Sablayan (), officially the Municipality of Sablayan (), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Occidental Mindoro Occidental Mindoro (), officially the Province of Occidental Mindoro ( or ''Lalawigan ng Occidental Mindoro''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The province occupies the western half of the island of Mindoro. I ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 92,598 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.

Geography

Sablayan has a total land area of 2,188.80 square kilometers, making it the largest municipality in the Philippines. The

Apo Reef Apo Reef is a coral reef system in the Philippines situated in the western waters of Occidental Mindoro province in the Mindoro Strait. Encompassing , it is considered the world's second-largest contiguous coral reef system, and is the largest in ...

, North and South Pandan Islands, and a portion of

Mounts Iglit–Baco National Park Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

are part of its jurisdiction. Sablayan Penal Colony, the Philippines' largest penal facility with sprawling lot of is also located in this municipality. Sablayan is located in the central part of

. It is bounded to the north by the municipality of Santa Cruz and the municipalities of Baco,

Naujan Naujan (), officially the Municipality of Naujan (), is a municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. Its population was 109,587 at the 2020 census. History On January 4, 1905, under Act 1280, Naujan assumed the status of a ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and Socorro all in

Oriental Mindoro Oriental Mindoro (), officially the Province of Oriental Mindoro (), is a province in the Philippines located on the island of Mindoro under Mimaropa region in Luzon, about southwest of Manila. The province is bordered by the Verde Island P ...

province; to the east by the municipalities of

Pinamalayan Pinamalayan, officially the Municipality of Pinamalayan (), is a municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 90,383 people. Etymology The town of Pinamalayan is close to th ...

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins ...

Bansud Bansud, officially the Municipality of Bansud (), is a municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,671 people. Etymology The name of the town is said to be derived from ...

Bongabong Bongabong, officially the Municipality of Bongabong (), is a municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 76,973 people. The town is home to Kuta Bongabong (Fuerza de Bong ...

and

Mansalay Mansalay, officially the Municipality of Mansalay (), is a municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 59,114 people. This town is notable for its indigenous Mangyan popu ...

also in

; to the south by the municipality of Calintaan; and to the west by the Mindoro Strait. Sablayan is from

Mamburao Mamburao (), officially the Municipality of Mamburao (), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

Barangays

Sablayan is politically subdivided into 22

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. In 1957 the following barrios were renamed: Batasan to Claudio Salgado, Hinaya to Buhay na Bato (Batong Buhay) and Iriron to San Isidro. * Batong Buhay * Buenavista (town proper) * Burgos * Claudio Salgado * General Emilio Aguinaldo * Ibud * Ilvita * Lagnas * Ligaya * Malisbong * Paetan * Pag-Asa * Poblacion (Lumangbayan) * San Agustin * San Francisco * San Nicolas * San Vicente * Sta. Lucia * Sto. Niño * Tagumpay * Tuban * Victoria

Climate

Demographics

Economy

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 A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China * Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fore ...

). The

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

is a 12-hectare

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

with 925-meter

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

nature conservation Nature conservation is the ethic/moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values ...

boardwalk.

Government

List of former chief executives

Culture

Held once a year the Dugoy Festival is a celebration of the

Mangyan Mangyan is the generic name for the eight indigenous groups found in Mindoro each with its own tribal name, language, and customs. The total population may be around 280,001, but official statistics are difficult to determine under the condi ...

culture.

References

External links

Sablayan Profile at PhilAtlas.com
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

br>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Occidental Mindoro