San Policarpo

After a fun (sleepless night) with 'long-lost-friends' at Binogawan Beach Resort, I had to split from the pack to continue with my joyride. This time I proceeded to the northern-most towns of Eastern Samar (plus more)! First of course was San Policarpo - mother town of Binogawan.., just a mere 5 kms away!

San Policarpo is a small town with just 17 barangays, not even half that of Oras which has 42. Even in total land area and population, San Policarpo is less than half of Oras. But, since it's a town of Eastern Samar, I had to go and see it. Ah, now I think I know the answer to a previous observation I had. There is more of them, that is why more Orasnons are seen visiting Binogawan Beach than Sampolihanons!

What is "Sampolihanon"? People of/from San Policarpo. Don't panic just yet, I can explain this! Locals usually call their town with a shortened name of "Sampoli" instead of "San Policarpo". Take note of the "m", not an "n". Thus, if you are from Sampoli, you are Sampolihanon. Just like if from Oras = Orasnon!

But I like both towns.., they have relatively quiet (even if very narrow) roads. Welcome to Sampoli!

That corner is the very middle of San Policarpo (yes, Sampoli) town center! This is very much a part of the highway, passing by the very heart of town. Turn left going to northern towns. But we turned right!

Yes we turned right, to the political, economic, social nerve center of town (with big wooden houses)!

This is their pantalan or seaport. That land mass across is not an island. It's part of mainland..,

Here is to the right of the port. This area is like a cove or bay. Actually behind this is Binogawan..,

Oh, do you notice that line of riprap that seem to have trapped the boats in? I hear that's going to be a "breakwater". A seawall-in-the-making to purportedly protect the town from big "pacific ocean waves".

But there is a caveat of sorts! That: because the seawall is being erected anyway.., anything inside will be reclaimed to become new (additional) dry land for the town. That means an additional whole block of residential/commercial real estate (where the boats are) from the existing shoreline to the seawall.

In short, they will replicate what was done in Oras and many places in this country! Is that fine? I hope so. Unless it is true, that the cause of all the flooding in Oras was their reclamation thing. Is that true?

Whatever. As long as it does not ruin lives in the future, right?

We were standing on this corner (beside the public market), then my contact said "this is reclaimed"!

Awk! So we were in the first place standing on an already reclaimed land! So the thing above is just an additional reclamation. Contact further pointed to me that in this row of the public market (to the right of photo and beyond) they're not even done reclaiming land yet over at the areas of Poblacion 1 and 2!

We went there, I saw those, but we were busy talking that I was not able to take photos. Hmm...

Anyway, that's why from the market you can only pass through this street - their police office at left!

The orangy pinkish building at right where the 'tractor' and dump truck are parked is the back of their...

Municipal Hall! We could not turn right at this corner due to many construction equipment..,

My contact who rode with us to the church told me this building looks the same at front anyway, there is just a foyer but even covered by their multipurpose building's roof that's the one under construction.

We turned-right on the next street and all the more that we encountered the construction hahaha!

But we needed to go straight as I wanted to see the church over there, just ahead, at right!

I like this building at left. It looks commercial, I think even a function hall of sorts on the second level. Oh, I was told that old house across the church (behind the tree) is to be replaced with a new building.

And this is the town's church: St. Mary Magdalene Parish Church of San Policarpo Eastern Samar..,

I got a bit philosophical seeing that name. If San Policarpo is a saint, why is their town's parish church named after Mary Magdalene? Since I said that aloud, the driver answered: "walang basagan ng trip"!

Hahaha and we discovered that the church was closed as in padlocked at every entrance we went to!

All I could do was carefully insert my hands into the grills to take these pictures of the interiors!

Closed at 9:49AM on Easter Sunday? Ah okay, maybe they had only one mass at early dawn - sugat!

The driver joked that St. Mary Magdalene had it closed because I insisted the church name should be San Policarpo! "Gaba ito" he said hehehe! Argh, I don't remember what is "gaba" in Tagalog or English!

After the church, I saw a scattering of old colonial-style houses within Poblacion San Policarpo..,

But there are also newer more contemporary-style houses..,

Oh, on this picture below, I was looking at the old houses, but the tricycle was an attention-grabber!

Whatever the grammar, we know what they are trying to say anyway, right? Yeah, "Jesus Cares Us"!

Exiting center of town going north, I noticed portions of the highway are acceptably wide..,

Unlike at most parts of the center of town, there is a road shoulder on this part of the highway, right?

Then the shouldering suddenly disappears for no apparent reason since there are no houses here..,

But I like it that the DPWH "implanted" identification signages at the entry to each barangay. That one announces we were entering Brgy. Alugan! Not just informative/decorative, they're very helpful to DIY tourists like me! I wish DPWH could do this to every corner of the Philippines, don't you? Yep, sana all!

Hey, correct me if I'm wrong.., I usually am alarmed when I see river bridges with "high elevation"!

I interpret that as "this bridge is (will be) prone to high flood waters during the monsoon season". Da!

Brgy. Alugan also has its share of good old wooden houses! Not many, but there are..,

That tells me this barangay has been thriving for a long time now. I think it's the town's biggest, btw!

Look at this portion of the road.., it looks like part of a center of town, right?

That reminds me.., when I was a kid, I have been to this barrio, but the only way then was by boat from Oras via the Pacific Ocean. "When I was a kid" - therefore proof that the barangay is old like me haha!

This kilometer marker at right says we were sixteen kilometers more to the town of Arteche!

And we were just entering Brgy. Cajagwayan [pronounced ka-hag-wa-yan] still of San Policarpo..,

Like most of the northeastern coast of Eastern Samar, Cajagwayan area is majority mangroves..,

Next we entered Brgy. Pangpang. This DPWH welcome signage has a "printing error"!

Pangpang as used by this town has no dashes! It's same as the Tagalog "pampang". Which means? A eh, I'm not very sure ha! A (naturally) high-elevated (or medyo high) shoreline, like a ridge or riverbank?

There are also big old wooden houses in Barangay Pangpang!

Hey the Pangpang Bridge signage (also made by DPWH) is correct - no dash!

Driver found a chance to fly on this straight portion of the highway. Ayan, I almost caught the signage!

But I read it. It says Welcome to Brgy. Japunan! [pronounced "ha-pu-nan"]

And whoa, there are also big old wooden houses here! And of course, new concrete houses too..,

Hey I saw a kilometer marker beside that big house with a red roof. It said 14 kms more to Arteche.

There still were 2 other barangays of San Policarpo that we passed by (Natividad and Tabo), but I had to answer a call from a big boss (tambok ba), so I was on the phone as we zoomed thru those places.

Until we reached the barangays of Arteche. That's next!

Trivia Notes:
It is "San Policarpo" not "policarpio"! Is there such a saint? I think San Policarpo is the local name for St. Polycarp. And during conversations, you will often hear locals say "Sampoli" or "Sampolcarpo"!