Hilongos
Hilongos (IPA: [hɪ'lɔŋos]), officially the Municipality of Hilongos (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Hilongos; Waray: Bungto han Hilongos; Tagalog: Bayan ng Hilongos), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,514 people.
Hilongos | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Municipality of Hilongos | |
Immaculate Conception Parish Church | |
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Flag Seal | |
Map of Leyte with Hilongos highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap | |
Hilongos Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 10°22′N 124°45′E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Eastern Visayas |
| Province | Leyte |
| District | 5th district |
| Founded | 1590 (Pueblo de los Hilongos) |
| Barangays | 51 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Manuel R. Villahermosa |
| • Vice Mayor | Albert R. Villahermosa |
| • Representative | Carl Nicolas C. Cari |
| • Councilors | List |
| • Electorate | 43,424 voters (2022) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 192.92 km2 (74.49 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 88 m (289 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,133 m (3,717 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Total | 64,514 |
| • Density | 330/km2 (870/sq mi) |
| • Households | 15,918 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 2nd municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 26.05 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 215.5 million (2020) |
| • Assets | ₱ 812.4 million (2020) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 269.9 million (2020) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 110.5 million (2020) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Leyte 4 Electric Cooperative (LEYECO 4) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 6524 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)53 |
| Native languages | Cebuano Tagalog |
Hilongos is the biggest municipality in terms of income, population and land area in the southwestern part of Leyte. A string of five equidistant municipalities, namely Inopacan, Hindang, Hilongos, Bato and Matalom comprises the southwestern part of Leyte. Hilongos, being at the geographical center, is also the center for government, religion, shipping, rice production, commerce, banking, finance, telecommunications, health services, education, sports and socio-cultural activities.
The Port of Hilongos is one of the biggest and busiest in Eastern Visayas (Region 8), well known for its good passenger and cargo services to Cebu City and vice versa. Due to its strategic location and close proximity to the city of Cebu, Hilongos Port caters quite a number of day and night trips to and from the city and is the primary choice for travelers especially from the southern part of Leyte. Also, Hilongos has an airport, which can be more helpful and useful if improved (for so many years, travelers from the southern part of Leyte need to go as far as Tacloban and or Cebu just to avail the services of commercial airlines). Hilongos has 2 public markets and two 2 transport terminals. The municipality is composed of 51 barangays with vast coastal plains used mainly in the production of rice.