Ubay, Bohol

Ubay, officially the Municipality of Ubay (Cebuano: Munisipyo sa Ubay; Tagalog: Bayan ng Ubay), is a fast growing municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 81,799 people.
Ubay has an uncontested area of 258.132847 square kilometers (25,813.2847 hectares) and has a contested area of 5.87 square kilometers (587.8688 hectares) with other Municipality per certification issued by the Land Management Bureau(LMB) of the DENR. It has a 61 kilometres (38 mi) of coastline.
One etymology derivation is that the town's name is a contraction of the term ubay-ubay, meaning "alongside".
According to Kaufmann's Visayan-English dictionary, the Visayan word "ubay" means:
The flow of seawater between the mainland and the island of Lapinig Grande (now Pres. C.P. Garcia town) could justify the second definition of Ubay. It is a situation that is permanent and the constant reference to the flow of water can make the term ubay be attached as the name of the place.
An alternative derivation is that the term 'ubay-ubay' or 'alongside' became the byword of seafarers who used to travel close to the shorelines of Ubay to avoid the strong current of the Canigao Channel. There was a single path to follow reach the island trading centres. This trail was located alongside (ubay) the sandy beach. Later on the term Ubay became the original name of the community.
Historically, Ubay was part of Talibon, when the latter was established as a town in civil aspect in 1722. During Spanish period, a town has two aspects - religious, headed by the parish priest and civil aspect, headed by a gobernadorcillo. The religious aspect was then considered superior to the civil aspect, as the church held significant influence over daily life and governance during that time.
In 1744, the Dagohoy Revolution started, controlling the entire northeastern part of the province, stretching from Duero to Inabanga that lasted up until 1829. As the revolution progresses, Jesuit were replaced by Augustinian Recollects in Bohol in 1768 led by Fr. Pedro de Santa Barbara, who travelled through mountains with proposals of peace and resettlement for Dagohoy and its followers. Through his untiring intrepidness, later on, pacified patriots together with their cluster chieftains chose to resettle in southern coastal towns. Later in 1794, Fr. Manuel de la Consolacion, then parish priest of Inabanga, successfully brought hundreds of followers and resettled them in towns of Talibon and Inabanga, as well in the barangays (villages) of San Pedro (Talibon), Pangpang (Buenavista), and Ubay. Therefore, much of early residents of Ubay were followers of Dagohoy.
In 1821, Ubay became an independent town from Talibon in civil aspect, but due to the Dagohoy Revolution, the newly established town of Ubay did not operate as an independent town because most of the inhabitants resisted the Spanish Government. Up until 1846, Ubay was not listed among the towns on the island of Bohol. Then, according to a Tax Census dated September 1, 1847, Ubay was officially listed, which served as the basis for its reorganization and indication of a functioning town, marking September 1, 1847 as the foundation date of Ubay. The first gobernadorcillo of Ubay was believed to be Toribio Reyes, the donor of one of the old church bells of Ubay Parish and the only son of Berudja, the legendary Matriarch of Ubay.
The religious aspect of Ubay was still administered by the parish of Inabanga, until Talibon was able to establish a separate parish in 1831, making Ubay a visita with its chapel made of wood. The official religious aspect of the town was established much later than the civil aspect.
On June 26, 1874, a written petition was made by gobernadorcillo Saturnino Boyles along with the Community Heads, and the Household Heads of Ubay for an independent parish, separate from Talibon. To support their cause, they voluntarily constructed a decent rectory.
Then, on October 22, 1877, an independent parish in Ubay (Parroquia de Ubay) was established by a diocesan decree under the patronage of the Holy Child. This was done through Royal Order No. 695 of the Ministry of Overseas dated October 5, 1876, issued by the King of Spain Alfonso XII, creating an independent parish in Ubay, and a confirming decree dated November 22, 1876 from the Spanish Governor General José Malcampo, 3rd Marquess of San Rafael. Cabulao (presently San Roque, Mabini) was included as its visita.
The first parish priest of Parrioquia de Ubay (presently Santo Niño de Ubay) was P. Fr. Blas Adan del Pilar, from the Order of Augustinian Recollects, who served from October 1877 until February 1884, before he was transferred to Consolacion, Cebu. He succeeded by P. Fr. Benito Garayao del Carmen, from February 1884 - February 1886; P. Fr. Franscisco Vega de la Virgen de Vico from November 9, 1884 to April 1890; P. Fr. Leon Inchausti del Rosario from February 26 - March 20, 1890; P.Fr. Buenaventura Marrodan del Carmen from March 20, 1890 to 1897; and P. Fr. Juan Bea de la Virgen del Villar, from May 14, 1897 to December 20, 1898.
Ubay holds its town fiesta every January, as it is the official feast month of Santo Niño, a tradition that continues to this day. Ubayanons far away often come home during the fiesta to celebrate, reunite with loved ones, and honor their cultural heritage. The town comes alive with parades, music, and religious services, as the community gathers to relive traditions and strengthen their ties to home.
On March 6, 1902, the entire municipality of Batuanan (now Alicia) was consolidated with Ubay through Philippine Commission Act No. 370
On October 31, 1903, the old municipality of Ipil (now Trinidad) was divided into two. With Ipil River as demarcation line, the left bank was annexed to Talibon while the right bank was consolidated with Ubay. Furthermore, barangay Cabulao and the previously annexed municipality of Batuanan was separated from Ubay, together with barangay Libas, Candijay to create the new and distinct municipality of Mabini in virtue of Philippine Commission Act No. 968.
On September 1, 1947, the municipality of Ipil was reorganized, joining the barangays of Guinobatan, Mahagbu, and Tagum from Ubay together with other barangays of Talibon to create the renamed municipality of Trinidad through Executive Order No. 80.
On June 21, 1956, barangay Babag separated from Ubay together with other barangays of Carmen, Sierra-Bullones, and Trinidad to form the new municipality of Dagohoy through Executive Order No. 184.
On March 14, 1961, barangays of Corazon and Magsaysay separated from Ubay together with other barangays of Trinidad to form the independent municipality of San Miguel through Executive Order No. 423.
On December 29, 1961, barangay San Isidro (not the present San Isidro, Ubay) separated from Ubay, together with other barangays of Candijay, Guindulman, and Sierra-Bullones to create the municipality of Pilar through Executive Order No. 460.
On June 21, 1969, barangays of Aguining, Basiao, Bonbonon, Gaus, Pitogo, and Tugas separated from Ubay to create the independent municipality of Pitogo in virtue of Republic Act 5867. It was later renamed President Carlos P. Garcia in honor of the 8th president of the Philippines on October 27, 1977 through Presidential Decree No. 1228.
Ubay is the largest municipality of Bohol with a total land area of 258.13 km², encompassing about 5.35% of the total land area of the province. In 1902, during the American Colonial period, Ubay covered almost the entire northeast portion of the province, about a fifth of its total land area. Below is the list of former territories under the jurisdiction of Ubay.
Ubay is the largest and most populated municipality in Bohol, located in the northeast of the province. The town is situated east of Trinidad, north of Alicia and Mabini, and northeast of San Miguel. It is 130 kilometres (81 mi) northeast of Tagbilaran.
The climate is typically equatorial – temperature range over the year is less than three degrees Celsius (5.4 deg F), and annual rainfall exceeds 1,500 millimetres (59 in). The dry season starts in February and lasts through April sometimes extending to mid‑May. The climate in Ubay falls within Coronas climate type IV, characterized by not very pronounced maximum rainfall with a short dry season from one to three months and a wet season of nine to ten months.
Ubay has a tropical climate. Most months of the year are marked by significant precipitation, making agriculture favorable – it supports at least two rice crops per year. The short dry season has little impact. Ubay is classified as Am (Tropical monsoon climate) by Köppen–Geiger climate classification system.
Ubay is politically subdivided into 44 barangays (villages). Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
These barangays are organized into eight urban districts (UD):
When the first national census was held in 1903, the municipality had a population 7,355. It continued to grow until 1960 with 34,090 (annual growth rate of 2.73% over the period). The population markedly decreased in 1970 with the creation of the municipality of President Carlos P. Garcia, formerly a constituent barangay. Since 1970, average annual growth rate (1970–2020) is 1.85%.
The primary language is Cebuano: Filipino and English are understood to a limited degree.
Ubay has a number of business establishments commercial trading firms engaged in retail and wholesale. The new public market building was completed in 2000. The regular market day is Monday and local traders from neighboring towns come to sell their merchandise consisting mostly of agricultural products and small consumer items like used clothes, household utensils, and other products. Ubay also provides a market for the neighboring island municipality of Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, Municipality of Bien Unido, Alica and Mabini. Another well-known public market is located in barangay San Pascual, south of the municipality.
Ubay is one of the growth centers in and considered the dairy capital of the province where the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), National Dairy Authority (NDA) and the Ubay Stock Farm the largest and oldest livestock in the country with more than 3,000 hectares is located in the Municipality. The Municipality is also center for agri-industrial production and the biggest producers of poultry products in central visayas produced by the Marcela Farms Inc. (Alturas group of companies) located in Barangay Lomangog produce tons of poultry products like dress chicken. Ubay is also one of the top producers of fish products as it has more than 1,000 hectares of fishpond. The Municipality is a center for agriculture with government establishments like the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Bohol Experiential Station (BES), Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) and the Central Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (CENVIARC) are located. The Municipality is also considered the rice granary of the province with 51% of its total land area is intended for agriculture in which majority of its rice fields are irrigated.
Ubay is the center of Eco-Agri Tourism considering its grass land area of the Ubay Stock Farm with carabaos and cows that similar to the scenery of New Zealand plus the learning experience you will gain when you visit their Department of Agriculture Facilities.
Like the Sinulog of Cebu, the Ubay-ubay Festival is the town's own version in celebration and honor of the patron saint, Sr. Santo Niño. This colorful and fascinating festivity is a well-attended event where people flock the town's major roads and venues to view the grand street parade and the festival dance-competition. This celebration is held every last Friday of January.
Ubay is governed by the municipal mayor as head of the municipality. The vice mayor is the next highest position and acts as the presiding officer of the municipal council.
The most common form of local transportation is the tricycle for nearer barangays. For far barangays, the motorcycle is the most common. All barangays are connected by roads and the only places without roads are the steep slopes of the central mountains.
The improvement of the Bohol circumferential road and the port facilities helped Ubay to become the trading and transportation hub of northeastern Bohol, connecting it to the neighboring island of Leyte and the rest of Bohol province. Passenger and cargo traffic to these destinations has noticeably increased over the years indicating an increasing volume of trade between these points.
Land transportation is provided by various short and long-distance buses, jeeps and vans, connecting Ubay to the rest of the towns in the province. Tagbilaran can be reached from Ubay in two to three hours by bus or van. There are also daily combined road/ferry services to Metro Manila (Pasay / Cubao, Quezon City).
Ubay seaport is considered the province's principal gateway to Leyte, and Samar. Its improved port area is linked to the major port destinations of neighboring provinces such as Bato and Hilongos in Leyte, Maasin City in Southern Leyte, and Cebu City, the regional capital. Four vessels travels to and from Cebu City daily, and routes to and from Bato, Hilongos and Maasin City are also served daily. The journey time for each destination is 4–5 hours.
Tapal Wharf is another port terminal located in northeastern barangay of Tapal that serves the route between President Carlos P. Garcia and Ubay.
Camambugan Airport
Ubay is home to one of only three airports in Bohol (the other Bohol–Panglao International Airport and Tagbilaran Old Airport), but Ubay Airport is currently ongoing expansion and development which is delayed by the recent pandemic. The runway currently is only about 1,000 metres (3,280 ft) long. It is proposed to be a service airport for airlines and budget airport that will connect to other provinces and tourists from other tourism destinations.
For health services, the town has three public Rural Health Units (RHU) staffed by doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, medical technologists and sanitary inspectors. A small government hospital was established to provide outpatient services to local residents. A private 15-bed hospital in Fatima also provides services for emergencies. A pediatrics and OB-gyne clinic complements the health services available in town. A Public Rural Health Unit (RHU) 4 and RHU 5 is being eyed to be constructed within three years period in 2023-2025.
Don Emilio Del Valle Memorial Hospital in barangay Bood is a National Government Hospital was established in 2003 from a donated lot with a current bed capacity of 300 as of 2019. It became the first agency in the province to be granted with ISO 9001:2008 QMS Certification by TUV SUD. In July 2015, it was granted a certificate of full ISO compliance by TUV SUD. In 2017, it acquired its ISO 9001:2015 Certification by TÜV Rheinland.
Barangay Health Workers (BHW) from each barangay provide direct health care assistance to barangay residents.
The local police force is 37 police officers. Police–population ratio is 1:2,211, less favourable than the standard ratio of 1:1,000. The police are augmented by 492 Barangay Tanod volunteers. It is reported that crime rate in Ubay is relatively low. The local Fire Department is staffed by eight fire fighters with two fire trucks. Incidence of fires is reportedly low in the municipality.
Bohol was linked to the major source of geothermal power in Leyte through the underwater connection between Maasin City, Southern Leyte and Ubay. Presently, only three of the 44 barangays have no electricity, yet only 34.97 percent of the total households in the municipality have electricity compared to the province, which was 58.3 percent energized in 2000.
The town proper and seven other barangays were served by the Ubay Water Service Cooperative. The cooperative planned to expand their service to eight other barangays in the near future. Due to consumer demand and the limited size of the supply, water service became difficult during dry months. Bohol province reported that 23.71 percent of its households had their own faucets from a community system while Ubay reported only 8.97 percent.
For the province, 21.68 percent of households had access to shared faucets while Ubay only had 8.86 percent. In Ubay, slightly more than half (51.83%) of the households had access to dug wells.
There are 45 public elementary schools in the municipality located in each barangay and one on Tres Reyes island.
There are 7 private pre-school and elementary schools.
There are 19 public and private high schools in the municipality which offer junior and senior high school curriculum.