Pinabacdao, Samar officially the Municipality of Pinabacdao is a 4th class municipality in the Province of Samar, Philippines. The term “Pinabacdao or Pinabakdaw” is a Waray Sinamar-Lineyte dialect that means to “asked to stand” or simply “pinatayo“. Due to lack of official and authenticated historical accounts pertaining to the origin of town’s name, the municipal government is only relying on folktales which were handed from prominent ancestors to their eager descendants. Folktales revealed that the town of Pinabacdao got it’s present name by the time when the Philippines was still under the Spanish colonial era. This was established in 1749 but became a barrio in 1902 as part of the Municipality of Calbiga.

How to get there:

🏝️ Pinabacdao is approximately 67 km or almost 1hr30mins from Tacloban, City. You can ride a van or bus at Abucay Terminal going to Pinabacdao. Fare is at 60php. To go to the proper of Pinabacdao, you can charter a habal-habal to take you to the proper place. Trip will just take for 15mins.

Pinabacdao is recognized as rice production hub of the Province, this is also known as “The Home of Mayaw-Mayaw Festival“. We can watch, dance and celebrate with it every May 10 each year. Mayaw-Mayaw has incorporated all the various elements of the mayaw ritual beginning with the exorcism and ending with the triumphal procession and celebration of the Patrona of Pinabacdao. This dance in its final form is meant to be a cultural showcase for the town and has been performed, in various  cultural and dance festivals in the Province of Samar. It is something worth not only preserving but enhancing as a source of our town’s pride and an expression of its people creativity and artistic talent. It is definitely deserves the support of everybody and especially of the municipal government. Culture is not cheap and requires funds for its nurture and growth.

One of the beautiful tourist destination here in Samar is the Lulugayan Falls in Calbiga (a nearby place of Pinabacdao) which still a beauty to behold. It somehow resembles a small version of Niagara Falls in New York. The water current can really be crazy. That is why they installed a rope for people to hold on when crossing to the other side. The water is not as crystal clear as I expected it to be, but it still has the blue-greenish tinge. Lulugayan Falls is quite famous already in Calbiga. It may be the go-to place for family bonding and get-together by most of the locals in Samar. There are huts and tables for rent at the side of the waterfall. This is not the best like the others, but certainly one of the prettiest cascades you wouldn’t want to miss in visiting Samar.

A nearby spot that people can visit too is the, Langun-Gobingob Caves in the town of Calbiga (more popularly known as Calbiga Cave) in Samar province is the largest cave system in the Philippines. It’s reputed to be the second largest in Asia and the world’s third largest karst formation, measuring 7 km. long with an area of 900 square km. But that doesn’t even begin to describe its vastness.

From the town proper, hopped on motorbikes to the jump-off point in Brgy. Panayuran. Then it is an hour-long hike to the entrance of Calbiga Cave. Halfway there, you will see a viewing deck where you will saw just how massive the cave is.

One of the most exciting parts of this trip is descending down a vertical cliff and rappelling down into a chamber 40 meters below with the aid of climbing ropes.

Another thing that I proudly present is what we called the “Pantalanas” which is a combination of ‘Pantalan or Port’ and ‘Palanas which a place in the proper of Pinabacdao’. This is a new place to unwind, to enjoy, to hangout, to listen an acoustic session and to toast for a drink either with family, friends, relatives and etc. It also conducts here a Reggae night session guested with different local bands to jam and to party with them. It still in a process of beautifying and expanding it to become more attractive place to the people who will visit.

This one is the best part that you shouldn’t missed when visiting Pinabacdao, to try our native and homemade delicacies. I know some of this is not specifically where it originated but we are also making our own version of that delicacies freshly made from Samar. You can buy this one in Calbiga Samar which is a nearby place in Pinabacdao.

Binagol came from the root word “bagol”, a Visayan term that means coconut shell. Inspired by the abundance of coconut trees in our beautiful country, many native delicacies use coconut shells as packaging. Binagol is one of these, a taro root mixture with glutinous rice and nuts that is contained in polished coconut shells called locally as bagol.

Moron is a smoother variety of suman. Chocolate moron is a sweet tasty treat made of glutinous rice or rice flour mix, chocolate, sugar and coconut milk. It is rolled and wrapped in banana leaves then boiled or steamed. Chocolate moron is usually served during special occasions, fiestas, Christmas and New Year.

Suman malagkit (rice cake) with latik (coconut caramel sauce) is one of the most delectable suman you will ever get to taste. Suman is one of the top favorite foods that are made from sticky rice. Aside from this delicious food, other famous treats include biko, bibingka, kutsinta, puto, and the like. 

We also have an upland and lowland rice, corn and root crops which are the major annual crops produced by farmers of Pinabacdao. Coconuts are also intercropped with bananas as permanent crops and recently, farmers are starting to plant ginger too. These crops are both for home consumption and local market.  In spite of the variety of crops being produced.

“EXPLORE THE UNSEEN ADVENTURES AWAITS”