at Barangay Guinsaugon in 2006 Saint Bernard traces its roots to the largest barrio of
Cabalian, then known as "Himatagon".
Governor Bernardo Torres of
Leyte, which then encompassed Cabalian, facilitated the conversion of the area into an independent municipality due to the persistent demands of the local inhabitants for separation from Cabalian, later gaining the recommendation of the
Leyte Provincial Board. Finally, on December 9, 1954, President
Ramon Magsaysay issued Executive Order No. 84, excising Himatagon and 18 other barrios from Cabalian to form the municipality of Saint Bernard. On May 22, 1959, Saint Bernard became part of the newly established province of
Southern Leyte, effective July 1, 1960. On February 17, 2006, a
tragic series of mudslides killed over 1,100 residents in Barangay Guinsaugon, in the northern part of the town. Affected families received aid from the Philippine government and other non-government organizations from around the world. Guinsaugon got buried as the result of the mudslides and thus New Guinsaugon was built close from the original site. ==Geography==