Homonhon: 5 Facts about This Attractive Island

Homonhon Island is an attractive island in the Leyte Gulf. The Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region of The Philippines.

The location of the bay is in the Philippine Sea. It has boundaries on the north by Samar and the west by Leyte. Mindanao Island is south of the bay, separated from Leyte by the Surigao Strait.

Homonhon Island
Nairb.Idi9CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Location of this beautiful place is on the eastern coast of Samar island. This place of the Pacific Ocean has its natural beauty and historical significance.

The island is home to several indigenous people. A small community of fishermen lives in this area. The island is not a well-developed place. But it has the covering of the tropical forest.

Beautiful Homonhon Island

We know that it is a small island located in the Philippines. The natural beauty includes white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters.

The lush vegetation or the tropical forest is another part of its beauty. This location has enormous popularity for snorkeling, swimming, and diving in the Philippines.

Today, it is home to around eight barangays. These barangays have survived the chromite mining and heavy fishing industry.

These barangays are Bitaugan, Cagusu-an, Canawayon, Casuguran, Culasi, Habag, Inapulangan, and Pagbabangnan.

These eight barangays make up a part of the municipality of Guiuan. You can visit the landing site by getting a ride along a bumpy road.

This road passes through streams, forests, and beaches. An important fact is that there is no hotel on the island but staying with a local family or camping is common.

There are many ways visitors to this place can explore its historical and cultural sites. Mantoconan is a small islet off the northwest coast of this place.

It is one of the 7,500 islands that make up the Philippine Archipelago. This location was one of the first communication points between the East and the West in the Pacific Ocean.

History

This place has great historical importance, without any doubt. Ferdinand Magellan was a skilled sailor and naval officer. 

King Charles I of Spain supported him in finding a westward route to the Maluku Islands. But the king of Portugal refused to help him. 

He commanded a fleet of 5 ships. The brave sailor Magellan headed south across the Atlantic to Patagonia. He reached the Pacific after facing a series of storms. 

His three surviving ships passed through the Marianas but did not land. Magellan ran out of food after crossing the vast Pacific Ocean. 

He landed with his crew on Homonhon for this reason. He landed in this place on March 16 of the year 1521. Magellan stayed there for eight days. 

During this time, he encountered a boat with nine local native people. These native people guided him to Cebu on April 7.

Five Facts of The Beautiful Island

Many people from the Philippines and the world want to know about this piece of land in the sea. It has many things that are significant to know.

1. Why is this land in the sea famous in Philippine history?

This place was the first landing place of Ferdinand Magellan. This man was a famous Portuguese explorer.

He organized a Spanish expedition to the East Indies between 1519 and 1522. The site of his landing remains preserved for commemoration.

2. Where did Magellan go after Homonhon?

This land of the sea was a place without human settlement. But the fishing boats of nearby local settlements detected Magellan after his landing.

The local leaders arrived, received him, and traded food and supplies. Magellan later left for Limasawa Island.

3. How do you get to Homonhon?

This place is 3 hours away from Guiuan Eastern Samar port, and the port location is in Barangay Lubok. The boat fare is only 100 pesos.

It has scheduled to leave anytime from 10 AM- 11 AM. Guiuan is 3 hours away from the adjacent airport, which is DZR Airport in Tacloban City (TAC).

4. The Former Name of This Place in the Philippines

Magellan and his crew dropped anchor off in this unpopulated area of the Philippines on March 16, 1521.

Then people called Humunu, where they stayed for eight days. From this location, they proceeded on their journey to the Philippines.

5. Who Welcomed Magellan in This Land of The Sea?

Rene Escalante says that historical accounts reveal that early Suluan residents welcomed Magellan. These people treated them well during their stay on this attractive place.

Conclusion

This land is a remote and undeveloped area in the Philippines. But it has many beautiful beaches with a tropical forest.

There are beautiful places in the Philippines, like Babuyan and Bantayan. You can consider Homonhon as one of these places.

There are many challenges to protecting the natural and cultural heritage of Homonhon. The residents and conservation groups are working to preserve the nature of it.

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