| ANTIQUE TOWNS: PANDAN |
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MUNICIPALITY OF PANDAN (Reprinted from the Binirayan 2000 Souvenir Magazine)
Pandan
is one of the municipalities comprising the Province of The
land area of the municipality based on official boundaries is 14,628 hectares.
These account for about 6.12 percent of the total land area of the province. Of
this area, 70.52 percent or 10,316 hectares are classified as uplands (with
slopes of more than 8%) and the remaining 29.48 % or 4,312 A
total of thirty-four (34) barangays comprises the municipality of Pandan, fifteen
of which are along the coast, twelve are inland and seven are in the
hinterlands. The coastal barangays are Idiacacan, Botbot, Dumrog, San Andres,
Sta. Fe, Baybay, Dionela, Carmen, Nauring, Jinalinan, Zaldivar, Mag-aba, Tingib,
Duyong and Patria.The twelve inland barangays are Centro Sur, Centro Norte,
Talisay, Cabugao, Bagumbayan, Guia, Sb. Rosario, Fragante, Buang, Sta. Cruz,
Candari and Luhod-Bayang. Barangays Sta. Ana, San Joaquin, Badiangan, Aracay,
Perfecta, Napuid and Maadios are hinterlands. The
municipality of Pandan is a mixture composed of flat and hilly terrain. The
central arid northwestern coastal are level to nearly level, the rest of the
northern part from slightly to strongly rolling. The northeastern part is
strongly sloping or strongly hilly to mountainous. Innumerable
creeks and seven major rivers criss-cross the land surface of Pandan. Bugang
River is the biggest among major rivers cutting through barangays Candari, Sto.
Rosario, Guia, Zaldivar and Mag-aba and draining on the marshlands of Mag-aba
and Zaldivar. It
has two types of climate, the dry and wet season. The dry months start from
December and end in May. June to November are the rainiest months, with an
average of 24 rainy days. The average annual rainfall is 10.27 inches with the
greatest precipitation occurring from June to September. Pandan
is endowed with mineral deposits. On non-metallic minerals are marble with an
estimated deposit of 2.39 billion cubic meters. Guano is also abundant in many
caves of the municipality. SOCIAL PROFILE Census
in 1995 shows a population of 24, 978, with an estimated labor force of 9,079,
majority of which engage in fishing and farming. Educational
institutions consist of two kindergarten schools, 19 primary, 11 elementary, 6
secondary, 2 vocational, and one college course schools. Pandan
has one 25-bed public hospital and one ten-bed private medical clinic augmented
by one Rural Health Unit, five Barangay Health Stations, three Dental clinics
and eighteen day care centers. Transportation
facilities are available by land, sea and air by means of a network of roads,
piers by Culasi, New Washington and Dumaguit in Aklan, and an airport in Kalibo
almost 55 kms. from poblacion Pandan. Power
is provided by AKLAN ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE while communication is by way of
telephone services of PANTELCO and TELECOM, telegrams by RCPI and PT&T, and
postal services by PHILPOST. Water
resources are managed by the Pandan Waterworks Friendship Project now
operational in Barangays Sto. Rosario, Guia, Zaldivar, Jinalinan and a portion
of Nauring. Pipe-laying is on going in the municipal level. Irrigation
services are operational in barangays Idiacacan, Botbot, Dumrog, Bagumbayan,
Nauring, Patria, AGRICULTURAL
PROFILE Pandan
has a total of 7,600 hectares of Certified Alienable and Disposable land and a
7,028 hectares of unclassified Public Forest. Its riceland consists of 1,056
hectares irrigated, 998 hectares rain-fed and 162 hectares upland with an
estimated total production of 7,640 metric tons annually. Other crops such as
yellow corn, mungbean, peanut, beans, camote and other fruit, leafy and root
crops are also temporarily raised while among permanent crops regularly planted
are banana, coffee, cacao, mango, jackfruit and cashew. TOURISM
POTENTIALS Malumpati
is a health resort famous for its cool and healing water with its head spring
still untapped and its depth, remains a mysterious puzzle to tourists, locals
and foreign alike. Extending
into the Bugang river which was adjudged as the cleanest inland body of water in
Region VI for the three successive years, it ends at its estuary, the
Fisherman’s Wharf famous of its flea market which was just recently
inaugurated. Famous
too is the Marble Mountain that challenges adventurous mountain trekker with its
height and beauty and exceptional species of flora and fauna. OTHER LINKS: Pandantree2000 - A family tree originating from Pandan, AntiqueNEWS FEATURE: The Alex Liberman Surgical Pavilion in the town of Pandan is becoming a reality. Thanks to Melinda Pechangco Liberman, a Pandan native. More... HOTELS AND LODGING HOUSES: Phaidon Island Villas & Beach Resort
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