Igbaras

Igbaras
Municipality
Municipality of Igbaras
Mount Napulak
Flag Seal
Map of Iloilo with Igbaras highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Igbaras Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°43′N 122°16′E / 10.72°N 122.27°E / 10.72; 122.27
Country	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas
Province	Iloilo
District	1st district
Founded	1753
Barangays	46 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Vicente E. Escorpion Jr.
• Vice Mayor	Sherwin Paul E. Quidato
• Representative	Janette L. Garin
• Municipal Council	Members Romeo E. Espinosa Deniamel Yen Dela Cruz-Famatid Jose Vicente E. Espin Jr. Anne Karmela E. Eucogco Christian Jun E. Elarmo Hermogenes E. Eulatic Anthony E. Autencio Jose Nilo E. Graza Ferdinand E. Esmejarda-LNB Pres. Carla Jane S. Escorpion-SK Fed. Pres.
• Electorate	20,685 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	148.72 km2 (57.42 sq mi)
Elevation	111 m (364 ft)
Highest elevation	452 m (1,483 ft)
Lowest elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	32,197
• Density	220/km2 (560/sq mi)
• Households	8,021
Economy
• Income class	2nd municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	25.71 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 131.7 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 406.8 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 98.14 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 71.35 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Iloilo 1 Electric Cooperative (ILECO 1)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5029
PSGC	063021000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)33
Native languages	Karay-a Hiligaynon Tagalog
Website	www.igbaras.gov.ph

Igbaras, officially the Municipality of Igbaras (Kinaray-a: Banwa kang Igbaras; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Igbaras, Tagalog: Bayan ng Igbaras), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,197 people.^[3]

Igbaras celebrates its town fiesta annually on May 22 in honor of Santa Rita de Cascia. The town has many points of interest including the ruins of the church belfry, Mount Napulak, Bahi-Bahi, Nadsadjan Falls, Lagsakan Falls, Timapok Falls, Guiritsan Falls, Sampanan Falls, Bat Cave, Igcabugao Cave, Bais Cave and the Pakuyang sa Tangyan Festival. A species of Rafflesia, the world's largest flower, can also be found here.

The name Igbaras comes from a combination of two words, "ig" or "tig" which means "plenty of" or "season of", and "baras" which means "sand". Thus Igbaras means "plenty of sand" which alludes to the nearby sandy river. Igbaras is most commonly mistaken with the similar-sounding and more widely known province of Guimaras.

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As a result of the implementation of Spanish Governor-General Narciso Claveria's decree on giving Filipinos with Spanish surnames in 1849, inhabitants of Igbaras during that time were apportioned with surnames starting mostly with the letter E.

Igbaras was fused with Guimbal in 1902 until the American regime made it a separate town on January 1, 1919. Don Flor Evidente became the first municipal mayor.

American soldiers water tortured Igbaras leaders then burned the village to the ground during the Philippine–American War^[5]

Igbaras has the distinction of having the first congressman elected to Congress in 1925–1928 in the person of Don Eugenio Ealdama, and the delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention, Don Mariano Ezpeleta who later served as Consul-General and ambassador to several countries.

Igbaras is located at the south-western part of Iloilo. It is situated between the coordinates of 122.2650’ longitude, and 10.7167’ latitude. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Iloilo City.

Igbaras is politically subdivided into 46 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Alameda was formerly known as Bukaw.^[6]

Population census of Igbaras

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	6,406	—
1939	14,394	+2.27%
1948	15,968	+1.16%
1960	17,537	+0.78%
1970	19,720	+1.18%
1975	21,339	+1.59%
1980	22,173	+0.77%
1990	25,274	+1.32%
1995	25,960	+0.50%
2000	27,878	+1.54%
2007	29,417	+0.74%
2010	31,347	+2.34%
2015	32,004	+0.40%
2020	32,197	+0.12%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11]

In the 2020 census, the population of Igbaras was 32,197 people,^[3] with a density of 220 inhabitants per square kilometre or 570 inhabitants per square mile.

People from Igbaras speak Kinaray-a, a language associated with Antique province. However, Hiligaynon, a vernacular commonly used in Iloilo City is understood by everyone and used mostly by students or those staying in the city.

Poverty incidence of Igbaras

10 20 30 40 2006 33.00 2009 29.21 2012 22.52 2015 25.39 2018 25.45 2021 25.71 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Secondary:

• Igbaras National High School
• Igtalongon National High School
• Alameda National High School

Elementary and Primary:

The Mayor is the chief executive of the town. He is elected to serve a three-year term, with a maximum of three terms. The incumbent Municipal Mayor is Atty. Vicente E. Escorpion Jr. The Vice Mayor is the Presiding Officer of the Sangguniang Bayan. He is also the chief executive of the town whenever the mayor is out of the town. He is elected to serve a three-year term, with a maximum of three terms. The incumbent vice mayor is Atty. Sherwin Paul E. Quidato. The Sangguniang Bayan of Igbaras is composed of 8 members with 2 ex-officio members which are the town's Liga ng mga Barangay President and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President. The municipal councilors are elected to serve a three-year term, with a maximum of three terms.

The town officials from June 30, 2022, to June 30, 2025. They were elected last May 9, 2022 Philippine General Elections

Position	Name
Municipal Mayor	Vicente Elmido Escorpion Jr.
Municipal Vice Mayor	Sherwin Paul Eugalca Quidato
Councilors	Romeo Eresuelo Espinosa
	Deniamel Yen Dela Cruz-Famatid
	Jose Vicente Elechicon Espin Jr.
	Anne Karmela Eata Eucogco
	Christian Jun Encia Elarmo
	Hermogenes Edjan Eulatic
	Anthony Estil Autencio
	Jose Nilo Ealdama Graza
	Ferdinand Espia Esmejarda (LNB Rep.)
	Carla Jane Sinoro Escorpion (Sk Fed. Pres.)

• Don Flor Evidente (1919–1922)
• Lucas Gentica (1922–1925)
• Julian Bucoy Saavedra (1925–1931)
• Justo Estrella (1931–1938)
• Gerardo Escala (1938–1941)
• Toribio Melliza (1941–1945, 1961–1964)
• Perfecto Saavedra (1945–1955)
• Ricardo Ealdama (1955–1961)
• Atty. Daniel Esmeralda (1964–1977)
• Vicente E. Perez (1977–1985)
• Wilfredo C. Uy (1986–1992)
• Fruto J. Saavedra (1992–2001)
• Jaime Esmeralda, MD (2001–2010)
• Atty. Vicente E. Escorpion Jr. (2010–2019)
• Jaime Esmeralda, MD (2019–2022)
• Atty. Vicente E. Escorpion Jr. (2022–Present)

• Igbaras Website Archived 2014-12-17 at the Wayback Machine
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System Archived 2012-05-09 at the Wayback Machine