Catbalogan, Philippines
Catbalogan is a city of 107,896 people in Eastern Visayas, Philippines.
Why visit Catbalogan
Townapedia lists 8 museums and landmarks, 11 parks and trails, 85 places to eat, 20 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Weather in Catbalogan
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Catbalogan
Catbalogan, officially the City of Catbalogan (Waray: Siyudad han Catbalogan; Filipino: Lungsod ng Catbalogan), is a component city and capital city of the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 107,896 people.
From the Wikipedia article Catbalogan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Catbalogan on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks8
Parks, trails and playgrounds11
Restaurants and cafes85
Mabanan Buffet Catering and Services
Restaurant · Filipino · 0.6 km
385 Del Rosario Street
24/7
73 more on the map.
History
Catbalogan was founded in October 1596 by Spanish Jesuit priests and became the capital of the entire island of Samar. Friar Francisco de Otazo, S.J., who arrived in the Philippines in 1596, founded the Catbalogan Mission and was thus the first missionary to bring the Catholic faith to the people of Catbalogan.
In 1627, Catbalogan was raised to the status of residencia (residence or central house) and among its dependencies were Paranas where, in 1629, Fr. Pedro Estrada actively evangelized the area and Calbiga where he took whiterocks or grey limestone to use as building blocks for its church. The church has some arc-like stone roof that was pasted together to dry on each block, giving an arching force to the side. On October 17, 1768, Catbalogan was ceded to the Franciscans who took over from the Jesuits. The first Franciscan parish priest was Fray Jose Fayo, OFM.
From the History section of Catbalogan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay20
Maqueda Bay Hotel & Restaurant
Motel and hotel · 1.0 km
Catbalogan-Guinsorongan Road
Churches and places of worship26
Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God
Church · Assemblies Of God · 3.8 km
Santo Niño Church
Church · Catholic · 1.4 km
Santo Niño-San Andres Road, Catbalogan
Shopping30
Gas and EV charging5
Schools, colleges and libraries101
Eastern Visayas Regional Science High School
School
San Roque Street, Catbalogan
Healthcare20
Map of Catbalogan
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Calbayog Airport (CYP) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 49 km away.
- Motiong 12 km east, about 12 min by car
- Calbiga 22 km southeast, about 22 min by car
- Gandara 28 km north, about 28 min by car
- Santa Rita 37 km south, about 37 min by car
- Santa Margarita 38 km northwest, about 38 min by car
- Calbayog City 45 km northwest, about 45 min by car
- Barugo 53 km south, about 53 min by car
- Carigara 58 km southwest, about 58 min by car
- Tacloban 61 km south, about 1 h by car
- Borongan 62 km east, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Catbalogan Samar, M M, CC BY-SA 2.0
- PhilippinesGeneralCounciloftheAssembliesofGod, Unknown author Unknown author, CC0
- Samar National School, Unknown author Unknown author, CC0
Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.