Eastern Samar

Overview
Eastern Samar had been a significant backdrop of the country’s rich colonial history through the island of Homonhon, where Ferdinand Magellan first set foot on Philippine soil in 1521 on his way to conquer the Philippines for the western world.

Its tiny island of Suluan Guiuan was likewise where the U.S. Army rangers had their first encounter of the Philippine territory in 1944, three days before General Douglas MacArthur made his historic landing in Leyte.

In his account, Pigafetta, the chronicler aboard Magellan’s ship, describes the island of Humumu, now Homonhon, as so: “We found two fountains of very clear water, we called it the `Waters of Good Signs,’ having found the first sign of gold in the said island.

There also can be found much white coral and tall trees that bear fruits smaller than an almond and look like pines. There were also many palm trees, some of the good kind, some of the bad. Thereabouts are many neighboring islands. Hence, we called them the St. Lazarus Archipelago because we stayed there on the day and feast of St. Lazarus.”

Historians have since described this part of Samar Island as the “eastern gateway to the Philippines.” The coast of the small province faces the Pacific Ocean and much of the land is rugged with the vast parts forested.

The interior part is rough and hilly and covered with dense tropical vegetation but drained by numerous rivers and creeks. Mountain ranges and peaks abound in an interior. Narrow plains hug most of the coastal areas and, in some instances, the banks of its principal rivers and their tributaries.

Geography
The province occupies a total land area of 4,470.75 sq. km. It is bounded on the north by Northern Samar, on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the west by Western Samar, and on the south by the Leyte Gulf.

Political Subdivision
The province is composed of 23 towns. Capital is Borongan.

Population
As of the 1995 census, the provincial population was 58,285.

Languages/Dialects
Waray-waray is the major dialect spoken in the province.

Products

· Euchema seaweeds

Key players

· 2 companies
· 4 traders
· 120 farmers

Market

· Domestic

Trade and investment opportunities

· Additional investors are needed to meet the present requirement of their existing markets (wow philippines & DTI)

Biliran

Overview
According to folklore, Biliran derived its name from the native grass - Borobiliran - which was abundant on the plains during the Pre-Spanish period.

Long before this era, seafearers passing through the narrow straits of Biliran, separating mainland of Leyte and the island of Biliran, had noticed the fertile plains and the lush green hills of the island.

In the early 18th century, a group of settlers, led by Fr. Gaspar settled in Albacia (now a sitio of Barangay Hugpa in the municipality of Biliran).

Years later, this same group of settlers now led by Fr. Lorenzo Rivera transferred to Magsanoc. Unfortunately, Magsanoc, (now sitio Nasunugan) was burned to the ground.

These settlers finally settled on the plains of Biliran. This settlement developed and grew that by 1878, it was formally declared a municipality of Leyte by the Spanish authorities - the first town in the island of Biliran.
This significant event led virtually to the naming of the whole island as Biliran Biliran became a regular province on May 11, 1992 after a plebiscite was conducted in accordance with R.A. 7160.

The island province, which was formerly a sub-province of Leyte, belongs to the Eastern Visayas region (Region 8). It is bounded on the north by the Visayas Sea, on the south by the Carigara Bay, on the east by the Samar Sea, and on the west by the Strait of Biliran.

The province of Biliran consists of 8 municipalities and 132 barangays. It is a lone congressional district. The seat of government is in Naval, the capital town.

The main island has slightly flat to rolling and rough terrain. It has narrow coastal areas or lowlands with mountainous interiors except for the municipalities of Naval and Caibiran that have wider plains and rolling terrain extending about 7 km from the coast. Mountain ranges occupy the major portion of the island municipality of Maripipi.

Biliran has a combination of warm and cool climatic zones, thus the prevailing climate is ideal for the cultivation of a wide range of agricultural crops. There is no distinct dry season but the heavy wet season generally occurs in December.

Demography
In 2000 Census, Biliran had a total population of 140,274 of which 71,259 were males and 69,015 were females. Population density was 252 persons per square kilometer.

Annual population growth rate was 1.28 %. Dialects spoken are the Waray-waray, which is spoken by 43.3% of the total population, and the Cebuano dialect, which accounts for 55.9%.

Land Area
Based on the Bureau of Soils and Water Management's report, the province has a total land area of 555.42 square kilometers (55,542 hectares) of which 12,879 hectares are forestlands and 42,663 ha. are A & D lands.

The alienable and disposable lands are utilized as follows: agricultural lands 30,628 ha., fishpond/mangrove and inland water area 598 hectare, built-up area 1,855 hectare, and open and grasslands 9,582 hectare.

Agriculture
Biliran's economy is predominantly agricultural. The total agricultural production area is 30,628 ha. or roughly 55% of the total land area of the province.

In 1998, approximately 100 mt. of various agricultural products were produced.

Palay is planted to 13,581.75 ha. by 9,042 farmers. Total palay production is 61,117.87 mt. per year for two cropping seasons. Average production per cropping is 102 cavans or 4.5 mt. per hectare. Available post harvest facilities include 74 rice mills, 44 warehouses and 3 mechanical dryers.

Production in 1995 of locally grown vegetables (e.g. eggplant, carrots, cabbage, pechay) totaled 1,002 mt.

Coconut is also widely planted in the province. This crop is grown in about 21,100 ha. by 12,783 farmers. Total copra production in 1998 was estimated at 15,242 mt.

There are around 91 registered copra buyers. Coconut lumber as by-product is an alternative source of lumber for the province; there are 53 registered coco lumber processors and 21 coco lumber dealers.

For rootcrops such as camote, cassava and gabi, the annual production is estimated to be 3,692 mt. These crops are cultivated in 568 has.

Additionally, some 260 ha. are planted to various fruit trees (e.g. mango, jackfruit, guava); the average production is 5 mt. per hectare. Banana is another major fruit grown in the province. Production areas for bananas cover almost 3,109.54 ha.

Fishery
Municipal fishing accounted for 4,730 mt. of fish produced in 1998. There are 105 ha. available for brackishwater fishponds but only 50 ha. are developed.

Total fishpond production was 87.6 mt. of prawns, shrimps and milkfish. Some 55 commercial and 2,712 municipal fishing boats operate in the territorial waters of the island province. About 30 hectares may be used for seaweed farming and 10 hectares for fish-cage culture.

Trade and Commerce
There are major areas where trade and commerce is active in the province. There is the municipality of Biliran where a bridge connects the province to Leyte.

It is the gateway to Ormoc City, Tacloban City and other parts of the country that are accessible by land transport. Also, ferryboats regularly ply the Naval-Cebu City route.

In the Naval commercial port, major inflows and outflows of goods are observed. On the other side of the main island, marine products from Cabucgayan, Caibiran, Culaba and Kawayan are sold directly to the cities of Ormoc and Tacloban in Leyte, and Calbayog City and Catbalogan in the province of Samar.

Principal goods shipped out of the province are copra, rice, bananas and dried fish. The major markets are Cebu, Tacloban, Samar and Manila.

Goods that come from Cebu, Tacloban and Ormoc include canned goods, garments, construction materials, metal products, pharmaceuticals, electronic appliances, school and office supplies, petrochemicals, plastic wares and consumer items.

During the year 2000, 243 establishments were registered, which generated employment to 501 persons and had a declared total capitalization of 26 million pesos.

Employment
The labor force numbers 77,714 of which 73,595 persons or 94.7 % are employed and 4,119 (5.3 %) are unemployed. Labor force participation rate is 69.3%. Employment is distributed as follows: agriculture, hunting and forestry - 49.5%; fishing - 12.7%; manufacturing - 3.1%; construction - 4.6%; trade - 8%; services - 21.7%; and others - 0.4%.

Health
Among children the malnutrition status is 1.71% severe and 25.84% moderate. The crude birth rate is 24.68 per thousand people, crude death rate is 5.23 ptp, infant mortality rate stands at 13.85 ptp, and the maternal mortality rate is 1.13 ptp.

Average life expectancy is 64 and 68 years for men and women, respectively. Biliran lacks supply in the following food items: dairy, meat and fruits.

Utilities
Power. The Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant through the Biliran Electric Cooperative supplies electricity in the main island; a power generation set is operated by BILECO in the island municipality of Maripipi. Almost all of the barangays are already energized. Average rate per kilowatt-hour is P5.22, maybe the highest power rate in Eastern Visayas.

Water
Presently, 10% of the households are being served by Level 1 systems (wells, rain collectors, springs), 39% by Level 2 systems (communal faucets), and 44% by Level 3 systems (individual household connections).
Other water supply sources account for 7%. The Naval Water District provides potable water in the provincial capital.

Communications
Biliran has 8 postal offices located in each municipality, 1 FM radio station and 3 cable television firms. Globe and Smart operate cellular sites in the area; the former also operates a local phone exchange.

The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and the Radio Communications of the Philippines, Inc. (RCPI/BayanTel) have public calling offices in Naval.

Financial Institutions
Three financial institutions operate in the province: the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Philippine National Bank, and the Rural Bank of Naval. In addition, three lending investors and five credit cooperatives extend financial services.

Education
In providing good quality education, the province has one state college (Naval Institute of Technology), one agricultural college (BNAC), and 2 vocational schools (CNSAT and MNVS). The most popular college courses are engineering, agriculture and education.

Total elementary enrollment is 26,170 while secondary enrollment is 7,289. Graduation rate is 97.55% and the dropout rate is 5.56%. Teacher to pupil ratio is 1:29. Total number of classrooms is 833 for the elementary and 97 for the secondary.

Peace and Order
Biliran is generally a peaceful province and there is no known incidence of insurgency in recent times. Crime rate is 15.56% and crime solution efficiency is 94.72%. There are a total of 192 policemen and 25 firemen. The provincial command center is stationed in Naval.

Infrastructure
The province is 123 km. from Tacloban City. Land access into the province is via Tacloban City and Ormoc City. Road quality from these two cities to Naval is concrete-paved throughout. The total length of roads is 444.006 km. (167 km. national highways, 56.656 km. provincial roads, 25.71 km. municipal roads and 194.64 km. barangay roads). Road density is 0.775 km/sq. km.

Sea Transportation
The major seaport is the Naval Port. Ships calling into the port include small- and medium-sized vessels from Cebu. Other municipal ports are located in Kawayan, Caibiran, Culaba, Biliran and Maripipi.

Tourism
Biliran Province is endowed with natural tourist attractions that lure both local and foreign tourists: coral reef gardens, scenic waterways, white sand beaches, natural hot and cold water springs.

White Sand Beaches. The island takes pride in its white sand beaches: the Agta Beach resort in Almeria, the Banderahan Beach in Naval, the exotic island of Dalutan with its sculptured rock formations, the Sambawan Island with its rich marine life and coral gardens, the Higatangan Island, famous for its moving white sand bar, the Cogon Beach in Kawayan which is ideal for edible shellfish hunting, and the Genuruan Island in Kawayan which is ideal for water skiing and deep sea diving.

There is also the Tingkasan Island, famous for its mysterious bat caves and edible shellfishes. The panoramic island of Maripipi has a beautiful marine seascape.

Waterfalls. The clear and sweet tasting water that flows from the Tomalistis falls is believed to be one of the best in the world. Other falls include the Kasabangan Falls and Casiawan Falls in Cabucgayan, the Kinaraha and Pundol Falls in Almeria, and the newly discovered falls in Pulang Yuta in Caibiran which resembles the Pagsangjan Falls.

Water Springs. The Libtong Hotspring is located in Naval while the Mainit Hotspring can be found in the municipality of Caibiran.
The more popular swimming pools are the Masagongsong Swimming Pool in Kawayan and the San Bernardino Swimming Pool in Caibiran.

These pools never run dry nor require chlorination because their waters flow freely from their cool underground natural spring source. Both have amenities like kiosks, conference halls, dressing rooms and rest houses.

Development Plans
As a new province, Biliran is strengthening its organizational development program to build up its capabilities for local governance both at the provincial and municipal levels.

Biliran has also set in place necessary mechanisms for a more participative constituency, promoting its own culture and identity and evolving a model for local administration.

Moreover, the province is moving to expand its traditional role in the Eastern Visayas. From being the rice granary, the province is aiming to become the food basket of the region.

The island province aims, as part of its overall vision, to propagate high market value crops; establish seed nurseries and demonstration farms to showcase new technologies; encourage aquaculture production; intensify its reforestation and environmental protection programs; accelerate its integrated livestock and poultry programs; develop its ports, roads, power, communications and waterworks systems, irrigation network and post harvest facilities; enhance its people development programs; promote eco-tourism development; and improve its service delivery.

Private Investment Opportunities
1. Eco-tourism2. Mineral/spring water packaging3. Industrial tree plantation4. Integrated coco processing5. Livestock production and processing6. Post harvest facilities7. Sea weed processing8. Ceramics and terra-cotta manufacturing9. Communications

Incentives to Investors
1. Skilled and literate labor force2. Favorable peace and order condition3. Rich fishing grounds4. Favorable climate5. Tourist attractions6. A development oriented, strong-willed and committed Provincial Government leadership

Investment Priority Areas
A. Agriculture-Based Industries
Warehousing, drying & milling of grains
Abaca plantation & processing
Japanese rice production
High-value crops production (pepper, coffee, cutflower and vegetables)
High-value crops production (pepper, coffee, cutflower and vegetables)
Livestock raising
Industrial tree plantation
Corn production
Coco-based processing
B. Aquamarine-Based
Ice plant & cold storage
Fish preservation/processing
Seaweed production
Fish hatchery
C. Tourism
Theme park/tourism estate
Tourist facilities (resorts, hotels)
Local tour packages enterprises
D. Other Industries
Ceramics
Furniture
Mineral water bottling
E. Infrastructure (utilities, schools, transportation, etc.)
Water supply (potable water)
Mini hydro plant/power plant
Fast ferries
Seaport, airport (cargo plane/bus terminal)
Communication facilities
Housing project
Private hospital
Schools
Internet service provider
(biliran.gov)

Eastern Visayas

Region 8 is composed of the two major islands of Samar and Leyte, separated by the San Juanico Strait.

Leyte is bounded by Surigao on the south whereas Samar is bounded on the north by the tip of the Bicol peninsula. West of the two islands are the Maqueda Bay, the Visayas and Camotes Seas while to the east is the Pacific Ocean.

Physical Characteristics
The Eastern Visayas Region is composed of the six provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.

It has four cities: Tacloban, Ormoc, Maasin and Calbayog; 139 municipalities and 4,390 barangays.

The regional center is the City of Tacloban. The region has nine major urban centers located in: Calbayog City and Catbalogan, Samar; Ormoc City and Baybay, Leyte; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Maasin City and Sogod, Southern Leyte; Naval, Biliran; and Catarman, Northern Samar.

Total Land Area
The total land area of the region is 2,143,169 hectares, 47.8 percent (1,023,715 has.) is alienable and disposable and 52.2 percent (1,119,454 has.) is forest land.

Topography
The region's terrain is relatively flat near and along the coasts. The mountainous areas of the region are mostly located in the middle portion of Samar and Leyte islands.

The mountainous terrain of the Leyte island dominates the southern and southwestern portions. The northern portion is extensively flat. Scattered coastal flat lands are at the northwest. Samar island is characterized by mountainous ranges with forest and deep valleys.

Climate
The region has an evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. Pronounced maximum rainfall is experienced from November to January while a relatively dry season is experienced in the months of April until August.

Demography
The 1995 population of the region was 3,366,917. This increased to 3,610,355 in 2000, showing an annual growth rate of 1.51%. The total household population was placed at 3,602,954 and the average household size was 5.0.

Labor Force and Employment
As of October 2005, population 15 years old and over was recorded at 2.543 million. The labor force participation rate was 68.5 percent. This means that the members of the labor force totaled 1.742 million and out of every 100 economically-active members of the population, 68 were in the labor force. The remaining 31.5 percent was classified as not in the labor force. This included students, housewives, and pensioners, among others. Employment rate was placed at 91.7 percent. Visible underemployment rate stood at 29.9 percent.

The number of employed persons totaled 1.597 million, 49.6 percent (792,000) worked in the agriculture sector, 8.9 percent (142,000) in the industry sector and 38.8 percent (620,000) in the service sector.

Exports
The value of the region's exports in 2005 reached US$489.1 million, or a decline by 2.5 percent against US$501.5 million in 2004. The top export commodity in the region are Manufactured Goods Classified Chiefly by Materials, accounting for almost four-fifths or 79.1 percent of the region’s total value of exports in 2004.

The Chemicals and Related Products and Animal/Vegetable Oil, Fats and Waxes accounted for 10.0 percent (US$50.2 million) and 9.5 percent ((US$47.4 million), respectively.

Major Agricultural Production
The major crops produced in 2005 were abaca fiber (1,009,670 MT), palay (786,953 MT) and copra (569,841 MT).

Fishery production reached 150,262 MT. Municipal fishing contributed 47.6 percent (71,588 MT), while commercial and aquaculture production registered 39.7 percent (59,710 MT), and 12.6 percent (18,963 MT), respectively.

Investments
The following are identified investment priority areas of the region, namely:
1. Coconut-based Industries
2. Abaca-based Industries
3. Aquamarine-based Industries
4. Food Processing Industries
5. Gifts, Toys and Housewares
6. Tourism industry
7. Information Technology

Major Tourist Attractions
Major tourist attractions include: the Marabut Marine Park, Suluan Island and Cuatro Islas, Calbiga Caves (reputed to be the world's second biggest karst cave), Sohoton Caves, Twin Lakes in Mahagnao National Park, Lake Danao National Park, MacArthur Memorial National Park, Magellan's Shrine In Limasawa Island, the Sto. Niño Shrine and the San Juanico Bridge which links the two major islands of the region.

Airport
The region has eight operational airports. The Tacloban Airport is serviced by Boeing 737 and DC9 airplanes of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific Air. The Calbayog and Catarman Airports are serviced by the DC9 airplanes of Asian Spirit. Seven feeder airports are located in strategic parts of the region.

Telecommunications and Communications Facilities
In 2005, a total of 199,264 telephone lines were installed by both government and private companies bringing the telephone density to six telephone lines per 100 population. There were 53,899 subscribed landlines.

The region also had 147 telegraph stations, 85 public calling offices, 158 post offices and 93 cable TV operators with 34,557 subscribers.

Samar

Samar island is the third largest island of the Philippine archipelago. It is also considered one of the best natural and historical destination in the country.

Samar is located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catbalogan and covers the western portion of Samar Island as well as several islands in the Samar Sea located to the west of the mainland.

Calbayog City, the lone city of Samar Island is located in the province of Samar. Bordering the province to the north is Northern Samar and to the east is Eastern Samar.

Samar is connected to Leyte via the San Juanico Bridge, which spans the San Juanico Strait, the narrowest strait in the country. To the south of the province is the Leyte Gulf.

The name Samar is interchangeably used to refer both to the island and one of its three provinces, the other two being Northern and Eastern Samar.

The island is noted for being the home of the Philippine Eagle, one of the most rare and largest raptor in the world discovered in the northern part of the island by John Whitecomb in the early 1900's. Today, the only documented breeding site of this majestic eagle is in Samar.

Capital: Catbalogan

Founded: 1543, separated from Leyte on 1768 and became Western Samar province on June 19, 1965 upon creation of the provinces of Eastern Samar and Northern Samar.
Renamed: Samar Province on 1969
Population:2000 census—641,124 (38th largest)
Density—115 per km² (17th lowest)
Area: 5,591.0 km² (13th largest)
Divisions: Highly urbanized cities—0
Component cities --- 1
Municipalities --- 25
Barangays --- 951
Congressional districts --- 2
Languages: Waray, Cebuano


Investment Opportunities

Eastern Samar

Products
Euchema seaweeds

Key players
2 companies
4 traders
120 farmers

Market
Domestic

Trade and investment opportunities
Additional investors are needed to meet the present requirement of their existing markets


Northern Samar

Products
Coco-coir

Key players
5 indirect exporters

Market
Domestic

Trade and investment opportunities
Establishment of post harvest facility and processing plant

Samar
Products
Fresh mussel
Mussel shell craft
Processed mussel meat

Key players
4 cooperatives/associations

Market
Domestic

Trade and investment opportunities
Establishment of production center
Vacuum-fried mussel processing center
Expansion of mussel farm with the addition of 3000 poles
Acquisition of additional tools, equipment and working capital for the shell craft center

Leyte

The province is situated in the Eastern Visayas Region of the Philippines.

Leyte has hosted some of the turning points in the history of the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur, accompanied by Commonwealth President Sergio Osmena and Carlos P. Romulo, landed in Palo, Leyte to reclaim the country from the Japanese forces.

A historical marker in Palo marks the spot in Leyte where General Douglas MacArthur and his army landed on October 20, 1944. The provincial capitol building (second picture above), was the seat of the Philippine Commonwealth Government from October 23, 1944 to February 27, 1945.

The picturesque San Juanico Bridge (third picture) connects the Leyte and Samar islands and is a vital component of the road network that spans the whole country. It is the longest and best aesthetically designed bridge in the Philippines.

Industrious, cooperative, and very hospitable, whatever your business is, you will find that doing business with the people is a pleasure and a treat.GeorgraphyLeyte is the largest province in the Eastern Visayas Region.

The province of Leyte is one of the six provinces of Eastern Visayas Region located in Central Philippines adjacent to Cebu which ranks eighth in size among larger islands in the Philippine Archipelago. It is situated in the island of Leyte and is the oldest province in the region.

The province is bounded on the north by the Province of Biliran, in the east by the San Juanico Strait and the island of Samar, the Visayas and Ormoc Seas in the west and Southern Leyte to its south.

The province is considered the regional center of eastern Visayas where the regional and provincial capital, Tacloban City, is situated. Tacloban City is the oldest and most metropolitan of three other regional cities. Another city to its west, Ormoc City, is a chartered city which enjoys substantial autonomy from the provincial government in the management of its local affairs.

Basic Facts
Land Area - 5,712.80 sq.kms or 571,280 hectares
Congressional Districts - 5
Cities – 2
Municipalities - 4
Barangays - 1641
Provincial Capital - Tacloban City
Population - 1.57 million (2000 census)
Population density - 264.5 Leytenos per square kmAverage Annual Growth rate - 1.4%
Major languages - English, Chinese and Filipino
Local dialects - Waray-waray and Cebuano
Literacy rate - 91.1%
Total labor force - 1.022 million

Topography
Leyte is a picture of heavily settled coastal plains and relatively deserted mountainous and hilly interiors. Lowlands tend to lie in the coastal peripheries or in the alluvial plains and deltas accompanying the large rivers.

The largest contiguous lowland area is the Leyte Valley in North eastern Central cordillera. An intricate system of short rivers drains the valley towards Carigara Bay in one part and Leyte Gulf in the other. The second largest lowland area in Leyte is Ormoc Valley, which lies along the western side of the island and is rimmed by mountains.

There are other lowland areas that are relatively smaller and they are found along the coasts and near the mouths of rivers in Western and Southern Leyte.

Climate
There are two types of climate in the province. The eastern part has Type II climate characterized by a very pronounced rainfall from November to January. The western portion has Type IV with a rainfall that is more or less distributed throughout the year



History
Prior to the arrival of Westerners, Filipinos had robust trading activities with merchants from China and neighboring nations. On March 28, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator in the service of the Spanish crown, found the Leyte gateway.

Soon after, he reached Limasawa, a 5-square-mile island at the southern tip of Leyte mainland. Here Magellan met the native ruler, Rajah Kolambu, and his brother, Rajah Siagu, chieftain of Butu (in Mindanao).

In this little island, the first recorded blood compact of treaty of friendship between Magellan and Rajah Kolambu took place, the first mass was celebrated, and Magellan, after planting a cross on a hilltop, took possession of the territory.

In 1595, the Jesuits established the first mission in Leyte. At this time, there were only 19 pueblos with 70,000 people whom the missionaries converted to Christianity, easing the settlement of the province by Spanish conquistadors.

The Jesuit mission from the Philippines in 1768. Politically, Leyte seems to have existed as early as 1622. The simple structure of government by encomienderos gave way to alcalde mayores, corregidores, and tenientes.

By Royal Decree of July 31, 1860 which ordered the reorganization of provincial governments of the Visayas, Leyte was classified as a third class province; it had 28 pueblos or villages then. The politico-military government existed until the end of the Spanish rule in the Philippines.

The capital site of Leyte changed several times before Tacloban City became the permanent capital in 1787. The first capital was Carigara, then successively, Palo and Tanauan.

The civil government under the Americans was organized on April 22, 1901. The Americans at once saw the need for a road network linking the eastern and western parts of the islands separated geographically by mountain range and culturally by two distinct dialects: the Lineyte-Samarnon and Cebuano.

The road was formally inaugurated on April 5, 6 and 7, 1937. The Second World War hit the Philippines in 1941; the Japanese occupation followed. Col. Ruperto Kangleon organized a guerilla organization that harassed the Japanese forces in Leyte.

In 1944 Leyte became world-famous as the point of entry for the American forces of liberation.During the liberation, the province was placed prominently on the world map. General Douglas MacArthur, head of the largest United States fleet of transport and warships, accompanied by Commonwealth President Sergio Osmena and Carlos P. Romulo, landed in Palo, Leyte to reclaim the country from the Japanese forces.

A historical marker in Palo marks the spot in Leyte where General Douglas MacArthur and his army landed on October 20, 1944. From October 23, 1944 to February 27, 1945, Tacloban became the temporary seat of the Philippine Commonwealth.

On May 22, 1959, by virtue of Republic Act No. 2227, the island province was divided into Leyte and Southern Leyte. Years later, on May 11, 1992, the sub-province of Biliran was converted into a regular province.

The original Leyte Province was again trimmed down by 8 municipalities(leyte.org)