Libon, Albay

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Libon
Municipality
Municipality of Libon
Seal
Nickname(s):  Rice Granary of the Province of Albay, Birthplace of Christianity in the Bicol Region
Anthem: Libon Hymn
Map of Albay with Libon highlighted
show OpenStreetMap Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Libon Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 13°18′N 123°26′E / 13.3°N 123.43°E / 13.3; 123.43Coordinates: 13°18′N 123°26′E / 13.3°N 123.43°E / 13.3; 123.43
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region
Province	Albay
District	3rd district
Founded	1573
Barangays	47 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Wilfredo V. Maronilla
• Vice Mayor	Markgregor Edward C. Sayson
• Representative	Fernando T. Cabredo
• Municipal Council	show Members Daniel S. Dycoco Ramon Martin L. Velasco Edna S. Sazon Ramon Ferdinand E. Velasco Apolonio S. Se Domingo B. Samson John Andrew S. Ranera Florian F. Briones
• Electorate	47,185 voters (2019)
Area [2]
• Total	222.76 km2 (86.01 sq mi)
Elevation	34 m (112 ft)
Highest elevation	2,442 m (8,012 ft)
Lowest elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	75,073
• Density	340/km2 (870/sq mi)
• Households	15,461
Demonym(s)	Libongueño
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	35.98% (2015)[4]
• Revenue	₱162,470,117.71 (2016)
Service provider
• Electricity	Albay Power and Energy Corporation (APEC)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4507
PSGC	050507000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)52
Climate type	tropical rainforest climate
Native languages	Albay Bikol Tagalog
Website	www.libon.gov.ph

Libon, officially the Municipality of Libon (Central Bikol: Banwaan kan Libon; Tagalog: Bayan ng Libon), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 75,073 people. ^[3]

Libon is a first class municipality with a land area of 222.76 square kilometres (86.01 sq mi). It is about 37 kilometres (23 mi) west-north-west of the provincial capital of Albay Legazpi City, and about 300 kilometres (190 mi) east-south-east of Manila. It is classified as a partly urban municipality with 47 barangays subdivided into seven leagues: St. James (Poblacion), Lakeside (barangays within the vicinity of Bato Lake), Coastal (barangays located along the Albay West Coast), Big Five (barangays abundant in rice, corn, and vegetables), Interior Nine (hinterland barangays forefront in vegetable production and livestock raising), Palayan (barangays foremost in rice production), and Six Hills (barangays concentrated to coconut production).

Libon's major economic activities are agriculture and fishing. Its 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of ricelands produce 30.4 million kilos or 608,000 bags of palay per year, earning the sobriquet "Rice Granary of Albay".^{[citation needed]} Libon is also the seat of the , a regional port facility linking the Masbate island province, the Visayas and Mindanao to mainland Bicol towards Southern Luzon and the National Capital Region.

Etymology[]

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The town of Libon, as it is presently known was originally called Libong. It is not known when and how the letter "g" got dropped. Some writers believe that the Spaniards must have found it difficult to pronounce the word "Libong" with the letter g, so that in due time Libong became Libon. There are conflicting and various versions regarding the origin of the name Libong. Some say that the word must have been derived from the Bicol term "libong" or "ribong", meaning puzzled, dizziness, losing one's sense of direction, or becoming oriented. Others believe that the word Libon must have originated from a Spanish term "libon", which means "assault". Another version is that the word is a corruption of the Bicol word "libtong", meaning difficulty, obstacle or pool of stagnant water, which when applied to a place could mean a difficult or stagnant place. The more popular and perhaps more plausible version is the claim that Libon originated from the Bicol term "libong" or "ribong", and there is a story which seems to support this view. The story goes that Captain Juan de Salcedo and his men arrived in this place, by sailing across Lake Bato and entering the river called, Quimba. Sailing upstream, they finally landed in a place called Linao; (Linao is one of the barrios of Libon today and is situated on the banks of ). Here Salcedo and his men proceeded to find a town. However, after exploring the surrounding area and noting that Linao was at the foot of a mountain range, making it vulnerable to enemy attacks from the surrounding mountains, Salcedo and his men, with some natives as their guide, decided to move on to a more suitable place. Traveling across marshy land, they arrived at a slightly elevated area. Upon looking around and trying to determine where they were, one native guide remarked "libong aco". (I am confused). The Spaniards on hearing the word "libong" understood it to mean the name of the place. Hence, Salcedo named it "Santiago de Libon."

History[]

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"The city of Libon draws its beginning to the “Second Expedition of Juan de Salcedo to the Bicol Region in 1573.”^[5] Using the northern passageway to the region Salcedo arrived in 1571, following his uncle's (Miguel Lopez de Legazpi) cshortly after the seizure of Manila. Legazapi had commissioned his nephew to calm the area around Manila, and in the process Salcedo discovered a rumor that “somewhere beyond the mountains of southern Luzon was a placed called Paracale with its fabulous gold mines.“^[5] He spent an undisclosed amount of time searching for the rumored mines, but returned to Manila upon the orders of his uncle vowing to return to the Bicol Region as soon as he could.

He accomplished this in early 1573. “Salcedo undertook his second trip to the Bicol Region retracing his first route and with the wealth of information that he gathered during his first arrival in the region, he led his men beyond Paracale.”^[5] He continued upstream on the Bicol River upstream and reached its source, Bato Lake. On the shore of the lake Salcedo established the beginnings a "Settlement for Spaniards and named it Santiago de Libong."^[5]

Saint James the Greater Parish[]

Santiago el Mayor, Patron Saint of Libon

In 1573, Juan de Salcedo set up the garrison named Santiago de Libong, and a church was constructed under the patronage of Saint James the Apostle. In 1578, when the Franciscans arrive, it was ceded to the province under San Gregorio Magno. A church made of red bricks was constructed in Linao in 1591. This church was destroyed in mid 17th century and a new church was constructed.

In 1847, the town was ceded to Albay from Camarines. Huerta reported that the new church was reconstructed by in 1865 and it was made of solid bricks, while the casa parroquial was made of stone. The church was destroyed by a strong earthquake in 1907 and it had to reconstructed with new materials.

Geography[]

Libon is located at

 WikiMiniAtlas

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 222.76 square kilometres (86.01 sq mi) ^[6] constituting 8.65% of the 2,575.77-square-kilometre- (994.51 sq mi) total area of Albay.

The municipality lies at the Northwestern Quadrant of the Province of Albay. The distance is about 46-54 kilometers away from Legazpi City and approximately 546 kilometers south of Manila. It is located geographically between 1308’2’’ and 20’354.5’’ north and between 1243014’25.2’’ and 29’19.4’’ east longitude. Libon is bounded on the North by the Municipality of Bato in the province of Camarines Sur; on the South by the municipality of Oas; on the East by the municipality of Polangui; and on the West by the Burias Pass and Ragay Gulf.

The topography of Libon is generally characterized as plain to undulating; extensive alluvial floodplain on its eastern flank, gently rolling to sloping uplands and steep mountains on its central western parts.

The elevation ranges from 0 – 400 meters above sea level. More than five percent of the area has elevation ranging from 100 to 150 meters above sea level. The surface terrain is generally plain. Barangays in the Big Six, Centro Poblacion, and Palayan League mostly constitute the plain areas. The barangays within the Coastal League occupies the coastal zones of 664 hectares although 40 percent of its area is mountainous surface terrain.

The municipality has six types of soil. The predominant soil type is the Agustin Soil or clay-loam which is mostly found in the leagues of Interior Eight, Big Six, and Six Hills. The Magsaysay Soil or the sandy-loam is identified in the coastal areas and is suitable for rice production. The Sevilla Soil or clay and sandy-clay type are principally in hilly landscape.

Barangays[]

Libon is politically subdivided into 47 barangays.^[7]

Climate[]

Demographics[]

In the 2020 census, Libon had a population of 75,073. ^[3] The population density was 340 inhabitants per square kilometre (880/sq mi).

Economy[]

Libon Paroy Festival[]

Talin Talin, Libon, Albay

Flaming Water, Poblacion, Libon, Albay

Celebrated every July 22–25, Libon Paroy Festival is a celebration of the town's rich agricultural heritage as the Rice Granary of the Province of Albay for its bountiful harvest of paroy or rice. It is the town's biggest celebration devoted to paying homage to Santiago el Mayor, Libon's patron saint, as well as the local farmers of Libon, considered heroes of the local economy and symbols of courage, determination, and passion. The annual festivities emblazon and commemorates the opulent past of the Municipality of Libon as one of the oldest settlements in the Philippines. Activities include the parade of carabaos dressed in festive costumes, pulling carts adorned with decorations, usually the town's agricultural harvests. Other highlights include Lutong Libongueño, a culinary competition and feast featuring local cuisines such as pecadillo (deep-fried, spice-stuffed tilapia), tinoktok (a variety of pinangat), native delicacies made from rice and root crops; Paroy Exhibit that showcases the varieties of rice planted in Libon as well as the products made by different organizations in Libon such as camote growers, kababaihan associations, barangay-based farmers associations, and MSMEs; Banca Racing, Street Dance Competitions featuring different festivals around the country, Cross-Country Mountain Bike Competition, Baton and DLC Competitions, Farmer's Forum, Color Fun Run and Marathon, Boxing Tournament, Paralympic Games, Miss Libon Beauty Pageant, Laro ng Lahi Nyan mga taga-Libon, LGBTQ and Mardigras Parade, as well as a number of singing and dancing competitions, and religious merriments. The month-long celebration culminates on July 25, the day of the feast.

Tourism[]

The Municipality of Libon is blessed with natural bounties, sceneries in both terrestrial and aquatic, and rich history, culture and cuisine which, if managed efficiently and responsibly, could generate economic boom through livelihood opportunities to the Libongueños. Libon has a proud history of being one of the oldest settlements in the Philippines. It also has been crowned “Rice Granary of Albay” for its bountiful harvest of rice. The Libon Paroy Festival every July 22 to 25, is annually-held to honor Libon's patron saint, Santiago El Mayor as well as to pay homage to its farmers. The festival showcases the farmer's dedication in cultivating the soil and growing paroy or rice, Libon's most staple crop and source of identity. Highlights include the annual carabao parade, farmer's bounty, street dancing competition, baton and DLC competition, local food showcase, exhibits, sports events, and beauty pageants and talent searches exclusive for Libongueños.

Moreover, Libon is part of both the Ticao-Burias Pass Protected Seascape (TBPPS) known for its rich marine life and biodiversity, as well as that of the Albay UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Pantao, which was one of the biggest shipyards back during the Spanish colonization of the country, is the site of the Bicol Regional Port, said to be a major economic driver for Libon for being a gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao. Its location, the Albay West Coast is an idyllic string of beaches covering six coastal barangays. Rock formations (Bantigue), shoals (Rawis Shoal/Sand Bar), fish and marine sanctuary (Rawis-Apud) with a variety of corals and marine life are some of the wonders popular to local tourists. Macabugos, a coastal barangay, is an emerging agri-tourism site in Bicol for its grape farm/vineyard, owned by Villa Miranda Farm and Resort. The farm also has edible mushroom facility and a garden with unique fruits such as purple guava, guapple and strawberry, among others. Mount Quiasog, also in Macabugos, is an ideal camping, spelunking and trekking site. Its most prominent feature is a towering monolith rock surrounded by caves. The National Museum of the Philippines is set to conduct archeological survey in some of the caves for potential artefacts that could link the legend of Asog, the enchanter-protector of the mountain to the way of life of ancient natives. The once secluded barangay has become Libon's leading tourism destination, even serving as a venue for one of the pre-pageant activities of an international beauty pageant for tourism.

Buga, a barangay situated at the banks of Lake Bato, is a potential eco-tourism area for activities such as boating, bird-watching and fishing. Caguscos, a land-locked barangay is developing Mount Lanagan as an eco-adventure and retreat site. The area has at least fourteen caves, some are still unexplored, two small lakes on top of it, and a panoramic view of the sea (Burias Pass, the Lake Bato, majority of the Albay province and Bicol's prominent mountains such as Mayon Volcano, Mount Masaraga, Mount Malinao and Mount Asog). Caves and falls are also abundant in Libon. Linao, the oldest barangay of the town, has two of these wonders, although both have been altered by natural causes such as degradation and flooding. Linao's neighboring barangay of San Ramon is where Balinsasayawan Cave is located. It is a limestone cave named after the swiftlet, locally known in the Philippines as balinsasayaw, which is an adept inhabitant of caves and whose nests made of their saliva, are a popular ingredient for soup across the country. Adjacent to this wonder, is a view deck in San Pascual, one of Libon's upland barangays. The site commands a view of a majority of Libon's timberland and forest areas.

A few kilometers from San Pascual is Barangay San Jose, which has several falls: Cañeta and Mararag. Both of which are hidden in the mountains and serve as natural bathing sites for locals. Gogongon Falls, located at Barangay Harigue, north of San Jose, is also a popular falls in the municipality. The area has a natural lagoon ideal for swimming. All of these falls require at most an hour of walking and/or trekking. Adventure-loving tourists could use a good time with nature and greens along the way. Some of noteworthy addition to points of interest and potential tourism sites are the Bulusan River Promenade which has served as venue for boat racing during town festival, mangrove sites in the several coastal barangays, multi-species hatchery facility in Rawis, the Libon Business, Recreational and Institutional Center (LBIRC) at Barangay Zone 1, unexplored caves and falls in Molosbolos, the site of the proposed Pantao People's Park, the Libon Macapagal Gymnasium, Rizal Park and several spring resorts in Big Five barangays. Bonbon, a strategic barangay for commerce and trade, houses a local market where handicrafts such as those made of abaca, buri, agas or water lily, and other indigenous hemps and fibers are sold. Meat, fish, vegetables, root crops and other fresh harvests are also available in this barangay.

For excursionists with limited time or energy for a whole-day itinerary, Poblacion will be a good trip for local history and wonders. Libon Central School houses the Flaming Water of Libon, which has been featured several times at local television shows. For faith tourism, the Saint James the Greater Parish Church at Barangay Zone 4 is Libon's main religious thoroughfare. The materials at the back portion of the church are remnants of the old church of Linao, one of the earliest in Albay. The home of Santiago el Mayor, Libon's patron saint, the St. James the Greater Parish Church reminds both the visitors and natives of Libon's of the town's opulent past as one of the oldest settlements in the Philippines, being founded in 1573 as a Spanish citadel with its former name, “Villa Santiago de Libong”, and of its significance in the propagation of Christianity during the early phase of the Spanish occupation of the country.

References[]

External links[]

• Official Municipal Website of Libon
• Libon Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code