The Municipality of Hinabangan got its name from the word “Hinabangan” the waray word for help or aid given to someoane in need. The Poblacion of Hinabangan is approximately 36 kilometers south of Catbalogan City, the provincial capital via the National Highway leading to Tacloban City. Hinabangan has land area of 41, 802 hectares. It is classified as a 4th class municipality with 2010 annual budget of approximately 65,149,660.43. There are 21 barangays that comprises the whole municipality, namely:

Brgy. 1 Poblacion          Dalosdoson
Brgy. 2 Poblacion          Lim-ao
San Jose                          Cabalagnan
Rawis                               Bagacay
Malihao                           Cansolabao
Mugdo                             Fatima
Osmeña                           Concord
Bucalan                           San Rafael
Binobucalan                   Tabay
Canano                            Cabang
Yabon

      The geography of Hinabangan is peculiar in the sense that as a result of the construction of the National Highway it is divided into to sectors. The Hinabangan sector which is the first deistrict, fronts the National highway from Brgy. Buray leading to Tacloban City and the 2nd district which is Bagacay sector leading to Eastern Samar.

            Politically, Hinabangan was only a sitio of the Municipality of Wright, Samar as stated in an old document dated 1901. It grew bigger in area and population. in 1907 Hinabangan become a Rancheria of the landed and powerful clan of Wright. From 1892 to 148, the place became a municipality with the Municipality of Concord fused with it. Hinabangan is blessed with an inaugurating climate with rainfalls evenly distributed throughout the year. The cool breeze of the northeast monsoon, which gently blows to the Months of November to December and January.

The climate is generally suited for agricultural crops like rice, root crops, and vegetables. These are abundantly raised by the farmers. Moderate rainfall and big river crisscrossing the municipality, help much the life of the farmers. Other products raised are coconut and corn. Moreover, Hinabangan has a forested area around 23,811 hectares. Before the logging ban, there are scenic spots in the municipality which can be tapped as tourist attraction. Among them are the Binobucalan Falls whish has a beautiful spring, the Yabon Falls and Tayud Falls found in Poblacion. The Malihao Spring formerly known as “Bautismuhan” or “Quarry” is now a newly developed swimming pool named as “Native House Spring Place” because of the presence of beautiful bamboo houses surrounding it, this is located at Brgy. Malihao. Another scenic attraction is the NILEA Clear Spring Water located at Brgy Mugdo, wherein you can experience total satisfaction of very clear cold water. There are numerous springs and natural swimming pool that Hinabangnons can be proud of.

Aside its forest and scenic spots, Hinabangan has been identified by experts as having gold, silver, aluminum, ore, manganese and sulfur deposits.

One particular economic activity that stands out in this town is the “tabu” which means a market say held in a barangay or a part of the municipal plaza, from nearby farms and places help each other by selling fish and various farm products such as root crops, fruits and vegetables from the hinterlands. During “tabu”, people from other towns and barangays come to do their marketing in Hinabangan.

Over the years, Hinabangan has made progress in terms of infrastructure projects. Being rich in natural resources, the Hinabanganons feel nothing but pride for their lans of birth as it marches towards a better and hopeful future.

EDUCATION

Hinabangan has 19 public primary and elementary schools:

• Bagacay Elementary School

• Binubucalan Elementary School

• Bucalan Primary School

• Cabalagnan Elementary School

• Cabang Elementary School

• Canano Elementary School

• Cansolabao Elementary School

• Concord Elementary School (Hinabangan)

Hinabangan also has two public high schools:

• Bagacay National High School

• Hinabangan National High School

CANSOLABAO

• Cansolabao is one of the 21 barangays situated in the southeast portion of the Municipality of Hinabangan, Samar, Philippines. The barangay got its name from Cansolabao Creek. The waray word “canso” means creek and “labao” means beyond. The creek is the longest creek that crosses the barangay. Cansolabao has a population of 1,267 with an annual budget of approximately 681,000.

  HISTORY

  A legendary account describes the arrival of three jungle hunters who were wandering in the wilderness. They traversed across Caliga-an River to hunt wild pigs. They had camped along the edge of the river when they weren’t able to find a route to go back home. They settled there to harvest the forest’s resources. The name became Sitio-Cansolabao under Barangay Bagacay in 1954-1969.

  Modern history

• The growth of Bagacay Mines helped support an increased population. The continuing population growth has conveyed politically Cansolabaonon to upsurge against bagacay governance. On August 18, 1969, the Cansolabao Improvement Organization (CIO) launched as temporary machinery for governance.

• On January 21, 1970, Barangay Cansolabao was instituted as a separate barangay of the Municipality of Hinabangan in pursuant to Republic Act 3590, otherwise known as the Revised Barrio Charter, as enacted by the Provincial Board of Samar. It is classified as a 3rd class barangay.

  Geography and climate

• It is a frontier barangay approximately 30 Kilometers Southeast of Hinabangan town. The Philippine-Korean Highway passes through this barangay. Cansolabao has a land area of approximately 640 hectares (1,600 acres).

• Cansolabao is visited by typhoons and rainfall throughout the year. The climate is suited for agricultural crops such as coconut, banana, pineapples, root crops and vegetables. It has a 550 hectares (1,400 acres) forest awarded as the CBFM area. There are 2 other creeks, Haganap and Lungib. Aside from its forest it has coal, copper, aluminum, pyrite and gold deposits.

  Economy

• The most common occupation is the market, selling fish from nearby towns and homemade breads such as ira-ed, puto, suman, moron and hot cake. Subsistence farming feeds some residents, who grow copras, bananas, pineapples and cassava.

• Cansolabao offers a barangay hall, basketball plaza, elementary school, dancing hall and rural health center.

  School

• Cansolabao Elementary School

BAGACAY

          Bagacay is one of the 21 barangays situated in the southeast portion of the Municipality of Hinabangan, Samar, Philippines. Bagacay is a wilderness on the eastern side of Samar Island, between the towns of Paranas (Wright) and Taft, 60 kilometers from the coast of provincial capital Catbalogan City.

History

              No factual account describes the origin of Barangay Bagacay. Some facts can be gleaned from the origin of the Marinduque Mining Industrial Corporation (MMIC). Bagacay was a stop point for nearby settlers when they moved down from the mountains in transporting their farmed products to the nearby towns of Paranas, Calbiga and Taft.

              The difficulty in transporting products from the mountains using “katopis” required two days travel. This prompted them to move to “Bagacay”. The presence of bamboo forests led them to name it “Kabagakyan”, especially in Cansolabao creek, a Kulawin creek.

                The Concord and Saturnino families and Cesaria Delmonte with their two children Escolastico and Magdalina moved to Kabagakyan to practice agriculture and harvest natural resources such as rattan, abaca and almasega. Escolastico married Balbina and settled there, making them the first settlers in Kababayan later called “Sitio Bagacay”. Other families followed, including Baleňa, Jongaya, and Basada.

Copper

                   One day in early 1954, Victor Lovely, a half-American native of Taft, took a bus to Catbalogan to attend a political session. On his return trip, the bus had a flat tire at Sitio Bagacay about 30 kilometers from Taft, by a trail to Magtaon. Lovely went to a hut near the roadside to ask for water. The hut owner was an old acquaintance named Escolastico Delmonte. Lovely mentioned to Delmonte his desire to prospect for iron. Delmonte gave him a fist-sized piece of heavy rock. Lovely gave it to Chief Assayer Ric Orbeta for analysis. At first, the result was far below the Japanese buyer’s specification. However, Oberta discovered high grade ore containing 65% copper. Not long after, Don Jesus Cabarrus assessed the site for mining. Lovely, with his two sons Jimmy and Victor Jr., the Balatay brothers, the Alido brothers, Delmonte and his two sons, Isidro and Fermin searched the area for more samples. Before the end of 1954, Cabarrus, with the consent of the Marinduque Iron Mines Corporation, organized a team to do further exploration, file claims, build roads and operating the mine.

                  People migrated from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for a new livelihood, and became residents of Bagacay, which greatly expanded its area and population. Later, it was recognized as one of the Barangays of the Municipality of Hinabangan.

Barangay Fiesta

Barangay Bagacay celebrate Annual Feast on June 13 in Honor of Patron Saint, St. Anthony of Padua

Barangay Parish Church

St. Anthony of Padua Parish was the Parish Church of Barangay Bagacay.