MUNICIPALITY of TABINA

Tabina is a 5th class municipality located on the southernmost part of Zamboanga del Sur. It is about 63 kilometers away from Pagadian City, the province’s capital. Its boundaries are the municipality of Dimatalingon the north, the Celebes Sea on the south, the municipality of Pitogo on the west, and another body of water, Illana Bay, on the east. Tabina can be reached via land through a provincial road passing through five municipalities so those who are thinking of going to Tabina should prepare for a long journey through rural places. The municipality has a land area of 8,690 hectares and these are distributed to the municipality’s current 15 regular and de-facto barangays. As of the 2000 census, Tabina has a total population of 21,882 people in 4,017 households.

Historically, the earliest settlers of Tabina were the Subanens who have settled in the different parts of the Zamboanga Peninsula. They are followed by the Muslims, and then the Christians. The name itself has many different origins, open to interpretation. One states that it comes from the inhabitants’ expression of “tabi-una”, a polite expression meaning “excuse me”.  Another points out to the inhabitants’ characteristic expression of being talkative which, in the local tongue, is being “tabi-an”. Meanwhile, the Muslim immigrants were said to be attracted by the abundance of local seashells known as “binga” in their native tongue. It also happened to be called “ubina”. The Christians who happened to pass by Tabina inquired about the name of the place and, always hearing “bina”, modified it to “Tabina” and the name has stuck ever since.

Most of Tabina is characterized as having steep mountains and undulating hills. The majority of the barangays tower to about 50 to 200 feet above sea level. There are no coastal plains or valleys in the municipality; the coasts themselves run down to shores and high cliffs.

There are several tourist attractions in Tabina as well. There’s the Tambunan Beach and Marine Sanctuary, the Barangay Malim and Marine Sanctuary, Talisay Beach, and the Pod-ok Mangrove Boardwalk.

MUNICIPALITY of TUKURAN

Tukuran is a municipality located in the eastern part of Zamboanga del Sur. It is categorized as a 4th class municipality with a population of 33,747 people in 6,760 households as of 2000. Geographically, its coordinates are 7 degrees, 51’5″ north and 123 degrees, 34’32″ east.

Culturally, Tukuran was the stopping or passing point of many merchants because of its location on the trade route. Merchants of different tribes regularly pass by the area, carrying with them their wares. These merchants usually come from the nearby provinces, most specifically, Zamboanga City and Southern Mindanao, as well as the places of Lanao and the Misamis region. When the Spaniards came, they tried to control the trade route, building the famous Fort Militar that overlooks Tukuran and the northern part of Illana Bay, as well as the so-called Spanish Trocha that connects Tukuran directly the regions of Lanao and Misamis. It came to be known as the Trocha de Tukuran.

Close to the end of the century, the Muslims, under the leadership of Sultan Amay Untad Paduma, founded a settlement in Tukuran. They claimed to have come from the Iranon tribe. Since their number was large, they decided to divide themselves and settle in the neighboring sitios. Sulatan Paduma’s descendants succeeded him in ruling the group.

The first wave of Christian settlers followed a few years later, led by Felix Ocampo. They hailed from far up north, in Manila. They chose to settle in the shores of Tukuran. They were later followed by the settlers from Pangasinan together with their families and farming equipments, and called Tukuran their new home.

Before Tukuran became a municipality, it was a part of the municipality of Labangan, until November 29, 1958 when President Carlos P. Garcia, under the recommendation of the Zamboanga del Sur Provincian Board headed by Governor Bienvenido Ebarle, signed Executive Order No. 323 making Tukuran a municipality. The first municipal mayor appointed to head the municipality was Mayor Filomeno C. Villamero, with Sultan Mamadra Panduma as the vice mayor.

MUNICIPALITY of VINCENZO A. SAGUN

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Vicenzo A. Sagun is a coastal municipality that is found in the southern section of Zamboanga del Sur. It is in the Baganian Peninsula, some 60 kilometers northwest of the province’s capital of Pagadian City. As for its boundaries, the municipality of Margosatubig can be found on the north, while the south is occupied by Maligay Bay and Dumanquilas Bay, on the southeast and the southwest, respectively. The municipality ofDimataling cradles it on the east. Geographically, it is located 7 degrees 30’45″ north and 123 degrees 10’34″ east. Vincenzo A. Sagun is a 5th class municipality, having a population of 19,593 people in about 3,690 households as of the year 2005 census. It currently has 14 barangays distributed on its total land area of 63 square kilometers. That total area of Vincenzo A. Sagun makes up 8.15% of Zamboanga del Sur’s area, and .041% of the whole Zamboanga Peninsula Region.

The coastal town used to be a part of the municipality of Margosatubig before it became a municipality by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 173 in 1982. While it is among the many rural municipalities of the province, its development has increased over time.

Of the 14 barangays that Vincenzo Sagun has, 11 of them are coastal, and most of the inhabitants are fisherfolk by trade and livelihood. The municipality is noted for its rich marine resources, with some parts being groomed to be prime tourist aquatic spot. One of the Vincenzo Sagun’s featured products are the dried fish which are usually exported to the other provinces.

Those who want to get to the municipality can do so by both land and sea, via Pagadian City and the commercial port of Margosatubig. They can also take a plane to Pagadian and then go to Vincenzo A. Sagun via land from there.

MUNICIPALITY of TIGBAO

Tigbao is a landlocked municipality located in the middle of the Zamboanga del Sur province. On the north and the east, it is bounded by the municipality of Dumalinao. The south sees the municipality of Guipos while the west is the municipality of Lakewood. It is included in Zamboanga del Sur’s second congressional district. According to the census that was done as of the year 2000, Tigbao has a population of 16,914 people in about 3,089 households. From the provincial capital of Pagadian City, Tigbao is located some 30 kilometers away. It can be reached via land and sea through the provincial capital.

The name comes from a Subanen word for a grass that thickly grows and spread to areas that are uninhabited by people. When the Subanens, the first group to have arrived in the area, saw the abundance of these grasses, they named the place after it. The highest peak of Zamboanga del Sur, Mt. Timolan, can be found in Tigbao. The mountain also happens to be the last wildlife sanctuary as well as havens for the province’s different species of fowls. There are also notable bodies of water such as Lake Maragang, which has a total area of 20 hectares. There is also the Nangan-Nangan Falls which is about 35 meters high. Other bodies of water found in the municipality are the Gapo River and the Libayor River, all of which empty into Illana Bay.

Tigbao is one of the newer municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur. It got its status on November 8, 1991, by virtue of Republic Act No. 7162 that was signed into law by President Corazon C. Aquino. The law was authored by Congressman Antonio H. Cerilles. The first municipal mayor was Hon. Nicanor M. Sajulga, Sr. who won in the synchronized election on May 11, 1992. He assumed office on July 1, 1992 and was again reelected in 1995 and 1998.

MUNICIPALITY of GUIPOS

Guipos located near the heart of Zamboanga del Sur. It is a landlocked municipality, bounded on the north by the municipality of Tigbao. The east side is mostly bounded by the municipality of Dumalinao, while on the west can be found San Miguel. South is the municipality of Dinas while on the southeast, one can find the municipality of San Pablo. Guipos is a rural municipality, classified as 5th class. As of August 1, 2007, the population is around 19,616.

Guipos became a municipality on October 17, 1991, by virtue of Republic Act No. 7159, signed by the President Corazon C. Aquino. The date makes Guipos the second youngest municipality of Zamboanga del Sur, right after the municipality of Tigbao. It was created mainly through the prodding of Congressman Antonio H. Cerilles, who also celebrates his birthday on the same day. As a result, Guipos’ Founding Day is also the congressman’s birthday. The congressman was also the proponent for making Tigbao a municipality.

Guipos is fast becoming one of the most improved towns of Zamboanga del Sur’s second district. Among its tourist attractions is the Guipos Cave Resort. The municipality is mainly agricultural, with rice being its primary produce. It currently has 17 barangays all of which are also rural.

MUNICIPALITY of LAPUYAN

Lapuyan is a 4th class municipality in Zamboanga del Sur’s second district. It is partly a coastal town, but is still bounded by municipalities, with Lakewood on the north, Margosatubig on the south, San Miguel on the east, and Kumalarang on the west. Southwest is the Dumanquillas Bay, the municipality’s primary source of aquatic produce. It is 46 kilometers northwest of Pagadian City, the provincial capital. Lapuyan currently has 26 barangays that make up its 329 square kilometers of land; three of those barangays are urban while the rest are rural. Lapuyan itself is partially urban. As of August 1, 2007, Lapuyan has a population of 26,118.


Lapuyan was created into a municipality when Executive Order No. 273 was carried out on October 16, 1957 by then President Carlos P. Garcia. The proponent for Lapuyan’s municipalityhood were Sen. Roseller T. Lim and the Provincial Board of Zamboanga del Sur, under the leadership of Gov. Bienvenido Ebarle. The municipal government officially started on January 11, 1958, with Hon. Coco Imbing Sia as the first appointed municipal mayor. Originally, upon its creation as a municipality, Lapuyan had seven barrios, including future municipalities Kumalarang and Lakewood.

Majority of Lapuyan’s topography is flat, and they’re mostly devoted to fishponds and lowland rice. Other parts which are slightly rolling are dedicated to coconuts and other crops. Of particular note is the production of abaca, which is a main source of income in Lapuyan, particularly in Bulawan. The abaca products are distributed to the neighboring municipalities in the province, as well as exported to other provinces in Mindanao.

MUNICIPALITY of RAMON MAGSAYSAY

Ramon Magsaysay is a landlocked, 4th class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur. It occupies a total area of about 113.70 square kilometers of land, whose population of 25,282 people (projection as of year 2005) are distributed among the 27 barangays that the municipality is currently politically subdivided into. The majority of the municipality’s land is sloping and is mostly devoted to farming, especially coconuts. Ramon Magsaysay is easily accessible via land and sea via the province’s capital, Pagadian City.


Ramon Magsaysay was originally called Liargao, long before the Spaniards came to Zamboanga del Sur. It got this name from the native Subanens, who named it “Ligaw”, which means “lost on the way”, due to the river in the area whose direction is unusual: it seems to go up the mountain instead of going down to the sea.

It wasn’t until February 13, 1957 that the President of the country that time, President Ramon Magsaysay, issued Executive Order No. 239 which created made Liargao into a municipality. There were 22 barrios that were included in its judicial borders at that time, and the first appointed municipal mayor was the Hon. Alfonso M. Donaire, Sr. He was inducted into office on April 21, 1957 by Governor Bienvenido Ebarle. That same year, the House on Congress passed Republic Act No. 2788, which changed then name of the municipality from Liargao to Ramon Magsaysay. Mayor Donaire served as the town’s Chief Executive until his retirement in May 1986.

The livelihood of the people of Ramon Magsaysay is mostly agriculture and agro-forest industrial based. Aside from the main produce which is coconuts, the province is also quite well known for the production of the sawali, more locally known as amacan. It is mostly made up of sliced bamboo, manually woven, and is used as a substitute for plywood or hardiflex boards. Sawali weaving has already become a tradition in the town since the early 50′s, and became prominent upon the issuance of SB Resolution No. 15-2004 which requires the planting on bamboos, especially in riverbanks.