MUNICIPAL PROFILE

The municipality of San Jorge is divided into forty-one (41) barangays.  There are three (3) urban barangays (Poblacion), eight (8) barangays along national highway, eleven (11) along provincial road and nineteen (19) in the rural areas.

GEOGRAPHY

LOCATION

The municipality of San Jorge, Samar is located 125°49'00" north latitude and 12°01'11" east longitude along the national highway 32 kilometers away from the capital town of Catbalogan and approximately 36 kilometers from the city of Calbayog. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Gandara with a distance of 6 kilometers, on the southwest by the municipalities of Catbalogan and Tarangnan, on the east by San Jose de Buan and on the west by the municipality of Pagsanghan.

TOTAL AREA

Based on the result of the 1994 (LDAP/RPTA) Local Development Assistance Program/Real Property Tax Assessment Project installation (Tax Mapping) in the municipality which was implemented by the Municipal Assessor's Office, the total land area of the municipality is 40,369.57 hectares.

LAND USE

CLIMATE

San Jorge belongs to type 4 climate, generally characterized as no dry season but a very pronounced maximum rainfall from the month of November to January. Usually summer time is experienced during the months of March, April and May.

TOPOGRAPHY

An examination of the topographic map, it could be seen that the municipality of San Jorge is considerably mountainous. It is broken by steep slopes forming into water shades of rivers, brooks and creeks. The highest elevation of the municipality is 500 meters above mean sea level.

Some portion of the land lies rolling hills. Others are formed into plateau and some into flat lands. The municipality has many rivers and creeks distributed evenly in the whole area which is potentially a good drainage system and a vital requirement for agricultural production.

FOREST RESOURCES

The forest resources of the municipality are timber, guano and minerals (Coal and Aluminum).

AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL

Rainfall distribution in the municipality can be considered as irregular now a days as far as the rice-farming is concern.  Although it does not bother farmers to continue their farm activities.

WATER RESOURCES

San Jorge is traversed and cut into almost half, east to west, by the Gandara River. Branching out from the Gandara River southwest towards the municipalities of Tarangnan and Catbalogan are the Sapinit River and the Buenavista River.

It can be noted that the municipality has many rivers and creeks, more or less distributed evenly throughout the whole area except Barangay Calundan which is located southwest of the municipality.

These rivers and creeks if harnessed can serve the irrigation requirements of rice land and an adequate supply of potable water.

MOUNTAINS (Slopes)

The municipality of San Jorge is considerably mountainous and it is characterized by the presence of five major terrain categories, namely: 

1. Slope of 0‑3% which is described as broad area of level to nearly level land comprising 10.90% of the total land area of the municipality;
2. Slope of 3%‑8% which is described as gently sloping area with land sloping in one general direction to gently undulating and gently rolling land sloping in more than one general direction and comprising 13.94% of the total land area of the municipality;
3. Slope of 8%‑15% which is described as moderately undulating and rolling land sloping in many direction that comprised a land area of 14.64% of the total land area of the municipality;
4. Slope of 15%‑30% which is describe as steeply undulating and rolling land sloping in many directions with land area of 45.93% of the total land area of the municipality; and
5. Slope of 30%-50% which is describe as a very steeply sloping land in many directions to many mountainous and hilly areas and comprising 14.59% of the total land area of the municipality.

SOIL

Based on the data of the Bureau of Soils, Region VIII, Tacloban City, there are four (4) major soil types, predominant is the Catbalogan Clay Loam which accounts for 47.97% of the total municipal land area followed by the Paraon Clay Loam which is 41.67% of the total municipal land area, San Miguel Clay Loam which is 7.40% of the total municipal land area and the Bigaa Loam which occupies the smallest land area of 2.96% of the total land area of the municipality.

SURFACE DRAINAGE

San Jorge is traversed and cut into almost half, east to west, by the Gandara River.  Branching out from the Gandara River southwest towards the municipalities of Tarangnan and Catbalogan are the Sapinit River and the Buenavista River.

It can be noted that the municipality has many rivers and creeks, more or less distributed evenly throughout the whole area except Barangay Calundan which is located southwest of the municipality.

These rivers and creeks if harnessed can serve the irrigation requirements of rice land and an adequate supply of potable water.

GEOLOGY

Sometime in 1970, aluminum was prospected by Reynolds Aluminum Philippines, Incorporated in the Barangays of Matalud, Tomogbong, Moboob, Cagtotoog and Bianca Aurora.

Quarrying is located at Barangays Buenavista, Himay and Blanca Aurora. Its sand and gravel can supply the infrastructure projects of the municipality and the neighboring municipalities including Catbalogan.

According to the Multi‑Year (Human Settlements) Plan 1978‑2000, there are two types of bedrock foundation in the municipality namely:

1.      Marly limestone and a poorly consolidated sediments; and

2.      Metamorphosed rocks, volcanic and highly crystallized rocks.

On the same source, it is also noted that the municipality is almost traversed by a fault line.

EROSION POTENTIALS

There are around 14.59% of the total land area is classified as very severely eroded, 45.93% severely eroded, 14.64% considered moderately eroded, 13.94% slightly eroded and 10.90% of the total land area have no apparent erosion.

This can be attributed to the steepness of the slopes in the municipality which contribute to the higher percentage of erosion.

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