In the past, Gamay was once a barrio within Palapag, one of the oldest towns in Samar, known for its strong religious beliefs. Legends and stories recount how the town acquired its name. According to a prevalent tale among the locals, a visiting Spaniard inquired about the name of the place to a lady who was weaving on a loom. Misunderstanding the question, she thought he was asking about her activity and replied "Gamay," which in the local dialect means 'fine'. This term refers to the finest strands of abaca, distinguishing them from medium and thicker strands known as "Urubayon" and "Kadagkuan," respectively.
The settlement, now known as Binongto-an, was established in the 14th or 15th century by descendants of seafaring Malays who migrated to the Philippine Archipelago. It wasn't until the late 16th or 17th century, with the arrival of Christianity brought by the Spaniards, that the name Gamay became prominent.
Despite facing raids from Muslim groups, particularly in the area of Binayaan, the Christian settlers in Binongto-an remained steadfast in their faith, eventually relocating near the river mouth by the sea to escape the attacks.
Until 1949, Gamay remained a barrio of Palapag. Subsequently, during the American period, there was resistance from the locals, resulting in the surrender of over 400 revolutionary soldiers known as "Pulajanes."[6]
Over time, the municipality progressed, leading to its legal separation from Palapag. This separation was initiated by Rafael A. Gomba, a native of Gamay, who was then the Mayor of Palapag. Through the enactment of Republic Act No. 90 on February 26, 1947,[7] Gamay attained municipality status within the island province of Samar.
Initially, the incumbent barrio officials assumed roles as the new municipal officials. However, on November 9, 1965, following the division of Samar into three provinces (Western, Eastern, and Northern), Gamay became a municipality within Northern Samar.
Government
The Municipal Government also has its own executive, legislative and judicial bodies.
Executive
The seat of the executive branch of the local government of Gamay is at the Municipal Hall located at the municipal proper itself with the municipal mayor acting as the local chief executive.
Raquel T. Capoquian, the incumbent mayor of Gamay
Legislative
The legislative department is represented by the local Sangguniang Bayan composed of ten (8) elected Regular Members and two (2) Ex-officio Members headed by the Municipal Vice Mayor as the presiding officer thereof.
Judicial
Municipal Trial Court - located at the Municipal Ground, Barangay Central.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
