Six legislators are pushing the creation of a Samar Island Region (SIR) seen as a key to jumpstart the island’s growth and development.
The group jointly filed House Bill No. 4218 which seeks to declare Samar Island as a distinct administrative region, separate from Eastern Visayas.
The group is led by Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan who previously represented the lone congressional district of Eastern Samar.
He is joined by Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales, Samar First District Rep. Stephen James Tan, Samar Second District Rep. Reynolds Michael Tan, Northern Samar First District Rep. Niko Raul Daza, and Northern Samar Second District Rep. Edwin Marino Ongchuan.
“This is not just an administrative measure — this is a matter of justice. For centuries, Samar has been left behind despite its enormous potential,” Libanan said in a statement.
“The Samar Island Region will finally allow Samarnons to oversee their own development, with government truly within reach of our people,” he added.
Samar, which is the country’s third-largest island, is composed of the three provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar (formerly Western Samar).
Despite its rich natural resources, vast coastlines, and proud history, the island’s progress was quite slow, with residents often forced to travel to Tacloban City in neighboring Leyte province to access basic national government services.
The bill’s authors stressed that establishing the Samar Island Region would bring government closer to the people, enable faster delivery of services, and provide the institutional focus needed to spur rapid infrastructure development, economic growth, and jobs creation.
The measure also underscores Samar’s deep historical significance, being the site of Magellan’s first landfall in the Philippines and home to historic uprisings against Spanish and American colonizers.
Once enacted, the Samar Island Region will become the country’s 19th administrative region, bringing national government presence directly to Samar’s more than 1.9 million residents, the proponents said.
