Long before the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, Catbalogan was already a settlement known as Katbalaugan, named after a shrub called balaug that thrived along its seashore, sandy banks and the mouth of Antiao River.

In the 1950s, many Catbaloganons—individuals with family roots in Catbalogan City, Samar province—left their homeland to find greener pastures in Metro Manila and other places. Wherever they went, however, they would still find a way to keep in touch and tight-knit Catbaloganon communities were formed where they settled.

This led to the formation of the Katbalaoganon Association of Metro Manila in 1925, eight years after Marta P. Cuna initiated the annual novena in honor of St. Bartholomew’s feast day every 24^th of August.  

The Katbalaoganon Association of Metro Manila (sometimes spelled as “Catbaloganon,” “Katbaloganon” or “Katbalauganon”) was—and still is—a loose organization with no legal identity. While this lack of a formal structure did have its merits (celebrations even continued during the Japanese occupation), it also had some limitations. For one, it was a seasonal gathering for the novena and socials. It is very difficult to gather association “members” for other purposes, and this became evident in the MV Doña Paz tragedy. 

In December 20, 1987, the MT Vector collided with the MV Doña Paz, which was carrying over 4,000 passengers, nearly a thousand of whom were Catbaloganons. The death toll of 4,375 made the tragedy one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in world history.

With the desire to assist the victims of this tragedy, as well as their many other less-fortunate townmates, some concerned Catbaloganons based in Metro Manila organized the Katbalaoganon Foundation, Inc. (KFI) the following year, and became duly registered at the Philippine Stock Exchange Commission on September 2, 1988.  Spearheaded by Ms. Tessie Tomas and Dr. Tito V. Tanseco, the KFI could now formally pool the resources, talents and efforts of well-off Catbaloganons to initiate meaningful activities.

Quite fittingly, KFI’s first project was the construction of the Doña Paz memorial shrine in honor of the victims of the MV Doña Paz tragedy. The structure designed by Anding Villarin was undertaken in coordination with the Parish Council of St. Bartholomew Church and serves as the focal point of the church plaza to this day.

KFI has since changed its name to Katbaloganon Filipinos International Foundation, Inc. and gone on to launch various projects and initiatives for the benefit of Catbaloganons and Samareños.