REGION VIII: EASTERN VISAYAS

OVERVIEW
Eastern Visayas, or the region designated as Region VIII of the Philippines, is one of
the many regions of the archipelago that, like the others, exhibits huge potential in terms of
its culture, geography and resources. The region is consisted of the six provinces of Biliran,
Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, Southern Leyte, the independent component
city of Ormoc and the highly urbanized city of Tacloban which is considered as the region’s
administrative center. In order to fully understand the totality of this region, many aspects
should be looked at such as its geographical location, geographical features, economy, and
socio-demographic profile. From these, we can draw conclusions on how the region’s
geography affects its current state.
The region has 6 provinces, 12 districts, 7 cities, 136 municipalities, and 4,390
barangays.

POPULATION (2010)
-The population according to the 2010 census is 4,101,322 with a distribution among
provinces shown below:

 Leyte: 1 567 984

 Samar: 733 377
 Northern Samar: 589 013
 Eastern Samar: 428 877
 Southern Leyte: 399 137
 Biliran: 161 760
-Population density is approximately 190 persons per sq. km.
-Leyte is the most densely populated followed by Biliran and Southern Leyte.

LANGUAGES
The region uses two languages, Waray-Waray that is spoken in Samar, Biliran and
Leyte, and Abaknon that is used by the natives of Samar.

RESOURCES
The region is rich in mineral resources such as bauxite, nickel, chromite, limestone,
gravel, pyrite and sand. Having no land border with other regions, Eastern Visayas is also
endowed with freshwater fish and other marine resources. It also has abundant natural
resources, including vast agricultural lands with fertile soil and abundant water, and has a
huge supply of geothermal energy.
ECONOMY 
Gross Regional Domestic Product (2014)
-The region’s GRDP (at constant 2000 prices) is 146 354 123 (in thousand pesos). It is
divided into three sectors:
 Agriculture: 26 270 742 (18%)
 Industry: 60 574 092 (41.4%)
 Service: 59 509 288 (40.7%)
-Per capita GRDP is 33 743 (in pesos) and is second lowest among the regions.
-The Typhoon Yolanda devastation caused the economy of the region to contract by 2.3% in
2014 from a 4.5% growth rate in 2013. The said typhoon adversely affected the region’s
sectors, mostly agriculture and industry. The industry sector suffered a steep decline from
13.9% to -2.8%. This is due to the shrinking of the manufacturing sector which is the
biggest component of the industry. On the other hand, the growth rate in agriculture fell to
-12.8%. This is attributable to the damaged lands and crops caused by the typhoon.

EMPLOYMENT (2015)
-The rates defining the labor participation of the population are as follows:
 Employment rate: 94.7%                          > 93.5% (Nationwide)
 Unemployment rate: 5.3%                        < 6.5%
 Underemployment rate: 26%                  > 21%
-After the Typhoon Yolanda struck the region and left huge casualties, a number of
reconstruction projects were started and this provided job opportunities for the people. This
caused the unemployment rate to drop from 5.6% in 2014 to 5.3% in 2015.

INDUSTRIES
The region produces quality products that are included in the country’s exports, one
of which is the tuba, a type of liquor made from coconut. It also has a huge supply of
geothermal energy and thus is named the geothermal capital of the Philippines. The
Tangonan Geothermal Powerplant, the second largest geothermal power producer in the
world, is located in Leyte. It provides electricity to not only the whole region but to
neighboring islands as well. Moreover, the region, Leyte in particular, has enough
manpower and resources necessary to develop an ICT (Information and Communication
Technology) industry. If this is accomplished, it will boost the economic state of the region
and will secure jobs for a huge fraction of the population.

AGRICULTURE
The availability of vast lands, its wet climate and a number of watersheds which
provide water for irrigation facilities support the region’s agricultural productivity. The
region is the second biggest producer of coconut and abaca. Its other major crops include
palay, sugarcane, and banana.

ECO-TOURISM
The region also promotes Eco-tourism, that is, tourist spots and environmental sites
will be preserved even when made open to the public, particularly to foreigners. According
to the regional development plan made by NEDA, there are six areas in the region having
the potential to become havens for travellers, (1) Northeastern Leyte-Basey and Marabut
Area, (2) Northwestern Leyte-Biliran Area, (3) Southern Leyte Area, (4) West Samar Area,
(5) Eastern Samar Area and (6) Northern Samar Area. The selection was based on the
“number of attractions, facilities and services offered, capacity of the environment to sustain
tourism development and its accessibility from the key source market”. According to the
plan, the development includes greater promotion and advertisement, building of additional
infrastructures and creation of stronger connections with the public and private sectors.
TOURIST SPOTS

The San Juanico Bridge connects

Samar and Leyte and is considered as the
longest bridge in the Philippines. It was
built under President Marcos’ administration
and thus was initially named Marcos
Bridge. While it offers a picturesque view it
also has an economic significance as well
by being the gateway of Eastern Visayas.

Like the San Juanico Bridge, the Sto.

Nino Shrine and Heritage Museum, one
of the 29 presidential rest houses, was also
built by the late President Marcos for his
wife, Imelda Marcos, who was born in
Tacloban. The bathrooms, dining rooms and
bedrooms are furnished with paintings and
other antiques depicting historical events. It
also has 13 guest rooms, each having the
theme representing a certain region in the
Philippines.

The Leyte Landing Memorial is

located in Palo, Leyte. It was built to
commemorate and give tribute to General
Douglas McArthur for fulfilling his promise
of returning to the Philippines after the
Japanese occupied the country. It depicts the
scene of McArthur and his men landing at
the Red Beach. The figures on the pool are
statues of McArthur, his men and Sergio
Osmena Jr.
Other well-known tourist spots in the
region include the Homonhon Island, Red
Beach, Agas-Agas Bridge, Lake Danao and
Hinunangan Beach.
 FESTIVALS

Pintados de Leyte Festival

The Pintados de Leyte Festival is a celebration of the Leytenos of their way of life
before Spain conquered the country. The festival reflects their religion, epics, indigenous
music and other traditions. The dancers’ body are painted with tattoo like images depicting
the tattoos received by warriors back then.

Lingganay Festival

The Lingganay Festival was based on the legend of the town’s golden bell that was
thrown into the deepest part of the river to prevent Moro pirates from getting their hands on
the bell. Until today, there is still no information about where the bell is located. Participants
of the said festival are called Tribu Lingganay and they have won various local and national
competitions.
Other festivals celebrated in the region include the Sinulog Ha Malitbog, Karayapan
Festival, Sanggutan Festival, Pahoy-Pahoy Festival, Manoglaya Festival, and the Bagulan
Festival.
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