Miagao

Miagao
Municipality
Municipality of Miagao
Miagao Church
Map of Iloilo with Miagao highlighted
Miagao Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°38′39″N 122°14′07″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas
Province	Iloilo
District	1st district of Iloilo
Barangays	119 (see Barangays)
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• mayor of Miagao[*]	Macario N. Napulan
• Vice Mayor	Leonardo Naldoza
• Electorate	41,603 voters (2022)
Area
• Total	156.80 km2 (60.54 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census)
• Total	68,115
• Density	430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5023
PSGC	063030000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)33
Income class	1st municipal income class
Revenue (₱)	₱ 218.5 million (2020)
Native languages	Karay-a Hiligaynon Tagalog
Website	www.miagao.gov.ph

Miagao, (also written Miag-ao), officially the Municipality of Miagao, (Template:Lang-krj; Template:Lang-hil; Template:Lang-fil), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,115 people.

Miagao is considered as the "Onion Capital of the Visayas". The town center of the municipality lies on the western bank of the Tumagbok River, the largest river in the municipality. The poblacion is made up of eight barangays.

The town holds their patronal fiesta in honor of St. Thomas of Villanova (more commonly known as Sto. Tomas de Villanueva) every September 22 that lasts several days. The town is also the location of one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, the Miagao Church, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire town of Miagao was later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City and became a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC).

History

A picture of miagos plant at the front of Miagao Municipal Hall. Miagao derived its name from this plant.

The name of Miagao has many disputed etymologies. One of the most popular, and probably the most widely accepted version is that the name of the town was derived from a plant named Miagos. Miagos or Osmoxylon lineare is a flowering plant from the family Araliaceae that used to grow abundantly in the area when the Spaniards came. Because of its abundance in the area, the Spaniards named the place Miagos which later became Miagao. Another version, according to Rev. Fr. Lorenzo Torres of Igbaras, is that a native named "Miyagaw" was asked by the Spaniards for the name of the place but gave his name instead.

Miagao gained its independence as a municipality in 1716. Prior to that, it used to be a part of an arrabal of four different towns in southern Iloilo. Until 1580, Miagao was an arrabal of Oton. From 1580 until 1652, it was an arrabal of Tigbauan. It was an arrabal of Suaraga (now San Joaquin) from 1652 to 1703 and before becoming independent, it became an arrabal of Guimbal from 1703 to 1716. In 1731, Miagao had its first capitan and teniente mayor (now equivalent to mayor and vice mayor) after an election was held in Guimbal under the supervision of Victorino C. Ma., an authorized representative of the governor.

Geography

Topography

Miagao is a coastal town with a hilly to mountainous terrain. Most of the flat areas in the municipality are found either in coasts or along the town's major rivers which include the Naulid, Tumagbok, Oyaoy, Bacauan, Tabunacan, Oyungan, Lanutan, and San Rafael rivers. A mountain range forms a natural boundary between Miagao and the province of Antique to the north.

Map of the Municipality of Miagao showing barangay names and boundaries and roads.

Climate

The municipality has a type I climate based on PAGASA's climate classification chart. The climate of Miagao is greatly affected by north-east and south-west monsoons. The town experiences a pronounced wet season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. The coolest months are the months of December to February while the hottest months are the months of April and May.

Climate data for Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	32 (90)	32 (90)	32 (90)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	32.00 (89.60)
Daily mean °C (°F)	26.5 (79.7)	26.5 (79.7)	27.5 (81.5)	28.5 (83.3)	28.5 (83.3)	28.5 (83.3)	28.0 (82.4)	28.0 (82.4)	28.0 (82.4)	28.0 (82.4)	27.5 (81.5)	27.0 (80.6)	27.71 (81.88)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	24 (75)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24.00 (75.20)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	79.2 (3.12)	47.7 (1.88)	63.3 (2.49)	52.0 (2.05)	126.8 (4.99)	228.6 (9.00)	239.4 (9.43)	181.2 (7.13)	204.2 (8.04)	283.1 (11.15)	245.1 (9.65)	186.6 (7.35)	1,937.2 (76.27)
Source: "Miagao Monthly Climate Average, Philippines". [3]. Retrieved June 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

This is a bloom of Rafflesia speciosa found in the mountainous barangays of Miagao.

Inside Sinuhotan Cave in Barangay Onop, Miagao, Iloilo

Canopy of the Tulahong Pine Forest in Miagao, Iloilo

Tinagong Dagat or Danao is a small freshwater lake on top of a mountain in Barangay Ongyod, Miagao.

Gui-ob ni Tidoy is a limestone monolith in Miagao, Iloilo near the Tulahong Pine Forest and Tinagong Dagat/Danao.

Administration

Local Government (2016-2019)

As with other municipal/city level political administration in the country, Miagao is governed by popularly elected Mayor, Vice Mayor, and eight Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Members. The current government officials of the municipality are listed below.

• Mayor: Macario Napulan, M.D.
• Vice Mayor: Leonardo Naldoza
• SB Members:
  • Janjan Molejona
  • Luningning Tuparan
  • Monit Nismal
  • Junjun Galvez
  • Carmelo Nochete
  • Ma Salve Napud-Pechayco
  • Gemma Nulada
  • Mazert Torrecampo
• Ex-Officio Member
  • Myrna Funclara (LNB President)

Barangays

Miagao is politically subdivided into 119 barangays.  It has more barangays than any other municipality in the Philippines. The municipality has 22 coastal barangays and 97 landlocked barangays.

Name	Area (km²)	Population (2015)	PSG Code
Agdum	-	345	063030001
Aguiauan	-	460	063030002
Alimodias	-	764	063030003
Awang	-	156	063030004
Bacauan	-	611	063030006
Bacolod	-	471	063030007
Bagumbayan	-	939	063030008
Banbanan	-	485	063030009
Banga	-	222	063030010
Bangladan	-	348	063030011
Banuyao	-	898	063030012
Baraclayan	-	400	063030013
Bariri	-	133	063030014
Baybay Norte (Poblacion)	-	2932	063030015
Baybay Sur (Poblacion)	-	998	063030016
Belen	-	191	063030017
Bolho (Poblacion)	-	457	063030018
Bolocaue	-	195	063030019
Buenavista Norte	-	385	063030020
Buenavista Sur	-	291	063030021
Bugtong Lumangan	-	327	063030022
Bugtong Naulid	-	203	063030023
Cabalaunan	-	252	063030024
Cabangcalan	-	137	063030025
Cabunotan	-	306	063030026
Cadoldolan	-	151	063030027
Cagbang	-	310	063030028
Caitib	-	634	063030029
Calagtangan	-	423	063030030
Calampitao	-	798	063030031
Cavite	-	209	063030032
Cawayanan	-	261	063030033
Cubay	-	753	063030034
Cubay Ubos	-	162	063030035
Dalije	-	1809	063030036
Damilisan	-	1305	063030037
Dawog	-	826	063030038
Diday	-	760	063030039
Dingle	-	379	063030040
Durog	-	1064	063030041
Frantilla	-	162	063030042
Fundacion	-	339	063030043
Gines	-	685	063030044
Guibongan	-	977	063030045
Igbita	-	324	063030046
Igbugo	-	505	063030047
Igcabidio	-	300	063030048
Igcabito-on	-	344	063030050
Igcatambor	-	312	063030051
Igdalaquit	-	205	063030052
Igdulaca	-	706	063030053
Igpajo	-	380	063030054
Igpandan	-	303	063030055
Igpuro	-	468	063030056
Igpuro-Bariri	-	304	063030057
Igsoligue	-	460	063030058
Igtuba	-	1157	063030059
Ilog-ilog	-	233	063030060
Indag-an	-	694	063030061
Kirayan Norte	-	1727	063030062
Kirayan Sur	-	1440	063030063
Kirayan Tacas	-	1087	063030064
La Consolacion	-	451	063030065
Lacadon	-	682	063030066
Lanutan	-	470	063030067
Lumangan	-	796	063030068
Mabayan	-	213	063030069
Maduyo	-	169	063030070
Malagyan	-	1409	063030071
Mambatad	-	939	063030072
Maninila	-	1063	063030073
Maricolcol	-	339	063030074
Maringyan	-	674	063030075
Mat-y (Poblacion)	-	2346	063030076
Matalngon	-	161	063030077
Naclub	-	647	063030078
Nam-o Sur	-	217	063030079
Nam-o Norte	-	291	063030080
Narat-an	-	591	063030082
Narorogan	-	226	063030083
Naulid	-	800	063030084
Olango	-	335	063030085
Ongyod	-	176	063030086
Onop	-	291	063030087
Oya-oy	-	297	063030005
Oyungan	-	1417	063030088
Palaca	-	2142	063030089
Paro-on	-	299	063030090
Potrido	-	403	063030091
Pudpud	-	514	063030092
Pungtod Monteclaro	-	302	063030093
Pungtod Naulid	-	171	063030094
Sag-on	-	390	063030095
San Fernando	-	428	063030096
San Jose	-	466	063030097
San Rafael	-	1303	063030098
Sapa (Poblacion)	-	822	063030099
Saring	-	416	063030100
Sibucao	-	338	063030101
Taal	-	197	063030102
Tabunacan	-	514	063030103
Tacas (Poblacion)	-	759	063030104
Tambong	-	205	063030105
Tan-agan	-	556	063030106
Tatoy	-	605	063030107
Ticdalan	-	425	063030108
Tig-amaga	-	252	063030109
Tig-Apog-Apog	-	281	063030110
Tigbagacay	-	274	063030111
Tiglawa	-	183	063030112
Tigmalapad	-	528	063030113
Tigmarabo	-	451	063030114
To-og	-	157	063030115
Tugura-ao	-	314	063030116
Tumagboc	-	415	063030117
Ubos Ilawod (Poblacion)	-	1003	063030118
Ubos Ilaya (Poblacion)	-	896	063030119
Valencia	-	465	063030120
Wayang	-	229	063030121

Demographics

Population census of Miagao

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	20,656	—
1918	24,556	+1.16%
1939	30,179	+0.99%
1948	30,143	−0.01%
1960	32,117	+0.53%
1970	37,585	+1.58%
1975	40,603	+1.56%
1980	45,816	+2.44%
1990	51,738	+1.22%
1995	52,276	+0.19%
2000	57,092	+1.91%
2007	60,498	+0.80%
2010	64,545	+2.38%
2015	67,565	+0.87%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

In the 2020 census, the population of Miagao was 68,115 people, with a density of 430 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,100 inhabitants per square mile.

As of the 2015 census by the Philippine Statistics Authority Census of Population, the ten most populous barangays of Miagao are shown in the table below:

Barangay	Population
Baybay Norte	2932
Mat-y	2346
Palaca	2142
Dalije	1809
Kirayan Norte	1727
Kirayan Sur	1440
Oyungan	1417
Malagyan	1409
Damilisan	1305
San Rafael	1303

Almost all people in Miagao speak Kinaray-a as it is the primary language of the municipality. Hiligaynon is spoken as a second language by many and is especially useful when going to Iloilo City where Hiligaynon is the dominant language.

Economy

Agriculture

A road sign seen upon entering the first barangay (Barangay Calampitao) of the Municipality of Miagao from Iloilo City.

Azolla or water fern, a known biofertilizer, freely grows in the submerged rice paddies in the upland barangays of Miagao.

The municipality of Miagao is a largely agricultural town. Around 52% of the municipal land area is classified as agricultural and around 40% of the total land area is planted. Rice is the primary crop of the town while corn is considered as a secondary crop. Miagao is hailed as the "Onion Capital of the Visayas" because it is the largest producer of bulb onion not only in Western Visayas but in the whole Visayas and Mindanao. Other crops produced by the municipality include eggplants, peanuts, monggo, tomatoes, root crops, and bamboo.

Infrastructure

Public Transport

Miagao is strategically located along the Iloilo-Antique road. Because of this, transportation is not a big problem in the municipality. The town proper is 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Iloilo City and 57 kilometres (35 mi) from San Jose de Buenavista, the capital of Antique.

Buses

Several bus companies operate in Miagao. Buses that ply the Iloilo-Antique, Iloilo-Caticlan via San Jose, and Iloilo-Manila routes pass by the municipality every day. Ceres Liner by Vallacar Transit passes by Miagao almost every 30 minutes on its way to Iloilo from Antique and vice versa.

Manila bound buses also pass by Miagao. Dimple Star Transport, Gasat/Valisno Transport, and Ceres Liner pass by Miagao every morning on their way to Manila. In addition, RM Liner also heads to Manila everyday but passes by Miagao early in the evening.

Jeepneys

Jeepneys serve the Miagao-Iloilo City route more frequently than buses. The typical jeepeney can contain around 22 to as many as 34 or more passengers. The town is mainly served by Miagao-Iloilo City bound jeepneys but San Joaquin-Iloilo City bound jeepneys also serve the area. These jeepneys generally pass by every 10–20 minutes so catching a jeepney bound for Iloilo City is not a problem. Several mountain barangays of Miagao are also served by jeepneys because smaller modes of transportation aren't usually strong enough to climb steep and unpaved roads. In that case, habal-habal or plain motocycles can also be used.

Tricycles

Tricycles are the most common form transportation in the municipality. These are the Philippines' version of tuk-tuk in other Asian countries. Tricycles are often limited to operate within the municipality but special and private trips to other places are allowed. Miagao has established several tricycle routes in the municipality. Tricycles are color-coded to indicate the route assigned to them. Yellow ones are northbound while blue ones are southbound. Green tricycles are bound to the mountain barangays of the town passing through barangay Mat-y. Tricycles assigned to operate within the town proper are colored red. The following table shows the routes of all tricylcles-for-hire within the municipality of Miagao.

From	To	From	To	From	To	From	To
Miagao	Ubos Area	Miagao	Damilisan	Miagao	Banbanan	Miagao	Calampitao
Miagao	Baybay Area	Miagao	Narat-an	Miagao	Igbita	Miagao	Durog/Kirayan Tacas
Miagao	Sapa and UPV Area	Miagao	Calagtangan	Tan-agan		Miagao	Valencia/Naulid
Miagao	Malagyan	Miagao	Tugura-ao/Gines Palaca			Miagao	Caitib
Miagao	Bagumbayan	Miagao	Igbugo/Cawayanan			Miagao	Igpuro
		Miagao	Ilog-ilog
		Miagao	Igdulaca

Banks

Miagao is a financial center in southern Iloilo. The town has a total of five banks, two of which are branches of two of the country's largest banks. The banks in Miagao are as follows.

• Philippine National Bank (in front of Miagao Church, overused)
• Rural Bank of Miagao (in front of Miagao Church, has P35 access charge)
• Land Bank of the Philippines (in UPV Miagao Campus, poorly maintained)
• Card Bank Inc. (behind Miagao Church, overused)
• OK Bank (along Quezon Street, no ATM)

The instance of these ATMs being offline is quite high due to poor maintenance, overuse (due to proximity from UP Visayas, 4Ps beneficiaries and people here withdrawing huge sums of money), and faulty Internet and power connections. Avoid withdrawing near and after the 15th and 30th days of the month because people will drain the machines with cash because it is payday, also avoid the Land Bank ATM during the 2nd-3rd week of the month because of 4Ps beneficiaries claiming their monthly government dole out. If it is a real necessity to use ATMs at these times, prepare for queues that may last for hours, people holding "reservations" in their spot, people cutting in line, and the tinge of disappointment when the machine suddenly switches offline after the business day either because it ran out of cash or overused.

Health Services

Miagao is served by several public and private health providers. The following are the major health institutions of the municipality.

• Miagao Emergency Clinic

Miagao emergency clinic is the main health provider of the municipality. It is supported and operated by the municipal government and serves emergency cases, childbirth, consultations, dental services, minor injuries, and other non-critical cases. It is located beside the municipal hall.

• Miagao Health Cooperative Drug Screening Laboratory

It is one of the main laboratory tests provider of the municipality.

• UPV Infirmary

This is the main healthcare provider of the University of the Philippines Visayas in Miagao. It also caters non-UPV patients. This is also an emergency and non-critical healthcare provider.

• Napulan Diagnostic Center

Healthcare center for some emergency cases and minor operations and also provides consultations. This is a private healthcare provider.

• Angelo Adeno Pharmacy and Laboratory

Aside from being a pharmacy, it also provides laboratory tests for customers.

• Ronaliza Children and Women's Clinic

Provides medical consultations to most customers but is specialized in women's and children's health.

• Fantillo Medical Clinic

Provides general medical consultations but may also carry out minor operations like circumcisions.

Numerous pharmacies also dot the municipal town proper (Poblacion). Several barangay health stations are also being maintained by the local government.

Other Services

Convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and iMart have opened their branches in Miagao in 2016.

There are also available coffee shops that the people of Miagao and visitors could chill, relax, and study such as Cafe Diem located at Tahanglangit St., Miagao,Iloilo just at the back of St. Louise de Marillac School of Miagao.

Highlights

The Miagao Church

Closeup view of the whole facade of Miagao Church showing its intricate baroque design with a touch of the native culture.

Miag-ao Church

Main article: Miagao Church

The Miagao Church, or the Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva, was built in 1786 by Spanish Augustinian missionaries and was declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993. On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and native influences.

The central feature of the bas-relief facade is a large coconut tree which reaches almost to the apex. While an integral part of the Philippine landscape, the coconut tree is also the subject of lore. According to an old Philippine legend, the coconut tree was the only bequest from a loving mother to her two children, a tree which sustained them for life. On the church's facade the coconut tree appears as the "tree of life" to which St. Christopher carrying the Child Jesus on his shoulder is clinging to. The lesser facades feature the daily life of Miagaowanons during the time. Also depicted are other native flora and fauna, as well as native dress.

The church and its watchtowers were also built to defend the town and its people against raids by the Moros. It therefore has thick walls and, reportedly, secret passages. Indeed, stretching along the Iloilo coast are defensive towers, but none that equal the size of the Miagao. It is because of this defensive purpose that it is sometimes referred to as the Miag-ao Fortress Church.

Education

The primary and secondary education in the municipality of Miagao is under the jurisdiction of the Division of Iloilo under the Department of Education, Region 6. Miagao is subdivided into two school districts namely, Miagao East and Miagao West. The schools under each district as well as private, secondary, and tertiary schools in the municipality are listed below.

Primary education

Miagao East primary schools:

• Aguiauan ES
• Bacauan-Mambatad ES
• Guibongan-Igtuba ES
• Indag-an-Tanagan ES
• Kirayan ES
• La Consolacion ES
• Malagyan ES
• Miagao (East) Central ES
• Miranda ES
• Monteclaro ES
• Pungtod-Caitib ES
• San Jose ES
• Ticdalan ES
• Tigmarabo ES
• Valencia ES

Miagao West primary schools:

• Alimodias ES
• Bacolod ES
• Cadoldolan ES
• Dalije ES
• Diday ES
• Igbita-Tigmalapad ES
• Igdulaca ES
• Igpajo ES
• Ilog-ilog ES
• Jesus Nievales Memorial ES
• Miagao West Central ES
• Naclub ES
• Olango ES
• Oyungan ES
• San Fernando ES
• San Rafael ES

Private primary schools:

• Kaunlaran Learning Center (KLC)

Secondary education

Secondary schools:

• Alejandro Firmeza Memorial NHS
• Bacolod NHS
• Baraclayan NHS
• Kirayan NHS
• Miagao NHS
• Palaca-Damilisan NHS
• San Jose NHS
• San Rafael NHS
• Supt. Arsenio Napud Memorial NHS

Private secondary schools:

• Kaunlaran Integrated School Foundation INC
• St. Louise de Marillac School of Miagao

Colleges and Universities

University of the Philippines Visayas

The Miagao campus of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) spreads out over 12 km² on the outskirts of the town proper. This is the main campus of UPV which is composed of the UPV Tacloban College (UPVTC) in Tacloban City, UPV College of Management (CM) in Iloilo City, UPV High School in Iloilo (UPVHSI) in Iloilo City, UPV College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), UPV School of Technology (SoTech), and the flagship college of this campus, the UPV College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) which focuses on marine science, aquaculture, fish processing, natural products development, and post-harvest/food science. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Thailand and Cambodia sent exchange students to the school to study fish and rice production, and after graduating returned home where they began out-producing and out-exporting the Philippines in these commodities.

WVCST/ISATU Southern Iloilo Polytechnic College

The Iloilo Science and Technology University Southern Iloilo Polytechnic College Miagao Campus (formerly Southern Iloilo Polytechnic College) (SIPC) is one of the two tertiary institutions present in the municipality of Miagao. This school started as Miagao Regional High School in 1945 and became the Miagao Vocational School in 1958. In 1984, Miagao Vocational School was converted to Southern Iloilo Polytechnic College to meet the demands of the changing times and for expansion purposes. SIPC was then integrated with the Western Visayas College of Science and Technology (now Iloilo Science and Technology University) on November 24, 2000 by virtue of the Republic Act(RA) No. 7722, otherwise known as the “Higher Education Act of 1994 and RA No. 8292". Currently, the school offers courses in the fields of electronics and technology, hospitality, and primary and secondary education.

Media

• DYUP-FM 102.7
• DYUP-AM 873
• Hot-FM Miag-ao
• Falconite – FM/AM Miagao

See also

• Baroque Churches of the Philippines

External links

• Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church of Miagao
• Municipality of Miagao Official website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Local Governance Performance Management System
• University of the Philippines in the Visayas
• Miagao Church Discussion & Photos
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Miagao" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.