Hinoba-an Asia | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Hinoba-an | |
 "Welcome" sign board along the highway | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: Paspas Hinobaan | |
 Map of Negros Occidental with Hinoba-an highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Hinoba-an | |
.svg)  Hinoba-an Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:9°36′06″N122°28′01″E / 9.601789°N 122.466833°E /9.601789; 122.466833 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Negros Island Region |
| Province | Negros Occidental |
| District | 6th district |
| Founded | November 20, 1948 |
| Barangays | 13 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Daph Anthony V. Reliquias (PFP) |
| • Vice Mayor | Francisco Jose L. Bilbao, Jr. (PFP) |
| • Representative | Mercedes Alvarez (NPC) |
| • Municipal Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 38,857 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 414.50 km2 (160.04 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 78 m (256 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 687 m (2,254 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 64,364 |
| • Density | 155.28/km2 (402.18/sq mi) |
| • Households | 14,099 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 32.34 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 338.5 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 490.4 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 298.3 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 171.6 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NOCECO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 6114 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)34 |
| Native languages | Hiligaynon Tagalog Cebuano |
| Website | www |
Hinoba-an, officially theMunicipality of Hinoba-an (formerlyAsia[5]), is amunicipality in theprovince ofNegros Occidental,Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 64,364 people.[6]
The town is home to theMagahat language, the indigenous language of Southern Negros as listed by theKomisyon ng Wikang Filipino. The language is vital to the culture and arts of the people.
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Formerly a part ofCauayan, Hinoba-an was inhabited by natives called "Magabat". When immigrants fromPanay came and settled in the coastal areas, the settlers began to group in the area where the town is now located. Traders visited to barter products like clothing made inMiag-ao,Tigbauan andGuimbal inIloilo.
Spanish authorities did not occupy Hinoba-an during their time in the province since the area was still a jungle. It was visited only by people from Cauayan and the neighboring towns for hunting purposes, hence no important events were recorded about the coming of the Spaniards in the town until the early 20th century.
In the early 1900s, Don Estanislao Bilbao, aBasque émigré and patriarch of the Bilbao clan---one of the area's prominent families, begun a decades-long process of settling an area south of where Hinoba-an would come to be. In a few years, a significant plot of land had been rehabilitated to which thousands ofgerminating coconut husks were planted in precise rows. Maturing and bearing crop in under a decade, once coastal wilderness was transformed intocopra producing land.Paddy fields were likewise developed further inland close toirrigation sources.
The subsequent grant oflandownership, along with the total absence of government due to the area's remoteness, it became the basis for Don Estanislao's provisional administration of the people and the place. He became the area's primary, if not for a time, sole employer. As a matter of moral imperative and practical necessity, he also became thede facto Judge and Sheriff, adjudicating upon and enforcing common law.
Through his marriage to Felicidad Rivas—a patrician heiress to a similarly homesteaded parcel of land nearby, Don Estanislao doubled the size of the holding. Hand-in-hand with Dona Felicidad, they lorded over a highly productive agricultural expanse that, from points north to south, ostensibly stretched for miles on end. The couple's lifelong beneficence and philanthropy endeared them to the local populace making the Bilbao name well-respected and well-loved. Sons Joaquin and Francisco, and daughter-in-law Teresa, have each been elected town's mayor. Today, the Bilbao's have governed the municipality for a collective span of over thirty years.
When the Americans landed in Negros duringWorld War II, Hinoba-an became a historical point of entry by the combined U.S. and Philippine Commonwealth military forces.Col. Salvador Abcede, district commander of the 7th military district, established his island headquarters in this town during the Japanese occupation.
Col. Jesús A. Villamor, aboard submarineUSS Gudgeon (SS-211), landed at Ubong Point and occupied Ubong Cave as command post supply food and arms to guerillas.
After Liberation, Hinoba-an was rehabilitated by some of its pioneering residents. More settlements were established, schools were built, trails developed for the people's convenience in going to places and in transporting their local produce to nearby towns and villages. There was also a huge influx of Cebuano-speaking people during this time.
Hinoba-an is the southernmost town of the province. It is bounded on the north bySipalay City andCandoni; on the south byBasay, Negros Oriental; on the east by the town ofIlog; and on the west by theSulu Sea. The total land area of Hinoba-an is 421.50 square kilometers. It is 187 kilometres (116 mi) fromBacolod and 154 kilometres (96 mi) fromDumaguete, the capital ofNegros Oriental.
Hinoba-an is politically subdivided into 13barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroks and some havesitios.
| Climate data for Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 32 (90) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (85) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21 (70) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 45 (1.8) | 37 (1.5) | 62 (2.4) | 93 (3.7) | 190 (7.5) | 259 (10.2) | 284 (11.2) | 236 (9.3) | 244 (9.6) | 247 (9.7) | 162 (6.4) | 86 (3.4) | 1,945 (76.7) |
| Average rainy days | 10.8 | 8.4 | 12.7 | 16.3 | 26.7 | 28.5 | 29.1 | 28.0 | 27.4 | 28.5 | 23.4 | 15.5 | 255.3 |
| Source: Meteoblue[7] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 8,630 | — |
| 1970 | 17,475 | +7.30% |
| 1975 | 32,357 | +13.15% |
| 1980 | 45,819 | +7.20% |
| 1990 | 40,813 | −1.15% |
| 1995 | 40,819 | +0.00% |
| 2000 | 50,809 | +4.81% |
| 2007 | 53,894 | +0.82% |
| 2010 | 54,624 | +0.49% |
| 2015 | 56,819 | +0.75% |
| 2020 | 60,865 | +1.46% |
| 2024 | 64,364 | +1.35% |
| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11][12] | ||
The people of Hinoba-an predominantly speakCebuano andHiligaynon, which are used interchangeably every day.Tagalog andEnglish are also understood.
Poverty incidence of Hinoba-an
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
Salvacion Cave along the vicinity of pebbled beaches of Barangay Talacagay has a natural covered pools ideal for bathing.
Ubong Cave is where the lateCol. Jesús A. Villamor, hero ofWorld War II landed bringing firearms for the Philippine guerillas aboard the US Navy SubmarineUSS Gudgeon (SS-211) in 1942, establishing the first radio contact withGeneral Douglas MacArthur based inAustralia at that time.[21]
 Province ofNegros Occidental | |
|---|---|
Bacolod (capital and largest city) | |
| Municipalities | |
| Component cities | |
| Highly urbanized city |
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