Estancia, Iloilo

Estancia (ɛsˈtanʃa), officially the Municipality of Estancia (Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Estancia, Tagalog: Bayan ng Estancia), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 54,882 people. History According to the tradition of the place, Estancia was originally a ranch owned by a wealthy Spaniard named Rodrigo who married a local woman. A more detailed version says that a rich Spaniard named Don Felipe Aguilar bought vast tracts of land in the island of Panay, stretching from Punta Bacay in Dumangas, Iloilo up to Tuang-tuang Kambang Bato between Ibajay and Kalibo, Aklan. Covering the whole of Northern Iloilo, and the entire territory of old Capiz, Don Felipe converted the land into an estancia, which is the Spanish word for "cattle ranch". Estancia is not known for its agricultural products nor livestock but rather for its location as it is adjacent to Carles' impressive marine resources. Estancia has a fish port and a pier - these being one of the most developed in Northern Visayas, a banking industry, cable television, a hospital (adjacent only, that belongs to the Municipality of Balasan) and resorts. Estancia is known around the country as a center for commercial fishing, so much so that it shares to carries the name "Alaska of the Philippines". This reflects back from the early 1900s up to pre-World War II when major commercial fishing activities were within Carles fishing ground and a small portion of Estancia water territory, with bountiful catches, running out a place to process and preserve their catch ended up rotting by beaches. Commercial fishing boats from Cebu, Capiz, Samar, Leyte, Masbate, and Negros came to Carles to fish. As a testament to its location adjacent to Carles' bountiful marine resources. The reason for this is that Carles lies in the Visayan Sea triangle, an imaginary triangle extending from the provinces of Iloilo, Negros, Cebu, Samar, and Masbate. This triangle is a part of the "Sulu-Sulawesi Triangle" of the Sulu Sea and neighboring Indonesia where a large concentration of marine organisms coupled with climate conditions support a massive marine ecosystem. Various commercial species are harvested along Carles' waters, namely mackerel, barracuda, sardines, shad, pompano, grouper, squid, cuttlefish, shrimp, prawns, shells, seaweed and others, these all catch from Carles' water territory and brought to fish ports of Estancia and Bancal, Carles. The method predominantly used are purse seining, trawling and gill netting as these are suited for the relatively shallow waters (up to 60 fathoms) of the Visayan Sea. However, as of recent years, pollution, heavy overfishing, and irresponsible fishing practices have slowly diminished the once abundant fish stocks of Estancia, and now problems like diminishing catches and unpredictable weather are beginning to surface. These factors have raised awareness in the government as well as the private sector and currently an artificial reef is off the shore of Brgy. Paon in an attempt to provide juvenile fish with shelter in hopes of restocking these once populous waters. For now, Estancia is experiencing an influx of investments as Gaisano Grand put up their first mall in the 5th District of Iloilo, also Prince Hypermart and some malls like CityMall shows interest to come in. Geography Estancia is located in the northern part of the province and is 131 kilometres (81 mi) from the provincial capital, Iloilo City, and 66 kilometres (41 mi) from Roxas City. Barangays Estancia is politically subdivided into 25 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. Climate Demographics In the 2024 census, the population of Estancia was 54,882 people, with a density of 1,900 inhabitants per square kilometre or 4,900 inhabitants per square mile. Economy Poverty incidence of Estancia Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Education The Estancia Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools. Primary and elementary schools Secondary schools Higher educational institution Northern Iloilo State University (Main campus) Culture and festivals Estancia celebrates Panagat Festival, its annual municipal festival typically observed either on the 3rd or 4th week of April. It is centered on the bountiful catch of different fish and seafood as well as the local fishermen in the community. The festival highlights the "Sugbanahay sa Panagat" where locals grill different fresh fish and seafood in the main streets for everyone to enjoy, also the coveted crown of "Lin-ay sang Panagat". Apart from its municipal festival, Estancia also annually celebrates its religious town feast on October 7 in honor of its patroness, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary (Our Lady of the Rosary). Natural disasters Typhoon Haiyan Parts of Estancia were heavily damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. The roof of Northern Iloilo State University (NISU: Estancia) was completely torn off. Estancia Central School was also hit by the said typhoon and almost all of the classrooms were totally damaged. The Principal (Dr. Gerry J. Tingson) of the said school with his utmost will is now trying to restore the damages caused by typhoon Haiyan through national and foreign aid. Other parts of the town that suffered damage included the market and the port. Media 90.5 DYSV Radyo Himulat (Subic Broadcasting Corporation) 91.5 Radyo Natin / Hot FM 106.7 Radyo Natin / Hearts FM List of Radio & Television Station in Iloilo References External links Philippine Standard Geographic Code Philippine Standard Geographic Code/ Iloilo/ Estancia Archived 2017-03-08 at the Wayback Machine Philippine Census Information Local Governance Performance Management System Archived 2012-05-09 at the Wayback Machine