Libagon

[7] The Dagohoy revolt prompted more Boholanos to settle the southern towns of Leyte, especially in Hilongos, Bato, Matalom, Maasin, Macrohon, Malitbog, and Hinunangan.Andres Espina, a resident of Tamolayag (now the town of Padre Burgos) in Malitbog, was invited to instruct the children in reading and writing.[8][9] At this point in the history of the municipality, the barrios or barangays under Libagon included Sogod and Bontoc at the northern end, and Punta at the southern.[citation needed] By March 1870, Don Gabriel Ydjao became the chief executive of Sogod and transferred the poblacion (town center) to Libagon.The church in Libagon would remain there until 1924, when a group of concerned Sogodnons pleaded with Bishop Sofronio Hacbang y Gaborni of Calbayog to return the seat of the parish to Sogod.[citation needed] During the incumbency of Don Luis Espina as gobernadorcillo (1891 to 1893), the visita of Maak was reduced to a sitio of barrio Consolacion.[citation needed] At some point in time, possibly during the years following 1845 until 1885, Libagon was deemed a barrio of Sogod, together with Bontoc and Consolacion.But in 1904, Ladislao or "Estanislao" Decenteceo was elected and transferred the poblacion to Barangay Consolacion, a barrio 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Libagon.The Cebuano language and Boholano dialect (Binol-anon) are commonly spoken in Libagon, with slight linguistic variations in form, meaning or context.Poverty incidence of Libagon Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] The town celebrates its annual fiesta in honor of their patron saint, the Blessed Virgin Mary of The Immaculate Conception, on 8 December.The former ermano-ermana hands over the holy image of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel to the home of the succeeding (h)ermano or (h)ermana mayor for the following year's fiesta in a procession joined by townsfolk of Libagon, mostly from the poblacion.In recent celebrations, a Pangilis Idol is determined in a contest of talents, usually dancing dressed in imaginative costumes.The skills, knowledge and experience required to build a log structure were considered out of the ordinary for that time period.As commonly practiced in the past, the construction of the church, chapel, convent and town hall were made possible through bayanihan, a spirit of communal unity or effort to achieve a particular goal.The task of dragging down the trees (with very strong ropes on both ends) from the mountainous jungle on narrow access was indeed a hazardous challenge to the men.In like manner, another group of volunteers brought gongs and drums to tap a repeated rhythmic beat and synchronized the pushing and pulling down of the timber while together they howled, "HIIIIBOOOYYYY...." While on an abrupt slope, restraining the heavy log was crucial to prevent it from running over someone and avoid breakage of the tree.Each of them brought their own food and an ample amount of coconut wine (tuba) stored in a baler shell or bamboo container to quench their thirst.Each piece, when rang, caused a loud sound that can be heard as far as San Isidro, Banday, and areas across Sogod Bay.Unfortunately, during World War II this wooden church was burned down by the Japanese invaders and was rebuilt into its present structure with a more modernized architecture but half as large as the original.These three Libagonians fought in the Battle of Bataan, which represented the most intense phase of Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II.[31] Patag Daku is a mossy forest of more than 500 hectares of unexplored, uncharted wilderness, fraught with dangerous tales of huge snakes and wild animals.[33] It will take a two-hour trek to the mountains, rappelling and climbing bamboo ladders within cascading falls before you reach the top.At exactly 12:00 noon when the sun is directly above the middle of the narrow opening at the gorge, the natural light is awe-inspiring as it dramatically illuminates the whole area resembling a magnificent altar in a cathedral or a place of worship.The suspicion of a volcano close to Libagon may explain the black sand beach formation in barangay Pangi.Earlier, the friary being the home of the parish priest and church servants was also used as the house of the first Catholic educational institution of Libagon and the first and only High school.The limited funds to set up a Secondary school moved the founders to appeal to Bishop Manuel Mascariñas (in Palo, Leyte) for his approval to use some of the rooms of the convent.The forerunners and shareholders, who were also parents and widowed mothers after the war, were driven with the same purpose to give reasonable education to their children.[42] Ordinarily, the habal-habal(s) or single motorcycles are used as modes of transportation in crossing Sogod and to other distant and mountainous areas.It is a 3517 km network of roads, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao in the Philippines, serving as the country's principal transport backbone.In addition, traveling to Manila from Libagon approximately takes 24 hours by bus along with ferry from Northern Samar to Matnog.