A Brief History of Bobon

Geography

Bobon is one of the oldest municipalities in the province of Northern Samar. It is a coastal town located on the northern portion of the province bounded by the Pacific ocean in the north, the former Municipality of Oquendo (now a district of Calbayog City) in the south, Catarman (the capital town) in the east and San Jose (formerly Carangian) in the west. According to available historical records, Bobon was a barrio of Catarman until it became an independent municipality in 1906 comprising of four big barrios, namely, Biri, Dancalan, Carangian (now San Jose), Rosario, and other smaller barrios. Traditionally, the different areas of the town were named by the significance of the place in relation to the whole town itself. We would refer to these areas as Borotbotan (meaning entrance), Katawgan (meaning place of call), Tabok (meaning the other side), Paradahan (meaning parking or meeting place), Butnga (meaning the center), and Plaza (where the town plaza is). Today, we refer to these areas by their Barangay names. Bobon is composed of eighteen (18) barangays four (4) of which are located in the poblacion, namely, Gen. Lukban, Sta. Clara, San Juan, and Salvacion. The total land area of the whole municipality is 16,583 hectares and its total population is 15,800 as of 1995.

The Beaches of Bobon

One of the things that make Bobon a great vacation destination is its beaches. For many Bobonanons, a homecoming is not complete without a picnic at one of its many beaches. The Calirucan Beach is just across the Bobon river and can be reached by boat. Dancalan Beach is a few kilometers away from the poblacion and forms part of the barrio of Dancalan. Among all the beaches, this is the one that has been developed into a commercial resort complete with beach houses, a training center, and other picnic facilities. Sawangan was our swimming pool when we were growing up back in the 1960s. This was not considered as a beach resort but this was where most of us learned how to swim. Mombon is the little island across Sawangan which was not considered as a beach resort either. Some say, however, that Bobon may have gotten its name from this little island. Bakulod is located at the tip of the Tamborusan beach. It is a body of rocks that formed into little pools where people could bathe and swim or just picnic. Tamborusan is the beach that faces the Pacific ocean and one that reminds Bobonanons of the worst drowning accident in its history.

How Bobon got its name

There are many stories and accounts of how Bobon got its name. One story has it that during the times of the Spaniards, there was a town that had an abundance of water wells. The town became well known for its ability to supply water by its water wells that people began calling the town "water well" - or "Bobon" in the local dialect.

Bobon's Total Population By Barangay

1995 - Present * • Barangay Total Population • Acereda 992 • Arellano 494 • Balat Balud 700 • Dancalan 1,677 • E. Duran 565 • Gen. Lukban (Pob.) 1,593 • Jose Abad Santos 449 • J. P. Laurel (Casulgan) 400 • Magsaysay (Doce) 994 • Calantiao (Pangubi-an) 389 • Quezon (Panicyan) 919 • Salvacion 1,533 • San Isidro (Bangag) 630 • San Juan (Pob.) 906 • Sta. Clara (Pob.) 2,052 • Santander 591 • Somoroy 440 • Trojillo 476 • Total 15,800 * Source: Municipal Office, Bobon