Sablayan

Sablayan (Tagalog pronunciation: [sɐ'blajan]), officially the Municipality of Sablayan (Tagalog: Bayan ng Sablayan), is a municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 91,406 people. History The town used to be called Dongon, a coastal village located currently at Barangay San Nicolas. The first accounts of the baptism of the locals under the Recollects were recorded in 1670. By 1749, Dongon became the biggest pueblo in the whole island of Mindoro in terms of population. In 1754, the Moro pirates started attacking the town, and almost every year thereafter, until in 1791 when the Moros effectively wiped out the whole population from more than 600 inhabitants to less than 98 people. In 1814, the inhabitants of Dongon gradually transferred to the village of Sablayan, until Dongon ceased to become a village in 1829. In 1832, the missionary friar Simeon Mendoza de la V. de Ibernalo requested the Spanish government for the exemption of the town's inhabitants from paying taxes so that they could build a stone church, convent and fort at a hilly part of the village. The church that stands today at the town may have been built from 1832 to 1835, and its advocacy was placed under San Sebastian. In 2026, the town was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. Geography Sablayan has a total land area of 2,188.80 square kilometers, making it the largest municipality in the Philippines. The Apo Reef, North and South Pandan Islands, and a portion of Mounts Iglit–Baco National Park are part of its jurisdiction. Sablayan Penal Colony, the Philippines' largest penal facility with sprawling lot of 16,190 hectares (40,000 acres) is also located in this municipality. Sablayan is located in the central part of Occidental Mindoro. It is bounded to the north by the municipality of Santa Cruz and the municipalities of Baco, Naujan, Victoria and Socorro all in Oriental Mindoro province; to the east by the municipalities of Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong and Mansalay also in Oriental Mindoro; to the south by the municipality of Calintaan; and to the west by the Mindoro Strait. Sablayan is 87 kilometres (54 mi) from Mamburao. Barangays Sablayan is politically subdivided into 22 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios. In 1957 the following barrios were renamed: Batasan to Claudio Salgado, Hinaya to Buhay na Bato (Batong Buhay) and Iriron to San Isidro. Climate Demographics Economy Poverty incidence of Sablayan Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Tourism Pinagpalang Lagusan sa Bakawanan On April 15, 2024, second placer, Sablayan's Mayor Walter B. Marquez received the P20 million award from the Department of Tourism's Tourism Champions Challenge, for the development of "Pinagpalang Lagusan sa Bakawanan" (Mangrove Forest park). The tourist attraction is a 12-hectare biodiversity with 925-meter mangrove nature conservation boardwalk. Government List of former chief executives Culture Held once a year the Dugoy Festival is a celebration of the Mangyan culture. Education There are Sablayan schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools. These are the Sablayan North Schools District, and Sablayan South Schools District. Primary and elementary schools Secondary schools References External links Sablayan Profile at PhilAtlas.com Philippine Standard Geographic Code Philippine Census Information Local Governance Performance Management System Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine