A view of Sogod’s history prior to the coming of the Spaniards may be known as a “Lost Horizon”. That is due to the dearth of materials on this subject, and the little information we have at present originates from the testimonies gathered from the early Spanish missionaries and chroniclers whose works can not be verified properly. Hence, the difficulty of making a complete survey.

Before it officially became a municipality in 1853, Sogod Southern Leyte  is a trading center within the southern part of Leyte Island. Natives of then Sugut village found a settlement near the banks of the great Subangdaku River inside the enclaves of Seilani (present-day Southern Leyte province) with what the Spaniards named baluarte (Barangay Zone III, formerly referred to as San Lorenzo Ruiz, named after the latter’s patron saint) which retained its name until today, where the ruins of an old church along with a watchtower can be found.

In 1543, during the era of the Villalobos expedition, folks living in Abuyog, Leyte informed the navigators that a certain area in the southeastern part of the island lies a village named Sugut. It’s a thriving center of trade and commerce, Chinese traders are frequently visiting the settlement and traded the natives with gold and slaves. These detail was later confirmed by the Legazpi expedition in 1565. It was described as a big and thickly populated village facing the area of Panaon. Seventeen years later, the Spanish chronicler Loarca noted that Sugut was one of many aboriginal villages in Leyte, together with Cavalian (San Juan, Southern Leyte), Ormog (Ormoc City) and Tandaya (Carigara, Leyte). On September 6, 1571, Sogod became part of the Spanish encomienda (commission).

The early Sogodnons resist frequent Moro raids to ensure that a baluarte (watchtower, its ruins still visible today) was created to warn villagers in case raiders are coming to ransack the town. In such crisis, a colorful personality emerged – Datu Mangkaw. His real name was Bankaw, the one that led the Leyte revolt in 1622 against the Spanish armada. He was called a net-fisherman. Already a fisherman’s ground it is today, Sogod then had houses clustered near shore round the watchtower. Datu Mangkaw, an expert within the art of casting the internet, laya, he could send the casting net in a perfect circle inside the sea. Since the community grew bigger, the residents agitated to get a name for their place. Meetings after meetings were held presided by Datu Mangkaw. But each time a meeting is ongoing, a shoal of fish will be seen by the subtle ripplings and dimplings of the surface or quick shifting shadow underneath the surface as well as the eyes of Datu Mangkaw kept stalking it, disturbing the meeting. Satisfying his unequalled fisherman’s instinct, however leave the meeting unattended and his body language was being watched from the attendees, feasting their eyes on the artful slide from the feet of Datu Mangkaw so they won’t disturb the top, his eyes fixed around the school. Then, he shared his catch using the people for your asking, even by strangers. After which it, shouts of “Sogod, sogod” (begin) would reconvene the meeting. Thus the phrase “SOGOD” became the name of the village then and also the town as it is today. (Atoy Manlunas III (NORTHERNHASHBERRY) – October 17, 2010)

New municipality

Sogod was founded by the Jesuit missionaries as a mission in 1616. It had been at the baptism of Datu Mangkaw, the village chieftain and his household, that Father Fabricio Sersali laid the inspiration of the Christian faith in Sogod. A church of light materials was constructed near the seashore, plus a mission was established and serviced from the Jesuits from Carigara, Hilongos and Cabalian Residencias. Through the Muslim raids in 1603 and 1634, the church was burned and Father Ventura Barcena was brought as captive in Tawi-Tawi. In 1634, throughout a Moro raid Father Francisco Lauzon was killed and Sogod was susceptible to frequent Moro raids since it faced Mindanao. Another incident occurred again on September 27, 1705, when the Moros attack the seashore and killed Father Pedro Oriel. On account of this, the Jesuit missionaries in Cabalian (San Juan) undertook the construction of the concrete church plus a watchtower in 1718 upon your order of Bishop Sebastian Faronda, Diocese of Cebu (now Archdiocese of Cebu. In 1720, the Jesuits formally assigned priests in to the settlement together with the newly constructed watchtower and concrete church. They were razed to the ground and also the Kampanang Bulaw (Golden Bell) was thrown into the rice fields if the Moros returned and raided Sogod in 1754.

Sogod was officially established like a barrio (district/ward) on May 18, 1700. Later it was incorporated being a barrio of Maasin in 1755. It absolutely was placed under the jurisdiction of Malitbog in 1768, after obtaining separation from Maasin and became an unbiased pueblo (municipality).

Through the efforts from the political leaders of Sogod, Buntuk (Bontoc town) and Maak (present-day Barangay Consolacion) led by Juan Cavales (Cabales), Antonio Prima, Enero Cegales (Segales), German Catajoy, Silverio Bilisa (Billesa), Juan Barcelon, Miguel Tubia and Juan Dagaas, Sogod became a fully-pledged municipality due to a decree signed by Governor-General Antonio de Urbiztondo on June 10, 1853. The very first gobernadorcillo is Don Juan Cavales, which its leadership lasted for two years. On August 8, 1869, thirteen year after its inauguration, Sogod grew up with a parochial status under the patronage of Our Lady from the Immaculate Conception by virtue of a Real Aprobacion, an Episcopal decree dated May 14, 1866. Sogod was separated from your mother municipality, Malitbog, in terms of parochial and municipal status. However, on 1886, Father Redondo reports the church, that was made of light materials, as well as the convento were inside the bad condition.

There isn’t any remains of Jesuit architecture in Sogod. The existing church traces to the initiative from the secular priest who built the church inside the late 1800s. (Atoy Manlunas III (NORTHERNHASHBERRY) – October 17, 2010)

Governance

The newly-created municipality was governed by duly-elected gobernadorcillos like:

1853-1855 – Don Juan Cavales

1856-1857 – Don Antonio Prima

1858-1859 – Don Eulogio Cavales

1876-1878 – Don Patricio Tubia

However, when Don Nicolas Idjao became gobernadorcillo in 1885, he transferred the poblacion (seat of government) to the barrio of Libagon, as being a native to the spot. The Poblacion (town proper) of Sogod then became Sogod Viejo (sometimes called Sogod Del Norte), meaning Old Sogod and Libagon became Sogod Nuevo (sometimes called Sogod Del Sur), meaning New Sogod. There the municipality was governed by:

1885-1887 – Don Nicolas Idjao

1887-1889 – Don Eleuterio Faelnar

1891-1893 – Don Luis Espina

1893-1895 – Don Nicolas Idjao

1895-1897 – Don Luis Espina

It was also during this time that the seat from the parish was transferred to Libagon.

In 1903 to 1904, Don Benito Faelnar took over as first Capitan Municipal (comparable to present-day Mayor) of Sogod, the seat of government was utilized in Sogod.

When Capitan Ladislao Decenteceo took office on 1904, the seat of government was again transferred from Sogod to Barangay Consolacion. He was proclaimed winner after Faelnar run for re-election and lost. The voting process ended by whispering the name of a candidate with the voter’s choice to the municipal secretary. He served for 1904 to 1905.

In 1905, Capitan Dionisio Labata won in the first election of municipal president by balloting (replacing the Capitan Municipal), serving for 1905 to 1907. But on 1908, Capitan Gregorio Leviste replaced him and served the municipality from 1908 to 1911.

In 1912, upon the election of Vicente Cariño as municipal president (the word “Capitan Municipal” was defunct, following the arrival of the Americans and changed it to municipal president), the seat of government was restored to Sogod, being centrally located while Barangay Consolacion inside the southern extreme with the municipality. On October 16, 1913, Libagon is made an independent municipality, appointing the very first municipal president of Libagon, Mariano Espina.

At Sogod:

1912-1916 – Don Vicente Cariño

1917-1919 – Don Estanislao Flores

1920-1922 – Don Floro Espina

1923-1925 – Don Filomeno Mercado

1926-1931 – Don Gervacio Cadavos,

Governed the municipality after its return. Cadavos was later succeeded by Severino Macasocol, who due untimely death, served as mayor only for several months in 1941 to 1942. He was succeeded by:

1943-1944 – Hospicio Labata

1944-1947 – Francisco Villamor

Throughout the forty years after the war, the mayors who served the municipality were:

1950-1951 – Cecilio Gonzales

1952-1955 – Gregorio Bagares

1956-1959 – Jovencio Caday

1960-1964 – Jose Veloso

1964-1986 – Ignacio Siega

1986 – November 30, 1987 – Doctor Gonzalo D. Yong Jr.

December 1, 1987 – January 1, 1998 – Oscar T. Rio

January 2, 1998 – March 27, 1998 – Doctor Gonzalo D. Yong Jr.

March 28, 1998 – June 30, 1998 – Amalia M. Yap

July 1, 1998 – June 30, 2004 – Dr. Edmundo R. Villa

On the 2004 Philippine General Elections, Shefferd Lino Siengco Tan won contrary to the incumbent mayor, Doctor Edmundo Reyes Villa. During his term, the municipality undergoes multiple changes and become the leading progressive center in the province. Again, Tan was reelected as municipal mayor of Sogod inside the 2007 elections, after having a close-fisted fight against the opponent, Colonel George Rabusa, a resigned top military official that served the municipality for two years. During those days, the municipality was appointed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as “election hotspot”, because tensions abrupt involving the two parties.

Tan have also been running for reelection for your 2010 Philippine General Elections. Fortunately, he won a landslide victory against the former mayor, Ignacio “Igning” Siega, to whom he served the town for twenty years. Siega’s known increase in the town through the Marcos regime was the development and building the very first stable municipality hall that has been made out of concrete and wood. Now, this is the third term where he’s the mayor of Sogod, serving the municipality for three straight consecutive years (July 1, 2004-June 30, 2007; July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2010 and July 1, 2010 until present).

Up to now, Sogod has a total population of 40,064 distributed among forty-five barangays on the land area of 23,690 hectares or 236.9 square kilometers. Being the biggest market of Southern Leyte mainland, Sogod is among the most link between Leyte province and also the Pan-Philippine National Highway. Town has still an untapped economy which could contribute to its development as the second commercio-industrial center giving socio-economic lifeblood to trade and culture in the Eastern Visayas Region.

Sogod Southern Leyte — Economic Pulse

The total Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) with the municipality of Sogod for the fiscal year of 2008 is PHP 58,209,905, making the municipality because the largest income-maker and IRA in the entire province of Southern Leyte. Also, it really is one of the largest in the entire of island and being competitive along with other neighboring municipalities like Abuyog, Albuera, Bato, Baybay, Dulag, Hilongos, Liloan, San Juan, and Maasin City. The municipality is one of the fastest growing economies in the southern part of island of Leyte, because it is very evident until today because lots of people from other communities gather within the public market plus the major groceries (like Joaquin Yap and Sons Marketing, Inc. (JYSMI), PANELANS and the Arthur Palanca Remedios Aquino (APRA) Grocery) to fulfill their local necessities and to sell many and produce. Fishes, meat, vegetables and rice may also be abundant in the public market of Sogod as there are many consumers and so they can afford to transfer their produce using their area towards the market easily by well-maintained roads and infrastructure leading to the poblacion.

Majority of the people surviving in the Pacific Coast as well as the Panaon Island chooses Sogod as his or her choice because of its proximity and location than commuting to Maasin City due to its location, being the farthest section of trade. The municipality can be booming due to the heavy migration that the municipality has encountered, seeking a better future inside the municipality.

Despite of its economy, the city is facing an important facelift, since the town undergoes several construction of buildings like banks, cooperatives, restaurants along with a mall. Local rumors tell the Gaisano Company, certainly one of largest shopping mall chains in the united states, will began its construction of a giant mall in Barangay Zone V through this year.

[edit]Banking and Finance

Banks and pawnshops are getting to be the indicator of economic rise in the municipality. The city, since the mid 1990s, is experiencing the high economic rate and mass migration due to banking, making it as the center of trade and commerce in Southern Leyte. Nowadays, Sogod has established six banks and eight pawnshops and attracting people using their company places.

List of Banks in Sogod

City Savings Bank – Rizal Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Greenbank – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Landbank – Bus Terminal Building, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company (Metrobank) – Rizal Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Rural Bank of Hindang – Rizal Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte

United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Listing of Pawnshops in Sogod

Agencia Francis Pawnshop – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Henry Lhuillier Pawnshop – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

M Lhuillier Pawnshop (Branch 1) – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

M Lhuillier Pawnshop (Branch 2) – Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Palawan Pawnshop – Rizal Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Set of Establishments in Sogod

APRA Hardware – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte

APRA Trading – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Allied Hardware – Osmeña corner Rizal Streets, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Jake Merchandise (Hardware) – Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Julie’s Bakeshop – Leopoldo Regis Street, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

JYSMI Merchandise (Grocery, Hardware, Motor and School Supplies and etc.) – Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Manolette’s Bakeshop – Integrated Public Market, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Mayong’s Bakeshop – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

NOVO – Leopoldo Regis Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

PANELANS (Branch 1) – Osmeña Street, Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

PANELANS (Branch 2) – Katambisan Building, Leopoldo Regis Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

RAMS Hardware – Rizal Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Sogod Port – Trade route to Surigao and other provinces

Manufacturing is small scale: charcoal (burnt coconut shells), abaca products, ceramics, coconut oil, furniture making, hollow block making, and gravel and sand. Export goods are copra, abaca, abaca handicrafts and fiber craft items. Minerals At the time of 1992, the province of Southern Leyte’s metallic reserves totaled 771,830 metric tons. All the municipalities and something city inside the province have vitamins including Sogod. The city has magnesite, gold, silver and copper deposits. However, Sogod’s mountains are unexplored as well as the soil just isn’t suitable for mining because of soft clay surface.

Metalworks

Aside from blacksmithing, work is undertaken principally in the poblacion and in the barrios of Sogod, turning out working bolos, machete and steel fabrication of window grills and other household needs; metalwork within the last years changed however the old process in molding metals continue to be used. Our bodies repairs of vehicles are performed by small metal shops somewhere within the municipality or in Barangay Talisay in Bontoc, doubling as jack-of-all-trade. Metalwork is concerned with an accessory fabrication for pump boats that abound in the town’s waters and building construction where steel had replaced the disappearing wood as housing material.

The Municipality of Sogod only has one school district beneath the Department of Education (DepEd) oversees the implementation of programs and thrusts of the department, however , there are intends to subdivided the whole school district with Sogod as the center with the first or west district and Barangay Consolacion because the center of the second or east district. It’s currently undergoing changes such as the building of classrooms, the beautification with the schools, putting computers in the schools and etc., to have the goal: “Quality Education and Education for All”. Secondary education has been provided by three National High Schools and a Catholic-run institution, which makes the municipality being a thriving centre for education in the north central part of the province. Tertiary Education will be affiliated by two institutions. The first is being managed from the government as well as the other one is run from the Roman Catholic Clergy of Sogod.

Elementary Education

Benit Primary School – Barangay Benit, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Buac Adventist Elementary School – Barangay Buac Gamay, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Buac Elementary School – Barangay Buac Gamay, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Cabadbaran Primary School – Barangay Cabadbaran, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Concepcion Elementary School – Barangay Concepcion, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Consolacion Elementary School – Barangay Salvacion, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Dagsa Primary School – Barangay Dagsa, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Grace Baptist School of Sogod (GCS) – Tranquilino Dagohoy Street, Barangay Zone I, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Hindangan Primary School – Barangay Hindangan, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Hipantag Primary School – Barangay Hipantag, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Kahupian Elementary School – Barangay Kahupian, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Kanangkaan Elementary School – Barangay Kanangkaan, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Kauswagan Primary School – Barangay Kauswagan, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Libas Elementary School – Barangay Libas, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Lum-an Primary School – Barangay Lum-an, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Maac Elementary School – Barangay Maac, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Magatas Elementary School – Barangay Magatas, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Marianne Learning Center (Primary) – Barangay San Jose, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Merryhills Academy of Sogod (Primary) – Veloso Street, Barangay. Rizal, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Milagroso Elementary School – Barangay Milagroso, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Olisihan Elementary School – Barangay Olisihan, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Pancho Villa Elementary School – Barangay Pancho Villa, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Pandan – San Miguel Elementary School – Barangay San Miguel, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Rizal Primary School – Barangay Rizal, Sogod, Southern Leyte

San Isidro Elementary School – Barangay San Isidro, Sogod, Southern Leyte

San Juan Elementary School – Barangay San Juan, Sogod, Southern Leyte

San Pedro Elementary School – Barangay San Pedro, Sogod, Southern Leyte

San Vicente Primary School – Barangay San Vicente, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Sogod Adventist Multigrade School – Barangay Rizal, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Sogod Central School – Dela Plana St., Barangay Zone I, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Sogod SPED School (SPED) – Dela Plana Street, Barangay Zone I, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Saint Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) – Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Suba Elementary School – Barangay Suba, Sogod, Southern Leyte

[edit]Secondary Education

Consolacion National Secondary school (CNHS) – Barangay Salvacion, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Libas National Senior high school (LNHS) – Barangay Libas, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Sogod National High School (SNHS) – Dela Plana Street, Barangay Zone I, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Saint Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) – Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Tertiary Education

Saint Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) – Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone IV, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Southern Leyte State University (SLSU) Main Campus – Barangay San Roque, Sogod, Southern Leyte

The Municipalit of Sogod Southern Leyte pays may attention to the sites found in the town. You can find falls, a lake and a cave system, beaches and hotels. But accommodations are plenty to select from and found at the vicinity with the poblacion.

The Cainting Cave and Falls in Barangay Kahupian, Pasanon Falls and River in Barangay Dagsa, Lum-an Falls in Barangay Lum-an, Lake Lanao and Springs in Barangay San Juan, Subangdaku River in Barangays Suba and San Miguel, man-made lake in Barangay Malinao, Labong Cave in Barangay Javier, Magapso Beach in Barangay Maac, Black Sand Beaches in Barangay Consolacion and Prima, Cabadoy and Palanca Pebble Beaches in Barangay San Jose are among the few sites how the municipality can offer. But some of those sites are in ruins, endangered or in other words unexplored by human activities.

In the fields of infrastructure and agro-tourism, the Agas-Agas Bridge is famous and regarded as the highest bridge in the Philippines. It stands 85 meters tall or 1,000 feet high and spans 300 meters connecting the Maharlika Highway. It’s built so, as the area is vulnerable to landslides and often many accidents took place this narrow corridor with a deep ravine on its side. Today, the bridge carries website visitors to visit the area and government officials have promises to make it being a tourist attraction. Some bridges like the Subangdaku Bridge is regarded as one of the longest bridge inside the entire province and up to now another bridge is constructed to reduce the travel time for your commuters traveling across the arterial highways. Along the bridge, you can see a dam that controls the river current when bad weather occurs. Also, CTL Farms, named after its owner, Carter T. Luzon in Barangay Concepcion and La Caridad Farms in Barangay Buac Gamay offers large choice of potential beautiful flora and fauna. The farms provide many activities, either it is possible to go fishing or roam around and relish the fields of green by affordable prices.

The town has hotels, inns, and pension houses that will accommodate visitors; this are

GV Pension House – Leopoldo Regis Street, Barangay Zone V, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Regis Bed n’ Breakfast Inn – Veloso Street, Barangay Rizal, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Syshore Hotel and Resort – Barangay San Jose, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Villa Catalina Manor House – Barangay Tampoong, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Bars and Restaurants are evident inside the town, like:

Adiyana’s – Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

The Bang – Barangay San Jose, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Carmen’s Bakeshop – Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Duby’s – Barangay Zone I, Sogod, Southern Leyte

JYSMI – Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Lapyahan – J. Caday (formerly San Antonio) Street, Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Manuela’s Garden – Cadavos Street, Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

May Abohan – Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

PANELANS – Concepcion Street, Barangay Zone III, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Papa Doc’s – Barangay Zone II, Sogod, Southern Leyte

Come and visit Sogod Southern Leyte!