Pan de Azucar, variously known as Tampisaw Island or Tambaliza (which is also the name of one of the

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 on the island), is a populated island in 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 severa ...

in the

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 ...

. The island is known for Mount ''Pan de Azucar'' (Sugarloaf Mountain) a steep volcanic cone and a prominent landmark at the northern entrance of

Guimaras Strait Guimaras Strait is a strait in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, connecting the Visayan Sea with Panay Gulf and the Sulu Sea beyond. To the north and west are Panay and Guimaras Islands, while Negros Island is to the south and ...

. Pan de Azucar is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Concepcion, Iloilo on

Panay Island 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 I ...

, one of the largest and major islands of the Philippines. Pan de Azucar is the largest of 16 outlying islands of the town and makes up nearly 19 percent of Concepcion's total land area. According to the 2015 census, the island has a population of 7,502. The island possibly contains valuable mineral deposits and is being studied for mineral extraction, which could possibly destroy the natural beauty of the island and mountain."Pan de Azucar Overview"
Mindoro Resources Ltd.

Etymology

Mount Pan de Azucar (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "Sugarloaf") is one of the mountains and hills worldwide named "

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, ...

" because of its tall conical shape resembling an old ''

sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, ...

'' of the 19th century, not because of its resemblance to

Sugarloaf Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain (, ) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on a peninsula at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. Rising above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf suga ...

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as falsely reported on some local websites."Pan de Azucar Island"
Explore Iloilo. Retrieved on September 1, 2014.

Geography

The island is located east of

and northeast of Concepcion town proper. Nearby islands include

Sombrero Island Sombrero, also known as Hat Island, is part of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla and is the northernmost island of the Lesser Antilles. It lies north-west of Anguilla across the Dog and Prickly Pear Passage. The distance to Dog Isla ...

, Naburut Island, Magaisi Island, and Bocot Islet. At , the steep-sided Mt. Pan de Azucar (also called Mt. Manaphag) is the most prominent feature and distinguishable landmark of the island. The lofty cone is one of the inactive volcanoes in the country.PHIVOLCS (July 30, 2008)
"Inactive Volcanoes Part 6"
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Retrieved on September 1, 2014. The island is ringed by beaches, such as Lumpatan Beach in Bagotao, Brgy. Macatunao which are golden-yellow to white in color. The ''Pan de Azucar Seascape'' is an area of 2,480.1478 square meters that includes both land and sea water areas around the island. Local governmental officials recognize the seascape as a

protected Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

sanctuary, although the Philippine government has yet to declare the seascape as an official protected area.

Barangays

List of Barangays in Pan de Azucar island by population (2015 census). * Tambaliza - 3,139 * Talotu-an - 2,771 * Macatunao - 1,592

History

Early history

In the 1600s, a battle took place near Pan de Azucar between Filipino and Spanish forces. Captain Juan Salagao, who was mayor of Sugbú at the time, defeated Spanish forces who had come up from

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

, intent on burning down Arevalo and Octóng.

Mining

It has been speculated that Pan de Azucar contains possible mining deposits of gold, silver, copper, and zinc. Mindoro Resources, Ltd. began initial drilling exploration in 2012 and received initial positive results.

Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...

passed directly over Pan de Azucar in 2013, damaging houses, food stores, and fishing boats.Mindoro’s Agata project escapes wrath of typhoon Haiyan
/ref> The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) delivered relief goods to the island soon after it passed.AFP chief: Ceasefire in Yolanda-hit areas up to political leaders
/ref> The typhoon did not do much to disrupt mining operations on Pan de Azucar.

Transport

Pan de Azucar is accessible from Concepcion by boat. There is one public boat trip per day; trips outside the official schedule are arranged with private boat owners.
Pinoy Mountaineer.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Pan de Azucar Island
at

OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap (abbreviated OSM) is a free, Open Database License, open geographic database, map database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveying, surveys, trace from Ae ...

Pan de Azucar Island on Explore Iloilo
Islands of Concepcion Inactive volcanoes of the Philippines