Cabatuan, officially the Municipality of Cabatuan (, ; ), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people. It is located northwest of Iloilo City and was part of the Metro Iloilo–Guimaras area.

It is mainly agricultural with of agricultural land. Certain crops are abundantly produced including rice, corn, sweet potato, taro, and cassava. Sugar cane, coffee, tropical fruits and vegetables, and coconut are also produced in certain areas. The locals also earn from livestock and poultry. Moreover, the land is also an excellent source of gravel and sand for the production of concrete.

History

Residents believe that the name Cabatuan may have originated from three local dialect terms reflecting aspects of its prehistoric landscape. It could derive from (1) CaBatuan, meaning a large area of rocks; (2) Batuan, meaning to fight, defy, or oppose; or (3) Batu-an, a sour-fruit-bearing evergreen tree that grew abundantly in the region. Another theory, however, suggests that the name was derived from "naga-batu" (fighting or opposing) which is used to describe a creek in the town that flowed from east to west opposite to that of the usual flows of the rivers in the region. The municipality's name is distinguished from a municipality of the same name in Isabela, Luzon.

The town of Cabatuan was originally known for the "Sinulugans," hillside tribesmen who annually performed the "Sinulog," or Dance of Death, featuring sword-fighting rituals. The area was also inhabited by tulisanes (bandits) and rustlers before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1732.

The town was founded on April 9, 1732, after a molave cross (with only its base currently existing) was planted on the peak of Pamul-ogan Hill. It was originally planned by Tono whose statue now stands in front of the Municipal Building. He was then a town leader together with two other leaders Gomoc and Amihan. This early settlement was then flourishing on a level zone of land near the northern bank of the Tigum River where the poblacion or the commercial center of the town is now located.

During the Second World War, Cabatuan officially became the last defense of Western Visayas against the Japanese forces which led to the destruction of most of its edifices. the same day as the surrender signing in Japan aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. This was accepted by Col. Raymond G. Stanton, comdg the 160th U.S. Infantry regiment, and was attended by Rear Admiral Ralph O. Davis, commanding the U.S. Navy's 13th Amphibious Group, and by Brig. Gen. Donald J. Myers, commanding the 40th Infantry Division. The 13th Amphibious Group was tasked to transport the 40th U.S. Infantry Division to Korea.

In modern times, Cabatuan serves as a gateway to Iloilo, being the location of the new Iloilo International Airport.

Geography

Cabatuan is described as a cultural and religious town in the heart of Panay Island, located along a branch of the Suage River, from Iloilo City, the capital of Iloilo province.

Barangays

thumb|Political Map of Cabatuan, Iloilo

Cabatuan is politically subdivided into 68 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

  • Acao
  • Amerang
  • Amurao
  • Anuang
  • Ayaman
  • Ayong
  • Bacan
  • Balabag
  • Baluyan
  • Banguit
  • Bulay
  • Cadoldolan
  • Cagban
  • Calawagan
  • Calayo
  • Duyan-Duyan
  • Gaub
  • Gines Interior
  • Gines Patag
  • Guibuangan Tigbauan
  • Inabasan
  • Inaca
  • Inaladan
  • Ingas
  • Ito Norte
  • Ito Sur
  • Janipaan Central
  • Janipaan Este
  • Janipaan Oeste
  • Janipaan Olo
  • Jelicuon Lusaya
  • Jelicuon Montinola
  • Lag-an
  • Leong
  • Lutac
  • Manguna
  • Maraguit
  • Morubuan
  • Pacatin
  • Pagotpot
  • Pamul-ogan
  • Pamuringao Proper
  • Pamuringao Garrido
  • Pungtod
  • Puyas
  • Salacay
  • Sulanga
  • Tabucan
  • Tacdangan
  • Talanghauan
  • Tigbauan Road
  • Tinio-an
  • Tiring
  • Tupol Central
  • Tupol Este
  • Tupol Oeste
  • Tuy-an
  • Zone I Pob. (Barangay 1)
  • Zone II Pob. (Barangay 2)
  • Zone III Pob. (Barangay 3)
  • Zone IV Pob. (Barangay 4)
  • Zone V Pob. (Barangay 5)
  • Zone VI Pob. (Barangay 6)
  • Zone VII Pob. (Barangay 7)
  • Zone VIII Pob. (Barangay 8)
  • Zone IX Pob. (Barangay 9)
  • Zone X Pob. (Barangay 10)
  • Zone XI Pob. (Barangay 11)

Climate

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Cabatuan was 62,717 people, with a density of .

Languages

Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon are the most dominant dialects in Cabatuan. English and Tagalog are also spoken.

Religion

Roman Catholicism is the most dominant religion in this municipality.

Economy

Government

Fire station

The Cabatuan Fire Station was chosen as entry of Region VI in the Search for Outstanding Municipal Fire Station in the Philippines in 2008.

Hymn

The town has its own official hymn entitled Ang Banwa nga Namat-an composed by Jesus Pablito G. Villanueva. It is required (as imposed by Municipal Ordinance No. 2007-002) that the hymn be sung after the National Anthem in flag ceremonies in all public schools, agencies, and institutions in the municipality.

Municipal hall

One of the earliest town halls built in Northern Iloilo is the Cabatuan Municipal Hall. It was built in 1734 along with the Church. Calamities and war, however, damaged the second level of this public house and many renovations had been done. On the other hand, the designs were still derived from the original plan of the Casa. The first level of the town hall is already centuries old and its interior is characterized by the Art Deco cubical columns and semi-arched Tuscan windows adorned with capiz shells.

Infrastructure

The Iloilo International Airport is located in the municipality; specifically in the barangays of Tabucan, Tiring, Duyan-Duyan and Manguna. The airport can be reached either from the Cabatuan access roads (Barangay Tabucan and Barangay Tiring, Cabatuan) or from the Pavia-Santa Barbara-Cabatuan (Barangay Duyan-Duyan, Cabatuan) access road. This festival is one of the highlights of the 10-day fiesta celebration of the municipality and is a colorful explosion of music and dances patterned from Iloilo's Kasadyahan Festival. There are six (6) competing groups (called tribes or "tribu" in the local dialect) composed of students from six secondary schools in Cabatuan. The groups are judged according to creativity, originality, costume, and choreography, among others. The winning group is the town's official representative to the Kasadyahan Festival in Iloilo City where the town has been actively participating in. This year, Tribu Ilahas from Tiring National High School, winner of the 2007 Tinuom Festival placed third in the Kasadayahan Competition.

Holy Week

Cabatuan is also known to have the most wooden and porcelain statues being showcased on Lenten processions (a religious parade evident in almost all parishes in the Philippines during Holy Week). The most popular set of these figures is the wooden Last Supper.

In the morning of Good Friday, the statue of the Nazareno together with thousands of Cabatuananons and tourists alike follow a procession locally called Via Crucis from the Church to the Balic Hill pausing on the 14 Stations of the Cross erected along the path.

In the afternoon, on the other hand, another procession is held after the Good Friday Mass around the poblacion where the said wooden and porcelain statues embellished with fresh flowers, royal cloths and personalized lighting are paraded. They pass by the Stations of the Cross creatively displayed along in life-size carvings and effigies locally called Kapiya built out of indigenous materials native to the barangays assigned to the specific station. This unique display garnered recognition in Western Visayas and consequently haul tourists as well. Pasyon Singing by barangay folks accompanying their respective Kapiya follows the procession.

Lastly, the Dampug culminates the Holy Week. It is the reenactment of the angel's proclamation of Christ's resurrection and his meeting with Mary. Every year, a child of an illustrious family in town is held as "Dampug" or the proclaiming angel and a flamboyant stage, usually with cavern motif, is erected in the town plaza to serve as backdrop for the early dawn presentation. It is still very much respected by the townspeople today.

Education

There are two schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools. These are the:

  • Cabatuan I Schools District
  • Cabatuan II Schools District

Forty-six educational institutions, including day care centers, can be found in Cabatuan. Of this total, 44 are public schools while two are private institutions, which are also accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Bureau of Secondary Education.

On the other hand, 38 public elementary schools can be found in the municipality. Twenty-nine elementary schools offer complete courses in elementary education while 9 schools only offer primary grades (Grade 1 to 4). Divided into districts, the public elementary schools in Cabatuan are almost evenly distributed among the barangays. The first district has 18 public elementary schools while the second district has 20. The 38 public elementary schools' names are enumerated below.