# Maluso

Maluso, officially the Municipality of Maluso (Tausūg: Dai'rah Lupah Maluso; Chavacano: Municipalidad de Maluso; Tagalog: Bayan ng Maluso), is a municipality in the province of Basilan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 45,730 people.
It is geographically situated in the Province of Basilan, on the southwestern part of the island, in close vicinity to Sulu group and Banguingui Isles, making it the third most populous town after Isabela City and Lamitan City, in terms of people living in semi-urban areas. Maluso has beautiful beaches, rivers and dynamic mangrove areas, and also home to different ethnolinguistic tribes such as Yakan, Iranun, Banguingui and Tausug, peaceably living with kolono groups from different parts of Luzon and Visayas who migrated during the commonwealth era, mostly settled permanently later on. Maluso is one of the core member of Western Basilan Alliance, a group of five municipalities consisted of Maluso, Hji. Muhtamad, Lantawan, Sumisip and Tabuan-Lasa LGUs, sponsored and capacitated by the Spanish government aid agency AECID-funded "MILAB 2" Project, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Basilan.
On July 1, 2022, it launched its own Flagship program dubbed as “Marayaw Maluso: Peace and Eco-Tourism Hub of Southern Philippines", primarily focused on three major key areas of peace, environment and tourism. Maluso is home to Maluso River, locally known as “Subah Maluso”, historically tied with its humble beginnings centuries ago, and a known source of freshwater from European sailors and adventurers of the past.

## Geography
### Barangays

Maluso is politically subdivided into 20 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
| PSGC | Barangay | Population | Population | Population | ±% p.a. | ±% p.a. |
| | | 2020 | 2020 | 2010 | | |
| 150704001 | Abong-Abong | 2.1% | 965 | 846 | ▴ | 1.32% |
| 150704002 | Batungal | 2.6% | 1,207 | 924 | ▴ | 2.71% |
| 150704003 | Calang Canas | 6.3% | 2,862 | 1,101 | ▴ | 10.02% |
| 150704016 | Fuente Maluso | 2.6% | 1,185 | 1,261 | ▾ | −0.62% |
| 150704004 | Gaunan North (Zone I) | 2.4% | 1,079 | 1,089 | ▾ | −0.09% |
| 150704005 | Gaunan South (Zone II) | 2.9% | 1,336 | 1,202 | ▴ | 1.06% |
| 150704006 | Limbubong | 2.1% | 976 | 1,220 | ▾ | −2.21% |
| 150704007 | Mahayahay Lower (Zone I) | 1.3% | 595 | 671 | ▾ | −1.19% |
| 150704019 | Mahayahay Upper (Zone II) | 2.7% | 1,252 | 1,112 | ▴ | 1.19% |
| 150704008 | Muslim Area | 1.1% | 509 | 440 | ▴ | 1.47% |
| 150704009 | Port Holland Zone I Poblacion (Upper) | 8.3% | 3,784 | 3,171 | ▴ | 1.78% |
| 150704010 | Port Holland Zone II Poblacion (Shipyard Main) | 5.8% | 2,649 | 2,436 | ▴ | 0.84% |
| 150704011 | Port Holland Zone III Poblacion (Samal Village) | 9.9% | 4,532 | 3,417 | ▴ | 2.86% |
| 150704012 | Port Holland Zone IV (Lower) | 12.8% | 5,834 | 3,355 | ▴ | 5.69% |
| 150704020 | Port Holland Zone V (Shipyard Tabuk) | 4.5% | 2,054 | 1,444 | ▴ | 3.59% |
| 150704015 | Taberlongan | 4.1% | 1,855 | 2,046 | ▾ | −0.98% |
| 150704017 | Tamuk | 2.1% | 976 | 1,008 | ▾ | −0.32% |
| 150704013 | Townsite (Poblacion) | 10.9% | 4,993 | 4,820 | ▴ | 0.35% |
| 150704018 | Tubigan | 3.1% | 1,424 | 1,649 | ▾ | −1.46% |
| 150704021 | Upper Garlayan | 1.3% | 579 | 591 | ▾ | −0.20% |
| | Total | Total | 45,730 | 33,803 | ▴ | 3.07% |

### Climate

Climate data for Maluso, Basilan :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 26 (79) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 104 (4.1) | 71 (2.8) | 87 (3.4) | 96 (3.8) | 206 (8.1) | 262 (10.3) | 272 (10.7) | 264 (10.4) | 181 (7.1) | 240 (9.4) | 192 (7.6) | 109 (4.3) | 2,084 (82) |
| Average rainy days | 14.3 | 12.8 | 14.3 | 14.2 | 21.8 | 23.3 | 24.1 | 24.0 | 19.7 | 21.8 | 19.4 | 15.4 | 225.1 |
| Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2020 census, Maluso had a population of 45,730. The population density was 270 inhabitants per square kilometre (700/sq mi).

## Economy

Poverty Incidence of Maluso
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 50
* 60
* 70
* 80
* 2003 39.90
* 2006 48.00
* 2009 39.16
* 2012 37.52
* 2015 48.70
* 2018 72.75
* 2021 59.80
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Notable people

* Indanan Kasim Daud, politician and Maluso mayor in Basilan (2010–13)