Veruela

Veruela is considered the oldest town of upper Agusan del Sur. It is believed the name "Veruela" derives from the word "virus", as the area suffered from smallpox and cholera in the late 18th century when Spanish missionaries encountered the indigenous Manobo tribes.^[6]

The Manobo later moved to Manning, also known as Linongsuran, along the Agusan River. In 1916, an earthquake destroyed the settlement, forcing the survivors to evacuate and reorganize themselves into another place, now the barangay poblacion of the municipality.^[6]

In the 18th century, Muslim tribes in Davao invaded the Manobos in Agusan, and the two sides fought. The first known leader of the Manobo was the datu Eladio Manguyod, who drove the Muslims out after a hard-fought battle. During this period, the tribe converted to Christianity and adopted Saint John as their patron.^[6]

Veruela became a municipality through Executive Order No. 147, which was proclaimed by President Diosdado Macapagal on March 31, 1965^[7] during the term of Congressman Guillermo Sanchez, who once also served as mayor of the town. Since its formal creation as a municipality, Veruela has seen eight different administrations.

The municipality of Veruela has a silent dispute with the nearby province of Compostela Valley regarding the boundary between the two in Barangay Del Monte.^{[citation needed]}

Veruela is located at 8°04′N 125°58′E.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 385.45 square kilometres (148.82 sq mi) ^[8] constituting 3.86% of the 9,989.52-square-kilometre- (3,856.98 sq mi) total area of Agusan del Sur.

In the 2020 census, Veruela had a population of 39,708.^[17] The population density was 100 inhabitants per square kilometre (260/sq mi).

Poverty incidence of Veruela

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]}