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| Tacloban is a highly urbanized city situated in the northeastern part of Leyte and serves as the gateway to Eastern Visayas Region (Region VIII). PHOTO: Rejixiv, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
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About Tacloban
Tacloban, official name: The City of Tacloban, is a first-class, highly urbanized city located in the northeastern part of Leyte Island. It is bounded on the east by the San Juanico Strait and the bays of Cancabato and San Pedro.
It is geographically located in the Eastern Visayas Region (Region VIII) and is one of its main cities. Tacloban provides a gateway to various parts of the region, hence achieving its nickname: Gateway to Eastern Visayas. It was officially declared as a highly urbanized city on December 18, 2008.
Subdivided into 138 barangays, Tacloban is part of the Legislative 1st District of Leyte, alongside seven other municipalities: Alangalang, Babatngon, Palo, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Tanauan, and Tolosa. The city is under the direct supervision of the national government after becoming a HUC in 2008. Although autonomous from the province of Leyte, Tacloban serves as its provincial capital.
After its massive devastation on November 8, 2013, due to Supertyphoon Haiyan, Tacloban was declared a start-up city which means it will start again from scratch. Currently, the city is experiencing rapid development and economic recovery and is seen as an emerging digital city by the national ICT department.
Demography
In the 2015 Census, Tacloban had a total population of 242,089 while its household population reached 240,513. The population density was 1,200 persons per square kilometer. The annual population growth rate was 1.73 % which means that for every 100 persons, about two (2) persons are added on the average every year from 2010 to 2015.
Tacloban’s primary language is Waray-Waray or Winaray, but most Taclobanon can also speak Tagalog as their second language.
Land Area
Tacloban has a total land area of 201.72 square kilometers or 20172 hectares as per data from the Land Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource (DENR). Tacloban’s elevation is 40 meters or 130 feet, while its highest is 574 meters or 1,883 feet.
Tacloban has areas on high ground suitable for urban development and other productive uses such as agriculture and agro-industrial, especially in the northern part of the city.
Economy and role in Eastern Visayas Region
Tacloban’s economy is primarily focused on agriculture, commerce, and tourism. Due to the city’s strategic location, it is the premier city and economic center of the Eastern Visayas Region (Region VIII) — and acts as its gateway since it is the region’s center of trade, industry, commerce, education, healthcare, communication, and technology.
The city’s population expands to around 1.2 million during the day due to the influx of tourists, locals from nearby municipalities in Leyte and Samar, or students studying in the multiple educational institutions located in the city.
In the past years, Tacloban continued to emerge as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Philippines. Demand for permanent housing in the city has increased due to its convenient location where people can easily trade and avail utilities or services.
Due to the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, also known as Tacloban City airport, the city is a key regional transportation hub. As of 2017, Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport is ranked as the eighth-busiest and the third-fastest growing airport by passenger volume out of the 45 commercial airports in the Philippines.
Tacloban was able to yield the highest contribution of tourist arrivals in 2015 to 472,300. It comprises 44.87% of the total regional tourist influx, contributing the highest tourist receipts that amount to PHP 4.05 billion. Among the must-see tourist destinations in Tacloban are the San Juanico Bridge, the Santo Niño Shrine, and the nearby MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park.
Aside from being a tourism hub, the city is also the regional center for education. It is the home of the three most prominent state universities (SUCs) in Eastern Visayas, namely, the Eastern Visayas University (EVSU), Leyte Normal University (LNU), and the University of the Philippines - Visayas Tacloban Campus (UPVTC).
Tacloban also has well-established educational institutions such as the Remedios T. Romualdez Medical Foundation, the Asian Development Foundation College, and ICT schools: Datamex, AMA, and ACLC. TESDA’s regional training center for vocational and technical courses is located within the city.
As a regional healthcare hub, Tacloban City has six major hospitals, including government-run Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, Tacloban City Hospital, and privately owned Divine Word Hospital.
In addition to being a regional hub for education and health care, Tacloban also serves as a banking and financial capital in the Region. It is where you can find much concentration of bank and financial establishments where you cannot find elsewhere in the Region. In 2011 alone, cash deposits in Tacloban reached the PHP 42 billion mark, pushing the Central Bank of the Philippines to erect their regional office in San Jose, Tacloban City.
As a premier shopping destination in Eastern Visayas, Tacloban boasts shopping malls such as Robinsons Place Marasbaras, Robinsons Tacloban North, Savemore SM Tacloban, and Metro Gaisano Tacloban. The city also brags luxury hotels such as Summit Hotel, Ironwood Hotel, Hotel XYZ, and Leyte Park Hotel and Resort.
Tacloban, as a regional commercial center, provides all the needed establishments and facilities in the region. It is Eastern Visayas’ convergence and the region’s melting pot wherein anyone must pass through the city if they wish to visit other areas in the said region.
Political Subdivision
Tacloban is subdivided into 138 barangays, each having its own council. The largest among the barangays is Barangay 107 Sta. Elena with an estimated area of 9.425 square kilometers, while the smallest is Barangay 51, with an estimated area of 0.006460 square kilometers.
Below are the lists of Barangays in Tacloban City:
| Name | Population (Census:2015) |
|---|---|
| Barangay 2 | 546 |
| Barangay 5 | 331 |
| Barangay 6 | 1,161 |
| Barangay 7 | 265 |
| Barangay 8 | 252 |
| Barangay 100 (San Roque) | 2,965 |
| Barangay 101 (New Kawayan) | 1,717 |
| Barangay 102 (Old Kawayan) | 497 |
| Barangay 103 (Palanog) | 4,198 |
| Barangay 103-A (San Paglaum) | 333 |
| Barangay 104 (Salvacion) | 2,308 |
| Barangay 105 (Suhi) | 2,411 |
| Barangay 106 (Santo Niño) | 4,409 |
| Barangay 107 (Santa Elena) | 1,115 |
| Barangay 108 (Tagpuro) | 1,268 |
| Barangay 109 (V & G Subd.) | 5,538 |
| Barangay 109-A | 8,206 |
| Barangay 110(Utap) | 5,554 |
| Barangay 12 (Palanog Resettlement) | 2,065 |
| Barangay 13 | 63 |
| Barangay 14 | 252 |
| Barangay 15 | 81 |
| Barangay 16 | 379 |
| Barangay 17 | 137 |
| Barangay 18 | 198 |
| Barangay 19 | 155 |
| Barangay 20 | 495 |
| Barangay 21 | 245 |
| Barangay 21-A | 198 |
| Barangay 22 | 198 |
| Barangay 23 | 500 |
| Barangay 23-A | 433 |
| Barangay 24 | 268 |
| Barangay 25 | 1,798 |
| Barangay 26 | 144 |
| Barangay 27 | 234 |
| Barangay 28 | 253 |
| Barangay 29 | 143 |
| Barangay 30 | 124 |
| Barangay 31 | 491 |
| Barangay 32 | 137 |
| Barangay 33 | 189 |
| Barangay 34 | 230 |
| Barangay 35 | 187 |
| Barangay 35-A | 600 |
| Barangay 36 | 1,300 |
| Barangay 36-A | 786 |
| Barangay 37 | 3,407 |
| Barangay 37-A | 1,225 |
| Barangay 38 | 284 |
| Barangay 39 | 2,957 |
| Barangay 40 | 237 |
| Barangay 41 | 201 |
| Barangay 42 | 848 |
| Barangay 42-A | 1,718 |
| Barangay 43 | 356 |
| Barangay 43-A | 1,019 |
| Barangay 43-B | 1,102 |
| Barangay 44 | 432 |
| Barangay 44-A | 189 |
| Barangay 45 | 351 |
| Barangay 46 | 464 |
| Barangay 47 | 653 |
| Barangay 48 | 424 |
| Barangay 48-A | 417 |
| Barangay 48-B | 556 |
| Barangay 49 | 1,927 |
| Barangay 50 | 257 |
| Barangay 50-A | 675 |
| Barangay 50-B | 829 |
| Barangay 51 | 534 |
| Barangay 51-A | 205 |
| Barangay 52 | 1,171 |
| Barangay 53 | 567 |
| Barangay 54 | 645 |
| Barangay 54-A | 751 |
| Barangay 56 | 1,222 |
| Barangay 56-A | 582 |
| Barangay 57 | 1,110 |
| Barangay 58 | 886 |
| Barangay 59 | 3,398 |
| Barangay 59-A | 3,378 |
| Barangay 59-B | 738 |
| Barangay 5-A | 340 |
| Barangay 60 | 1,207 |
| Barangay 60-A | 923 |
| Barangay 61 | 973 |
| Barangay 62 | 1,546 |
| Barangay 62-A | 5,627 |
| Barangay 62-B | 4,266 |
| Barangay 63 | 2,645 |
| Barangay 64 | 2,252 |
| Barangay 65 | 1,278 |
| Barangay 66 | 1,415 |
| Barangay 66-A | 1,265 |
| Barangay 67 | 1,277 |
| Barangay 68 | 2,169 |
| Barangay 69 | 2,436 |
| Barangay 6-A | 1,453 |
| Barangay 70 | 992 |
| Barangay 71 | 5,487 |
| Barangay 72 | 670 |
| Barangay 73 | 316 |
| Barangay 74 | 8,518 |
| Barangay 75 | 805 |
| Barangay 76 | 849 |
| Barangay 77 | 3,498 |
| Barangay 78 (Marasbaras) | 2,269 |
| Barangay 79 (Marasbaras) | 1,793 |
| Barangay 80 (Marasbaras) | 1,332 |
| Barangay 81 (Marasbaras) | 892 |
| Barangay 82 (Marasbaras) | 1,229 |
| Barangay 83 (San Jose) | 3,105 |
| Barangay 83-A (San Jose) | 1,492 |
| Barangay 83-B | 2,978 |
| Barangay 83-C (San Jose) | 3,904 |
| Barangay 84 (San Jose) | 6,847 |
| Barangay 85 (San Jose) | 1,512 |
| Barangay 86 | 1,210 |
| Barangay 87 | 3,366 |
| Barangay 88 | 5,880 |
| Barangay 89 | 4,528 |
| Barangay 8-A | 150 |
| Barangay 90 (San Jose) | 61 |
| Barangay 91 (Abucay) | 9,361 |
| Barangay 92 (Apitong) | 4,946 |
| Barangay 93 (Bagacay) | 4,584 |
| Barangay 94 (Tigbao) | 2,978 |
| Barangay 94-A | 1,560 |
| Barangay 95 (Caibaan) | 6,623 |
| Barangay 95-A (Caibaan) | 7,113 |
| Barangay 96 (Calanipawan) | 3,417 |
| Barangay 97 (Cabalawan) | 1,391 |
| Barangay 98 (Camansinay) | 5,478 |
| Barangay 99 (Diit) | 746 |
| Libertad (Barangays 1 & 4) | 1,056 |
| Nula-Tula (Bgys. 3 & 3A) | 2,946 |
| Tacloban City | 242,089 |
You may view here the list of elected barangay officials in Tacloban City and their contact details (if available): List of Barangays in Tacloban City and Elected Barangay Chairman.