Matuguinao
| Matuguinao | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Matuguinao | |
|  Forest in Matuguinao | |
|  Flag | |
|  Map of Samar with Matuguinao highlighted | |
| OpenStreetMap | |
| .svg.png)  Matuguinao Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 12°09′N 124°53′E / 12.15°N 124.88°E | |
| Country | Philippines | 
| Region | Eastern Visayas | 
| Province | Samar | 
| District | 1st district | 
| Founded | June 19, 1965 | 
| Barangays | 20 (see Barangays) | 
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan | 
| • Mayor | Aran D. Boller | 
| • Vice Mayor | Cleofe D. Belonio | 
| • Representative | Stephen James Tan | 
| • Councilors | List | 
| • Electorate | 6,241 voters (2025) | 
| Area | |
|  • Total | 172.51 km2 (66.61 sq mi) | 
| Elevation | 188 m (617 ft) | 
| Highest elevation | 754 m (2,474 ft) | 
| Lowest elevation | 14 m (46 ft) | 
| Population  (2024 census)[3] | |
|  • Total | 7,708 | 
| • Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) | 
| • Households | 1,545 | 
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 5th municipal income class | 
| • Poverty incidence | 42.56 | 
| • Revenue | ₱ 125.2 million (2022) | 
| • Assets | ₱ 288.6 million (2022) | 
| • Expenditure | ₱ 108.2 million (2022) | 
| • Liabilities | ₱ 150.4 million (2022) | 
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Samar 1 Electric Cooperative (SAMELCO 1) | 
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) | 
| ZIP code | 6708 | 
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)55 | 
| Native languages | Waray Tagalog | 
Matuguinao, officially the Municipality of Matuguinao (Waray: Bungto han Matuguinao; Tagalog: Bayan ng Matuguinao), is a municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 7,364 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province.[5]
Etymology
Matuguinao or Matugnaw is a Waray-Waray word that literally means cold.
History

Matuguinao was named as a municipal district of Gandara in the year 1948 to 1960. By virtue of Republic Act No. 4221, which divided the old province of Samar, it was later converted into a municipality and a part of the newly established province of Western Samar (now Samar) in 1965.[6][7]
Geography
Barangays
Matuguinao is politically subdivided into 20 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Climate
| Climate data for Matuguinao | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | 
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 29 (85) | 
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21 (70) | 21 (70) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 72 (2.8) | 52 (2.0) | 65 (2.6) | 62 (2.4) | 87 (3.4) | 129 (5.1) | 153 (6.0) | 124 (4.9) | 147 (5.8) | 157 (6.2) | 139 (5.5) | 117 (4.6) | 1,304 (51.3) | 
| Average rainy days | 17.4 | 13.4 | 16.8 | 18.0 | 22.0 | 25.3 | 26.2 | 24.2 | 24.9 | 26.0 | 23.3 | 20.8 | 258.3 | 
| Source: Meteoblue[8] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. | 
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 896 | — | 
| 1948 | 2,216 | +10.58% | 
| 1960 | 1,818 | −1.64% | 
| 1970 | 2,198 | +1.91% | 
| 1975 | 3,942 | +12.43% | 
| 1980 | 5,020 | +4.95% | 
| 1990 | 3,819 | −2.70% | 
| 1995 | 5,205 | +5.97% | 
| 2000 | 5,361 | +0.64% | 
| 2007 | 6,589 | +2.89% | 
| 2010 | 6,746 | +0.86% | 
| 2015 | 7,288 | +1.48% | 
| 2020 | 7,364 | +0.22% | 
| 2024 | 7,708 | +1.10% | 
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[9][10][11][12][13] | ||
Economy
Poverty incidence of Matuguinao
| 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000  72.16 2003  81.35 2006  64.20 2009  57.48 2012  51.78 2015  60.26 2018  39.77 2021  42.56 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] | 
Infrastructure
- Water and sanitation
- Water is abundant in this town, with cold and hot water sources.
- Solid Waste Management
- Garbage are being collected here manually by a karitilya. It is dumped on its garbage dumpsite along the provincial road going to Matuguinao and after barangay Barruz.
References
- ^ Municipality of Matuguinao | (DILG)
- ^ "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ "Matuguinao Executive Summary" (PDF). Commission on Audit. 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
- ^ Republic Act No. 4221 (June 19, 1965), An Act Creating the Provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Western Samar, Chan Robles Virtual Law Library, retrieved October 13, 2024
- ^ "Matuguinao: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ^ Census of Population (2015). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VIII (Eastern Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
- ^ "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
- ^ "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
- ^ "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
- ^ "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
- ^ "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
- ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.




