# Jomalig

Jomalig (Tagalog pronunciation: hoo-MAH-leeg), officially the Municipality of Jomalig (Tagalog: Bayan ng Jomalig), is a municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 7,667 people.
It is the least populated municipality in the province. It is part of the Polillo Islands.

## Etymology

Although many old Jomaligins (its locals) do not know or cannot remember where Jomalig derived its name, there are a few old residents, one of those who usually recites the history of Jomalig during the inaugural remembrance every 18th day of June coinciding with the Culture and Art Day, is the Local History Secondary Teacher Mrs. Tessie Basto and, the Local Civil Registrar, Mrs. Bernadette Cuevas who still remember the legend from their ancestors. According on the story, "There was a Datu who lived on the island and had a beautiful daughter. A young man from a neighboring island wanted to marry the princess but Datu didn't agree with it. The Datu said that he would only give his daughter if the young man could roam the island in just one day and successfully shoot three fish in every pond on the island. The young man took the Datu's challenge. After he roamed the island, he almost finished the marathon, but in the end, failed to do so because he nearly died. He arrived at the finish line hopelessly and at this point, he requested the princess to kiss him as the only reward he could receive. The people in the island witnessed what happened she kissed the young man and they shouted: "Humalik" ("They kissed") in Tagalog language from that time on, the people on the island named it "Humalik". Many years later, Humalik became Jomalig. Many old residents say that the Americans changed the name when they conquered the Philippines.

## History

Jomalig Island was previously part of the adjacent town of Polillo. Because of the geographical location of Jomalig, the district found it difficult to be recognized and established which further contributed to its slow development. It was only in the year 1952 when Jomalig, Quezon was subdivided for agricultural and residential lots, as sponsored by Polillo Mayor Mamerto Azarias and the Municipal Council.
Only through the inauguration by then-Congressman Manuel S. Enverga (Quezon–1st) did the civic leaders geared towards self-reliance. It instigated them towards development in agriculture and with this, many people from the Bicol Region migrated for richer pastures and an uplifted livelihood.
On June 18, 1961, Jomalig Island was separated from Polillo to become a separate municipal district by virtue of Republic Act No. 3372. Originally spelled as Jumalig, it comprised four barrios: Bucal, Casuguran, Gango, and Talisoy.

## Geography

Jomalig Island is about 75 nautical miles (139 km) southeast of Polillo Islands. Mostly, the land of Jomalig is cultivated for agricultural land use. Most of the inhabitants of this island depend on coconut products, rice, fish and other root crops. Considered one of the smallest and farthest island municipalities of Quezon Province, its land area is at 5,665 hectares (14,000 acres). Some of its lands have been alienated and dedicated land is mostly coconut land, of which there is 3,104.0 hectares (7,670 acres), with 2,605 hectares (6,440 acres) being forests, swamps and grassland.
The inhabitants of this municipality originate from different ethnic groups similar to those of Eastern Samar, Bohol, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte and mostly from Quezon Province.

### Barangays

Jomalig is politically subdivided into 5 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* Apad
* Bukal
* Casuguran
* Gango
* Talisoy (Poblacion)

### Climate

Climate data for Jomalig, Quezon :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26 (79) | 27 (81) | 29 (84) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 51 (2.0) | 35 (1.4) | 37 (1.5) | 39 (1.5) | 91 (3.6) | 131 (5.2) | 168 (6.6) | 132 (5.2) | 162 (6.4) | 184 (7.2) | 166 (6.5) | 101 (4.0) | 1,297 (51.1) |
| Average rainy days | 13.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 19.8 | 24.1 | 26.7 | 25.1 | 25.3 | 23.9 | 21.2 | 17.6 | 231.4 |
| Source: Meteoblue ||||||||||||||

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Jomalig
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 50
* 60
* 70
* 80
* 2006 74.90
* 2009 38.95
* 2012 57.62
* 2015 45.50
* 2018 25.77
* 2021 12.79
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority