Gandara, officially the Municipality of Gandara (Waray: Bungto han Gandara), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,242 people.

History

The town was formerly named Bangahon, but its population was resettled to its current location on September 29, 1902. After settling in its new location, the name Gandara was given to it in commemoration of the former Governor-General José de la Gándara y Navarro. By virtue of ''Batas Pambansa Blg. 11'' approved in 1978, 29 barangays were separated to create the new municipality of San Jorge.

Geography

Barangays

Gandara is politicaly subdivided into 70 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. Geo-Political Boundaries

Climate

Demographics

Based on latest 2014 survey, the total population was 33,264, consisting of 17,046 males and 16,218 females. The number of households was 6,653, with an average household size of 4.87 persons and a density of 68/km2. Built-up Area population density at town proper 6,652 along Carline Area is 4,992, Coastal Area is 5,751 and Rural Area is 5,748.

Economy

The municipality of Gandara is known for its products such as queseo (kesong puti), tablea, tinapa (smoked fish), kalinayan rice, rootcrops and peanuts exported in the entire region of Eastern Visayas and to any point of the Philippine archipelago. Queseo is one of its tourism and livelihood assets.

Tourism

Education

Elementary and Kinder School Gandara Central Elementary School Gandara Central Elementary School started with the construction of Gabaldon School Buildings. The Gabaldon School Buildings or simply known as the Gabaldons is a term used to refer to heritage school buildings in the Philippines built during the American Colonial Era. They are noted for the architecture inspired from the bahay kubo and bahay na bato. As of about 2024, there are 2,045 Gabaldon School Buildings throughout the Philippines. The Gabaldon School Buildings, also referred to as the Gabaldons, originated from Act No. 1801 or the Gabaldon Law, a legislation written by Isauro Gabaldón of the Philippine Assembly in 1907. The law provided for the funding of ₱1 million for the construction of modern public schools across the Philippine Islands from 1908 to 1915. Like Gabaldon, first educators are from other Countries with earlier Educational System, the Old Katon Cristiana and the University of Santo Tomas system to 'pass-on' the Education learned. By the turn of 20th Century, pupils/students populations are increasing, some are migrants and other from within the town, the former (DECS) - Ministry/Department of Education Culture and Sports now DepEd (Department of Education) decided to create partition on the interior Barrios Schools and along the Road Schools.

Secondary education

From 1663 to 1768, Bangajon was administered by a priest from the Catbalogan Cabeccera Residencia who had the multiple duties of administering also the Tinago (Tarangnan) and sometimes the Hibatang (now Calbayog) visitas. In 1663, Moro pirates reached the village of Bangajon. After ransacking the village, they burned it. But the Jesuits missionaries were undaunted. They rebuilt the village and built a church made of stone and roofed with zinc and partly with nipa. It measured “26 fathoms (stones) in length wall thickness, 9 fathoms (stones) in width, 4 ½ fathoms (stones) in height” (about 48 meters in length, 16.5 m. in width and 4.5 m. in height). The church was dedicated to St. Michael de Archangel. They also built a convento of the same materials and two parochial schools (one for boys and another for girls) and a casa real of wood. After the fire in 1876, a tribunal and an escuela were also constructed under the direction of Fr. Geronimo Asenjo. They also continued with the education of the people, especially the children. The older residents of Gandara remember that the first book they used in the school was the Katon Cristiana. Graduation from school was simple. Any pupil who could recite the contents of the whole book from memory was graduated. Then they writer sent to the barrios to teach the Katon Christiana. In 1901, the town principalia held a session extraordinaria on April 14, 1901 and passed an Act to build a new town and to transfer its location to the sitio of Dumalo-ong (present-day site of Gandara). When peace finally came to Samar in 1902, the people went about the reconstruction of the town and the church. Religious activities were resumed. Gandaranhons celebrated their first fiesta with their new Mayor on September 29, 1903 after years of war. Franciscan missionaries returned to Gandara in 1910 after the new Diocese of Calbayog was established. Franciscan priests assigned to Gandara from 1910 to 1926 were Fr. Juan Vicente Carmona, O.F.M., Fr. Roman Perez, O.F.M. and Fr. Victoriano Ranera. O.F.M. Early in the sixties, Msgr. Ponciano Figueroa, then parish priest of Gandara, together with the mayor, Mayor Ramon Tan Diaz, established the St. Michael High School, the first and only Catholic school in the town.

List of parish priests assigned to Bangajon/Gandara

Franciscan Administration (1768-1898) Transition Period (1898-1910) Diocese of Calbayog