Trivia

PHILGOV Assignment

History

The pre-Spanish Filipinos called the northern and eastern Samar coasts Ibabao. The Jesuits established missions on the northern coast early in the 17^th century. The region of was an important point along route of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade. For more than 200 years the galleon trade was the main economic activity of the Spaniards in the Philippines. The town of Palapag was a shipbuilding town and a royal port where galleons sheltered against buccaneers and inclement weather. However, due to the exactions of the Spaniards, the region became the focus of a revolt that spread to Leyte and Mindanao in 1649. Sumuroy led the uprising against the exactions of forced labor for shipbuilding.

Northern Samar, along with the other Samar provinces, was once part of the province of Cebu. In 1735, Samar became part of the province of Leyte and thirty years later, in 1768, it was constituted as a separate province. In June 1965, Northern Samar was created from out of the old province of Samar by virtue of Republic Act No. 4221.

People, Culture and the Arts

Warays are the predominant people in Northern Samar. However, as a result of the proximity of the province to the Bicol Region, it is not surprising that the Waray dialects spoken in the north have a strong affinity with Bicolano. Certain towns like San Vicente and San Antonio speak Cebuano, due to migrations from Cebu and Bohol.

In Capul, a small island off the northwestern tip of this province, the people speak Abaknon. The language is not Visayan in origin but Sama-related. This group of languages is found mainly in the Sulu Archipelago, Sabah and Southern Palawan. Abaknon oral history holds that the people were originally from Balabac, in the south of Palawan, who migrated to Samar. They reputedly refused to be dominated by the Moros and chose to seek other shores in which to build their communities. These people take their name from the leader of the original migrants, Abak.

Farming and fishing are the main livelihood in the province. The Northern Samareños, like all the Warays and Visayans in general, hold on to a belief system that acknowledges the existence of nature spirits who have to appeased or thanked. The cultivation of rice, which is most extensive in Northern Samar, involves rituals that invoke the cooperation of these spirits, from land preparation up to post harvest. The tambalan or folk medicine man/sorcerer performs these essential rituals. Christian customs such as the recitation of novenas or nine-day devotions, are likewise used. Fisherfolk likewise ask permission from the water spirits for safety at sea and a good catch.

Northern Samar bears the physical reminders of the importance this coast used to have in former times. On the island of Batag, in Laoang town sits an old American-era lighthouse, which was an important beacon for ships coming in from the open Pacific and moving towards the San Bernardino Strait. Capul Island is also topped by a Spanish lighthouse and the sea surrounding the island is littered with dozens of sunken Spanish galleons, some laden with silver and treasure.

Traditions

Handing down to new generations, beliefs, opinions, customs, stories, skills.

Other traditions are that every year, two weeks or more before Eid Al Adha we grow a plant called Haya Beya. Then the night before Eid Al Adha we throw the plant in the sea and sing a song. The meaning of this is before in Bahrain most of the children's fathers would be divers that go get pearls. Most of the divers would die because of sharks and other stuff. So the children would give the sea their Haya Bayas so it would give their fathers in return, because they were scared their fathers would die.It's better to do this between sunset till night time.

Any Samareno celebration is not complete without the famous native lechon. The lechon here is different than the commercial kind you find in the city as this is tastier and leaner, really finger-lickin' good. Lechon sauce is optional.

Muron on the other hand, (pictured far right) is a native delicacy of ground rice flour with chocolate at the center wrapped in banana leaf and steamed, ummm, good!

Northern Samar Food Specialties

Most people have not yet tasted shark’s meat but in Northern Samar it is among the most popular local dish. Shark’s meat is a favorite and tasty kinilaw dish. Shark’s meat may smell a bit putrid but people in Northern Samar have perfected a method that cleans the meat and especially if it’s well prepared and fresh the putrid smell will disappear.
People in Catbalogan Samar describes this shark dish as one of the most delicious “kinilaw” dish in the whole of Philippines and is the favorite dish of choice by visitors who ends up in this part of the country. A lot of people agree that it tastes much better than other variants of kinilaw dishes like that of meat, pork and tuna because the shark’s meet is tastier brought upon by its distinct and unique flavor and it being cartilaginous.
Shark’s meat cooked in kinilaw dish is a favorite side dish for beer drinkers as well as it goes well with the native Northern Samar’s coconut wine or locally known as “tuba”. As history tells a tradition of Northern Samar people of “lining their belly with food” during and before their drinking session and among the choice dish they prefer is shark’s meat.
Another popular Northern Samar food specialty dish is “Linabo” another kind of Shark meat dish that is cooked with shredded pieces of shark meat combined with sautéed onions, ginger and tomatoes. Other seasoning like Vinegar is added as well until the shark meat is done. Other variants of shark meat dishes are cooked boil or “tinola” sprinkled with camote tops or it can be simply fried on the pan with pepper.
Other ways of cooking shark’s meat is by preparing it with coconut milk, this procedure lets the shark meat get extra taste and juice from the coconut milk and therefore adding a more tasty delight to its meat portions.
Other Northern Samar food specialty dishes mainly consists of seafood like crab on stick, grilled tuna, sinigang na bangus and chicken adobo cooked with a tender twist by Northern Samar people. It is cooked with a delicate sweetness brought upon by adding a bit of sugar to the sauce of the chicken adobo to provide a sweeter taste compared to adobo dishes from other parts of the Philippines.
Many other notable Northern Samar food specialty dishes includes binagol (which is made from talyan, a kind of root crop), Pinyato also known as pop rice to tourists, pastillas of carigara, moron of abuyog and a lot more.
For others they might prefer the more downbeat but still delicious “Tamales” which is composed of grounded peanuts with pork, “Sisi”, a type of seafood preserve and “Pinyato” which is composed of rice snack and grounded pinipig.
These are just some of Northern Samar’s food specialty dishes that continue to attract the attention of food lovers not just from the Philippines but even tourists from other countries as well. The rich culture and different tastes of the Philippines is clearly present and obvious by the uniqueness of the local dishes that Northern Samar is offering.

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