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Sipalay

Coordinates:9°45′N122°24′E/ 9.75°N 122.4°E/9.75; 122.4
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Sipalay
Component city
City of Sipalay
Sipalay Beach
Sipalay Beach
Flag of Sipalay
Flag
Official seal of Sipalay
Seal
Nickname:
"The Jewel of the Sugar Island"
Motto:
"Ugyon Sipalaynon"
Map of Negros Occidental with Sipalay highlighted
Map of Negros Occidental with Sipalay highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Map
Sipalay is located in Philippines
Sipalay
Sipalay
Location within thePhilippines
Coordinates:9°45′N122°24′E/ 9.75°N 122.4°E/9.75; 122.4
CountryPhilippines
RegionNegros Island Region
ProvinceNegros Occidental
District 6th district
FoundedDecember 20, 1948
CityhoodMarch 31, 2001
Barangays17 (seeBarangays)
Government
 [1]
• TypeSangguniang Panlungsod
• MayorMaria Gina M. Lizares
•Vice MayorOscar C. Montilla Jr.
•RepresentativeMercedes K. Alvarez
•City Council
Members
•Electorate54,400 voters (2022)
Area
[2]
• Total379.78 km2(146.63 sq mi)
Elevation
74 m (243 ft)
Highest elevation
549 m (1,801 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
(2020 census)[3]
• Total72,448
• Density190/km2(490/sq mi)
•Households
16,858
Economy
•Income class4th city income class
•Poverty incidence
30.74
% (2021)[4]
•Revenue₱ 787.2 million (2020)
•Assets₱ 2,214 million (2020)
•Expenditure₱ 644.6 million (2020)
•Liabilities₱ 566 million (2020)
Service provider
• ElectricityNegros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NOCECO)
Time zoneUTC+8(PST)
ZIP code
6113
PSGC
064527000
IDD : area code +63 (0)034
Native languagesHiligaynon
Tagalog
Cebuano
Websitewww.sipalaycity.gov.ph

Sipalay,officially theCity of Sipalay(Hiligaynon:Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Sipalay;Filipino:Lungsod ng Sipalay;Cebuano:Dakbayan sa Sipalay), is a 4th classcomponent cityin theprovinceofNegros Occidental,Philippines.According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 72,448 people.[3]It is the top tourist destination in the province of Negros Occidental.[5]

History

[edit]

Sipalay's history can be traced back to the undated time of early settlements of the nativeTumandokwho discovered the lowland plains very fertile, arable and fully vegetated by trees. The areas was well dissected by river tributaries, which accounted for the fertility of the lowland.

During the Spanish era, the area was further discovered and developed by sailing adventurers from the neighboring island of Panay, being the group who resented the Kintos System enacted by the ruling Spaniards by then.

Growth and development flourished as Chinese merchants came to barter their wares with staple food, particularly rice, which was commonly called by the settlers asparayand by the Chinese, due to the difficulty of pronouncing r, aspalaywhich was the word to have been popularly associated with the place. Thus the area came to be known as Sipalay.

At the advent of the American regime, Sipalay was a full pledge barrio of the Municipality of Cauayan. In the early 1920s the political structure was already in place.

During the World War II, Sipalay was made an emergency town and after the war. On November 20, 1948, then PresidentElpidio Quirinosigned Executive Order No. 185 proclaiming Sipalay as a town. The official inauguration of the town was on December 20, 1948.

On November 8, 1963, Mayor Genaro Alvarez Sr. was about to run for a third term in the 1963 election when he was stabbed to death by an assailant, with his vice mayor Jesus Alejano Sr. briefly succeeding him. Alvarez's wife Mercedes, a former beauty queen, ran for mayor in his stead, winning the election by a wide margin.[6][7]

On January 3, 1988, former mayor Rodrigo Chua was running once again in the 1988 mayoral election when he was assassinated during a political rally in Barangay Mambaroto, being fatally shot in the chest by a lone gunman suspected to be from theNew People's Army.[8][9][10]His sister, Soledad Chua Montilla, ran in his stead and won.[10]

Cityhood

[edit]
Main article:Cities of the Philippines

The conversion of Sipalay into a component city of the Province of Negros Occidental followed in 2001 after the ratification ofRepublic Act No. 9027.[11]

In October 2019, Vice Mayor Oscar Montilla was found guilty of corruption by the Fourth Division of theSandiganbayanfor neglecting to implement a suspension order against five city officials in 2005 while he was mayor.[12]The Sandiganbayan later upheld its decision in January 2020, and Montilla was thus imprisoned and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.[13]

Geography

[edit]

Sipalay's distance fromBacolodis 170 kilometres (110 mi) and 171 kilometres (106 mi) fromDumaguete,the capital ofNegros Oriental.Public utility vehicles plying the southern Negros route pass by this city. Those coming from Negros Oriental can either exit through Kabankalan City via Mabinay or through Dumaguete via Hinoba-an.

Barangays

[edit]

Sipalay City is politically subdivided into 17barangays.Each barangay consists ofpuroksand some havesitios.

Climate

[edit]
Climate data for Sipalay
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)
Averageprecipitationmm (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[14]

Demographics

[edit]
Population census of Sipalay
YearPop.±% p.a.
196020,325—
197034,771+5.51%
197545,773+5.67%
198051,264+2.29%
199061,892+1.90%
199563,960+0.62%
200062,063−0.64%
200767,211+1.11%
201067,403+0.10%
201570,070+0.74%
202072,448+0.66%
Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[15][16][17][18]

Major languages areHiligaynon,followed byCebuanowithEnglishand Tagalog being used as second languages.

Government

[edit]

List of mayors

[edit]
  • Agripino Alvarez (1948–1955)[6]
  • Genaro P. Alvarez Sr. (1955–1963)[19][7]
  • Jesus P. Alejano Sr. (1963)[6]
  • Mercedes M. Alvarez (1963–1976)[7][6]
  • Rodrigo G. Chua (1976–1986)[6]
  • Soledad C. Montilla (1988–1998; 2007–2009)[20][21][22][10]
  • Oscar C. Montilla (1998–2007; 2009–2019)[21][10]
  • Maria Gina M. Lizares (2019–present)[23]

Economy

[edit]

Poverty incidence of Sipalay

10
20
30
40
50
2006
39.40
2009
45.92
2012
29.14
2015
24.13
2018
23.53
2021
30.74

Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]

Infrastructure

[edit]

Transportation

[edit]
Pump boat in Sipalay as viewed from Perth Paradise Resort

Airline companyAir Juanoffers services fromCebu,IloiloandPuerto Princesavia theSipalay Airport.

Tourism

[edit]
Top view image of Sipalay resorts

The city is known for its tourist destinations. An example of it is the now-defunctMaricalum Mining Corporationwhich happens to be one of the largest mining companies in the country. It now has a park dedicated for viewing the whole mine from atop.

It also boasts beautiful pristine beaches being a seaside city. Widely dubbed as the uncommercializedNew Boracayof Negros, foreign and local tourists flock its beaches the whole year round not only for swimming but for diving as well.

Notable personalities

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ City of Sipalay|(DILG)
  2. ^"2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density"(PDF).Philippine Statistics Authority.Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016.ISSN0117-1453.Archived(PDF)from the original on May 25, 2021.RetrievedJuly 16,2021.
  3. ^abCensus of Population (2020)."Region VI (Western Visayas)".Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay.Philippine Statistics Authority.RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
  4. ^"PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates".Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024.RetrievedApril 28,2024.
  5. ^Sipalay City allows resorts, hotels to operate at 100% capacity.Philippine News Agency.2021.
  6. ^abcdeHistory of the Municipality of Sipalay(PDF).Negros Occidental Historical Council. 1981. pp. 8–9.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  7. ^abcNuyda, Doris G. (1980).The Beauty Book.Mr. & Ms. Publishing Company.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  8. ^Soriano, Antero F. (January 6, 1988)."3 more bets slain; 2 others abducted".Manila Standard.Standard Publications, Inc. pp. 1, 7.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  9. ^Abbugao, Martin (January 3, 1988)."New Year violence claims 26 lives in Philippines".Manila,Philippines:United Press International, Inc.UPI.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  10. ^abcdTordesillas, Ellen (March 27, 2010)."Sipalay candidates sign peace pact; acting mayor a no-show".Vera Files.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  11. ^Sipalay City Tourism Pamphlet
  12. ^Marcelo, Elizabeth (November 2, 2019)."Negros Occidental vice mayor gets 8 years for graft".Philstar.com.Manila,Philippines: Philstar Global Corp.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  13. ^Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (January 15, 2020)."Sandiganbayan upholds guilty verdict vs ex-city mayor in Negros Occidental".Inquirer News.Manila,Philippines: INQUIRER.net.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  14. ^ "Sipalay: Average Temperatures and Rainfall".Meteoblue.RetrievedMay 7,2020.
  15. ^Census of Population (2015)."Region VI (Western Visayas)".Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay.Philippine Statistics Authority.RetrievedJune 20,2016.
  16. ^Census of Population and Housing (2010)."Region VI (Western Visayas)"(PDF).Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay.National Statistics Office.RetrievedJune 29,2016.
  17. ^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.
  18. ^ "Province of".Municipality Population Data.Local Water Utilities AdministrationResearch Division.RetrievedDecember 17,2016.
  19. ^"Padilla NP_DP candidate for mayor of Sipalay".The Manila Times.The Manila Times Publishing Company, Inc. October 28, 1955.[Ramonieto] Padilla is the official candidate of the Nacionalista-Democratic Coalition and is facing Acting Mayor Genaro Alvarez, LP.
  20. ^PNA(June 15, 1989)."... while Negros operations end and evacuees return home".Manila Standard.Bacolod City:Kagitingan Publications, Inc. p. 8.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  21. ^abGomez, Carla P. (March 27, 2007)."It's a family affair in Negros Occidental".Philippine Daily Inquirer.Bacolod City:The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. p. A19.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  22. ^Espina, Rolly (November 24, 2009)."Pinoy CNN Hero of the Year".The Visayan Daily Star.Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.The reason – Mayor Soledad Montilla, the charismatic and motherly mayor of the city, was reported undergoing dialysis at the Bacolod residence since two weeks ago.
  23. ^Canet, Carla N. (December 5, 2019)."Exemplifying Sipalay's sustainable urban development".SunStar.SunStar Publishing Inc.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
  24. ^"Poverty incidence (PI):".Philippine Statistics Authority.RetrievedDecember 28,2020.
  25. ^"Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines"(PDF).Philippine Statistics Authority. November 29, 2005.
  26. ^"2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates"(PDF).Philippine Statistics Authority. March 23, 2009.
  27. ^"City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009"(PDF).Philippine Statistics Authority. August 3, 2012.
  28. ^"2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates"(PDF).Philippine Statistics Authority. May 31, 2016.
  29. ^"Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015".Philippine Statistics Authority. July 10, 2019.
  30. ^"PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates".Philippine Statistics Authority. December 15, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 22,2022.
  31. ^"PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates".Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024.RetrievedApril 28,2024.
  32. ^Fonbuena, Carmela (March 16, 2017)."Gary Alejano, mutineer and ex-Marine, leads impeach bid vs Duterte".Rappler.Manila,Philippines: Rappler Inc.RetrievedNovember 4,2024.
[edit]
Wikivoyage has a travel guide forSipalay.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toSipalay.
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