Gamay, officially the Municipality of Gamay (; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Northern Samar Northern Samar (; ), officially the Province of Northern Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catarman, the most populous town in the province and is located at the northern portion of ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 23,367 people. In the east, it is bounded by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, in the south by Lapinig, in the north-west by Mapanas and

Catubig Catubig, officially the Municipality of Catubig (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,174 people. His ...

History

In the past, Gamay was once a barrio within

Palapag Palapag, officially the Municipality of Palapag (; ), is a municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,034 people. It is located in the northernmost part of Samar Island. H ...

, one of the oldest towns in Samar, known for its strong religious beliefs. Legends and stories recount how the town acquired its name. According to a prevalent tale among the locals, a visiting Spaniard inquired about the name of the place to a lady who was weaving on a loom. Misunderstanding the question, she thought he was asking about her activity and replied "Gamay," which in the local dialect means 'fine'. This term refers to the finest strands of abaca, distinguishing them from medium and thicker strands known as ''"Urubayon"'' and ''"Kadagkuan,"'' respectively. The settlement, now known as ''Binongto-an'', was established in the 14th or 15th century by descendants of seafaring Malays who migrated to the Philippine Archipelago. It wasn't until the late 16th or 17th century, with the arrival of Christianity brought by the Spaniards, that the name Gamay became prominent. Despite facing raids from Muslim groups, particularly in the area of Binayaan, the Christian settlers in Binongto-an remained steadfast in their faith, eventually relocating near the river mouth by the sea to escape the attacks. Until 1949, Gamay remained a barrio of Palapag. Subsequently, during the American period, there was resistance from the locals, resulting in the surrender of over 400 revolutionary soldiers known as "Pulajanes." Over time, the municipality progressed, leading to its legal separation from Palapag. This separation was initiated by Rafael A. Gomba, a native of Gamay, who was then the Mayor of Palapag. Through the enactment of Republic Act No. 90 on February 26, 1947, Gamay attained municipality status within the island province of Samar. Initially, the incumbent barrio officials assumed roles as the new municipal officials. However, on November 9, 1965, following the division of Samar into three provinces (Western, Eastern, and Northern), Gamay became a municipality within Northern Samar.

Government

The Municipal Government also has its own executive, legislative and judicial bodies. ; Executive The seat of the executive branch of the local government of Gamay is at the Municipal Hall located at the municipal proper itself with the municipal mayor acting as the local chief executive. Mayor Raquel T

; Legislative The legislative department is represented by the local Sangguniang Bayan composed of ten (8) elected Regular Members and two (2) Ex-officio Members headed by the Municipal Vice Mayor as the presiding officer thereof. ; Judicial Municipal Trial Court - located at the Municipal Ground, Barangay Central. ; Constitutional Bodies

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

Current Municipal Officials (since 2022)

Mayor: RAQUEL T. CAPOQUIAN Vice Mayor: CLARITA P. GOMBA Sangguniang Bayan Members ''Regular Members'' * CYRIL C. COSTUNA * EMMA J. LONGCOP * JUAN B. CLACITO * BELARMINO P. ALBINO * BANILO M. CASTILLO * HONORIO E. REBAY * ORLANDO M. NUEVA * TERESITA T. VALLES ''Ex-officio Members'' * EDDIE D. PELEMBERGO, JR. ''(SK Federation President)'' * NIMFO G. JALDO ''(Liga ng mga Barangay Chapter President)''

Former Municipal Mayors

* Egildo T. Banawis * Rafael A. Gomba * Farbeciano N. Bello * Nicolas D. Doxi * Julina P. Doxi * Enrique "Henry" C. Gomba * Atty. Rodolfo "Odol" M. Capoquian * Dr. Timoteo "Tim" T. Capoquian * Clarita "Cayet" P. Gomba

Education

Elementary * Anito Elementary School * Bangon Elementary School * Bato Elementary School * Bonificio Elementary School * Cagamutan Central Elementary School * Cabarasan Elementary School * Cadac-an Elementary School * Cade-an Elementary School * Dao Elementary School * G.M Osias Elementary School * Guibwangan Elementary School * Gamay Central Elementary School * Gamay East Elementary School * Gamay West Elementary School * Henogawe Elementary School * Libertad Elementary School * Lonoy Elementary School * Luneta Elementary School * Malidong Elementary School * Rizal Elementary School * San Antonio Elementary School High School * Anito National High School * Bangon National High School * Cagamutan National High School * Gamay National High School * Gala Vocational School

Tourism

Geography

Barangays

Gamay is politically subdivided into 26

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. *Anito *Bangon *Bato *Baybay (

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

) *Bonifacio *Burabod (

) *Cabarasan *Cadac-an (Calingnan) *Cade-an *Cagamutan del Norte *Cagamutan del Sur *Central (

) *Dao *G. M. Osias *Guibuangan *Henogawe *Libertad (

) *Lonoy *Luneta *Malidong *Occidental I (

) *Occidental II (

) *Oriental I (

) *Oriental II (

) *Rizal *San Antonio

Climate

Demographics

Economy

References

External links

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Northern Samar