The numbers of Chinese mestizos in Catbalogan grows, corresponding to the growth of commercial activity. From 1778 to 1801 Catbalogan has 300 chinese mestizos, the highest number of any pueblo in Samar. As a result of liberalized immigration laws, the number of Chinese residents, not just Chinese mestizos, steadily increases: 79 in 1886, 216 in 1894. But Calbayog has more residents Chinese, indicating its rise as an economic rival of Catbalogan.
1795 – Saint Bartolomew as Patron Saint
After a meeting with the townspeople, Fr. Felix Carreon, parish priest of Catbalogan, announces the choice of San Bartholomew as the patron saint of Catbalogan, a choice based on Catbalogan’s being a fishing village.
1814 – Re-construction of the Old Church
Fr. Carreon, together with his parishioners, begins the construction of a new church on the foundation of the old structure. This involves restoring a large portion of the fire-gutted old church.
The Cinco Brothers, Andres and Salvador, and their cousin Mariano Cinco, who are largely responsible for the church’s design, also supervise its construction. The church outs to be large, beautiful, and so strong “even earthquakes are unable to put a crack in its walls”.
1831 – Moro Attack
Sometime in October, Moro boats were sighted; a boat sailing for Albay with several men on board was attacked something that has not been for 15 years. There will be an attack on several villages near Catbalogan eight years later, in 1839, and afterwards a lull in the Moros raids.
1839 - Civilian Governor for Samar
A royal order replaces military governor with civilians in eight provinces, one of which is Samar. This move is prompted by the need for tighter administrative control over areas where revenues are small.
1844 – More Church Improvement
Fr. Martin de Yepes rebuilds much of the interior of the church: the altars’ the large columns. He adds a double series of hardwood columns, giving the church a triple nave. He also builds a new convento, large and spacious, with a ground floor of stone, and an upper floor of wood. Then he lays out a new cemetery walled in stone.
1850s - Brisk Trading
As the moro raids die off, commerce revives, export from Catbalogan to Manila and Cebu grow. Products from Samar, mainly coconut oil, lard, sea cucumbers, cacao, honey, rice, cinnamon, and cloth made from abaca fiber (guinaras) are collected in Catbalogan from towns on the west coast as well as the north; from Sta. Rita, Basey and Balagiga in the south; and over land from the east coast pueblos of Tubig, Silat, Paric, and Oras. Calbayog sends some of its products directly to Manila, but the bulk goes via Catbalogan and Catbaloganon merchants. The trading is so brisk that in 1872 a wharf for steamships and mail service proposed for Catbalogan. By 1893 two steamships from Luzon are calling at the port of Catbalogan every fifteen days. Much of this trade is handled by merchants who are mostly Chinese mestizos. A Franciscan report notes that Samarenos sell their rice, coconut oil, wax, and abaca cloth to Chinese mestizos. Who then take them to Cebu or Manila for resale.
1859 - Work on the New Church is Finished.
1895 – The First Church Choir
Fr. Victoriano Pardo organizes the church choir. It is composed of Felix Cinco, his nephews Francisco and Eduardo Cinco, and Tomas Gabieta, with Alfonso Cinco on the piano.
1897 – Church Embellishment
Fr. Vicente Carmona further embellishes the interior of the church and constructs a tribunal and a school building. That beautiful church of Catbalogan, richly decorated in baroque style, will be lost to us forever in the great Catbalogan fire of 1969, when it is already 155 years old.
1882-1883 - Epidemics
Catbalogan is spared the cholera epidemics that break out in Samar in 1821, 1846, 1850, 1876 and the epidemic of smallpox in 1894. The 1882-1883 cholera epidemics which does hit Catbalogan “may have been the worst epidemic to hit Samar”. In those two years about 10,000 persons die of the disease, most of them Catbaloganons.
1890s – Proposal to Divide the Island into Three Provinces
The government in Catbalogan is feeling the strain of administering Samar with its growing number of pueblos. Back in 1862 the governor suggested dividing the province into three administrative districts. Manila approved the plan in 1867, but then Madrid sat on it. Similar plans put forward by Governor-General Weylern in 1887 and in 1890 are ignored.
Philippine American War:
1888 – Arrival of General Vicente Lukban
On December 31, General Vicente Lukban arrive in Catbalogan with orders from President Aguinaldo to set up a civil government, and hold what will be the first elections in Samar, and as military governor, organize an army.
1890 – Arrival of American Forces in Catbalogan
On January 27, American forces arrive in Catbalogan. At the break of day American warships appear on Maqueda Bay and a gunboat takes Colonel Arthur Murray ashore to parley. He demands the surrender of General Lukban and all his forces; he offers Lukban the post of governor of the island. Lukban counters with a demand that the Americans desist from landing in any of the ports of Samar and leave Samarenos to manage their own lives and affairs. Furious, Murray gives the Samarenos two hours to surrender and take the oath of allegiance to the American government, or else the town will be shelled and the rebels pursued to their death. Catbalogan is heavily bombarded. When the shelling stops, American troops under General Kobbelanded, only to find burning, set on fire by General Lukban’s men, and not one citizen to welcome them: all have taken to the hills, which soon will see some of the fiercest guerrilla fighting of the war.
1900-1902 – Resistance to American Occupation
The Samarenos, under General Lukban, continue to resist the Americans. Major Narcisco Quison and Second Lieutenants Matias Fajardo and Julian Cabacan lead the resistance around Catbalogan, which is the Samar Headquarters of the American Military Forces: Companies E and F of the 15th Infantry, and Company M of the 25th. Catbalogan is the foremost of the 20 towns in Samar garrisoned by the Americans. By 1902 Samar and Batangas are the only remaining strongholds of the Philippine Republic. The Americans are by now anxious for Lukban’s capture.
1902 – Capture of General Lukban
On February 10, the Samarenos, under General Lukban was captured. Officials of the U.S War Department hail it as the “most important event since Aguinaldo’s capture.” Colonel Claro Guevarra assumes the post of provincial chief of the political-military administration in Samar.
1902 – The Surrender of General Guevarra
On April 27, General Guevarra (he has been promoted) surrenders with his remaining troops, resplendent in the new uniforms of the Army of the Republic which the women of Catbalogan spent all of the previous night sewing so that they might not come in guerilla rags to the ceremony of surrender at the church plaza in Catbalogan.
1902 - Civil Government is Established in Catbalogan.
On June 17, 1902 the Civil Government of Catbalogan was established.
1902 – Quaratine on Cholera Outbreak
On May, Catbalogan sets up strict quarantine following the outbreak of a cholera epidemic. It broke out in Tacloban, and has “spread like wildfire” to Basey, Paranas, Calbayog, Gandara, Tubigan, and many other towns in Samar. The epidemic will last up to January of the following year; 84% of the population of Samar will be affected. Unlike the case in the 1892-1893 epidemic when Catbalogan registered the highest number of deaths, the quick quarantine measures this time save all but a few Catbaloganons.
1902-1908 – The Pulahan Rebellion
The “Pulahan Rebellion” breaks out. The rebels consist of fanatical followers of Pablo Bulan, who styles himself a pope “Papa Pablo” and remnants of Lukban’s army who refuse to surrender. The Pulahans are called so because they wear red trousers or a dash of red color in their clothing to identify themselves. “For ferocity in battle, possibly only the Moros were their equals “, Vic Hurley writes in Jungle Patrol. In one of their massed bolo rushes during which they keep up a shout of “Tadtad” meaning to chop up, an American officer named Allen falls, and Catbalogan, seat in his streets in his honor:Allen Avenue, which runs straight from Pier 2 to the marketplace.
1903 – Catbalogan as Busy Port
The Report of the Philippines Commission describes Catbalogan as a much-frequented port with a population of 6,072.
1904 – Provincial High School
On February, provincial high school is established in Catbalogan and holds classes at the old presidencia or Municipal Building.
1908 – First Town Fiesta
Catbalogan celebrates its first town fiesta with Don Pablo Cinco as the Hermano Mayor.
1917 – Inauguration of Samar High School Building
Governor Clodualdo Lucero inaugurates the Samar High School Building. Being the only high school in Samar, it draws students from every coast of the island. Much of Samar is still unmapped territory; roads are yet to be constructed. Students arrive in Catbalogan in carabao carts, on foot after a hike of days, by baloto from the east to the west coast on the once great river Olot. The first classes are taught by Americans.
1918 – The 1st Celebration of Catbaloganons in Manila for the Feast of Saint Bartholomew.
Catbaloganons in Manila celebrate the feast of San Bartolome. They are led by Maria Cuna, who will be the hermana mayor in the succeding year’s of Catbalogan fiesta in Manila.
1922 – The First to High School Graduate Class
1925 – Katbalogan Associatio in Manila was Organized
Katbaloganon Association in Manila was organized in 1925 with Ciriaco Cinco as its first president.
1928 – The Bishop Singzon Institute
Fr. Federico Morrero opens the Bishop Singzon Institute, a grade school named after Msgr. Pablo Singzon, the first bishop of the Calbayog Diocese. Fr. Morrero himself is the first Filipino parish priest of Catbalogan. The school will close down shortly after the pacific War starts in 1941.
Japanese Occupation:
1941 – Japanese Invasion
Only hours after Japanese planes bomb Clark Field, Davao, Baguio, Aparri. Nichols and Sangley Point, the news reaches Catbalogan by radio. Catbalogan becomes a ghost town, evacuated by residents who flee to the nearby hills fearing the arrival of the Japanese. They have a long wait, for it is not until May next year that, having taken Bataan and Corregidor, the Japanese come to Catbalogan.
1942 – Japanese Troops Landed in Darahuway Dako
On May 24, Japanese troops land on the island of Darahuway Daku, cross in small boats over to Ibol on the mainland, and marched to Catbalogan. A bandillo (in English) is read all over town and out in the hill country ordering everyone to return to home. No one returns, and the Japanese burn the town. All the fine homes lining primera right down to Ubanon are razed. Then one by one the residents return. The men are impressed into forced labor. The young women wear saya and kimona to make themselves look older and unattractive to the Japanese. The 9th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Imperial Army, with more than four thousand troops spread all over Samar, has its headquarters at the Samar High School.
1942 - Gueriila Units was Organized by Pedro Arteche
Guerrilla units are formed by Pedro Arteche, a former Provincial Governor and District Representative to the National Assembly when the war broke out. He is the most prominent Catbaloganons generally regard him as a martyred patriot.
1944 - American Forces Land in Leyte
American forces land in Leyte on October 20 and cross into Samar in December. With help from local guerrillas, they rout the Japanese from Wright and marched triumphantly to Catbalogan. The American 8th Cavalry makes Samar High School its headquarters.
1945 - The Bureau of Education Reopens the Schools
1947 - Sacred Heart College is opened by Mother Maria Sousa of the Religious of the Virgin Mary
1957 - Great April Fire Reduces Most of Catbalogan to Ashes
1957 June 19 – R.A 4211 Divides Samar Island Into Three Provinces
On June 19, first proposed a hundred years ago, Samar was divided into three provinces. Catbalogan remains the capital of the western province that, in contrast to the other two, which are named Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, is simply called Samar in memory of the time when the name meant the whole island and the island’s Cabecera was Catbalogan.
From "Catbalogan Chronicle" by Charo Nabong
October 15 Jesuit Missionaries arrived for the first time in Tinago, Tarangnan, Samar. (1996) 400th years.
1599 – 1605 Palapag Residence
Establishment by the Jesuit priests of Palapag Residence.
1600s - 1800s “Two Centuries of Moro Raids Ravage the Coast of Samar.”
1616 – “Cabecera of Samar”
Catbalogan as “Cabecera of Samar” was established with the arrival of Jesuits after a Moro raid of their residence in Tinago, Tarangnan, Samar. After Moro raiders burn down Tinago, the Jesuits transfer their Residence to Catbalogan, a village made into a pueblo by being merged with the nearby villages of Cotay, Cawayan,Canahawan and others. The Catbalogan Residence has jurisdiction over “The Six Pueblos”: Catbalogan itself, Calbiga, Paranas, Bangahun (now Gandara), Yvatan and Capul. As the Jesuits double as administrators and engaged in trade by having warehouse in Catbalogan and Paranas for wax, pearls, medicinal plants, Catbalogan was titled the “Cabecera of Samar”for becoming not only a missionary center but also a center of government and commerce.
1621 – Public Execution of Rebel Leader Manlopig & “Return of the Camacunes”
The burning of the rebel leader Manlopig, whose fellow chieftains in the “Bangkaw Rebellion”, among them Datu Pagali and Datu Mancao, the son of that Datu Mangaris who was the first to welcome Magellan in Limasawa and on whom King Philip II bestowed gold-plated jewelry, a sword, and the title of prince, have earlier been beheaded in Leyte their followers quartered. The Camacunes return to Catbalogan, but this time the Corregidor, Captain Juan de Leon Vandalo, is ready for them: he has built a small fort of logs; it has one arquebus. When the Camacunes attempted to storm the church, “they [fall] within the range of fire from the arquebus.” And they retreated, turning toward Tomalistis, ransacking houses as they go. Some Jesuit brothers rally from the fort, followed by natives; the Camacunes panicked, drop all their booty and flee.
1625 – The Return of the Camacunes
The Camacunes make the first successful Moro attack on Catbalogan. One Saturday on the month of October, the very day Catbaloganons invoke as patroness against “these enemies”, the Camucones strike, coming stealthily in at dawn, when most of the people are still asleep. But the church bells are just now ringing for the Angelus and the Camacunes themselves, as is their custom, accompany their attack with frightening shouts; the sleeping town is roused in time for some of the townsfolk to escape. With them flee the parish priest, Fr. Jeronimo Perez, who meets three Spanish ladies, the Corregidor’s wife and daughters, who have ran straight from bed “completely naked”. The Camacunes do not pursue those who flee, but even so live up to their notoriety for “complete plunder” they strip the church and the houses, taking everything they find; and the captives they carry away include even the prisoners they find in the stockade and some travelers and fishermen in small boats they capture on the bay. Smallpox has been plaguing Catbalogan for almost two years already; those they find stricken the Camacunes behead. But in their greed the Camacunes take even the clothes of the diseased and themselves soon catch the pox.
1627 – Failed Raid of Datu Hache & The 3rd Camacunes Raid
On his way back to Jolo from failed mission in Manila, the great Datu Hache raids Camarines, then, splitting his fleet in two, leads one half on to Leyte and sends the other off to Samar. The Joloans appear ashore on Cape Cugao and are met with artillery fire from the fort in Catbalogan. They back off toward Tomalistis, where Catbaloganons lie in ambush. But before they get there they hear what sounds like a mighty troop of defenders coming at them in a rush but actually is a herd of cattle let out of their corrals and sent stampeding along the shore. Running for their lives, as it were, and swimming they make for their boats, which they have anchored quite a way off, and sail away. It is a proud victory for Catbalogan even though the enemy has been led only by Datu Hache’s subaltern and not by Datu Hache himself, who is then wrecking great havoc on Leyte. This same year the Camacones return to Samar for the third time. They veer toward the east, sailing through the Embocadore of Baliquatro to raid the towns of Biri, Laoang and Palapagbefore rounding back toward Catbalogan. The Corregidor, still the same Captain Juan de Leon, meets them in battle at sea, capturing some of their smaller vessels. Their remaining boats turn tail.
1636 – The 4rth Camacunes Raid
Back in Samar the fourth time, the Camucones strike Palapag and Baco on the east coast Ybabao and Bangahun on the west, where they capture hundreds of Christian, but steer clear of Catbalogan where a force of Spanish soldiers has been sent by Don Sebastian of Cebu.
1649 – The Sumuroy Rebellion
Sometime in the month of June in Palapag, led by Agustin Sumuroy, rises in rebellion against Governor General Fajardo’s decree compelling able-bodied men from Samar to work off their taxes in corvee labor at the Cavite shipyards far away. The rebellion, quickly spreading to the neighboring provinces, will last for a year.
1650 – Assembly Againts Sumuroy
Sometime in May, Catbalogan was stirred with a large force assembled against Sumuroy: a ragtag army of adventures (who are also collectors of tributes), mestizos and indios mustered by the alcalde mayor of Catbalogan; an armada from the garrison in Zamboanga with 400 Lutaos (Muslims turned Christian) in four caracaoas; troop reinforcement from cebu; and another armada of 13 oared vessels and two champans from Panay laden with war supplies.
1655 - Fray Miguel Solana
Fray Miguel Solana, Father Provincial of the Jesuits in the Philippines, reports to the royal government that in Catbalogan, where the alcalde of the jurisdiction also lives, four priests are in charge: fathers Melchor delos Reyes, Baltasar de Porticela, Ignacio de Alcina and Matias de Montemayor. Father Alcina, who arrived in 1632, will write the Historia de las Islas e de Bisaya: 1668, a rich source of the history and culture of Catbalogan and the rest of Samar.
1656 - The Pestilence
Moro raids and pestilence have reduced the population of Samar from more than 20,000 tributarios at the beginning of 1600 to only 6,000 to 7,000 now of which 1,000 are in Catbalogan.
1754 - July 25 Feast day of Saint James
On this feast day of St. James the Apostle, the patron saint under whose aegis the Spanish drove the Moros out of Spain, fifty boatloads of Moros land in Catbalogan, split into two bands and attack from two sides but are repulsed by fire from lantacas in the fort. For a week they besiege Catbalogan without success, then withdraw, their commander vowing to return with stronger force to avenge their injuries.
1754 – Moro Attacked Catbalogan
On August, Moros attack Catbalogan but are again repulsed with no Catbaloganon losses.
1757 – 38 Days Moro Raid of Catbalogan
From January to May, Moros besiege Catbalogan for 38 days. Accounts of Catbaloganon casualties vary from an incredible 60,000 to a likely 60 dead.
1767-1831 - Moros Continous Raid
The Moros continually come raiding Samar. Of one seven-year period, Fr. Vincent Lopez, parish priest of Calbiga, notes: “scarely a week went by…without an attack by the Morros”. They attack Paranas, Villareal, Calbiga, Tarangnan, Calbayog, Gandara, Catubig, Paric, Borongan, Tubig, Pambujan; but they no longer make any attempts on Catbalogan, whose defenses by now consist of five redoubts of stone, a stockade, and watchtowers that give early warning of Moro presence and enable the Catbaloganons to intercept and engage the enemy at sea as theCorregidor Captain Juan de Leon taught them early in the 17th century, a hundred years ago.
1760 or 1762 - The Church Fire of Catbalogan
A great fire destroys the beautiful church the Jesuits have built in Catbalogan, which has been under their administration for some 152 years. – (Built in 1608?)
1768 - Jesuits leave Catbalogan
Following King Charles II’s order of the previous year expelling them from all Spanish territories, the Jesuits leave Catbalogan. Franciscan, Fr. Jose Fayo, the first Franciscan assigned to Catbalogan, inherits from the last Jesuit parish priest a camarin of nipa for a church.
1767 - Infirmary of Catbalogan
The Franciscan establish an infirmary for the people of Catbalogan and assign Fray Jose de Jesus Maria, a lay brother, as its infirmarian.
1778-1894 - Chinese Traders
The numbers of Chinese mestizos in Catbalogan grows, corresponding to the growth of commercial activity. From 1778 to 1801 Catbalogan has 300 chinese mestizos, the highest number of any pueblo in Samar. As a result of liberalized immigration laws, the number of Chinese residents, not just Chinese mestizos, steadily increases: 79 in 1886, 216 in 1894. But Calbayog has more residents Chinese, indicating its rise as an economic rival of Catbalogan.
1795 – Saint Bartolomew as Patron Saint
After a meeting with the townspeople, Fr. Felix Carreon, parish priest of Catbalogan, announces the choice of San Bartholomew as the patron saint of Catbalogan, a choice based on Catbalogan’s being a fishing village.
1814 – Re-construction of the Old Church
Fr. Carreon, together with his parishioners, begins the construction of a new church on the foundation of the old structure. This involves restoring a large portion of the fire-gutted old church.
The Cinco Brothers, Andres and Salvador, and their cousin Mariano Cinco, who are largely responsible for the church’s design, also supervise its construction. The church outs to be large, beautiful, and so strong “even earthquakes are unable to put a crack in its walls”.
1831 – Moro Attack
Sometime in October, Moro boats were sighted; a boat sailing for Albay with several men on board was attacked something that has not been for 15 years. There will be an attack on several villages near Catbalogan eight years later, in 1839, and afterwards a lull in the Moros raids.
1839 - Civilian Governor for Samar
A royal order replaces military governor with civilians in eight provinces, one of which is Samar. This move is prompted by the need for tighter administrative control over areas where revenues are small.
1844 – More Church Improvement
Fr. Martin de Yepes rebuilds much of the interior of the church: the altars’ the large columns. He adds a double series of hardwood columns, giving the church a triple nave. He also builds a new convento, large and spacious, with a ground floor of stone, and an upper floor of wood. Then he lays out a new cemetery walled in stone.
1850s - Brisk Trading
As the moro raids die off, commerce revives, export from Catbalogan to Manila and Cebu grow. Products from Samar, mainly coconut oil, lard, sea cucumbers, cacao, honey, rice, cinnamon, and cloth made from abaca fiber (guinaras) are collected in Catbalogan from towns on the west coast as well as the north; from Sta. Rita, Basey and Balagiga in the south; and over land from the east coast pueblos of Tubig, Silat, Paric, and Oras. Calbayog sends some of its products directly to Manila, but the bulk goes via Catbalogan and Catbaloganon merchants. The trading is so brisk that in 1872 a wharf for steamships and mail service proposed for Catbalogan. By 1893 two steamships from Luzon are calling at the port of Catbalogan every fifteen days. Much of this trade is handled by merchants who are mostly Chinese mestizos. A Franciscan report notes that Samarenos sell their rice, coconut oil, wax, and abaca cloth to Chinese mestizos. Who then take them to Cebu or Manila for resale.
1859 - Work on the New Church is Finished.
1895 – The First Church Choir
Fr. Victoriano Pardo organizes the church choir. It is composed of Felix Cinco, his nephews Francisco and Eduardo Cinco, and Tomas Gabieta, with Alfonso Cinco on the piano.
1897 – Church Embellishment
Fr. Vicente Carmona further embellishes the interior of the church and constructs a tribunal and a school building. That beautiful church of Catbalogan, richly decorated in baroque style, will be lost to us forever in the great Catbalogan fire of 1969, when it is already 155 years old.
1882-1883 - Epidemics
Catbalogan is spared the cholera epidemics that break out in Samar in 1821, 1846, 1850, 1876 and the epidemic of smallpox in 1894. The 1882-1883 cholera epidemics which does hit Catbalogan “may have been the worst epidemic to hit Samar”. In those two years about 10,000 persons die of the disease, most of them Catbaloganons.
1890s – Proposal to Divide the Island into Three Provinces
The government in Catbalogan is feeling the strain of administering Samar with its growing number of pueblos. Back in 1862 the governor suggested dividing the province into three administrative districts. Manila approved the plan in 1867, but then Madrid sat on it. Similar plans put forward by Governor-General Weylern in 1887 and in 1890 are ignored.
Philippine American War:
1888 – Arrival of General Vicente Lukban
On December 31, General Vicente Lukban arrive in Catbalogan with orders from President Aguinaldo to set up a civil government, and hold what will be the first elections in Samar, and as military governor, organize an army.
1890 – Arrival of American Forces in Catbalogan
On January 27, American forces arrive in Catbalogan. At the break of day American warships appear on Maqueda Bay and a gunboat takes Colonel Arthur Murray ashore to parley. He demands the surrender of General Lukban and all his forces; he offers Lukban the post of governor of the island. Lukban counters with a demand that the Americans desist from landing in any of the ports of Samar and leave Samarenos to manage their own lives and affairs. Furious, Murray gives the Samarenos two hours to surrender and take the oath of allegiance to the American government, or else the town will be shelled and the rebels pursued to their death. Catbalogan is heavily bombarded. When the shelling stops, American troops under General Kobbelanded, only to find burning, set on fire by General Lukban’s men, and not one citizen to welcome them: all have taken to the hills, which soon will see some of the fiercest guerrilla fighting of the war.
1900-1902 – Resistance to American Occupation
The Samarenos, under General Lukban, continue to resist the Americans. Major Narcisco Quison and Second Lieutenants Matias Fajardo and Julian Cabacan lead the resistance around Catbalogan, which is the Samar Headquarters of the American Military Forces: Companies E and F of the 15th Infantry, and Company M of the 25th. Catbalogan is the foremost of the 20 towns in Samar garrisoned by the Americans. By 1902 Samar and Batangas are the only remaining strongholds of the Philippine Republic. The Americans are by now anxious for Lukban’s capture.
1902 – Capture of General Lukban
On February 10, the Samarenos, under General Lukban was captured. Officials of the U.S War Department hail it as the “most important event since Aguinaldo’s capture.” Colonel Claro Guevarra assumes the post of provincial chief of the political-military administration in Samar.
1902 – The Surrender of General Guevarra
On April 27, General Guevarra (he has been promoted) surrenders with his remaining troops, resplendent in the new uniforms of the Army of the Republic which the women of Catbalogan spent all of the previous night sewing so that they might not come in guerilla rags to the ceremony of surrender at the church plaza in Catbalogan.
1902 - Civil Government is Established in Catbalogan.
On June 17, 1902 the Civil Government of Catbalogan was established.
1902 – Quaratine on Cholera Outbreak
On May, Catbalogan sets up strict quarantine following the outbreak of a cholera epidemic. It broke out in Tacloban, and has “spread like wildfire” to Basey, Paranas, Calbayog, Gandara, Tubigan, and many other towns in Samar. The epidemic will last up to January of the following year; 84% of the population of Samar will be affected. Unlike the case in the 1892-1893 epidemic when Catbalogan registered the highest number of deaths, the quick quarantine measures this time save all but a few Catbaloganons.
1902-1908 – The Pulahan Rebellion
The “Pulahan Rebellion” breaks out. The rebels consist of fanatical followers of Pablo Bulan, who styles himself a pope “Papa Pablo” and remnants of Lukban’s army who refuse to surrender. The Pulahans are called so because they wear red trousers or a dash of red color in their clothing to identify themselves. “For ferocity in battle, possibly only the Moros were their equals “, Vic Hurley writes in Jungle Patrol. In one of their massed bolo rushes during which they keep up a shout of “Tadtad” meaning to chop up, an American officer named Allen falls, and Catbalogan, seat in his streets in his honor:Allen Avenue, which runs straight from Pier 2 to the marketplace.
1903 – Catbalogan as Busy Port
The Report of the Philippines Commission describes Catbalogan as a much-frequented port with a population of 6,072.
1904 – Provincial High School
On February, provincial high school is established in Catbalogan and holds classes at the old presidencia or Municipal Building.
1908 – First Town Fiesta
Catbalogan celebrates its first town fiesta with Don Pablo Cinco as the Hermano Mayor.
1917 – Inauguration of Samar High School Building
Governor Clodualdo Lucero inaugurates the Samar High School Building. Being the only high school in Samar, it draws students from every coast of the island. Much of Samar is still unmapped territory; roads are yet to be constructed. Students arrive in Catbalogan in carabao carts, on foot after a hike of days, by baloto from the east to the west coast on the once great river Olot. The first classes are taught by Americans.
1918 – The 1st Celebration of Catbaloganons in Manila for the Feast of Saint Bartholomew.
Catbaloganons in Manila celebrate the feast of San Bartolome. They are led by Maria Cuna, who will be the hermana mayor in the succeding year’s of Catbalogan fiesta in Manila.
1922 – The First to High School Graduate Class
1925 – Katbalogan Associatio in Manila was Organized
Katbaloganon Association in Manila was organized in 1925 with Ciriaco Cinco as its first president.
1928 – The Bishop Singzon Institute
Fr. Federico Morrero opens the Bishop Singzon Institute, a grade school named after Msgr. Pablo Singzon, the first bishop of the Calbayog Diocese. Fr. Morrero himself is the first Filipino parish priest of Catbalogan. The school will close down shortly after the pacific War starts in 1941.
Japanese Occupation:
1941 – Japanese Invasion
Only hours after Japanese planes bomb Clark Field, Davao, Baguio, Aparri. Nichols and Sangley Point, the news reaches Catbalogan by radio. Catbalogan becomes a ghost town, evacuated by residents who flee to the nearby hills fearing the arrival of the Japanese. They have a long wait, for it is not until May next year that, having taken Bataan and Corregidor, the Japanese come to Catbalogan.
1942 – Japanese Troops Landed in Darahuway Dako
On May 24, Japanese troops land on the island of Darahuway Daku, cross in small boats over to Ibol on the mainland, and marched to Catbalogan. A bandillo (in English) is read all over town and out in the hill country ordering everyone to return to home. No one returns, and the Japanese burn the town. All the fine homes lining primera right down to Ubanon are razed. Then one by one the residents return. The men are impressed into forced labor. The young women wear saya and kimona to make themselves look older and unattractive to the Japanese. The 9th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Imperial Army, with more than four thousand troops spread all over Samar, has its headquarters at the Samar High School.
1942 - Gueriila Units was Organized by Pedro Arteche
Guerrilla units are formed by Pedro Arteche, a former Provincial Governor and District Representative to the National Assembly when the war broke out. He is the most prominent Catbaloganons generally regard him as a martyred patriot.
1944 - American Forces Land in Leyte
American forces land in Leyte on October 20 and cross into Samar in December. With help from local guerrillas, they rout the Japanese from Wright and marched triumphantly to Catbalogan. The American 8th Cavalry makes Samar High School its headquarters.
1945 - The Bureau of Education Reopens the Schools
1947 - Sacred Heart College is opened by Mother Maria Sousa of the Religious of the Virgin Mary
1957 - Great April Fire Reduces Most of Catbalogan to Ashes
1957 June 19 – R.A 4211 Divides Samar Island Into Three Provinces
On June 19, first proposed a hundred years ago, Samar was divided into three provinces. Catbalogan remains the capital of the western province that, in contrast to the other two, which are named Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, is simply called Samar in memory of the time when the name meant the whole island and the island’s Cabecera was Catbalogan.
From "Catbalogan Chronicle" by Charo Nabong
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