Kananga (IPA: [kɐ'naŋga]), officially the Municipality of Kananga (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Kananga; Waray: Bungto han Kananga, Tagalog: Bayan ng Kananga), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 59,696 people.[3]

Kananga
Municipality of Kananga
Flag of Kananga
Map of Leyte with Kananga highlighted
Map of Leyte with Kananga highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Map
Kananga is located in Philippines
Kananga
Kananga
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°11′08″N 124°33′35″E / 11.1856°N 124.5597°E / 11.1856; 124.5597
CountryPhilippines
RegionEastern Visayas
ProvinceLeyte
District 4th district
Named forKananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Barangays23 (see Barangays)
Government
[1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorManuel Vicente M. Torres
 • Vice MayorMiguel Jorge P. Tan
 • RepresentativeRichard I. Gomez (PDPLBN)
 • Councilors
List
 • Electorate38,890 voters (2022)
Area
 • Total144.20 km2 (55.68 sq mi)
Elevation
209 m (686 ft)
Highest elevation
1,231 m (4,039 ft)
Lowest elevation
12 m (39 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[3]
 • Total59,696
 • Density410/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
 • Households
14,121
Economy
 • Income class1st municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence
31.08
% (2018)[4]
 • Revenue₱ 295.6 million (2020)
 • Assets₱ 1,634 million (2020)
 • Expenditure₱ 267.7 million (2020)
 • Liabilities₱ 842.9 million (2020)
Service provider
 • ElectricityLeyte 5 Electric Cooperative (LEYECO 5)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
6531
PSGC
IDD:area code+63 (0)53
Native languagesCebuano

Waray

Tagalog
Websitewww.kananga-leyte.gov.ph

Majority of Kananga's economic activity has historically been concentrated in agriculture. Some are engaged in commerce and trade since the town is geographically close to commercially progressive nearby city, Ormoc City and coastal town of Palompon, Leyte. The town's main crops are coconut (niyog) and rice (palay).

History edit

Kananga was created in 1950 from the barrios of Lonoy, Kananga, Rizal, Tugbong, Montebello, Aguiting, Agayayan, Montealegre, Libungao, Naghalin, and Masarayao which all used to be part of Ormoc City.[5]

On November 8, 2013, the town and all parts of Leyte was ravagedly hit by deadliest Typhoon Haiyan or Typhoon Yolanda as locally named, destroying town's infrastructure, houses and means of livelihood which are mostly related to agriculture of rice and coconut and small-scale pig farming.

Currently, a National Irrigation Administration's project is undertaken connecting rivers from neighboring barangays and town by a cemented dug canal passing through inland villages of as far as Tagaytay to Kawayan that would irrigate several struggling farmers' rice fields.

Geography edit

Barangays edit

Kananga is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.[6] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

  • Aguiting
  • Cacao
  • Kawayan
  • Hiluctogan
  • Libertad
  • Libongao
  • Lim-ao
  • Lonoy
  • Mahawan
  • Masarayao
  • Monte Alegre
  • Monte Bello (including Kananga Special Economic Zone)
  • Naghalin
  • Natubgan
  • Poblacion
  • Rizal
  • San Ignacio
  • San Isidro
  • Santo Domingo
  • Santo Niño
  • Tagaytay
  • Tongonan
  • Tugbong

Climate edit

Climate data for Kananga, Leyte
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 28
(82)
29
(84)
29
(84)
30
(86)
31
(88)
30
(86)
29
(84)
29
(84)
29
(84)
29
(84)
29
(84)
28
(82)
29
(84)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22
(72)
22
(72)
22
(72)
23
(73)
24
(75)
25
(77)
24
(75)
25
(77)
24
(75)
24
(75)
24
(75)
23
(73)
24
(74)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 73
(2.9)
56
(2.2)
75
(3.0)
71
(2.8)
114
(4.5)
174
(6.9)
172
(6.8)
163
(6.4)
167
(6.6)
161
(6.3)
158
(6.2)
125
(4.9)
1,509
(59.5)
Average rainy days 15.2 12.5 16.2 17.3 23.9 27.3 28.4 26.9 26.9 27.1 23.8 19.3 264.8
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[7]

Demographics edit

Population census of Kananga
YearPop.±% p.a.
1960 18,318—    
1970 22,218+1.95%
1975 24,897+2.31%
1980 28,426+2.69%
1990 36,288+2.47%
1995 39,795+1.74%
YearPop.±% p.a.
2000 42,866+1.61%
2007 46,373+1.09%
2010 48,027+1.28%
2015 56,575+3.17%
2020 59,696+1.06%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [8][9][10][11]

In the 2020 census, the population of Kananga, Leyte, was 59,696 people,[3] with a density of 410 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,100 inhabitants per square mile.

Language edit

The municipality speaks both Cebuano and Waray, making it a bilingual municipality. The influx of Cebuano speaking settlers from Ormoc and other adjacent municipalities during the olden times is the reason why the Cebuano language flourished in the area.

Economy edit


Infrastructure edit

Kananga is a bustling town, located along the highway, in close proximity to Ormoc City in the south. The town also shares a home to Energy Development Corporation's Tongonan Geothermal Powerplant, one of the largest geothermal powerplants in the Philippines.

Several bus companies including Philtranco and DLTBCo operate a bus depot in Manila and in Ormoc City, a few miles from Kananga. There are also quite few small jeepneys, van and buses route from and to Ormoc City and Tacloban City.

Kananga Leyte and neighboring towns and cities in Leyte are served by two commercial airports namely Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport located in Tacloban City, about 52 miles east of the town and local Ormoc Airport in neighboring Ormoc City, which has a connecting Cebu Pacific commercial flights to and from Cebu via Mactan–Cebu International Airport. Kananga can also be reached by sea through Ormoc City's major port where passenger ships and ferries such as Supercat Fast Ferry and OceanJet dock to and from Cebu City and Manila.

Kananga has remained relatively free of the chain stores franchises and strip-mall developments that are common in other towns of similar size, which lends to a distinct township.

Education edit

Kananga is home to two different secondary schools, Kananga National High School (KNHS) and National Heroes Institute (NHI) as well as Kananga National High School- Kawayan Annex (Grade 7–10 in newly introduced K-12 program education in the Philippines situated on top of the picturesque view of the mountain in Sitio Estrada, where can easily walk through a newly cemented road by about a mile away from the main highway of Barangay Kawayan, which caters neighboring poor students from inland villages of San Isidro and Monteaglegre; and Kananga National High School - Libertad Annex, located in Barangay Libertad, which also caters neighboring students from inland villages. Another public high schools were open in Barangays Rizal and Montebello Annex- the land of Hideco Sugar milling company; the most competitive school among all annexes serving the locale of Barangay montebello, Aguiting, naghalin, masarayao, san ignacio, etc. They are very competitive in terms on sports and contests.

Jose Navarro Polytechnic College has small campus in Naghalin, Kananga, Leyte that awards trade certificates and diplomas to students.

References edit

  1. ^ Municipality of Kananga | (DILG)
  2. ^ "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Census of Population (2020). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. ^ "An act creating the municipality of Kananga in the province of Leyte". LawPH.com. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
  6. ^ "Province:". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Kananga: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  8. ^ Census of Population (2015). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  9. ^ Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  10. ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  12. ^ "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
  14. ^ "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
  15. ^ "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
  16. ^ "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
  18. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.

External links edit