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Samboan

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Map of Cebu showing the location of Samboan
Map of Cebu showing the location of Samboan

Samboan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 16,659 people in 3,617 households.

Location: 140 kms South of Cebu City Area : 4,463 hectares No. of Barangays : 15 Town Fiesta : September 29 Patron Saint : San Miguel the Archangel Major Occupation : farming, fishing Principal Products : corn, rootcrops, Trade and Industry : cottage industries (sinamay, weaving, nipa-roof shingles)and handicraft for export, Cookies & Torta Espesyal of Tangbo, Places of Interest : Escala de Jacobo (Jacob’s Ladder), 1879 watchtower, Spanish Church made up of Coral Stone, Municipal Hall built on top of the Hill, the Bartolina Mountain, Monument of Volunteer Guards (WW II), Aguinid Waterfalls (Brgy. Tangbo), Hidden "Triple Drop" Waterfalls (Brgy. Bonbon), Brgy. Colase Marine Sanctuary and the newly asphalted Calderon Highway in the mountain barangays which now traverse the mountains of Samboan to the town of Oslob.


Historical Notes

Samboan is an abbreviation of the word Sinamboang, the origin of the name of the town. Sinamboang is a means of fishing commonly used by fishermen of the village. Like other Cebu towns’ legends as to how they were named, Samboan’s also came about from a language barrier between colonizers and natives. It seemed that some Spaniards came upon a group of fishermen who were engaged in sinamboang. Curious about the place, they asked for its name. But the natives though they were asking about what they were doing, and they promptly answered: sinamboang.

Samboan is a small town on a hill. But it used to be very much bigger, with Oslob and Alegria then under its territorial jurisdiction. In fact, people of Alegria were made to render forced labor for the construction of the Samboan church. It was only sometime during the middle of the 1880’s that the two towns were separated from Samboan.


Barangays

Samboan is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.

  • Basak
  • Bonbon
  • Bulangsuran
  • Calatagan
  • Cambigong
  • Canorong
  • Colase
  • Dalahikan
  • Jumangpas
  • Camburoy
  • Poblacion
  • San Sebastian
  • Suba
  • Tangbo
  • Monteverde


PRIDE OF SAMBOAN

Samboan is about 140KM from the provincial queen city of the South:Cebu City in the Philippines. It is famous for its beatiful crystal clears waters along its coastal barangays. It has a very rich marine ecosystem as can be seen in its Colase Marine Sanctuary in Barangay Colase. Aside from Colase, other coastal barangays includes Tangbo, Dalahican, Suba, San Sebastian (Bato) and Poblacion. One of the now famous Natural Treasure of the municiplaity is its long kept secret of Samboan: the Aguinid Waterfalls in Barangay Tangbo. Aguinid Waterfalls is composed of five different levels in one Tangbo Rives. Each level have a unique waterfall. One can never reach the peak or last Waterfalls but to climb the limestone walls of each waterfalls from the lowest to the highest level. You can never reach the top without getting wet and with an adrenaline rush complements the exitement. One hotel & travel magazine would put it as like climbing all the falls by tracing the long waters like that of the hairs of Rapunzel's.

Also in the neighboring Barangay Bonbon, you can also see the equally beautiful Hidden Falls perfect for nature hideaway. Some visitors call it the Triple Drop Falls.

Another unique spot to visit is in northern part of Poblacion where a natural formation in Samboan can be found: the Ponong lake. It is unique in the sense that it is where a certain kind of bird - the manolog - dives into its salt waters and stay under for a long time to escape the hunters. In the mountain portion of the municipality is the newly paved road connecting Samboan and Oslob town which was named after the famous Samboan Assemblyman as Calderon Highway. It is perfect for mountain biking, riding and even hiking to the Samboan scenic mountains. One of the famous mountain here is the magnificent Bartolina Mountain in Barangay Monteverde where you can climb the peak and see both sides of Cebu facing Bohol Straight to the East and Negros Tañon Straight to the West. Bartolina Mountain is the highest peak in the south of Cebu where the islands of Bohol, Negros, Siquijor, Mactan, Bantayan, and Mindanao could be seen. From there, you can catch both the rising and setting of the sun.

  • The Highlands of Samboan in Brgy. Monteverde: Perfect for Upland Resorts)
    The Highlands of Samboan in Brgy. Monteverde: Perfect for Upland Resorts)
  • Samboan Sunset
    Samboan Sunset

Another spot which might be your interest is the Bato (San Sebastian)wharf of Samboan as the gateway to Negros Oriental. It is quite near the neighboring island that on clear days, one can see the figures of the people on the opposite shore.


SAMBOAN HERITAGE

One aspect of interest is that of Samboan's cultural heritage which Spanish conquerors had left us. It have its Spanish built church made up of coral stones carefully crafted to form the facade of the St. Michael ArcAngel Church as one of the oldest church in Cebu. Beside it is another Spanish structure, the Watch Tower where the St. Jacob's Ladder with 100plus steps can also be found Connecting the said watch tower to the lower portion of Poblacion at sea level. Samboan’s Escala de Jacob rises through 147 steps from the seashore up to 200 feet above sea level. It is about 300 years old. It is otherwise known as Escala De Jacobe(Samboan/South Coast)as a plight of store stairs built in 1878, which leads up to an old watchtower on a plateau about 65 meters above the town. From here, one can get a magnificent view of Tañon Strait. The watch tower (also coral stone built) was then used as guard against Moro sea pirates. Another unique and most probably the only one in the Philippines is the Samboan's WWII Volunteer Monument found at the center of Poblacion's crossing along the National Highway built in honor of the many World War 2 Volunteers for the freedom of the Philippines. Another Spanish structure which a very few people had known is the old coral-stone made Spanish Municipal Boundery Post standing along the highway in Barangay Tangbo beside the Tangbo-Bonbon River Bridge. It was then used to marked the limits of the old Poblacion but now serving as boundery of Barangay Bonbon and Tangbo.


KNOWN SAMBOANGNONS

Among the many popular Samboagnons include but not limited to Atty. Emerito Calderon (former Congressman), Atty. Ernesto Herrera(Former Senator), Atty. Peter John Calderon (Board Member & Top 11 in the Bar Examinations), Atty. Artemio F. Gamallo (From Cebu Provincial Assessor's Office), Dr. Wyben Briones (Famous Neuro-Surgeon), Fr. Henrico Gabutan (Adopted Samboangnon, Famous parish priest who chose to fight against abuses of the then mighty Abineses for Samboan's Change), Mr. Uldarico Hisoler (Former Most Outstanding Mayor of the Philippines), Atty. "Tikyo" Bilocura (Former OIC Mayor of Samboan during the Aquino Administration), Engr. Imeldo G. Gamallo Sr. (a man close to the ordinary people especially the abused people of Samboan) whom the Municipal Covered Court was named after him as Imeldo G. Gamallo Sr. Multi-purpose Building as a sign of giving importance of his role in changing Samboan's social landscape. And among many others...

9°32′N 123°18′E / 9.533°N 123.300°E / 9.533; 123.300

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