Basey
Municipality in Samar, Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basey, officially the Municipality of Basey (/bɑːˈsaɪ/ bah-SY; Waray: Bungto han Basey; Tagalog: Bayan ng Basey), is a municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 57,645 people.[5]
Basey | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Basey | |
Aerial view from Guintolian Hill | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Map of Samar with Basey highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Basey | |
.svg)  Basey Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 11°16′54″N 125°04′06″E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Eastern Visayas |
| Province | Samar |
| District | 2nd district |
| Founded | 1591 |
| Barangays | 51 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Luz C. Ponferrada |
| • Vice Mayor | Honesto M. Zeta |
| • Representative | Reynolds Michael Tan |
| • Councilors | List |
| • Electorate | 40,965 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 513.01 km2 (198.07 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4.0 m (13.1 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 81 m (266 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 57,645 |
| • Density | 112.37/km2 (291.03/sq mi) |
| • Households | 13,694 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 28.55 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 352.7 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 1,007 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 251.9 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 276.6 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Samar 2 Electric Cooperative (SAMELCO 2) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 6720 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)55 |
| Native languages | Waray Tagalog |
On 8 November 2013, Basey was one of the places heavily devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan, leaving more than 200 people dead.
Basey, strategically located across Tacloban, has become a satellite commercial and trade center in the southwestern area of Samar.
Etymology
The town's name is pronounced "Basai" or "Basay" (how the Germans or Pangasinense would pronounce it), not "basÉY". This mispronunciation was propagated by American soldiers in the early days of the American colonial period. There is no "ey" sound in the Waray-Waray language, rather the "e" and "i" sounds are treated separately. Basay is from the Waray word mabaysay, meaning "beautiful".
Geography
Barangays
Basey is politically subdivided into 51 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
In 1957, the sitio of Cancoral was converted into the barrio of Roxas.[6]
- Amandayehan
- Anglit
- Bacubac
- Baloog
- Basiao
- Buenavista
- Burgos
- Cambayan
- Can-abay
- Cancaiyas
- Canmanila
- Catadman
- Cogon
- Dolongan
- Guintigui-an
- Guirang
- Balante
- Iba
- Inuntan
- Loog
- Mabini
- Magallanes
- Manlilinab
- Del Pilar
- May-it
- Mongabong
- New San Agustin
- Nouvelas Occidental
- Old San Agustin
- Panugmonon
- Pelit
- Baybay (Poblacion)
- Buscada (Poblacion)
- Lawa-an (Poblacion)
- Loyo (Poblacion)
- Mercado (Poblacion)
- Palaypay (Poblacion)
- Sulod (Poblacion)
- Roxas
- Salvacion (Jinamoc Island)
- San Antonio
- San Fernando
- Sawa
- Serum
- Sugca
- Sugponon
- Tinaogan
- Tingib
- Villa Aurora
- Binongtu-an
- Bulao
Climate
| Climate data for Basey, Samar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 90 (3.5) |
67 (2.6) |
82 (3.2) |
70 (2.8) |
97 (3.8) |
145 (5.7) |
142 (5.6) |
127 (5.0) |
132 (5.2) |
152 (6.0) |
169 (6.7) |
144 (5.7) |
1,417 (55.8) |
| Average rainy days | 17.0 | 13.5 | 16.0 | 16.5 | 20.6 | 24.3 | 26.0 | 25.4 | 25.2 | 26.4 | 23.0 | 21.0 | 254.9 |
| Source: Meteoblue[7] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 13,504 | — |
| 1918 | 18,100 | +1.97% |
| 1939 | 28,296 | +2.15% |
| 1948 | 35,523 | +2.56% |
| 1960 | 29,680 | −1.49% |
| 1970 | 35,165 | +1.71% |
| 1975 | 37,890 | +1.51% |
| 1980 | 36,760 | −0.60% |
| 1990 | 39,137 | +0.63% |
| 1995 | 40,114 | +0.46% |
| 2000 | 43,809 | +1.91% |
| 2007 | 48,389 | +1.38% |
| 2010 | 50,423 | +1.51% |
| 2015 | 55,480 | +1.84% |
| 2020 | 56,685 | +0.45% |
| 2024 | 57,645 | +0.40% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11][12] | ||
Economy
Tourism
The town of Basey is famous for its beautiful Sohoton Caves, whose inner chamber features stalactites, stalagmites, and an underground river.[21] The town is also known for artistically woven decorative mats called Banig. Tourists buy these mats as souvenir items.
