Palungpung and Ogmuk, among the earliest settlement in western Leyte

by: GERARDO C. REYES JR.

Since I was young, and throughout my research in various books about local history, it is already a fact that Ogmuk (now Ormoc) was a mere village part of Palungpung (now Palompon). I surmised, on why Ormoc became a densely populated coastal municipality then, and even expanded bigger compared to Palompon.

But it does not mean that the settlement in Palungpung then is older than at of Ogmuk. Because it might be possible that Ogmuk (now Ormoc)is older that Palungpung or Palompon.

Ogmuk (Ormoc) has been established before 1596, or maybe this is the place where the Spaniards christened as “Islas de Buenas Señas” sometime in 1521. It was believed that the settlement in Ogmuk was already existing based on the accounts of Fegafetta (Magellan's chronicler) during that historic expedition, the first journey that circumnavigate around the globe in 1521. The crew of Magellan come across with a coastal village along northwestern shore of Leyte, which was defined by deep bay waters and they called the place as Islas de Buenas Señas. They took in supplies from that place and the crew stayed there for number of days. When the Jesuits arrived in Ogmuk sometime in 1596, it was already a fairly advanced community. The natives build their houses along the shore (the present site of Linao, Punta, Alegria and Naungan).

The Jesuit missionaries' first mission areas when they arrive in Leyte (before called as Cantaya or Tandaya) includes the coastal settlement in Carigara, which serves as cabecera of Leyte and Samar islands during that time. Carigara was also the Residencia Central and the focal point of both government and religious affairs. Another town that the Jesuit missionaries constructed a church, or considered as their mission stations upon their arrival to Leyte are Dulag, Alangalang, Palo, Ogmuk (later written and pronounced as Ormoc, during American occupation).

During that time our town, Palompon was a mere visita of the Jesuit missionaries. The parishioners in this place would go as far as Hilongos to attend mass and other religious activities, which is the mother parish of Palompon. Later on, however, the Jesuits established its mission station in Palompon. But when the Jesuits missionaries ordered the construction of the stone church in Palompon, (later replaced by the Agustinian missionaries) and completed in 1784, Ormoc was part of its ecclesiastical jurisdiction, shall we say. Or Palompon was the mother parish of Ormoc from 1784 until 1851.

But, how did it happened that the settlement in Palompon grew and expanded while that of Ormoc lagged behind.

The settlement in Ormoc was depopulated because of the circumstances that occurred during that time (for more and detailed information, just watch out for the release of the BOOK about the fascinating events that shape the town of Palompon, hopefully this will be release very soon or before the end of this year). Therefore , both the communities in Ogmuk (Ormoc) and Palungpung (Palompon) are thriving coastal settlement or a pagan tribe before the Spaniards came. But on which of the two places was established earlier, that's remained to be researched.

Both localities are strategically located along the coast, Ormoc is along the bay, while Palompon is likewise a coastal village then, and it is protected by natural mangrove forest in Tabuk and other smaller islets, or atolls.

It would be safe to presume that both places has already been established even before the arrival of the Spaniards in 15TH Century.