Ormoc
| Ormoc | |||
| Location of Ormoc in the province of Leyte | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Basic data | |||
| Region : | Eastern Visayas | ||
| Province : | Leyte | ||
| Barangays : | 110 | ||
| District: | 4. District of Leyte | ||
| PSGC : | 083738000 | ||
| Income class : | 1st income bracket | ||
| Households : | 31,542 May 1, 2000 census
|
||
| Population : | 215.031 August 1, 2015 census
|
||
| Population density : | 438.4 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Area : | 490.5 km² | ||
| Coordinates : | 11 ° 0 ′ N , 124 ° 36 ′ E | ||
| Postal code : | 6541 | ||
| Area code : | +63 053 | ||
| Mayor : | Richard Gomez | ||
| Website: | http://www.ormoc.gov.ph/ | ||
| Geographical location in the Philippines | |||
|
|||
Ormoc is a city in the Philippines in the province of Leyte . It was the first city in the island state that politically does not belong to the province in which it is geographically located. Ormoc is an economic, cultural and commercial transport hub in the west of the island of Leyte .
Origin of name
Before the arrival of the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, a handful of Malay families lived in this area in a small settlement called Ogmok . This was an ancient term that came from the Visayan dialect and meant a lowland or low plain . Ogmok was also the name of a spring that was located between today's districts of Donghol and Mahayag. The name Ormoc is possibly a modification of this original name and later established itself with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and the immigration of peoples from neighboring places and islands who settled in the fertile plain.
geography
Ormoc is a port city and the largest city in Leyte in terms of area. It is also the second largest city in terms of area in the Eastern Visayas district after Calbayog on Samar . Surrounding the bay of Ormoc, the city's terrain is mainly a plain framed by hills. The urban area is surrounded by the towns of Matag-ob and Merida in the northwest, Kananga in the north, the municipalities of Jaro , Pastrana and Dagami in the northeast and Albuera in the south.
High mountains separate Ormoc from the eastern part of Leyte Island , which is traversed by countless streams and streams, including the Bao River in the north, the Pagsangahan River in the east, the Bagong-bong River and the Panilahan River in the south, and the Anilao Rivers and Malbasag River, which run along the eastern and western flanks of the city center.
The largest mountain range, the highest peaks of which protrude more than 1,000 m above the sea surface, extends to the east of the city. The Tongona Hot Springs and Lake Danao are also located there .
Language and religion
The people of Ormoc call themselves Ormocanons and mostly use the dialect Cebuano (or Kana , as the vernacular in Leyte and Southern Leyte is often called) as a language medium, with a share of 98.34% . They therefore also have a more direct relationship to the island of Cebu than to their neighbors in the eastern part of Leyte itself. Other languages within the urban area are Tagalog with 0.68% and Wáray-Wáray with 0.55%.
Like most Filipinos, the inhabitants of Ormoc are predominantly Roman Catholics (85%) and celebrate a festival in honor of the patron saints Peter and Paul every year on June 28th and 29th. They are followed by the Protestant supporters with 3.2%, the religious community of the Iglesia ni Cristo with 2.78% and the Baptists with 2.11%.
economy
Ormoc's economy is based on a mix of agriculture, aquaculture, industry, tourism and commercial services. With a land requirement of 56.64%, agriculture is the most important. 32.38% of the urban area is forested, while 5.75% is built up. The rest consists of mangrove forests, swamps and open grass areas.
The geothermal energy generation in the district of Tongoan deserves special mention, the geothermal power plant of which covers part of the country's energy needs and promotes the industrial development of the city. The Isabel district is home to the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Plant, the largest production facility for fertilizers in Asia, as well as the Philippine Associated Smelter and Refining Company, the largest plant for the production of pure copper .
Ormoc has consistently won the DILG (Ministry of Interior and Local Government) cleanest and greenest city award from 1995 to the present day, and in a competition of the most competitive cities in the Philippines in 2005, Ormoc took first place in the small cities category .
Barangays
Ormoc is politically divided into a total of 110 barangays (districts).
|
|
|
|
history
Some simple Malay groups already had well-developed trade relations with China, Java and Indonesia , which frequented the island of Leyte with their junks , vintas and sailing boats. The Spanish historian Pigafetta mentioned the place Ogmok in his chronicles as one of the places that Ferdinand Magellan is said to have visited in March 1521 in search of water and supplies.
On July 16, 1595, some Jesuit missionaries came to Leyte and in May 1597 father Alonso Rodriguez and Leonardo Scelsi founded a mission in Ormoc. Since that time this place has been considered Christianized. As a coastal town, Ormoc was repeatedly attacked and ambushed by Moro pirates. To combat piracy and robbery, the Malay residents of the localities of Ogmok, Baybay and Palompon (to which Ormoc originally belonged) installed a communication system consisting of observation towers from which runners reported the detection of an enemy ship and finally the locals Was able to give early warning of the intruders.
In the spring of 1634, the ruler of Sulu , Raja Bungsu, kidnapped 300 Ormoc locals after successfully completing a campaign in Camarines. In order to protect the population from such attacks in the future, the Jesuit Juan del Carpio constructed some fortifications, which were attacked by the Maguindanaos before they were even completed. On December 3, 1634, the ruler Katsil Kunalat (Kudarat) invaded Ormoc after he had plundered and sacked the villages of Sogod, Kabalian, Kanamokan (today Inopacan) and Baybay. Fifty brave inhabitants opposed the army, but had nothing to oppose the superiority in number and armament. So the defenders fell to the last man within their partially completed fortifications, and Carpio was also killed.
In 1768 the Augustinians took over the missions in Leyte after the Jesuits were expelled from the country. On February 26, 1834, Ormoc was split off from Palompon and made an independent municipality. The following March Ormoc was consecrated as a separate Catholic parish.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in August 1896, Leyte was taken over for a few months by the newly founded Revolutionary Government under General Vicente Lukban. After the following American victories against the Spaniards in the Spanish-American War and later against the Filipinos in the Filipino-American War , an American-controlled civil government was established on Leyte on April 22, 1901. At the time, an Ormocanon named Faustino Ablen was organizing the Pulahanes Movement, a resistance group that was soon crushed by the Americans, but earned Ablen a place in the city's chronicles of heroes.
After the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, the Japanese army occupied Leyte Province on May 25, 1942. Units soon organized to resist the occupation and joined forces with Western Leyte. On November 6, 1944, the major battle took place in the Ormoc "Corridor," an attack by American and Filipino units, which advanced in three spikes, encircled General Yamashita's lines and finally brought them under control. The American 77th Division landed on December 7th at Deposito, about 3 miles south of Ormoc, took over Camp Downer on the 9th, a former police station near the city, and advanced into the city the following day despite opposing resistance. On December 31, Leyte was completely under Allied control.
Republic Act No. 179, introduced by Congressman Dominador Tan and approved on June 21, 1947, eventually elevated Ormoc to city status. The later President of the Philippine Republic Manuel A. Roxas officially proclaimed the city charter on September 4, 1947. With effect from Presidential Proclamation No. 42, Ormoc was formally inaugurated as a city on October 20, 1947, exactly three years after the infamous invasion of Leyte that marked the end of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
On November 5, 1991, the region around Ormoc was hit by the tropical storm Thelma (locally named Uring ). This brought flash floods and landslides with it, which killed around 6,000 people. Due to the heavy rainfall of over 150 mm per hour, there was a lightning flood that hit the area around Ormoc. Ormoc had to mourn most of the fatalities, three quarters of which was destroyed by this natural phenomenon.
climate
The urban area experiences an intense rainy season every year from June to February. The average monthly temperatures in the west of Leyte are between 21.1 ° C and 34 ° C. The hottest months are to be expected between January and May.
Attractions
- The Leyte Mountain Trail (Leyte Mountain Path)
- The Lake Danao (Lake Danao)
- The Tongonan Hotsprings National Park.
- Centennial Park