 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Gubat" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Gubat | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Gubat | |
 Downtown area | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: Gubat is for Life | |
 Map of Sorsogon with Gubat highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Gubat Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:12°55′08″N124°07′23″E / 12.9189°N 124.1231°E /12.9189; 124.1231 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Bicol Region |
| Province | Sorsogon |
| District | 2nd district |
| Founded | June 13, 1764 |
| Barangays | 42 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Ronnel U. Lim |
| • Vice Mayor | Valentin A. Pura IV |
| • Representative | Vacant |
| • Municipal Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 41,722 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 134.51 km2 (51.93 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 93 m (305 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 61,095 |
| • Density | 454.20/km2 (1,176.4/sq mi) |
| • Households | 14,568 |
| Demonym | Gubatnons |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 2nd municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 22.07 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 286.1 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 75.45 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 255.9 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 221.1 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Sorsogon 2 Electric Cooperative (SORECO 2) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 4710 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)56 |
| Native languages | Sorsogon language Tagalog |
| Website | www |
Gubat, officially theMunicipality of Gubat (Gubatnon:Bungto san Gubat;Waray:Bungto han Gubat,Tagalog:Bayan ng Gubat), is amunicipality in theprovince ofSorsogon,Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 61,095 people.[5]
It is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. The people who live here speak theGubat language which is also a dialect ofWaray-Waray ofEastern Visayas, a Southern Sorsoganon sub-language and they were called Gubatnons.
| This sectionrelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Gubat" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2022) |
Gubat was originally a big barrio of Bulusan, inhabited by a few Tagalogs, Visayans and Albayanons who travelled on foot to hunt wild animals. These people built their homes close to the shore and called their location Buri, which today is the barrio of Buenavista. In 1764, Gubat finally became a town with Don Pedro Manook, the first Teniente del Barrio, also becoming the first gobernadorcillo. The town proper is named after Don Pedro Manook.
The word "gúbat" means forest in Tagalog. However, the name applied to the town is derived from the verb "guinobat", a term used by the natives which means "raided". In the early days when Christians and Muslims were constantly at odds, Muslim pirates, the Moros, would come in from the southern seas to raid the town. Due to the frequent raids, the town was referred to as "guinobat" which eventually became "Gubat". Legend has it that during one of those raids, the pastor along with the townspeople held up a statue of St. Anthony to ward off the attack, praying for a miracle. In one account, it was said that the child Jesus in St. Anthony's arms drove back the pirates. Hence, St. Anthony of Padua became the town's patron saint, and his feast day is lavishly celebrated as an official parish and town holiday every 13 June.
The town settlers had to move a number of times before finally deciding to settle at a place they considered safe and peaceful. Eventually, they began to expand, laying out permanent streets, the first of which are what we now know as Luna and Calderon Streets.
The main parish church itself has an interesting history. In 1768, the people decided to build a church. The locals, being poor, urged the town captain, Don Juan Bonifacio, to require all men to contribute one cubic meter of "talaksan" (coral stone) apiece. It took ten years of preparation, and it was not until 1778 that construction finally started.
Although it has since undergone several renovations, the church foundation is still the original one built in 1778. The rectory is the oldest and one of the only two remaining rectories dating back that far in the entire Bicol region.
In November 2006, Gubat became the site of a scientific expedition by astronomers Dr. Armando Lee, Bamm Gabriana, and Rochelle Derilo to observe the rareMercury transit. Gubat was the best town in Luzon to observe the event.[6]
Gubat is in the south-eastern part of the island ofLuzon, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean on theBicol Peninsula. It is the third largest town in the province of Sorsogon and is divided into 2 districts: the North District and South District.[citation needed]
It has 11,116.98 hectares’ total land area, and a total of 18,980 hectares of municipal waters and coral reef.
Gubat comprises 42 barangays, eight of which are classified as urban and located in thepoblacion area, while the rest are classified as rural.
Gubat is politically subdivided into 42barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroks and some havesitios.
Barangays with (Poblacion) indicate that barangay is part of the town proper or poblacion.
| Climate data for Gubat, Sorsogon | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 24 (74) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 65 (2.6) | 44 (1.7) | 42 (1.7) | 39 (1.5) | 87 (3.4) | 150 (5.9) | 184 (7.2) | 153 (6.0) | 163 (6.4) | 154 (6.1) | 127 (5.0) | 100 (3.9) | 1,308 (51.4) |
| Average rainy days | 13.9 | 9.2 | 11.0 | 12.5 | 19.6 | 24.3 | 26.5 | 25.0 | 25.5 | 24.4 | 19.4 | 15.1 | 226.4 |
| Source: Meteoblue[7] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 15,590 | — |
| 1918 | 19,311 | +1.44% |
| 1939 | 22,880 | +0.81% |
| 1948 | 29,245 | +2.76% |
| 1960 | 31,028 | +0.49% |
| 1970 | 38,412 | +2.16% |
| 1975 | 38,504 | +0.05% |
| 1980 | 43,866 | +2.64% |
| 1990 | 43,296 | −0.13% |
| 1995 | 49,716 | +2.62% |
| 2000 | 52,707 | +1.26% |
| 2007 | 55,501 | +0.71% |
| 2010 | 57,327 | +1.18% |
| 2015 | 59,534 | +0.72% |
| 2020 | 60,294 | +0.27% |
| 2024 | 61,095 | +0.32% |
| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11][12] | ||
Although, the dominant religion isRoman Catholicism, there are Gubatnons devoted to:
Poverty incidence of Gubat
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
The main livelihoods of the people, then and now, are agriculture and fishing. Harvest times for rice crops are from April to May, and December. Fishing is year-round. Forestry products are also source of income here.
Gubat can be reached mostly through land transport from Manila by bus, taking about 12 hours. There are several bus companies that operates daily from Manila to Gubat and vice versa: Alps The Bus Inc., JVH Transport/Pamar, Elavil Tours Phils. Inc.,Raymond Transportation, St.Jude Transit, CUL Transport,DLTBCo., Penafrancia Tours/RSL/Isarog andPhiltranco.
There are also jeepneys that provide transportation toSorsogon City,Bulusan,Barcelona,Prieto-Diaz,Casiguran,Irosin and local barangays like Tigkiw, Bentuco and Benguet. Local tricycles travel to the innermost barangays like Union,Bulacao, Rizal,Cabigaan and Sangat.
The town has modern and efficient communications facilities including cellular mobile phones such asSun Cellular,Globe LTE, andSmart 3G. Telephone companies includePLDT, andDigitel.
Cable TV networks include ANH Cable TV, and DCTV Cable offering broadband service.
Satellite cable companies includeCignal,G Sat,Dream Satellite, andSky Direct.
Gubat is slowly being recognized as the only beginner friendly surfing spot in the province of Sorsogon. The sand bottom beach breaks of Barangays Ariman and Buenavista (Dangkalan and Rizal Beach) produce 2 to 5 feet waves from September to May. With the formation of Gubat Bay Surfers and surfboards donated by the Local Government Unit under Mayor Ding Ramos, surfing is more accessible to the local population and tourists alike. The Gubat Sorsogon Surfriders Association, Inc. (GSSA) headed by Bidge Villarroya, is also performing well in the National Surf Competition Scene, winning several national surf championships and numerous finalist positions. Gubat is the Top 1 in Ngo Sport Airsoft Society by the NGO Bicol Sorsogon Chapter.
The town celebrates its Ginubat Festival annually every June 1–13 in honor of its patron, St. Anthony of Padua. It is also the foundation of the town.
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.[21] These are the:
Places adjacent to Gubat | |
|---|---|
