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.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is the largest national trade union center in the Philippines. Founded in 1975 by labor leader Democrito Mendoza,TUCP is affiliated with the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the International Trade Union Confederation.
The legislative districts of Samar are the representations of the province of Samar in the various national legislatures of the Philippines. The province is currently represented in the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines through its first and second congressional districts.
Ralph Gonzalez Recto is a Filipino politician currently serving as the 33rd Secretary of Finance under President Bongbong Marcos since January 12,2024. He previously served as the representative for Batangas' 6th district and as the House Deputy Speaker from 2022 to 2024.
Samar State University (SSU) is a public university in the Philippines located in the province of Samar. Its main campus is located in Barangay Guindaponan,Catbalogan. The university has three other external campuses:Mercedes Campus,Catbalogan;Paranas Campus,and Basey Campus.
Trade Union Congress Party is a party-list in the Philippines,set up by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines as its electoral wing. The party contested the 2004 legislative elections,mustering 201,396 votes nationwide (1.58%). The list failed to win any seat. The Supreme Court declared TUCP,as well as a few other party-list organizations,as winners in the 2007 legislative elections by virtue of the Philippine Constitution.
Michael Tan Defensor is a Filipino politician who most recently served as the Party-list Representative for Anakalusugan from 2019 to 2022. He is also the CEO of Pax Libera Mining,Inc.
Juan Miguel"Migz"Fernandez Zubiri is a Filipino politician serving as the Senate President of the Philippines since July 25,2022. He is currently on his third term in the Senate,first serving from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2016 to 2022. He previously served as the Senate Majority Leader from 2008 to 2010 and 2018 to 2022,and was the representative of Bukidnon's 3rd district from 1998 to 2007.
Catbalogan,officially the City of Catbalogan,is a 5th class component city and capital city of the province of Samar,Philippines. According to the 2020 census,it has a population of 106,440 people.
Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Manalang Angara is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as a Senator since 2013. He is also the chairman of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas,the governing body of basketball in the Philippines. He had previously served as the Representative of Aurora's lone district from 2004 to 2013. His father,Edgardo Angara,was the Senate President from 1993 to 1995.
The Eastern Samar State University is a state university in the Philippines with main campus located in Borongan,Eastern Samar. It has a satellite campus in Salcedo,Maydolong,Guiuan and Can-avid.
Mel Senen Sevilla Sarmiento is a Filipino politician. He was a member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the 1st Legislative District of Samar from 2010 to 2015. He also served as Secretary-General of the Liberal Party. He served as the Vice Mayor of Calbayog from 1992 to 1995 and Mayor from 2004 to 2011 before the death of Congressman Uy. He was also the Secretary General of the League of Cities of the Philippines from 2004 to 2010. He also served as the last Secretary of the Interior and Local Government under President Benigno Aquino III after Jesse Robredo and Mar Roxas.
The Anti-Distracted Driving Act (ADDA),officially designated as Republic Act No. 10913,is a Philippine law that prohibits distracted driving by restricting and penalizing the use of mobile phones and other electronics devices while driving on any public thoroughfare,highway,or street in the Philippines. The republic act defines "distracted driving" as "using mobile communications device to write,send,or read a text-based communication or to make or receive calls" or "using an electronic entertainment or computing device to play games,watch movies,surf the internet,compose messages,read e-books,perform calculations,and other similar acts" while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle or while temporarily stopped at a red light. The law covers all private and public vehicles,including agricultural machines,construction equipment,public utility buses and jeepneys,taxicabs,motorcycles,tricycles,pedicabs,kuligligs and carriages.
In the Philippines,disability is one of the social issues affecting a portion of the Philippines' population. To ensure the equality and rights of disabled persons,there are Philippine laws and policies that were passed regarding persons with disabilities (PWDs). There are also numerous non-government associations that seeks to encourage and help improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities.
Benito Tiamzon was a Filipino political organizer and until his arrest in March 2014 by Philippine security forces,was believed to be the Chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing,the New People's Army (NPA).
League of Cities of the Philippines v. COMELEC is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines about the validity of the cityhood laws of 16 municipalities in the Philippines. The case clarifies the requirements for the conversion of a municipality into a component city. The court in its final decision ruled that the cityhood laws of the 16 municipalities in the Philippines are constitutional.
The 2019 Eastern Samar Earthquake struck the islands of Visayas in the Philippines on April 23,2019 at 1:37:51 PM(PHT).It had a moment magnitude of 6.5(Mww6.4 by USGS) and a local magnitude of 6.2 with a max intensity of VI based on the PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale(PEIS). The epicenter was in San Julian,Eastern Samar and the hypocenter was at a depth of 64 km(~39.76 mi). As of April 30,2019 there were 172 aftershocks ranging from magnitudes of 1.6 to 4.6. The earthquake injured 48 people and damaged about 245 homes.
Samar's 2nd congressional district is one of the two congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of Samar. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 1916 and earlier in the Philippine Assembly from 1907 to 1916. The district consists of the provincial capital city of Catbalogan and adjacent municipalities of Basey,Calbiga,Daram,Hinabangan,Jiabong,Marabut,Motiong,Paranas,Pinabacdao,San Jose de Buan,San Sebastian,Santa Rita,Talalora,Villareal and Zumarraga. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Reynolds Michael Tan of the Nacionalista Party (NP).
Raymond Democrito Cañete Mendoza is a Filipino lawyer,politician and labor leader,serving as the representative of the Trade Union Congress Party since 2009 and is currently one of the Deputy Speakers in the House of Representatives. Since 2016,he serves as the President of Trade Union Congress of the Philippines,the largest national trade union center in the Philippines.
Maria Fe Romerica Abunda is a Filipino politician. She is currently a member of the Philippine House of Representatives representing the Eastern Samar's Lone District since 2019. She served as the mayor of Borongan from 2013 to 2019. She became the first woman to be elected as Eastern Samar representative. She is the sister of television host Boy Abunda.
