Municipal Profile

Miagao became an independent municipality in 1716. It used to be a part or arrabal of four different towns. Record shows that before Miagao became a town, it was an arrabal of:

• Oton until 1580
• Tigbauan until 1592 (page lists 1952 in one place, likely a typo)
• Suaraga or Suaragan (now San Joaquin) until 1703
• Guimbal until 1716 when it became an independent town

It was only in 1731, however, when Miagao had its own head. The first Capitan and Teniente Mayor (equivalent to mayor and vice mayor in present-day set-up) were Nicolas Pangkug and Diego Sale, respectively. Their “election” was held in Guimbal under the supervision of Victorino C. Ma., authorized representative of the governor.

Nicolas Pangkug served for three consecutive terms of one year each from 1731 to 1733. Before he became town capitan, he was teniente mayor of Guimbal. As a resident of Miagao, he was entrusted with the care and supervision of this town until he became the head. Pangkug became capitan again in 1735 and 1739–1740. Altogether, he served for six years.

From 1716 to the present, Miagao has had 135 town heads. The current mayor listed on the page is Oscar “Richard” S. Garin, an engineer by profession, former member of the House of Representatives, vice governor of the Province of Iloilo, Sangguniang Panlalawigan member, and municipal mayor of Guimbal. He is serving Miagaowanons on his first term as municipal mayor of the town.

How Miagao got its name has several versions:

• One popular version is that the name was derived from a wild plant called “miagaos” that grew abundantly in the place when the Spaniards first came.
• The most widely accepted version is that the name was derived from a plant named Miagos, or Osmoxylon lineare, a flowering plant from the family Araliaceae that used to grow abundantly in the area. Because of its abundance, the Spaniards named the place Miagos, which later became Miagao.
• According to Rev. Fr. Lorenzo Torres, a native priest of Igbaras, Iloilo, Miagao was derived from the name of an old Negrito called Miyagaw, who when asked the name of the place by the Spaniards, gave his name instead. The Spaniards mistook the answer as the response to their query.
• A legend relates that the name came from the love story of two young lovers, Maya and Gao.

History taught us that Miag-ao in 1580 was nothing more than a barrio of Oton, the first established town in Iloilo province. Then Miag-ao became part of Tigbauan town until 1592 when it was then transferred under the jurisdiction of Guimbal. Miag-ao was like an orphan child nobody wanted whose care was relegated from one uninterested neighbor to another.

In 1716, the Spanish Civil Government decided to make Miag-ao an independent pueblo (town). Miag-ao of 1716 had 13,493 people and 2,974 houses. Of this population, there were 4,570 taxpayers. It can be supposed that the Spanish Governor of the Province of Iloilo thought it best to make Miag-ao a new entity for better tax collection. The governor and his officials used Miag-ao as a summer escape because of the beautiful shoreline filled with colorful sea shells. Miag-ao as an economic center was also likely the reason for frequent Muslim raids during the 18th century.

Miag-ao became a town in 1716 during the election held in Guimbal to decide on the town officials to run Miag-ao — Nicolas Pangkug as capitan (equivalent to mayor) and Diego Sale as teniente mayor (equivalent of vice mayor) were elected. The attendance during this election by the then Spanish Governor Victorino made it a significant event in the province.

Miagao lies between 10° 36' 44" N latitude and 122° 06' 39" and 122° 17' 30" E longitude. A later section lists 10° 38' 26.4" N latitude and 122° 14' 6.3" E longitude.

Miagao is one of the seven towns comprising the First District of Iloilo Province. It is situated 40 kilometers southwest of Iloilo City and 58 kilometers from San Jose, the capital town of Antique. Overlooking the island of Negros towards Sulu Sea or Panay Gulf, Miagao is bounded by:

• Igbaras to the northeast
• Guimbal to the east
• San Joaquin to the west
• Sibalom, Antique to the northwest

Land area and waters:

The municipality has a land area of 15,696 hectares or 156.96 square kilometers. The urban area composed of 22 barangays has an area of 1,852.55 hectares or 18.5255 square kilometers, while the remaining 97 barangays have a total area of 13,843.45 hectares or 138.4345 square kilometers. A later profile table lists 15,680.00 hectares total, 2,055.16 hectares urban, and 13,624.84 hectares rural.

The municipal waters serving as fishing ground for both migratory and endemic fish has an area of 48 square kilometers. Miagao's coastline stretches for 16 kilometers, spanning 22 barangays.

The inland bodies of water are composed of three main rivers, namely Tumagboc, Oyungan, and Bacauan. The other smaller rivers are Naulid, Oya-oy, and Narat-an. They all flow to the Panay Gulf. The Oyungan River has colored stones.

Topography:

Miagao is partly coastal and partly mountainous. In general, its terrain is rolling with mountain ranges serving as border between Miagao and part of the Province of Antique and other neighboring towns of Iloilo. The poblacion is situated on a hill overlooking the sea and public institutions are located on a plateau. The low and high mountains lying close to the river, plus the narrow coastal plains stretching 16 kilometers, are varied topographical features of Miagao.

Climate:

Miagao has two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. The maximum temperature is 32.2°C and the minimum is 22.9°C. There are two prevailing winds: the southwest monsoon called “habagat” and the northeast monsoon called “amihan”.

Soil:

The soil consists of five major types: Alimodian clay loam, Sta. Rita clay, Umingan fine sandy loam, Alimodian soil undifferentiated, and beach sand.

Natural resources:

Miagao is rich in natural resources. It has vast forest reserves at Tabiac and Tulahong forestry areas. It has metallic and non-metallic reserves as indicated by grains of sand found on the beach lines. It has abundant source of ceramic clay used for potteries and mixtures of sand and lime structure called the Miagao Stone used as building material, like the one used in building the Miagao Church. It is also blessed with natural scenic attractions like Sinuhutan Cave, Danao Lake, Bugsukan Falls, rice terraces, and others.

Slope:

The municipality has five slope classifications ranging from 0°–30° slopes above sea level. The area marked A has a slope of 0°–3°; B 3°–7°; C 8°–13°; D 30°. The highest slopes are found in the mountain ranges that run from north to west of the municipality and the lowest slopes on the shoreline.

Barangays:

Comprised of 119 barangays, of which the page lists 25 as classified urban in one line and 22 urban in the tables, and 97 as rural barangays.

Degree-granting institutions:

• University of the Philippines Visayas
• Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U) Miagao Campus

High school:

Public (national high schools) – 8:

• Miagao National High School
• Palaca-Damilisan National High School
• Kirayan National High School
• Alejandro Firmeza Memorial National High School
• San Rafael National High School
• Bacolod National High School
• San Jose National High School
• Don Arsenio Napud Memorial National High School

Private – 3:

• Saint Louise de Marillac School of Miagao
• Kaunlaran Learning Center Foundation, Inc.
• Doane Christian Fellowship Academy

Grade school / elementary:

• Private – 3
• Public (complete) – 31: District of Miagao East – 15; District of Miagao West – 16

Pre-elementary:

• Private – 5
• Public – 22
• Day care centers – 102

Public health facilities and services:

• Main Health Center
• UPV Infirmary (with dental services and medical laboratory)
• UPV Ambulance
• 24 Hours First Aid Clinic
• Dental Clinic
• DOTS Laboratory
• Birthing Center
• MDRRMO Rescue Vehicle
• Municipal Ambulance – 3
• 24/7 MDRRM Emergency Rescue Vehicle
• Barangay Health Stations: 19
• PhilHealth sponsored program under the national government

Private health facilities and services:

• No. of private clinics – 13
• No. of lying-in clinics – 1
• No. of dental clinics – 7
• No. of medical laboratory – 4
• No. of pharmacies – 11
• No. of eye clinics – 3
• No. of diagnostic centers – 2

Note: Some data on this article may need updating.