Bataraza

Bataraza, officially the Municipality of Bataraza (Tagalog: Bayan ng Bataraza), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,439 people making it the second most populous city/town in Palawan (after Puerto Princesa).^[3]

Bataraza Bayan ng Bataraza
Municipality
Municipality of Bataraza
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  Pineapple Capital of Palawan, Tip of the Isle
Map of Palawan with Bataraza highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Bataraza Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 8°40′N 117°37′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Mimaropa
Province	Palawan
District	2nd district
Founded	January 1, 1964
Named for	Bataraza Narrazid
Barangays	22 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Abraham M. Ibba
• Vice Mayor	Johnmain A. Jaafar
• Representative	Jose Alvarez
• Municipal Council	Members Al-Shariff W. Ibba Laurence P. Amores McDonald R. Saiyo Gomer L. Miano John Emmer S. Gamo Yusa I. Musa Eddie N. Sagun Lexandy B. Usop
• Electorate	53,833 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	726.20 km2 (280.39 sq mi)
Elevation	55 m (180 ft)
Highest elevation	614 m (2,014 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	85,439
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
• Households	21,294
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	31.09 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 483.4 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 1,723 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 381.9 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5306
PSGC	1705305000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)48
Native languages	Molbog Palawano Tagalog

Etymology

The town was named after Datu Bataraza Narrazid who served as the father of the town. He was a locally influential Muslim chieftain and father of the town's first mayor and former mayor of Brooke's Point, then Datu Sapiodin Narrazid.

History

The area that forms the present-day Bataraza was previously part of the municipality of Brooke's Point. On June 18, 1961, the barrios of Bonobono, Bulalacao, Buliluyan, Culandanum, Igang-Igang, Inogbong, Iwahig, Malihud, Malitub, Marangas, Ocayan, Puring, Rio Tuba, Sandoval, Sarong, Sapa, Sumbiling, Tabud, Tagnato, Tagolango, Taratak, and Tarusan were separated from Brooke's Point and constituted into a new municipality known as Batarasa, by virtue of Republic Act No. 3425.^[5] The law took effect on January 1, 1964, following the election of its first municipal officials in November 1963.^[6]

Geography

Bataraza is located on the southernmost tip of Palawan Island, 218 kilometres (135 mi) from Puerto Princesa City. It has total land area of 957 km² (369 sq mi).

Bataraza is situated some 775 kilometers (480 mi) south-west of Manila, between roughly 8.3 and 8.75 degrees latitude north of the equator. It stretches approximately 80 kilometers (50 mi) in north-easterly to south-westerly direction along the Sulu Sea, from the Malis River to Cape Buliluyan in the south. On the western side, it extends up to Wangly River.

It is bounded in the east by the Sulu Sea, in the west by a great mountain range, extending from Mount Mantalingahan (the highest peak of the province) to Mount Malitub, which serves as the divider between Bataraza and Rizal, and in the south-west by the South China Sea.

Barangays

Bataraza is politically subdivided into 22 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Bono-Bono
• Bulalacao
• Buliluyan
• Culandanum
• Igang-Igang
• Inogbong
• Iwahig
• Malihud
• Malitub
• Marangas (Poblacion)
• Ocayan
• Puring
• Rio Tuba
• Sandoval
• Sapa
• Sarong
• Sumbiling
• Tabud
• Tagnato
• Tagolango
• Taratak
• Tarusan (Bulosan)

Rio Tuba is one of the populated barangays of Bataraza and known for its nickel mineral reserves. The primary mine site of Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation is located within its jurisdiction.^{[citation needed]}

Climate

Climate data for Bataraza, Palawan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	30 (86)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (76)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	64 (2.5)	55 (2.2)	90 (3.5)	93 (3.7)	169 (6.7)	215 (8.5)	206 (8.1)	181 (7.1)	190 (7.5)	219 (8.6)	182 (7.2)	115 (4.5)	1,779 (70.1)
Average rainy days	13.1	15.1	17.3	19.4	26.8	26.8	27.8	26.9	27.1	28.3	25.4	20.1	274.1
Source: Meteoblue[7]

Demographics

Population census of Bataraza

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1970 10,176 —     1975 15,510 +8.82% 1980 17,973 +2.99% 1990 29,142 +4.95% 1995 33,303 +2.53%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2000 41,458 +4.81% 2007 53,430 +3.56% 2010 63,644 +6.57% 2015 75,468 +3.30% 2020 85,439 +2.47%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11]

In the 2020 census, the population of Bataraza was 85,439 people,^[3] with a density of 120 inhabitants per square kilometre or 310 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Bataraza

10 20 30 40 50 2006 44.20 2009 27.49 2012 30.58 2015 40.34 2018 15.29 2021 31.09 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Main industries of Bataraza includes farming, fishing, and nickel mining and processing.

Culture

The Molbog people dominate the municipality of Bataraza, as well as the municipality of Balabac in the south. The area constitute the homeland of the Molbog people since the classical era prior to Spanish colonization. The Molbog are known to have a strong connection with the natural world, especially with the sacred pilandok (Philippine mouse-deer), which can only be found in the Balabac islands. A Muslim tale tells the Philippine mouse-deer once tricked a prince into giving up his bag of gold and facing a hive of angry bees.^[20] Another tale depicts him as a clever guardian of the environment, using his wisdom as an advantage against those who destroy forests, seas, and wildlife.^[21] The coconut is especially important in Molbog culture at it is their most prized agricultural crop.^[22]

References

1.  Municipality of Bataraza | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. Census of Population (2020). "Mimaropa". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
4. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
5. Republic Act No. 3426 (June 18, 1961), An Act Creating the Municipality of Batarasa in the Province of Palawan, The Corpus Juris, retrieved September 22, 2023
6. "Bataraza" (PDF). Provincial Government of Palawan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
7. "Bataraza: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
8. Census of Population (2015). "Region IV-B (Mimaropa)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
9. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region IV-B (Mimaropa)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
10. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region IV-B (Mimaropa)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
11. "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
12. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
13. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
14. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
15. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
16. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
17. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
18. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
19. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
20. "Tales of Laughter - Pilandok and the Sumusong-sa-Alongan". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
21. "Pilandok Series by Virgilio S. Almario".
22. "National Commission for Culture and the Arts".

External links

• Bataraza Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System