Belison

Belison (/bɛˈlison/), officially the Municipality of Belison (Kinaray-a: Banwa kang Bilisong, [bɪˈlisʊŋ]; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Belison; Tagalog: Bayan ng Belison), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Antique, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,129 people.[3] Making it 18th most populous, the smallest municipality in the province of Antique and the smallest in Panay island in both area and population.

Belison
Municipality
Municipality of Belison
Belison Municipal Hall
Belison Municipal Hall
Flag of Belison
Flag
Map of Antique with Belison highlighted
Map of Antique with Belison highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Belison is located in Philippines
Belison
Belison
Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°50′17″N 121°57′38″E
CountryPhilippines
RegionWestern Visayas
ProvinceAntique
District Lone district
FoundedMarch 10, 1961
Barangays11 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorChristopher H. Piccio
 • Vice MayorDarell B. dela Flor
 • RepresentativeLoren Legarda
 • Municipal Council
Members
 • Electorate9,935 voters (2022)
Area
[2]
 • Total19.78 km2 (7.64 sq mi)
Highest elevation
(Mount Igtangitang)
237 m (778 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[3]
 • Total14,129
 • Density710/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
 • Households
3,412
DemonymBilisongnun
Economy
 • Income class5th municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence
13.18
% (2018)[4]
 • Revenue₱ 
 • Assets₱ 
 • Expenditure₱ 
 • Liabilities₱ 
Service provider
 • ElectricityAntique Electric Cooperative (ANTECO)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
5701
PSGC
060603000
IDD : area code +63 (0)36
Native languagesKaray-a
Hiligaynon
Tagalog
Websitewww.belisonantique.gov.ph

Belison is the smallest (in area and population)[5] and the youngest municipality in the province of Antique.[6]

History

Belison (Kinaray-a: Bilisong) was merely a barangay in the larger municipality of Patnongon, adjacent to the north. Belison barangay leaders and Manila-based Bilisongnuns ([bɪlɪsʊŋˈnən]; ‘Belison residents’) mapped out a petition requesting the national government to make Belison an independent town. The petition was brought to Malacañan Palace on March 10, 1961, and through Presidential Executive Order No. 421 signed by President Carlos P. Garcia,[6] Belison was declared a municipality - the smallest and the youngest in the Province of Antique.

During World War II, Japanese war submarines and other marine craft found the shores of Belison easy entry points to Panay, and invaded the Western Visayas in that location. People still tell of the fear created by these foreign intruders, and also of the bravery of those who decided to resist, creating rebel strongholds in the mountainous areas above the municipality.

When the Japanese air raids would bomb Belison and the nearby communities, families from all around fled to Guinobatan Cave, high in the hills of barangay Buenavista. And when the American forces came, they too used the smooth sea landing in Belison, bringing relief food supplies to Bilisongnuns, and troops to attack the Japanese occupying forces. They often used local homes in the area to hide in while planning their strategies for assault against the enemy, and enlisted the help of brave men and women to carry out their plans.

Geography

Belison is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the provincial capital, San Jose de Buenavista.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 19.78 square kilometres (7.64 sq mi) [7] constituting 0.72% of the 2,729.17-square-kilometre- (1,053.74 sq mi) total area of Antique.

The municipality is bounded on the east by San Remigio, southeast by Sibalom, south by San Jose de Buenavista, north by Patnongon, and west by the Cuyo East Pass.

Climate
Climate data for Belison, Antique
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 33
(91)		 32
(90)		 30
(86)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 29
(84)		 30
(86)		 30
(86)		 30
(87)
Average low °C (°F) 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 22
(72)		 24
(75)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 24
(75)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 48
(1.9)		 41
(1.6)		 58
(2.3)		 82
(3.2)		 223
(8.8)		 300
(11.8)		 346
(13.6)		 307
(12.1)		 311
(12.2)		 292
(11.5)		 167
(6.6)		 81
(3.2)		 2,256
(88.8)
Average rainy days 11.4 7.7 11.3 15.4 25.7 28.5 29.5 28.7 28.3 28.7 21.8 15.2 252.2
Source: Meteoblue[8] (Use with caution: this is modeled/calculated data, not measured locally.)

Barangays

Belison is politically subdivided into 11 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

The Poblacion, seat of the municipal government, is an urban barangay while the rest are considered rural.

PSGC Barangay Population ±% p.a.
2020[3] 2010[9]
060603001 Borocboroc 8.9% 1,261 1,173 ▴ 0.73%
060603002 Buenavista 3.6% 504 449 ▴ 1.16%
060603003 Concepcion 8.9% 1,263 1,165 ▴ 0.81%
060603004 Delima 5.6% 790 751 ▴ 0.51%
060603005 Ipil 5.3% 744 689 ▴ 0.77%
060603006 Maradiona 11.4% 1,613 1,539 ▴ 0.47%
060603007 Mojon 3.3% 461 410 ▴ 1.18%
060603008 Poblacion 31.9% 4,503 4,479 ▴ 0.05%
060603009 Rombang 7.2% 1,016 834 ▴ 1.99%
060603010 Salvacion 3.5% 497 464 ▴ 0.69%
060603011 Sinaja 6.3% 887 854 ▴ 0.38%
Total 14,129 12,807 ▴ 0.99%

Demographics
Population census of Belison
YearPop.±% p.a.
1970 7,189—    
1975 7,627+1.19%
1980 8,626+2.49%
1990 10,095+1.59%
1995 11,174+1.92%
2000 11,621+0.84%
2007 12,467+0.97%
2010 12,807+0.98%
2015 13,539+1.06%
2020 14,129+0.84%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[10][9][11][12]

In the 2020 census, Belison had a population of 14,129.[3] The population density was 710 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,800/sq mi).

Religion

Nine (9) of the leading Christian religious dominations in the Philippines established their presence in the town. Most Bilisongnuns are of Aglipayan ancestry.

  • Aglipayan or the members of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Parish of Our Lady of Purity & Candles) have a church along Delima Street.
  • Roman Catholics, there is the Lady of Candles Parish located along Oliverio Street.
  • Seventh-day Adventist Church located along Placer Street.
  • Iglesia ni Cristo has two locales, one in Candelaria Street, Poblacion and another in National Road, Barangay Rombang.
  • Assembly of God located along Candelaria Street.
  • Belison Baptist Church located along Rizal Street.
  • Born Again Church located in Barangay Maradiona.
  • United Pentecostal Church is located along National Road (Barangay Poblacion).
  • Victory Christian Church is located along Bajalan-Lancara Street.

Economy
Poverty Incidence of Belison
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14]
[15][16][17][18][19]

Agriculture continues to be the heartbeat of the town. More than half of its land is riceland, while the rest are planted to corn, coconut, sugar cane and other production like vegetables and peanuts.

Government

Municipal seal

The Belison municipal seal was created to commemorate the agricultural heritage of the town, in order to preserve the legacy of the original settlers in the region. It depicts three mainstay agricultural activities:

  • The top image represents fishing and the bounties of the neighboring sea.
  • The lower left portion is the harvesting of sugar cane, its processing muscovado sugar.
  • The lower right depicts tilling of the lowlands for the planting of rice and other grains and vegetables.

Surrounding the great triangle are eleven stars – one representing each barangay in the town. The largest star at the bottom is for the Poblacion. Their strength lies in their connectivity to one another, and in their closeness to the traditions of the past.

References
  1.  Municipality of Belison | (DILG)
  2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. Census of Population (2020). "Region VI (Western Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. "Province: Antique". PSGC Interactive. Makati, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  6. "Executive Order No. 421, s. 1961: Creating the Municipality of Belison in the Province of Antique". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Manila. March 10, 1961. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  7. "Province: Antique". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  8. "Belison: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  9. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VI (Western Visayas)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  10. Census of Population (2015). "Region VI (Western Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  11. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VI (Western Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
  12. "Province of Antique". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  13. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  14. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
  15. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
  16. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
  17. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
  18. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
  19. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
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