According to legend, the island of
Leyte was once divided into kingdoms or sultanates: :The most powerful sultanate in the island was Dagaran, the sultanate ruled by Diwaranda Mohammed. He had daughter named Sayajamburan who was sought by men everywhere. The nearby kingdoms were Bumbaran and Kahagna, sultanates of King Mapandara and King Mabanig, respectively. King Mapandara had a son named Bantugan who was the commander of his father's army and was sought after by many women because of his strength and good looks. Sayajamaburan was secretly enamored by Bantugan's physical and intellectual prowess. Bantugan has asked of her hand but was refused although he knew he had hopes of winning her in the end. The ruler of Kahagna, King Mabanig, was also a close rival of Bantugan. He was wealthy and got along well with everyone. When Sayajamaburan's father was dying, he chose Bantugan as his daughter's husband. Two days before the scheduled wedding, there was rejoicing everywhere except for King Mabanig who declared war against Bantugan's kingdom. Bantugan came out victorious and the wedding took place. Bumbaran, Dagaran and Kahagna then became one by affinity and conquest. The fusion of the three kingdoms made Dagara more powerful and respected. In 1478, two hundred years after the three sultanates unite into one kingdom, changes took place. Its capital, Dagilan, increased in population. The culture and social life of the kingdom further evolved with the entry of the Chinese and the Hindus. The people engaged in trade both with Asia and Europe. When the
Spanish conquistadors arrived in Leyte in 1521, trade mostly took place in the villages bordering the sea, where Dagilan was located. From 1902 to 1907 the
Pulahanes challenged the American authorities in Leyte, led by Faustino Ablen ("Papa Faustino"), an illiterate peasant who assumed the title of pope. Ablen claimed to have supernatural powers and sold
anting-anting that would render one invisible to the enemy and holy oil that could cure any ailment. In some battles, the Pulahanes managed to deploy five hundred to one thousand men. The government was so alarmed that it offered a 2000 peso reward for Papa Faustino, dead or alive. US Major General
Leonard Wood sent four battalions of the US Army to Leyte to crush the rebellion. On June 11, 1907, a detachment of Philippine Scouts chanced upon four Pulahan fighters and opened fire. Three men escaped, but one was captured. He was Papa Faustino. With his capture, the rebellion in Leyte came to an end. During the second World War, Dagami became one of the major battlegrounds between American and Japanese forces. Its mountain ranges served as cover for the Japanese between their base in Ormoc City as the American forces were advancing during liberation. Hilabago became a major Japanese army base. The U.S. military built an access road to the upland mountain but with traces still visible today.
Division into new towns Dagami became the provincial capital of Leyte when the administration transferred to the interior lands after
Dulag was ransacked and burned down by the Moro pirates which were constantly pillaging coastal towns and villages on Philippine islands. Around this time, the capital of the Spanish colonial government was still in Cebu. Clerico-military was the existing type of government that the Spaniards had imposed during the early period of colonization in the Philippines, with the church providing leadership among local people while the military providing the security aspects on securing the islands. When the Jesuits mission first landed in the Philippines, they were assigned to evangelize the island of Leyte and Samar and were allowed to establish their first rectory in Dagami. As early as 1613, the Jesuits mission established its rectory in what is now the Saint Joseph complex beside the municipal hall complex. This made the town a
cabicera or the equivalent of provincial capital since around that period
Palo and
Tacloban were not existing yet. When the Jesuits were expelled in all dominions of the Spanish crown including the
Philippines, the Augustinian mission which succeeded them transferred and established their mission in
Palo and declared it as a town in 1768. In 1783,
Burauen was carved out from the barrios of Dagami to become a separate town. Burauen used to be a missionary church under the diocese of Dagami. In 1883, the town of
Pastrana was carved out from the barrios of Dagami. Years later, it reverted as part of Dagami in 1893 until it was finally settled as a separate municipality in 1912. In 1953, barangay Tabontabon together with other barangays of Dagami and
Tanauan, were incorporated to constitute a new town of
Tabontabon. In 1957, the barrios of Capahu-an and Guingawan were transferred to the newly founded town of
Tabontabon, which used to be a barangay of Dagami. ==Geography==