Sogod, Southern Leyte
The name of the municipality originated from the Cebuano word, "sogod", meaning ""to start."" Founded as a Catholic mission station by the Society of Jesus in 1601, Sogod became a regular municipality on June 10, 1853.
Sogod, Southern Leyte
During the mayoral administration of "Don" Gregorio Leviste (1908-1912), the municipal territory of Sogod comprises the "barrios" of Bontoc, Buac, Concepcion, Consolacion, Gakat, Hipgasan, Libagon, Libas, Maak, Mayuga, Kawayan, Nahulid, Pandan, San Isidro (Malupao), San Miguel (Batang), Sogod "poblacion", Santa Cruz and Union, which were grouped into seven (7) districts. Each district, with its respective "barrios" were under the care of a municipal councilor. Education was the main concern of this period and that the municipal government sent Sotero Toting, Ignacio Chavarria and a person named Sumaya to Tacloban to urge teachers from the capital to teach in Sogod. The first teacher to arrive in Sogod was Pelagia Tibay, who arrived in town on April 1911. On May of the same year, Hugo Rojas and Jesus Pedrosa were the first batch of municipal scholars attending the Leyte Normal School in Tacloban. As the number of school children increases, the town officials saw that the only Gabaldon building of the Sogod Central School, located in the present barangay of Zone I, was too small to house them. The municipal council therefore resolved it by voting to make the municipal hall as transient school building for the students.