Alangalang is a 4th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. It is a landlocked province with an area of 151 km&sup2. It is bounded on the north by Barugo and San Miguel, on the south by Pastrana, on the northeast by Tacloban City, on the east by Santa Fe and on the west by Jaro. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 41,245 people in 8,188 households. Image File history File links Ph_locator_leyte_alangalang. ... A municipality (bayan, sometimes munisipalidad, in Filipino) is a local government unit in the Philippines. ... Map of the Philippines showing all the regions and their provinces. ... Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. ... Barugo is a 4th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. ... San Miguel is a 5th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. ... Pastrana is a 5th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. ... Tacloban City [tock low bon] is a port town and the capital of Leyte. ... Santa Fe is a 5th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. ... Jaro is a 4th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

On the way to Carigara is a steel bridge spanning the Mainit River. Soon after it is a smaller bridge. There was a time when only footpaths existed and when this river was too wide for a leap and too narrow to wade in, the traveler was undecided what to do. Hence the name Alang-alang was given to the town, from the vernacular word "alang-alang" which means indecision.

Barangays

Alangalang is politically subdivided into 54 barangays. A barangay (Tagalog: baranggay , pronounced as ba-rang-gai, gai as in guy), also known by its former name, the barrio, is the smallest local government unit in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. ...

History

When the beginnings of this town were still "rancherias" and barangays in about the year 1596, Fr. Cosme de Flores, a priest-engineer, made it into the fourth "Doctrina." Fr. Tomas de Montaya, a Manila college professor succeeded Fr. Flores who died at the early age of 29. Alang-alang, with Dulag, was made a "cabicera" of nine towns with Fr. Mateo Sanchez as superior. Events February 5 - 26 catholics crucified in Nagasaki, Japan. ... Dulag is a 4th class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. ...

In 1600, this town suffered from the moros raids. A punitive force from Cebu under Capitan Francisco de Pedraza was sent to suppress lawlessness. In 1611, a hurricane swept the whole town and floods became frequent. The 18 or 20 rancherias declined in importance and around December 1628, Alang-alang became a "visita" of Barugo. 1600 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... In Spanish, Moros means Moors. ... The City of Cebu is the provincial capital of Cebu in the Philippines and is the second most important metropolitan center in the country. ... Events June 23 - Henry Hudsons crew maroons him, his son and 7 others in a boat November 1 - At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeares romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. ... Events March 1 - writs were issued in February 1628 by Charles I of England that every county in England (not just seaport towns) pay ship tax by this date. ...

The old town of Alang-alang was founded in 1748 in a site located across the steel bridge at Binongto-an called Bukid Height. This settlement was headed by Francisco Antonis, a courageous leader, together with Pongal, Manamot, Francisco Gariando, Hidalgo Pedrera and Solang Adlao. Antonis was famed for having eaten the liver of a Moro bandit whom he caught during one of the raids. Fr. Baysa, a Franciscan, was at the time their spiritual mentor. The objective of the frequent Moro raids was the gold church bell. During every Moro attack, the inhabitants would take the gold bell with them to the hills. At one time, when the townsfolk were being pursued, the had to drop the gold bell in the Bangka River if only to save it from the invaders but up to now the bell has never been recovered. Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... This article is about the Pongal festival. ...

Alang-alang was made into a parish in 1809 according to a historian named Cousin. Toward the end of the 18th century, the settlement in Bukid grew so large that Fr. Jose Olmo, then Parish priest, transferred the town across the Mainit River where the Provincial Nursery is found at present. The government officials at that time were the Governadorcillo, Teniente Mayor, Teniente Segundo, Cabez a de Barangay or Guinhaopan, Delgado de Rentas and cuadrilleros. Among the lay leaders were Eulogio Barrantes, Santo Pabilona, Eulogio Daroles and Esteban Pedero. By the middle of the 19th century, Alang-alang had a rectory and six rural schools; the roads to Palo and Barugo were also opened. The town was noted for its abaca, copra, seeds of "kabalonga", wax, cocoa, tobacco and rice. Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... For other uses, see Cousin (disambiguation). ...

A big flood leveled the town in 1883. By November of the same year, the Gobernadorcillo moved the town to its present site. In 1892, when there was rebellion in the country, Alang-alang was in the thick of the fight. Leocardio Pabilona overthrew the Spanish rule in the town and became the Jefe or Capitan with a new set of Guinhaopan. When the Americans occupied the town upon orders from Pabilona, the inhabitants evacuated the place. The Americans, angered, set the town on fire. It was the hardship of mountain life which finally made the townsfolk yield to American authority. 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

From then on, the town's growth was steady. Alang-alang is a big producer of copra and rice and lies along the route of the busiest national highway of the province. The town has one of the biggest Spanish-made churches and shortly before the ward had a new concrete municipal building with a swimming pool.

After the fall of Corregidor in May 1942, the municipality became the emergency capital of the province. General MacArthur was reported to have passed an evening in that town. Provincial and national offices and government records were accordingly transferred there for safekeeping. On December 16, 1942, Japanese planes bombed the town. Alang-alang again became one of the bulwarks of the resistance movement with Filemon Pabilona and Elias Macina as leaders. After liberation, a regional high school was opened. The town continues to lead in agriculture. Corregidor and the entrance to Manila Bay Corregidor in 1941 Corregidor is an island in the entrance of the Philippines Manila Bay. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 - April 5, 1964), was a famous American general who played a prominent role in the Pacific theater of World War II. He was poised to command the invasion of Japan in November 1945 but was instead instructed to accept their surrender on September 2, 1945. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information