Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay

Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay
Ipil, officially the Municipality of Ipil (Jawi: ايڠد نو ايڤل Chavacano: Municipalidad de Ipil), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 89,401 people. Ipil is the most populous municipality of Zamboanga Sibugay, and the second most populous in Region IX after Sindangan.
Ipil Airport is located at Barangay Sanito, along the Pan Philippine Highway, and it is the only airport in Zamboanga Sibugay.
History
Ipil used to be known as Sanito, a place under barrio Bacalan under the Municipality of Kabasalan. It was a swampy area and a docking spot for pioneering Ilocanos who settled in the upper areas of Titay. Ipil was a jumping point for their lantsa sailing to Zamboanga City. The first mayor of Ipil was Gregorio Dar, an Ilocano who came from Titay. The Dar Family were the second batch of Ilocanos who settled upon the invitation of Mariano Families who are among the first batch of Ilocanos from Luzon. When Sanito became a Town in 1949, its name was changed to Ipil, as there were many Ipil trees found within the said locale.
Early Ilocano routes
The first Ilocanos used Ipil as the nearest jump point in connecting Titay with Zamboanga City. They would walk via Lumbia then to Longilog then Gabo reaching Mayabang their original settlement. It was this route that they do not have to cross the rivers as it is uphill. It was the Ilocanos who first set foot on these areas.Mayabang came from the first Tagalog settlers who intermarried with the first ilocano settlers of the place.
Ipil massacre
On the morning of April 3, 1995, Ipil was attacked by approximately 200 heavily armed Abu Sayyaf militants who fired upon residents, strafed civilian homes, plundered banks, took up to 30 hostages and then burned the centre of the town to the ground.
The militants allegedly arrived in the town by boat and bus, and a number of them had been dressed in military fatigues
The town's Chief of Police was reportedly killed in the attack and close to a billion pesos were looted from eight commercial banks. Army commandos pursued some rebel gunmen in nearby mountains while officials said that the rebels were looting farms and seizing civilians as "human shields" as they fled the town of about 40 rebels, who may have taken hostages, were cornered in a school compound west of Ipil on April 6 when an elite army unit attacked. In the fighting that followed, the television station GMA reported, 11 civilians were killed.
Cityhood
In the 19th Congress of the Philippines, house bills were filed by various representatives which seeks Ipil including other capital towns of provinces with no current component cities, independent component cities or highly urbanized cities to automatically convert into cities.
Geography
Ipil is located three hours from the key cities in the region (Dipolog, Pagadian and Zamboanga City). The Ipil seaport is south of the town center.
Barangays
Ipil is subdivided into 28 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
Bacalan
Bangkerohan
Buluan
Caparan
Domandan
Don Andres
Doña Josefa
Guituan
Ipil Heights
Labe
Logan
Tirso Babiera (Lower Ipil Heights)
Lower Taway
Lumbia
Maasin
Magdaup
Makilas
Pangi
Poblacion
Sanito
Suclema
Taway
Tenan
Tiayon
Timalang
Tomitom
Upper Pangi
Veteran's Village
Climate
Demographics
Economy
Government
List of former chief executives
Merjuar
Generoso Sucgang
Col Escalona
Andres P. Olegario (1972 – 1986)
Henry de Villa (1986 – 1988)
José Fontanoza (1988 – 1992)
Francisco Q. Pontanar (1992 – 1998)
Rey Andre C. Olegario (1998 – 2007)
Eldwin M. Alibutdan (2007 – 2016)
Anamel C. Olegario (2016 – present)
Healthcare
Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Hospital
Dr. Henry De Villa Memorial Hospital
Dr. M. Simon Hospital
Ipil Doctors Hospital
Media
Radio stations
AM
DXUZ 1035 Radyo Lipay (Universidad de Zamboanga)
FM
88.7 Radyo Bisdak (Times Broadcasting Network Corporation)
92.7 The Edge Radio (United Christian Broadcasters)
94.3 Infinite Radio (St. Jude Thaddeus Institute of Technology)
95.3 Radyo Natin (Manila Broadcasting Company/Radyo Natin Network)
96.5 DABIG C Radio (Prime Broadcasting Network)
99.3 FMR Zamboanga Sibugay (Philippine Collective Media Corporation)
100.1 Juander Radyo (Capitol Broadcasting Center)
100.9 Brigada News FM (Brigada Mass Media Corporation)
Magic 103.1 (EMedia Productions)
Cable and Satellite TV
Ipil Cable TV
Cignal Digital TV
G Sat Direct TV
Newspapers
Zamboanga Sibugay Tribune
The Sibugay Express
References
External links
Official Website of the Municipality of Ipil
[ Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
Philippine Census Information
DILG-Zamboanga Sibugay
Municipalities of Zamboanga Sibugay
Provincial capitals of the Philippines
Establishments by Philippine executive order