History of Ormoc City

Ormoc City is a 1st class city in the Leyte province, Philippines. It is the first non-provincial city of the Philippines. It is also the economic, cultural, commercial and transportation hub of western Leyte. The city is also an independent component city, which is not subject to regulation form the Provincial Government of Leyte. Even though it is an independent city, it is still art of the IV Congressional District of Leyte together with Albuera, Kamanga, Merida and Isabel Leyte.

 It is believed that Ormoc was first called as “Ogmok” by the natives of the town before. The place was used during the Spanish occupation and the migration of the neighboring towns to settle in the more fertile plains of Ogmok. Much of the settler in the town were the Malayans. These people had a constant trading with the Chinese, Javans and Indonesians.  Their living, however, was always threatened by the attack of the Moro pirates. It is said that the people in Ogmok developed a warning system communication through people manning watch towers to inform and warn the people of the coming of these pirates.

July 16, 1595, Jesuit missionaries arrived in Leyte. On May 1507, a mission in Ormok was established by these missionaries. That year, the locals were converted to Christianity. Their years of peace was shortly felt when in year 1634, a ruler of Sulu by the name of Raja Bungsu captured 300 natives form Ormoc after the invasion of the notorious pirates in the town. The towns of Sogod, Kabalian, Inopacan and Baybay were also invaded and plundered. More locals of Ogmok still fought this Raja and his men but because they were outnumbered, they were massacred up to the last man.

In the year 1950, Ormoc City transformed into modern infrastructures, wide concrete roads and bridges, well-equipped government and hospital facilities, airport facilities, banks, commercial and trade establishments, house projects, factories, industrial plants, thus, the start of progress for this city.