Basey is a municipality in the province of Samar, Philippines. According to the census of 2000, it has a population of 43,809 people in 9,013 households.
The town's name is pronounced "Basai or Basay", not "basEY. This mispronunciation was propagated by American soldiers in the early days of the American colonial period. There is no "ey" sound in Waray. Basay is from the Waray word "mabaisai," meaning beautiful. Basay is said to be the Leyte's capital during the American period. It is the current record holder of the world's longest mat ("banig"), which is presented in the Guinness Book of World Records.
