Daanbantayan, officially the Municipality of Daanbantayan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Daanbantayan; tgl, Bayan ng Daanbantayan), is a 1st class

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

in the

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

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 93,502 people. Located at the northern tip of

Cebu island Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 1 ...

, Daanbantayan celebrates its annual fiesta along with the ''Haladaya Festival'' which starts 21 August and ends with street-dancing on 30 August, in honor of Datu Daya, the legendary founder of the town. Daanbantayan is bordered on the north by the

Visayan Sea The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines surrounded by the islands of the Visayas. It is bounded by the islands Masbate to the north, Panay to the west, Leyte to the east, and Cebu and Negros to the south. The sea is connected to several b ...

, to the west by

Bantayan Island Bantayan Island is an island located in the Visayan Sea, Philippines. It is situated to the west of the northern end of Cebu (island), Cebu island, across the Tañon Strait. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of . The island is ...

, on the east by the

Camotes Sea The Camotes Sea is a small sea within the Philippine archipelago, situated between the Central Visayan and the Eastern Visayan regions. It separates Cebu from Leyte hence is bordered by Cebu to the west, Leyte to the east and north, and Bohol ...

, and on the south by the town of Medellin. It is from

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Acc ...

History

The name Daanbantayan was derived from two words: the word "''daan''", which means "old" in Cebuano, and the word "''bantayan''", which refers to a place that served as a look out for Moro raiders during the Pre-Hispanic Philippines. The original site of the town might have been at an elevated vantage point near Punta, in Tapilon. On 8 November 2013, 9 people were killed and 50 injured when Super

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...

(Yolanda in Philippines area of responsibility) passed over Daanbantayan.

Geography

Islands and thalassic attractions

There are several small islands/islets and diving spots, with the list below arranged by

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

from nearest to farthest from Cebu island: * Chocolate () * Monad Shoal () *

Malapascua Malapascua is a Philippine island situated in the Visayan Sea, across a shallow strait from the northernmost tip of Cebu Island. Administratively, it is part of the peninsular barangay of Logon, Daanbantayan, Cebu. Malapascua is a small island, ...

() * Gato cave & islet () * Maria () * Carnaza ()

Barangays

Daanbantayan comprises 20 barangays:

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Transportation

Ceres Liner Vallacar Transit Incorporated (VTI) is a Philippine transportation service under the umbrella of the Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC), serving as its flagship subsidiary. The bus company is a family-owned and managed business that has grow ...

(And Sugbo Transit), White Stallion Express (Subsidiary Of Rough Riders) and Cebu Autobus are among the bus companies with regular service to and from Cebu city (North Bus Terminal).

Jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public transportation, public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of Transportation in the Philippines, public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their ...

tricycle A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes ...

s, and trisikads are the main modes of transportation within the town.

Tourism

Daanbantayan is now known for its pristine, white powder-like sandy beaches – one of which is Malapascua Island. With its vast and rich marine resources, it hosts a long string of dive sites offering unique marine life and beauty. As a tourist destination, Daanbantayan stages the Haladaya Festival every year as an added attraction to local vacationers, holidaymakers, Filipino expatriates, and foreign tourists from as far away as North America, South America, and Europe. ;Attractions: St. Rose of Lima Parish Church in Daanbantayan, Cebu.jpg, Sta Rosa de Lima parish church Approaching Gato Islet.jpg, Approaching Gato Islet Malapascua1-AirView.jpg, Malapascua island from the air Malapascua (island), Bounty Beach, Bungalow, Philippines.jpg, Malapascua Island * Municipal hall – built in 1916. * Santa Rosa de Lima parish church – inaugurated on 10 April 1858 and finished in 1886. Its façade is still intact with its original * Town plaza – site of a battle between the so-called Daanbantayan Volunteers and 19 well-armed bandits led by Capitan Berinoin 1898. * San Pedro River - its northern bank has an abandoned Muslim settlement founded by Datu Daya during the pre-Spanish era. * Tapilon point (also known as Punta Sampero) – site of the watchtower of Kandaya, called "daang bantayanan". But there are no remains of the watchtower. * Malapascua Island – is situated across a shallow strait from the northernmost tip of

. This small island is known for its wide white sand beach, Bounty Beach; it has also become known as a superior diving destination. * – a small sharp rocky island rising in the middle of the

, about from Malapascua. The island is home to nesting seabirds, a colony of

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

es, soft coral canyons, and rare and unusual

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, ...

s. * Monad Shoal – a seamount known for its

thresher shark Thresher sharks are large Lamniformes, lamniform sharks of the family Alopiidae found in all temperate and tropical oceans of the world; the family (biology), family contains three extant species, all within the genus ''Alopias''. All three thr ...

s, making the shoal popular for recreational divers. The common thresher shark (''alopias vulpinus'') and pelagic thresher shark (''alopias pelagicus'') normally live in depths as deep as , but the shoal offers opportunities to see them in less than 20 metres of water.

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Code {{Authority control Municipalities of Cebu