Samar, officially the Province of Samar, formerly named Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Catbalogan. It is bordered by Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte and Leyte Gulf, and includes several islands in the Samar Sea. Samar is connected to the island of Leyte via the San Juanico Bridge.
MV Doña Paz was a Japanese-built and Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after it collided with the oil tanker Vector on December 20, 1987. Built by Onomichi Zosen of Hiroshima, Japan, the ship was launched on April 25, 1963 as the Himeyuri Maru with a passenger capacity of 608. In October 1975, the Himeyuri Maru was bought by Sulpicio Lines and renamed the Don Sulpicio. After a fire on board in June 1979, the ship was refurbished and renamed Doña Paz.
The San Juanico Bridge is part of the Pan-Philippine Highway and stretches from Samar to Leyte across the San Juanico Strait in the Philippines. Its longest length is a steel girder viaduct built on reinforced concrete piers, and its main span is of an arch-shaped truss design. Constructed during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos through Japanese Official Development Assistance loans, it has a total length of 2.16 kilometers (1.34 mi)—the second longest bridge spanning a body of seawater in the Philippines after the Cebu-Cordova Bridge. It was also the longest bridge in the Philippines upon its opening in 1973, surpassed in 1976 by Candaba Viaduct of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), another bridge that connects from one province to another, connecting the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan.
The Pulahan, also known as dios-dios, were the members of a religious revival of Philippine beliefs that developed in the Visayas prior to the Philippine Revolution. At its peak, it numbered around 10,000–15,000 adherents. The movement was severely crippled during the Philippine Revolution after the Philippine Constabulary took over patrols in Samar, when the U.S. military declared the island as "pacified".
Calbayog, officially the City of Calbayog, is a 1st class component city in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 186,960 people.
Gandara, officially the Municipality of Gandara(Waray: Bungto han Gandara), is a 2nd class Local Government Unit at a level of municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,242 people.
San Jorge, officially the Municipality of San Jorge, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,579 people.
GMA Network is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network is commonly referred to as the Kapuso Network in reference to the outline of the company's logo. It is headquartered in the GMA Network Center in Quezon City and its transmitter, Tower of Power, is located at Tandang Sora Avenue, Barangay Culiat also in Quezon City with regional stations and offices strategically located in over 9 major cities across the country.
Filipino shamans, commonly known as babaylan, were shamans of the various ethnic groups of the pre-colonial Philippine islands. These shamans specialized in communicating, appeasing, or harnessing the spirits of the dead and the spirits of nature. They were almost always women or feminized men. They were believed to have spirit guides, by which they could contact and interact with the spirits and deities and the spirit world. Their primary role were as mediums during pag-anito séance rituals. There were also various subtypes of babaylan specializing in the arts of healing and herbalism, divination, and sorcery.
Imbestigador (transl. investigator) is a Philippine television investigative docudrama show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally hosted by Mike Enriquez, it premiered on August 2, 2000 on the network's evening line up replacing Compañero y Compañera. The show concluded on September 9, 2023. It was replaced by Pinoy Crime Stories on its timeslot.
Reynato Puno y Serrano, KGCR is a Filipino jurist. He served as the 22nd chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from December 8, 2007, by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo until his mandatory retirement on May 17, 2010. Puno had initially been appointed to the Supreme Court as an associate justice on June 28, 1993.
Marian Rivera Gracia-Dantes is a Filipino actress, television host, model and entrepreneur. She is known for her portrayals of heroines and roles in romantic dramas. Her accolades include a FAMAS Award, five PMPC Star Awards for Television, seven Box Office Entertainment Awards, and six Anak TV Seal Awards, including nominations from Asian Television Awards and Metro Manila Film Festival. In 2020, Forbes Asia named her one of the most influential Filipino celebrities in Asia Pacific.
The Davao Death Squad (DDS) is a vigilante group in Davao City, Philippines. The group is alleged to have conducted summary executions of street children and individuals suspected of petty crimes and drug dealing. It has been estimated that the group is responsible for the killing or disappearance of between 1,020 and 1,040 people between 1998 and 2008. The 2009 report by the CHR noted stonewalling by local police under Duterte while a leaked cable observed a lack of public outrage among Davao residents.
Balitang Bisdak is a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by GMA Cebu. Originally anchored by Bobby Nalzaro, it premiered on October 4, 1999. Alan Domingo currently serves as the anchor.
Engkanto are mythical environmental spirits that are said to have the ability to appear in human form. They are often associated with the spirits of ancestors in the Philippines. They are also characterized as spirit sorts like sirens, dark beings, elves, and more. Belief in their existence has likely existed for centuries, and continues to this day.
The Sirena is a mythological sea creature from Filipino culture. In some regions of the Philippines, particularly Bicol and Visayas, Sirenas are known as Magindara and portrayed as vicious mermaids. Like Sirens of Greek mythology, they have alluring and irresistible singing voices; unlike Sirens, who are portrayed as part woman and part bird, Sirenas are often described as mermaid-like creatures living under the sea. In Philippine mythology, the Sirena is a mythological aquatic creature with the head and torso of a human female and the tail of a fish. The Sirena is an Engkanto –' the Filipino counterpart of English mermaids. Engkantos are classified as one of the Bantay Tubig, a Filipino term for mythical guardians of the water. In addition to the Sirena, other examples of Bantay Tubig are Siyokoy, Kataw, and Ugkoy. The male version of a Sirena is called a Sireno. Sometimes, Sirena are paired with Siyokoy. A popular mermaid character in the Philippines is Dyesebel.
Luna Blanca is a 2012 Philippine television drama fantasy series broadcast by GMA Network. The series served as a sequel to the 2008 Philippine television series Luna Mystika. Directed by Dominic Zapata, it stars Jillian Ward, Mona Louise Rey, Bea Binene, Barbie Forteza, Bianca King and Heart Evangelista all in the title roles. It premiered on May 21, 2012 on the network's Telebabad line up replacing Biritera. The series concluded on October 26, 2012 with a total of 115 episodes. It was replaced by Temptation of Wife in its timeslot.
The following is a list of events affecting Philippine television in 2014. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and channel launches, closures and rebrandings, as well as information about controversies and carriage disputes.
