Capul, officially the Municipality of Capul (Waray: Bungto han Capul; Tagalog: Bayan ng Capul), is a 5th

class island municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it
has a population of 12,323 people.[4]

Capul

Municipality

Municipality of Capul

USS Essex passes Capul Island while passing through the San Bernardino Strait

USS Essex passes Capul Island while passing through the San Bernardino Strait

Flag of Capul

Flag

Map of Northern Samar with Capul highlighted

Map of Northern Samar with Capul highlighted

OpenStreetMap

MapWikimedia | © OpenStreetMap

Capul is located in PhilippinesCapulCapul

Location within the Philippines

Coordinates: 12°25′23″N 124°10′55″E

Country

Philippines

Region

Eastern Visayas

Province

Northern Samar

District

1st district
Barangays

12 (see Barangays)

Government [1]

• Type

Sangguniang Bayan

• Mayor

Teresita S. Bandal

• Vice Mayor

Joselito C. Catucod

• Representative

Paul R. Daza

• Councilors

List

• Electorate

11,013 voters (2022)

Area[2]

• Total

35.56 km2 (13.73 sq mi)

Elevation[3]

73 m (240 ft)

Highest elevation

585 m (1,919 ft)

Lowest elevation

0 m (0 ft)

Population (2020 census)[4]

• Total

12,323

• Density

350/km2 (900/sq mi)

• Households

2,712

Economy

• Income class

5th municipal income class

• Poverty incidence

37.35% (2018)[5]

• Revenue

₱ 81.21 million (2020)

• Assets

₱ 166.7 million (2020)

• Expenditure

₱ 75.35 million (2020)

• Liabilities

₱ 20.67 million (2020)

Service provider

• Electricity

Northern Samar Electric Cooperative (NORSAMELCO)

Time zone

UTC+8 (PST)

ZIP code
6408

PSGC

084804000

IDD : area code

+63 (0)55

Native languages

Abaknon

Waray

Tagalog

Website

www.capul-nsamar.gov.ph

A lighthouse was built on the island which served as a guidepost for the Acapulco-Manila galleon trade
vessels passing through the treacherous waters of San Bernardino Strait. It also served as the capital of
Samar from 1848 to 1852.

Capul is the only town in the province of Northern Samar with a distinct language, Inabaknon, instead of
Waray, the native language spoken by the locals of Samar island. Inabaknon is unique in it being only
distantly related to the languages spoken in the entire Visayas and Luzon regions. Instead, it is classified
by linguists as a Sama-Bajaw language.

History

edit

According to oral folk history, due to their not liking of the religion of the Moros who ruled over them, a
group of people and their leader Abak fled Balabac and sailed until reaching the island of Capul.[6] Here,
they established a settlement which they called Abak.

By 1610, Spanish Jesuits had arrived in the island and construction of the first church began around this
period.
According to folklore, the name Capul is said to be derived from the word Acapulco, an old trading post
in Mexico.[7]

Geography

edit

The municipality is contiguous with Capul Island, located at the southern entrance to the San Bernardino
Strait.

Barangays

edit

Capul is politically subdivided into 12 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Aguin

Jubang

Landusan

Oson

Poblacion Barangay 1

Poblacion Barangay 2

Poblacion Barangay 3

Poblacion Barangay 4

Poblacion Barangay 5

Sagaosawan

San Luis

Sawang

Climate

edit
Climate data for Capul, Northern Samar

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Year

Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 27

(81) 28

(82) 29

(84) 30

(86) 31

(88) 30

(86) 29

(84) 29

(84) 29

(84) 29

(84) 29

(84) 28

(82) 29

(84)

Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22

(72) 22

(72) 22

(72) 22

(72) 24

(75) 24

(75) 24

(75) 24

(75) 24
(75) 24

(75) 23

(73) 23

(73) 23

(74)

Average precipitation mm (inches) 84

(3.3) 59

(2.3) 58

(2.3) 55

(2.2) 93

(3.7) 133

(5.2) 149

(5.9) 125

(4.9) 155

(6.1) 165

(6.5) 140

(5.5) 136

(5.4) 1,352

(53.3)

Average rainy days 18.1 13.6 15.8 16.1 21.7 25.5 26.6 25.1 24.8 25.8
22.7 20.1 255.9

Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated