Cajidiocan

Cajidiocan, officially the Municipality of Cajidiocan, is a municipality in the province of Romblon, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people. The municipality is located on Sibuyan Island, which has been dubbed as the "Galapagos of Asia" due to its pristine natural environment and high endemism rate for flora and fauna.

History

Early history

According to Miguel de Loarca's Relacion de Las Islas Filipinas, the Spaniards led by conquistador Martin de Goiti arrived on Sibuyan Island on 10 May 1570 from Panay. Hence, Cajidiocan, as well as the rest of Romblon, became part of the province of Panay. It was administered as a visita (barrio) of pueblo de Romblon, together with Visita de Azagra.

In 1744, Pueblo de Sibuyan was founded by the Spaniards with Visita de Cajidiocan as its seat. It was one of the early pueblos established and administered as part of Capiz province, the others being Cabolutan, San Agustin (established in 1700), Looc, established in 1844, Romblon and Banton. Beginning in 1779, the friars ordered the construction of stone fortifications in these four pueblos as a defense against attacks from Muslim pirates. One of these forts was built in Bantay de Lubug, Cajidiocan. On 21 November of the same year, the locals were given Spanish surnames starting with the letter "R" as ordered by Spanish governor-general Narciso Claveria. In 1868, when the Spaniards elevated the entire Romblon archipelago into a provinces, Cajidiocan was one of seven pueblos retained. An online campaign against the road construction was launched afterwards, urging the President, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Public Work and Highways, the Mt. Guiting-guiting Natural Park Protected Area Management Board, and the LGUs of Sibuyan Island to halt the highly-destructive 'development' project.

Geography

Cajidiocan is located in the north-eastern portion of Sibuyan Island. To its west is the municipality of Magdiwang and to its south is the municipality of San Fernando. To its east lies Sibuyan Sea. It has a total land area of 201.85 km<sup>2</sup>. 60 percent of which is part of the Mount Guiting-Guiting Natural Park, a mountainous protected wildlife area composed of lush tropical rainforest surrounding the Mount Guiting-Guiting, Sibuyan's tallest mountain. It has narrow strips of flat land along the coast where much of the population is concentrated.

| date = 28 April 2020

Barangays

Cajidiocan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Alibagon
Cambajao
Cambalo
Cambijang
Cantagda
Danao
Gutivan
Lico
Lumbang Este
Lumbang Weste
Marigondon
Poblacion
Sugod
Taguilos

Demographics

Language

The locals speak a variant of the Romblomanon language, locally called Sibuyanon (Sibuyanon Cajidiocanon style).

Economy

Because of the abundance of palm trees in its coastal plains and its proximity to the sea, copra farming and fishing are the main sources of livelihood in Cajidiocan. Other livelihood and investment opportunities include agri-business, fish culture and processing, marble mining and processing, cut flower cultivation, cottage industries, garment manufacturing, banking, and tourism. the municipal government is composed of a mayor (alkalde), a vice mayor (bise alkalde) and members (kagawad) of the legislative branch Sangguniang Bayan alongside a secretary to the said legislature, all of which are elected to a three-year term and are eligible to run for three consecutive terms.

Barangays are also headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain, Barangay Council, whose members are called Barangay Councilors. The barangays have SK federation which represents the barangay, headed by SK chairperson and whose members are called SK councilors.

Elected officials

The incumbent mayor and vice mayor of Cajidiocan are Greggy Royo Ramos from the PDP Laban Party and Kenyo "Ken" R. Rabino from the PDP–Laban party.

Infrastructure

Utilities

The Romblon Electric Cooperative (ROMELCO) facilitates the power supply in the entire Sibuyan Island, including Cajidiocan. As for water supply, the town has a potable water system, which comes from jet pumps, open wells, artesian wells, and springs. A water irrigation project is also present in the municipality with 188 service areas. Landline and mobile telephone services are also available through PLDT, Smart Communications, and Globe Telecom. From Alcantara, visitors can travel by jeepney to San Agustin, Romblon, where motorized boats can bring them to Ambulong Port.

Tourism

Cajidiocan has a lot of eco-tourism potential due to its lush natural environment and pristine rivers and falls.

Primary and elementary schools

Angel Rio Elementary School
Cajidiocan Central Elementary School
Camanglad Elementary School
Cambajao Elementary School
Cambalo Elementary School
Cambijang Elementary School
Cantagda Elementary School
Damaso Ramilo Memorial Elementary School
Danao Elementary School
Gutivan Elementary School
Haguimit Cultural Minority School
Lumbang West Elementary School
Magdiwang Elementary School
Taguilos Elementary School