Kankabatok

Kankabatok was the earlier name of Tacloban on northeastern Leyte. Local tradition links the name to Kabatok, a settler associated with the shore of Cancabato Bay. The later name Tarakluban referred to the taklub, a bamboo device used to catch crabs, shrimps and fish, and eventually developed into Tacloban. These remembered names connect the town’s origins with its working waterfront.

Its establishment as a Spanish municipality is traditionally dated to 1770, around the arrival of Augustinian missionaries. The port developed into an important point of exchange between Leyte and Samar, and in 1830 Tacloban was selected as Leyte’s capital.