Sabtang, officially the Municipality of Sabtang (; Ilocano: ''Ili ti Sabtang''; ), 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 ...

Batanes Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes (; Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; , ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It is the northernmost province in the Philippines, an ...

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 1,696 people. Sabtang is the southernmost island municipality in the Batanes Group of Islands. It consists primarily of ''Sabtang Island'' and two smaller and uninhabited islands nearby, namely,

Ivuhos Ivuhos (also known as Ibugos, Ibujos, Vuhus and Ibahos Island) is one of the islands of Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines. The uninhabited island is located west of Sabtang Island and is separated by a deep channel nearly w ...

and Dequey. The municipality is known for its

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

and the old stone houses of the Ivatan villages of Chavayan and Savidug. Like Batan Island to the north, Sabtang also has a few Mission-style churches and white sand beaches.

History

The Spanish missionary, Father Artiquez, first visited the island of Sabtang in 1786González Alonzo, Fr. Julio, O.P. (1966). "The Batanes Islands", in Acta Manilana, Manila: University of Santo Tomas Research Center after receiving an affirmative response from the islanders to learn about the Christian faith. The success of the first visit led to two more evangelical trips resulting in the baptism of 181 children and the study of catechism among the adult natives. The evangelization of Sabtang was cut short due to the failing health of the Spanish missionaries. For this, the inhabitants of Sabtang remained faithful to old traditions, especially in the administration of justice by vendetta and murder. In 1791, the then most powerful chief in Sabtang named

Aman Dangat Aman Dangat, also known as "Kenan", was a prominent Mangpus from the town of Malakdang in Sabtang Island in Batanes, Philippines. He led a revolt against the Spaniards from 1785 to 1791. Revolt against Spain Founding of the province In 1782, ...

showed defiance of the government of Governor Joaquin del Castillo by killing the Spanish soldiers who went to Sabtang to procure supplies. Lieutenant Tomas Nuñez led the troops to capture the rebels.

was put on trial and allegedly admitted to the crime. While a religious Spanish recorder later claimed that Aman Dangat asked to be baptized, there is no evidence to substantiate this assertion. The inhabitants of Sabtang were then forced to resettle in San Vicente and San Felix in Ivana to be better controlled by the Spanish colonizers. Some forty years after the resettlement, the Sabteños were allowed to visit their native island. Gradually, these visits allowed them to build homes in their erstwhile land. The government allowed this to happen on the condition that houses should be constructed in the lowlands. To sustain the spiritual care for the Sabteños, a new mission was opened in Sabtang in 1845 under the patronage of Saint

Vincent Ferrer Vincent Ferrer, Dominican Order, OP ( ; ; ; ; ; ; 23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Kingdom of Valencia, Valencian Dominican Order, Dominican friar who gained acclaim as a preacher, missionary and logician. After supporting Antipope Benedic ...

, with Father Antonio Vicente as its first vicar. Father Vicente is credited to have built the Sabtang Church, together with a convent, a school, and a courthouse.

Geography

Sabtang is located at . 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 Batanes.

Barangays

Sabtang is politically subdivided into 6

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. These barangays are headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain,

Barangay Council The Sangguniang Barangay, known in English as the Barangay Council is the local government of a barangay, the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Each of the 42,004 barangays in the country has its respective Sangguniang Baran ...

, whose members are called Barangay Councilors. All are elected every three years.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Sabtang had a population of 1,696. The population density was .

Economy

Government

Local government

Sabtang, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Batanes, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

Elected officials

Education

The Schools Division of Batanes governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley (; ), designated as Region II, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces: ...

region. The Sabtang Schools District Office governs the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality.

Primary and elementary schools

* Chavayan Elementary School * Nakanmuan Elementary School * Sabtang Central School * Savidug Elementary School * Sumnanga Elementary School

Secondary school

* Sabtang National School of Fisheries

Gallery

File:Chavayan, Sabtang Island in Batanes, Philippines.jpg, Chavayan in Sabtang Island File:San Vicente Ferrer Church (Sabtang Batanes).jpg, San Vicente Ferrer Church File:Savidug Stone Houses.jpg, An Ivatan woman wearing a ''vakul'' inside a stone house File:Nakabuang Arch in Morong Beach in Sabtang Island Batanes.jpg, Nakabuang Arch in Morong Beach

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 Batanes Island municipalities in the Philippines