Miagao
Municipality
Municipality of Miagao
Miagao Church
Flag Seal
Nickname:  "Onion Capital of the Visayas"
Map of Iloilo with Miagao highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Miagao Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°38′39″N 122°14′07″E / 10.6442°N 122.2352°E / 10.6442; 122.2352Coordinates: 10°38′39″N 122°14′07″E / 10.6442°N 122.2352°E / 10.6442; 122.2352
Country	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas
Province	Iloilo
District	1st district
Barangays	119 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Oscar "Richard" S. Garin Jr.
• Vice Mayor	Macario M. Napulan, MD
• Representative	Janette L. Garin
• Municipal Council	Members Gemma Rei S. Nismal Gemma S. Nulada Jose Angelo P. Molejona Ma. Salve N. Pechayco Serafin F. Monteclaro Luningning S. Tuparan Mario Thomas Nicolas P. Torrecampo Japhet Grace G. Moleta
• Electorate	41,603 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	156.80 km2 (60.54 sq mi)
Elevation	29 m (95 ft)
Highest elevation	1,100 m (3,600 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	68,115
• Density	430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Households	16,006
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	17.43% (2018)[4]
• Revenue	₱218,482,835.72 (2020)
• Assets	₱693,015,574.01 (2020)
• Expenditure	₱165,099,844.01 (2020)
• Liabilities	₱191,204,693.64 (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Iloilo 1 Electric Cooperative (ILECO 1)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5023
PSGC	063030000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)33
Native languages	Kinaray-a Hiligaynon Tagalog
Website	www.miagao.gov.ph

Miagao (also written Miag-ao), officially the Municipality of Miagao (Kinaray-a: Banwa kang Miagao; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Miagao; Tagalog: Bayan ng Miagao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,115 people. ^[3]

Miagao is considered as the "Onion Capital of the Visayas". The town center of the municipality lies on the western bank of the Tumagbok River, the largest river in the municipality.^[5] The poblacion is made up of eight barangays.^[6]

The town holds their patronal fiesta in honor of St. Thomas of Villanova (more commonly known as Santo Tomas de Villanueva) every September 22 that lasts several days. The town is also the location of one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, the Miagao Church, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire town of Miagao was later inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage City and became a member of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC).

Etymology

The name of Miagao has many disputed etymologies. One of the most popular, and probably the most widely accepted version is that the name of the town was derived from a plant named Miagos. Miagos or Osmoxylon lineare is a flowering plant from the family Araliaceae that used to grow abundantly in the area when the Spaniards came. Because of its abundance in the area, the Spaniards named the place Miagos which later became Miagao. Another version, according to Rev. Fr. Lorenzo Torres of Igbaras, is that a native named "Miyagaw" was asked by the Spaniards for the name of the place but gave his name instead.^[7]

History

A picture of miagos plant at the front of Miagao Municipal Hall. Miagao derived its name from this plant.

A settlement in Damilisan were recorded by Spanish Map early in 1700 with 13,493 people and 2,974 houses.^[8] Miagao gained its independence as a municipality in 1716 .^[9] Prior to that, it used to be a part of an arrabal of four different towns in southern Iloilo. Until 1580, Miagao was an arrabal of Oton. From 1580 until 1652, it was an arrabal of Tigbauan. It was an arrabal of Suaraga (now San Joaquin) from 1652 to 1703 and before becoming independent, it became an arrabal of Guimbal from 1703 to 1716. In 1731, Miagao had its first capitan and teniente mayor (now equivalent to mayor and vice mayor) after an election was held in Guimbal under the supervision of Victorino C. Ma., an authorized representative of the governor.^[7]

Geography

Topography

Miagao is a coastal town with a hilly to mountainous terrain. Most of the flat areas in the municipality are found either in coasts or along the town's major rivers which include the Naulid, Tumagbok, Oyaoy, Bacauan, Tabunacan, Oyungan, Lanutan, and San Rafael rivers. A mountain range forms a natural boundary between Miagao and the province of Antique to the north.^[10]

The highest point in the municipality is the summit of Mount Tulajon, locally spelled as Tulahong, at 1,100 meters asl located in Barangay Ongyod.^[11]

Climate

The municipality has a type I climate based on PAGASA's climate classification chart. The climate of Miagao is greatly affected by north-east and south-west monsoons. The town experiences a pronounced wet season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. The coolest months are the months of December to February while the hottest months are the months of April and May.^[10]

Barangays

Map of the Municipality of Miagao showing barangay names and boundaries and roads.

This is a bloom of Rafflesia speciosa found in the mountainous barangays of Miagao.

Inside Sinuhotan Cave in Barangay Onop, Miagao, Iloilo

Canopy of the Tulahong Pine Forest in Miagao, Iloilo

Tinagong Dagat or Danao is a small freshwater lake on top of a mountain in Barangay Ongyod, Miagao.

Gui-ob ni Tidoy is a limestone monolith in Miagao, Iloilo near the Tulahong Pine Forest and Tinagong Dagat/Danao.

Miagao is politically subdivided into 119 barangays. ^[13] It has more barangays than any other municipality in the Philippines.^[14] The municipality has 22 coastal barangays and 97 landlocked barangays.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Miagao was 68,115 people, ^[3] with a density of 430 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,100 inhabitants per square mile.

As of the 2015 census by the Philippine Statistics Authority Census of Population, the ten most populous barangays of Miagao are shown in the table below: ^[15]