Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant documents that can help answer the question.
Query: When was the municipality of Sogod established?
The name of the municipality originated from the Cebuano word, sogod, meaning "to start." Founded as a Catholic mission station by the Society of Jesus in 1601, Sogod became a regular municipality on June 10, 1853.
One interesting feature of the said development is that the provincial board of Leyte recommended to Manila that the villages of Lawgawan, Taa, Tuburan, Santa Cruz and Pangi, equidistant to the poblacion of Sogod, be annexed to the municipal jurisdiction of Sogod. It got the support of President Carlos Polestico Garcia and approved the move to include the newly established barangays, located in the hinterlands of Bontoc, to be part of the territorial jurisdiction of the municipality of Bontoc. After the 1959 promulgation of the Executive Order No. 368, all conflicting areas between the municipalities of Sogod and Bontoc were reorganized and reevaluated. Many complaints and petitions were sent to the Provincial Board of Southern Leyte and to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to reconcile the disputed villages to Sogod, but all were in vain.
The Dagohoy revolt prompted more Boholanos to settle the southern towns of Leyte, in particular in Hilongos, Bato, Matalom, Maasin, Macrohon, Malitbog and Hinunangan. Sometime in 1771, seventeen families from the different towns of Bohol migrated in the southeastern coast of Sogod. Led by Marciano Escaño, Agun Espedilla, Fernando Escueta ( Estuita), Mariano Evailar (Yballar), Lazaro Idhaw (now spelled as Idjao), Jose Endriga, Soldiano Arot, Fausto and Agustin Enclona (some families changed their spelling Encluna), Rosendo Evalin (Ybalen), Mauro Escamilla (Escabillas), Laurente Edillo, Domingo Espinosa, Francisco, Felipe and Tiburcio Egina, they founded the visita[satellite barrio with chapel] of Libagon. Andres Espina, a resident of Tamolayag [now Padre Burgos town], Malitbog, was invited to instruct the children how to read and write. Despite of its growing population, Libagon was only recognized as a visita of Sogod sometime in 1850.[13 Gan, Edito. "Sogod of our Memories: A Special History-Genealogy Account", Sogod Municipal Hall, Sogod, Southern Leyte]
The early known settlers of Libagon were of "Bol-anon" ancestry (Boholano people). The settlers' first chosen leader of Libagon was Domingo Mateo Espina. He was the son of Agustin Mateo Espina and Francisca Barbara and the grandson of Pedro Espina of Duero, Bohol. Espina's wife, Potenciana Escaño, was called Capitana Potenciana by townsfolk, in recognition of her role as First Lady of Libagon. The town of Libagon was founded in 1845. At this point in the history of the municipality, the barrios or barangays under Libagon included Sogod and Bontoc at the farthest north and Punta at the farthest south. The Poblacion comprised two barangays: Jubas (at the south) and Talisay (at the north).
By March 1870, Don Gabriel Ydjao became the chief executive of Sogod and transferred the poblacion [town center] to Libagon. Since Ydjao was a native of that place, and probably because Sogod was far from his residence, he renamed Libagon as Sogod Nuevo (other historical accounts stated that Libagon was renamed Sogod Sur) and Sogod as Sogod Viejo (Sogod Norte). Ydjao also appealed to the parish curate, Padre Logronio, to transfer the parish church in Libagon, a year after Sogod was made a parish.[13] The church in Libagon would remain there until 1924, when a group of concerned Sogodnons plead to the bishop of Calbayog, the Most Reverend Sofronio Hacbang Gaborni, to return the seat of the parish in Sogod. 
The bay is home to a variety of fishes, is therefore a major fishing ground for the nine municipalities surrounding the bay. Mangko ("Euthynnus affinis") is its major fishery resource. Seasonal influx of Mangko has provided food and livelihood to the people of Sogod and nearby municipalities. A study of Sogod Bay by Silliman University in 1994 mentioned that there are seven finfish species that are pelagic and are harvested when they enter the bay. Recently, there have been reports of whale shark sightings in the bay.
The planning and the implementation of health care programs in the municipality are shouldered by the Sogod Rural Health Unit (RHU). The department operates a number of Rural Health Centers (RHC), Barangay Health Stations (BHS) and one municipal-run hospital, the Sogod District Hospital (SDH), with a total bed capacity of fifty. The private sector, mostly medical practitioners from the Sogod District Hospital, operates three hospitals in Sogod. Medical clinics present in the town proper are being serviced by attending doctors from the local health department.
Protestantism came to Leyte in 1903 when Reverend Doctor Charles Rath and a group of American missionaries belonging to the Presbyterian Church acquired a church lot in Tacloban.[15] They began a massive campaign in the island, having a stronghold over the towns of Baybay, Maasin, Padre Burgos, Cabalian and Hinunangan. By the mid-1930s, Reverend Rath and a number of newly-baptized Leyteño Presbyterians made a number of converts from Buntuk, Sogod, Consolacion and from the sitios of Libagon. These believers would lay the very foundation of the present-day United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the first Protestant church to be established in the municipality, and would attract more Protestant sects and denominations to the towns of Sogod bay region.
The local populace of Sogod is of Boholano and Cebuano descent with Cebuano as the major language spoken in the municipality. But most native speakers have Boholano (Bol-anon) intonation because of its proximity to Bohol province. Waray-Waray and Surigaonon are regarded as secondary languages. However, Tagalog is still the lingua franca when conversing to other ethnic groups.
The tenure of Leviste also marked the titling of the barangays of Sogod, which occurred on July 1911. In a joint session held at Sogod on September 20, 1911, the boundary between the towns of Sogod and Liloan was fixed by both municipal councils. A boundary marker was fixed at Malaa River and a resolution was signed by the councilors of the two towns.[6] Transportation during this period was through boat since there were no existing road networks in southern Leyte. Vessels like the MV Bongao, MV Malitbog and MV Mindoro would ferry passengers from Tacloban to Sogod.
Aptly chosen as the patroness of the municipality as well by the community, the Immaculate Conception of Mary Parish of Sogod is the mother-parish of the ecclesiastical districts of barangay Divisoria, Bontoc (1995), Bontoc (1957), barangay Consolacion, Sogod (1967) and Libagon (1869/ reestablished in 1924).[52]
Sogod is situated at the head of Sogod Bay. The bay, home to a variety of fishes, provided food and livelihood to the people of Sogod and nearby municipalities.
These are the subdistricts that constitute the municipality of Sogod:[41]
The Mahaplag-Sogod mountain rim is the boundary line of the two provinces of Leyte and Southern Leyte. Two bridges in sitio Balintulay, barangay Kahupian serve as markers for the boundary. In the east and west sides of the municipality are much similar to the north. The slopes serve as barricades from the municipalities facing the eastern Pacific region. Every rainy season, frequent landslips would mar the soil condition of upland barangays causing the feeder roads to be impassable. The southern part is bordered by rivers and creeks. The Santa Cruz Creek serves as a demarcation line between the towns of Bontoc and Sogod. Gakat Creek functions as boundary between Sogod and Libagon.
LibasSituated along the Bonbon River, Libas is one of the most populous barangays in the municipality. The present village was founded by a group of kaingeros [upland farmers] searching for abaca vegetation in the early 1930s. The mountains of western Sogod were then rich of abaca and coconut plantations leading to the establishment of hamlets in the area during this period. Before the campsite was cleared, the kaingeros were aware of the presence of trees locally known as Libas (Spondias pinnata), a medium-to-tall tree reaching a height of about twenty-five (25) meters and a diameter of about sixty (60) centimeters. Upon its recognition as a barrio of Sogod, the settlers decided to name the area after the tree. In 1940, Ceberino Caballes assumed as the village chieftain of Libas and was succeeded by Miguel Abella and Rafael Calooy, who assumed the position until the Second World War of 1944. After the war, Serafin Dalinog, Sergio Agoylo (1950), Eliseo Benero (1960), Jose Miculob and Leopoldo dela Piña (now spelled as dela Peña) came to head the civil administration of Libas. It was during the incumbency of Miguel Alao that the production of abaca and copra in the village increased. By 1972, Libas registered the biggest number of population in the municipality of Sogod with Prudencio Tomon (1972-1977) as the barangay chief. Tomon held the office until 1977 when Alma Labrador (1979-1994) replaced him during the elections. One of Labrador’s main accomplishments was the construction of school buildings in the village. By 1995 onwards, Concepcion Tomon (1995-2002) and David Tuble (2007-present) served the people of Libas as barangay chairmen.
Sogod Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Leyte Island in the Philippines. An extension of the Bohol Sea, the bay is surrounded by the province of Southern Leyte, and the namesake municipality of Sogod is located at the head of the bay. Panaon Island forms part of the eastern side of Sogod Bay, while Sarangani or Limasawa Island is at the mouth of the bay.
Being a coastal town, the bay that divides the province into two regions is named after Sogod. Of all the municipalities comprising the province of Southern Leyte, the municipality has the shortest shoreline.
During the mayoral administration of Don Gregorio Leviste (1908-1912), the municipal territory of Sogod comprises the barrios of Bontoc, Buac, Concepcion, Consolacion, Gakat, Hipgasan, Libagon, Libas, Maak, Mayuga, Kawayan, Nahulid, Pandan, San Isidro (Malupao), San Miguel (Batang), Sogod poblacion, Santa Cruz and Union, which were grouped into seven (7) districts. Each district, with its respective barrios were under the care of a municipal councilor. Education was the main concern of this period and that the municipal government sent Sotero Toting, Ignacio Chavarria and a person named Sumaya to Tacloban to urge teachers from the capital to teach in Sogod. The first teacher to arrive in Sogod was Pelagia Tibay, who arrived in town on April 1911. On May of the same year, Hugo Rojas and Jesus Pedrosa were the first batch of municipal scholars attending the Leyte Normal School in Tacloban. As the number of school children increases, the town officials saw that the only Gabaldon building of the Sogod Central School, located in the present barangay of Zone I, was too small to house them. The municipal council therefore resolved it by voting to make the municipal hall as transient school building for the students.[6]
The town covered a total land area of 236.4 square kilometers (91.3 square miles) until 1953.[41] Due to the enactment of Republic Act No. 522 on June 15, 1950 which establishes the municipality of Bontoc, the municipal area of Sogod decreased. However, the newly ordained act was proven to be lax in nature. The juridical boundaries of the town of Bontoc were not fully indicated, causing much tension between the two municipalities. After the 1959 promulgation of the Executive Order No. 368, all conflicting areas between the municipalities of Sogod and Bontoc were reorganized and reevaluated. Many complaints and petitions were sent to the Provincial Board of Southern Leyte and to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) to reconcile the disputed villages to Sogod, but all were in vain. As a result, the land area of the municipality was reduced to 19,270 hectares (47,600 acres) in land area.
With the surrender of Mojica and the capture of Lukban, the revolutionary commanders of Leyte finally sided with the Americans in the middle of 1902. The new government delegated Don Benito Faelnar as presidente municipal after the mayoral position of Sogod was vacant from 1897 to 1903. During his administration, Faelnar reinstated the poblacion to Sogod. By this year, Sogod had a total population of 4,055 inhabitants, 1,011 of whom were registered voters while Libagon had 4,642 inhabitants with an electorate of 1,073 voters.[7]
The enactment of the Republic Act No. 522 on June 15, 1950 granted the creation of the municipality of Bontoc, a village situated six (6) kilometers west from Sogod. But it was on July 29, 1950 that Bontoc was formally inaugurated as a fully pledged municipality. In the latter times of the Spanish colonization, Bontoc was already a functioning village of Sogod with a status of a visita (barrio with chapel) around 1886.
With the founding of the town and residencia of Jilongos in 1737, the Leyte mission was already divided into three residencies. The other two were Carigara and Dagami. Jilongos had then the settlements of Palompon, Poro, Ormoc, Baybay, Maasin, Cabalian, Hinundayan and Sogod as its annex visitas.[2] As a consequence of the 1754 sacking, the visitas of Buntuk, Sogod and Maak were incorporated to the newly-established municipality of Maasin, which was guarded by a stone fortification equipped with lantakas, from 1755 to 1768.[9][6] [The historian Manuel Artigas states that Sogod was a premier visita of Maasin from 1774 to 1785].[7] Due to its distance from the poblacion, the parish priests of Cabalian and Maasin would take turns in administering the mission station of Sogod. Padre Joaquin Romeo would be the last Jesuit to administer the mission stations of Hinundayan, Cabalian and Sogod when all the Jesuit missionaries were suppressed from all colonies of Spain in May 19, 1768.[3]
While the Franciscans evangelized the northern towns, the diocesan priests from Cebu took the Cebuano-speaking areas of the province as their parochial assignments – Albuera, Baybay, Cabalian, Hilongos, Maasin, Macrohon, Malitbog, Ormoc, Palompon, Quiot, Sogod and Villaba – in the middle of the 19th century. Although Sogod was founded years before Malitbog was made a municipality on December 14, 1849, the latter enjoyed the civil privileges being conferred from Manila. The visitas of Buntuk, Cabalian, Himay-angan [a barangay in Liloan], Inolinan [the old name of the town of San Ricardo, now a barangay of San Ricardo town], Liloan, Maak, San Francisco and Sogod were inscribed to the municipal and parochial jurisdiction of Malitbog. At that period, Padre Don Francisco Fernandez held the position as parish priest of Malitbog and Sogod, Liloan, Cabalian and Hinundayan.[9][6]
The Republic Act included the villages of Bontoc, Divisoria, Union, Paku, Beniton, Catmon, Hilaan, Taa, Santa Cruz, and Mahayahay, which were under the political jurisdiction of Sogod, to be part of the municipality of Bontoc. The problem was that the boundaries between the two towns were not “well-defined” and the majority of the people residing in Bontoc preferred to have their transactions in Sogod. Much worse when the municipio (town hall) in Sogod began exacting taxation and jurisdiction from the barangays mentioned in the Republic Act 522 in which falls under the area of the local government unit (LGU) of Bontoc.
On June 24, 1970, the municipality of Sogod filed Civil Case No. R-1706 for certiorari and prohibition with the Court of First Instance of Southern Leyte (now Regional Trial Court), to enjoin the provincial board and provincial governor from taking cognizance of the long pending boundary dispute between the two municipalities and to enjoin the municipality of Bontoc from exercising territorial jurisdiction over the barrios of Pangi, Taa, Casao, Santa Cruz, Tuburan and Lawgawan all allegedly belonging to the municipality of Sogod.
By March 1870, Don Gabriel Ydjao became the chief executive of Sogod and transferred the poblacion [town center] to Libagon. Since Ydjao was a native of that place, and probably because Sogod was far from his residence, he renamed Libagon as Sogod Nuevo (other historical accounts stated that Libagon was renamed Sogod Sur) and Sogod as Sogod Viejo (Sogod Norte). Ydjao also appealed to the parish curate, Padre Logronio, to transfer the parish church in Libagon, a year after Sogod was made a parish.[6] The parish church of Sogod would remain in Libagon until January 1924, when a group of concerned Sogodnons plead to the diocese of Calbayog to return the seat of the parish in Sogod. A canonical approval was issued by the Most Reverend Sofronio Hacbang Gaborni, the diocesan bishop of Calbayog.
With the restoration of the poblacion to Sogod in 1912, the barrio of Libagon was converted into a municipality on October 16, 1913. The areas from barangay Gakat to barangay Punta formed part of the municipal district of Libagon. The municipal mayor of Sogod during this development was Don Vicente Cariño (1912-1916). Mariano Espina, who was then a member of the municipal council of Sogod and the main mover of the resolution to make Libagon into a separate township, as appointed as first town executive of Libagon.[6]