MUNICIPALITY OF BANATE

Mayor: Vicente Bacos
Vice Mayor: Exequiel Palec, Sr.

BRIEF HISTORY

Banate is a beautiful coastal town with an obscure historical background, having no records of history prior to 1865 when Andres Maningo became its first teniente del barrio (Barrio Kapitan). At the time, Banate which was believed to have been only the barrio of Barotac Nuevo, which was founded by fishermen in the early days of Spanish regime.  Ricardo Ikalina, who kept the town's historical data during his incumbency as Municipal Treasure, stated that Banate was not even considered a barrio at that early date. Historians referred to the place as "Visita" because it was visited every now and then by prominent Barotac Nuevo citizens for it was wide stretch of beautiful sandy beach. 

Sometimes, the tow'ns name is reportedly attributed to the presence of many Banate trees in the area. According to the legend, when the Spaniards arrived in this place all its inhabitants fled except an old man who failed to go far because he was so slow. When it rained, the old man took shelter under the Banate tree where a Spanish officer found him. When the white man asked him, "Como sellema esta pueblo" the old native man, uncertain as to what to say, merely said "Banate", because he thought that the Spaniard was asking, him that name of the tree was. While such legend sounds too absurd to be true, it is the only explanation often given by people when asked why their, town is called Banate. Indeed Banate trees still around within the territorial limits of the municipality. 

There is no recorded Act of Legislation that recognized the legal existence of the Municipality. It was, however, with the appointment of Felix Babieraas the first Gobernadorcillo in 1837 that Banate became a town. The original site of the Poblacion was then situated near the shore. A stone throw from it to the north was the town cemetery. For a market place, nipa and bamboo shack were constructed along the area. 

Included within the territorial jurisdiction of the town were, Barotac Viejo and Anilao which were still barrios then Barotac Viejo became an independent town on January 1, 1918 as per executive order No. 84 of the Gobernador General, while Anilao seceded during the term of Benjamen Buyco as municipal mayor. He was a native of Anilao and served as Mayor of Banate.

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY 

The 11 mini-buses and 6 jeepneys in the municipality in addition to other vehicles from other municipalities and concrete road net work contribute to easy transportation to and from the city of Iloilo. There are two regular jeepneys, going to and from the province of Capiz via the municipalities of Passi and Calinog. 

The minimum fare from Banate to Iloilo City is P19.00 on mini-bus and bus and P30.00 for the L-300 Van or FX-Van in going to and in the province of Iloilo or Iloilo City.

RESOURCES PROFILE

11,886 hectares (2.18% of the Provcine of Iloilo

Land Use    

• Agricultural Area - 10,261 has.
• Fishponds - 387 has.
• Forest - 430 has.
• Open - 342.99 has.
• Mangroves- 338 has.
• Residential - 123 has.
• Industrial - 5 has.

 

The lot lovel areas in a slope category of 0-2.5% comprise 63% of the total land area. The rest (37%) is distributed to foest and open lands.

Most of the areas are fertile lans devoted to agriculture and fishponds. The main soil type in the municipality are clay loam and sandy loam.

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

ave. pop. growth - 2.42  
projected houshold population - 5,220  
population density - 2.2 person/ha.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

Local Businesses

• kiskisan rice mill
• business and commercial establishments
• poultries
• piggeries

INTERESTING PLACES / EVENTS

• Lighthouse
located at brgy. San Salvador. This kerosene lighthouse was once a great help to fishermen serving as noctural guide on their fishing.
• Somboryo
in Brgy. Camelo, an old Spanish bailiwick serving as a part of a sugar mill producing "Muscubado" in the spanish era.
• Bacabac and Villaruel residences
two of the oldest town houses. The Bacabac residence is of spanish origin and is known for its sturdy and unblemished structure; considered as Banates' landmark, because it is located at the heart of the town plaza. The Villaruel residence on the other hand is along the National highway and is only a few meters before the Banate Public Market.
• Ninoy Aquino Park
completed in 1990 through the help of the Philippine Tourism Authority
• Caniapasan Falls
located in Brgy. Managopaya, 13 kms from the town proper. Recognized for its cold breezes during summer.
• Hibotcan Beach Resort
a coral reef seen on low tides. Hibotcan is known for the many different species of fish and sea flora hidden on the reefs.

Festivals and Town Fiestas 

June 24 is the religious annual town fiesta in honor of St. John the Baptist. The highlights of the festival are the fluvial parade (participated by the seven coastal barangays in pump-boats adorned with images of the saint), San Salvador and Belen water and street dancing. 

INFRASTRUCTURE AND UTILITIES

Roads

Bridges  

Balandra Bridge	15 linear m. wide and 30 m. long
Alacaygan Bridge	15 linear m. wide and 20 m. long

Ports  

Banate has one fishing port tha also serves the other neighbouring towns such as Pototan, Dingle, Calinog, and Lambunao. It also accomodates vessels travelling from Panay to the the Negros Province.

Communication Facilities  
• Post Office -1
• PLDT
• Cellular Phones

Medical and Health Facilities  

• Health Centers -1
• Barangay Health Stations - 7
• Dental Service
• Environmental and Sanitation Service
• Drugstores - 8

Schools  

• Day Care Centers - 5
• Primary Schools - 3
• Elementary Schools - 9
• National High Schools - 2 (one in the poblacion and the other in Brgy. Dela Paz)
• Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF) - a private schools offering courses in Marine Engineering and Marine Transportation