Culasi, officially the Municipality of Culasi (; ; ), is a 1st class 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 ...

Antique An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that 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 44,494 people. Making it fourth most populous municipality in the province of Antique and third largest municipality in terms of land area, with a total area of 228.56 square kilometers. The municipality of Culasi is known as the home of majestic

Mount Madja-as Mount Madja-as is a large dormant volcano and the highest peak on the island of Panay and Western Visayas region in the Philippines, second highest mountain in the entire Visayas, after Mount Kanlaon on Negros. With an elevation of above sea ...

, the highest peak in

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...

. It is famous for its

mossy forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, ...

sea of clouds A sea of clouds is an overcast layer of stratocumulus clouds, as viewed from above, with a relatively uniform top which shows undulations of very different lengths resembling waves on the sea. A sea of fog is formed from stratus clouds or fog ...

and 14

waterfalls A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

, with an elevation of above sea level. Madja-as an enchanted mountain sacred to ancient Visayans as it is home to the god of death, Sidapa, and god of meteors, Bulalakaw.

Etymology

The name ''Culasi'' or ''Kulasi'' was derived from the local term for a species of mangrove ''

Lumnitzera racemosa ''Lumnitzera racemosa'', commonly known as the white-flowered black mangrove, is a species of mangrove in the family Combretaceae. It is found on the eastern coast of Africa and other places in the western Indo-Pacific region. It has one accepte ...

'' which grow abundantly in the vicinity's river basin.

History

Spanish colonial times

During the Spanish colonial times, Culasi was known by its old name "Bacong". Now, Bacong is only one of its barangays. Bacong was one of the four ''visita''s or towns established by the Spaniards. The others were Nalupa (now Barbaza), Bugason (now

Bugasong Bugasong, officially the Municipality of Bugasong (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Antique, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,676 people. Making it 8th most populous municipality in the province of ...

), and Hamtik (now

Hamtic Hamtic, officially the Municipality of Hamtic (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Antique (province), Antique, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,68 ...

). The 1905 census revealed that Culasi had the biggest Chinese population in Antique, so much so that it had a barrio named "Villa de Hong Kong" in their honor. It is now part of the Poblacion.

1981 Bacong Bridge Massacre

One of the significant events of the Philippines's Martial Law era was the Bacong Bridge Massacre, which took place in Culasi on December 19, 1981. Sometimes also known as the Culasi incident, it involved the

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...

killing 5 protester-farmers at the Bacong River bridge in Barangay Malacañang, Culasi, Antique. The victims were identified as Leopoldo A. Anos, Aquilino M. Castillo, Fortunato M. Dalisay, Remegildo P. Dalisay, and Joel B. Plaquino.

Geography

Culasi is north from

San Jose de Buenavista San Jose de Buenavista, officially the Municipality of San Jose de Buenavista (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Antique (province), Antique, Philippines. According ...

, the capital of Antique, and south from

Kalibo Kalibo, officially the Municipality of Kalibo (Aklanon language, Aklanon: ''Banwa it Kalibo''; Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Kalibo''; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, ...

, the capital of

Aklan Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital and largest town is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay, Panay Islan ...

. According to the

Philippine Statistics Authority The Philippine Statistics Authority (; PSA) is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that collects, compiles, analyzes, and publishes statistical information on economic, social, demographic, political affairs, and gene ...

, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Antique. Located in the northern portion of the province, it is bounded on the north by Sebaste, south by

Tibiao Tibiao, officially the Municipality of Tibiao (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Antique (province), Antique, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 28,7 ...

, west by the

Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...

and east by

and the Municipality of

Madalag, Aklan Madalag, officially the Municipality of Madalag ( Aklanon: ''Banwa it Madalag''; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Madalag''; ), is a municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. It is Aklan's largest municipality by land area and also the most ...

, just beyond. Its territory includes Maniguin (or ''Maningning'' / ''Hammerhead'') and Batbatan Islands. Excluding the outlying islands, its northernmost point is located at 11°32’05" latitude and 122°05’00" longitude. Its easternmost point is located at 11°30’50" latitude and 122°10’05" longitude. Its southernmost point is located at 11°21’04" latitude and 122°02’08" longitude and the westernmost point is at 11°31’05" latitude and 122°03’08" longitude. ;List of islands in Culasi by land area: * Batbatan Island * Maniguin Island *

Mararison Island Mararison, also known as Malalison, is a small island and a barangay in Culasi in the Antique Province, on the island of Panay in the Philippines. Geography Mararison Island has a total land area of . Tuyong-tuyong Hill is the island high ...

Topography

Culasi has a slope of 8°. Eastern height ranges from to at the summit of Mount Madia-as, it is the highest point in

. It has unbroken mountain range from barangay Batonan Sur in the south to barangay Salde in the northernmost. From the peak of Madia-as Mountain it gradually flattens down to a narrow strip of the coastal plain. Land area roughly covers 82.92% upland and above lowland comprises 17.08% of the land area with a slope of 18% and below. Forest areas comprise almost half of the total land area covering .

Climate

Culasi has two distinct seasons, the rainy and dry. Rainy season occurs in the months of May to November and dry season for the rest of the year. Areas like the mountainous barangays of Flores and Osorio located at the southern portion of the municipality are characterized by a relatively cool temperature which is highly suited for coffee. The higher precipitation acquired may be caused by high mountain range or because of its high topography.

Barangays

Culasi is politically subdivided into 44

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 ...

. These barangays are classified into 3 island, 11 upland, 16 coastal and 14 interior/lowland barangays.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Culasi had a population of 44,494. The population density was .

Economy

Farming and fishing are the major livelihood where the Culasinhon depend their living.

Natural resources

The rolling hills of Mount Madja-as are rich in manganese, copper and coal found in Timbaban. Other metallic mineral deposits are white clay and pebbles in the island barangays of Malalison and Batbatan. Sand and gravel is being extracted in various rivers and used for infrastructure. Another metallic mineral is the limestone deposit found in Sitio Bula, Camancijan and is used for agricultural and industrial purpose. Limestone is used in the production of cement. Most treasured one is the oil deposit in Maniguin Island explored by the Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC). Several companies drilled oil deposit in Maniguin with black coal. Maniguin has a potential reserve of of oil, based on the PNOC drilling project report.

Communication

* Landline: Panay Telephone Corp. (PANTELCO) * Cellular: Smart, Globe, Sun Cellular * Postal Services:

PhilPost The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost; ), also known as the Philippine Post Office, is a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Office of the President, responsible for providing postal services in the Philippines. PHLPost ...

* Cable Television: Kalibo Cable TV-Culasi (Culasi CATV) * Radio Station: Radyo Natin 101.1 (DYRE-FM) - MBC/Madjaas Communication Service, Sweet FM 95.9 - Xanthone Broadcasting * Television: over-the-air TV signals picked up in the area are from Iloilo TV stations especially ABS-CBN TV 10 Iloilo which has a stronger signal.

Education

College

* Vicente A. Javier Memorial Community College (VAJMCC)

Secondary

* Bitadton National High School (BNHS) * Lipata - Lamputong Integrated School (LLIS) * Northern Antique Vocational School (NAVS) * Saint Michael High School of Culasi, Inc. (SMHS) * San Antonio National High School (SANHS)

Elementary

* Alojipan Primary School * Bagacay Elementary School * Balac-Balac Primary School * Batbatan Elementary School * Batonan Norte Elementary School * Batonan Sur Primary School * Bitadton Elementary School * Buenavista Elementary School * Buhi Elementary School * Camancijan Elementary School * Carit-an Elementary School * Culasi Central School * Culasi North Elementary School * Esperanza Elementary School * Fe-Caridad Elementary School * Flores Elementary School * Kawit Elementary School * Light Bearer's Fundamental Baptist Learning Center, Inc. * Mag-ayad Primary School * Magsaysay Elementary School * Malacañang Elementary School * Malalison Elementary School * Maniguin Elementary School * Naba Primary School * Osorio Elementary School * Paningayan Primary School * Saint Michael the Archangel Grade School of Culasi, Inc. (SMAGS) * San Antonio Elementary School * San Juan Elementary School * San Luis-Condes Elementary School * San Pascual Primary School * San Vicente Elementary School * Tomao Primary School * Valderrama Elementary School

Pre-school

* Culasi Christian Learning Center (CCLC) * Culasi Cooperative Learning Center (CMPC-LC) * Day Care Centers (DCCs) * Saint Michael Parochial Kindergarten School (SMPKS) * Seaside Baptist Learning Center, Inc. (SBLCI)

References

External links

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 ...

{{Authority control Municipalities of Antique (province)