Along the strip of fertile coast, our forefathers founded this community which assumed the role of cabeceria of all the municipalities in the northwestern side of leyte. The pueblo was originally named Hinablayan. There were yet no streets in those days, only trails and mountain paths, big trees and wild games. Fish, sea shells and other marine products abounded. People fished along the shore with arrows tied to vines. They just threw them to schools of fish along the coast and pulled them with fish already hooked. That was life in the early days of our town.

However, such a settlement so well-endowed by nature attracted not only hardworking migrants but also fierce Moro raiders from the south. Legends tells that local defenders use to hang on tree branches the dead bodies of the Moros, so that tha place come to be known as Hinablayan.

The legend continues that when the Spaniards came they saw floating at the bay a cluster (pong pong) of mangrove propagules locally known as " Tungki" they have decided to change the name of Hinablayan to Paungpung which gradually evolved into what is now Palompon, after that beautifull cluster of mangrove propagules to erase the bloody memory of the Moro raiders. It is said that cluster later got stuck to the shoal until they grew up as trees, forming an islet which is tabuk today.

In 1737, Jesuit missionaries arrived and built the first chapel which was later burned during a Moro raid. It was rebuilt and as a refuge from attack the chapel was enclosed with piled stones, with a " cota" along the frontage. When the people saw Moro vintas coming, the big church bell would ring the alarm and people rushed inside the church, fighting back with bows and arrows and spears.

At the time Palompon was under the parish of Hilongos. The parish priest visited the place occasionally for marriage, baptism and masses.

The Jesuit, later succeded by the Agustinians, built the present church with 300 natives. It was a forced labor without pay. If one or some of the laborers were unable to work, they were substituted by others just to maintain the quota every day for the next thirty years. The structure soon became a great landmark towering over the settlement of Palompon, reputed to be the oldest church in Leyte. On november 12, 1784 Palompon obtained its parochial independence from Hilongos.

DISTANCE

Palompon is 124 Kilometer (road distance) from Tacloban City, the provincial capital of Leyte, 66 Kilometers from Ormoc City, the commercial growth center of the western coast of Leyte province and 72 nautical miles from Cebu City.

BOUNDARIES

Palompon lies approximately at north latitude between 10 degress 55 minutes and 11 degrees 07 minutes and east longtitude between 124 degrees 22 minutes and 123 degrees 29 minutes. It is bounded in the north by municipality of Villaba and Matag-ob, in the east by Ormoc City and Merida, in the south by Isabel and in the west by the Camotes Sea.

LAND AREA

The land area of Palompon is 128.46 Kilometers, or 12,845.58 hectares. The municipality has fifty (50) barangays, ten (10) of which, are poblacion barangays of an area of approximately two square kilometers. The other (40) barangays are distributed along the coastline and the interior rural and mountainous areas.