Cagayancillo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cagayancillo
Municipality
Municipality of Cagayancillo
View from Cagayancillo Fort
Flag Seal
Map of Palawan with Cagayancillo highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Cagayancillo Location in Philippines
Country	Philippines
Region	Mimaropa
Province	Palawan
District	[[{{#property:P7938}} | — Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1804: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]
Founded	1810
Barangays	12 (see Barangays)
Government
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
Area
• Total	26.39 km2 (10.19 sq mi)
Elevation	2.0 m (6.6 ft)
Highest elevation	62 m (203 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)
• Total	6,884
• Density	260.86/km2 (675.61/sq mi)
• Households	1,367
Economy
• Income class	6th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	22.12 % (2021)
• Revenue	₱
• Assets	₱
• Expenditure	₱
• Liabilities	₱
Service provider
• Electricity	Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5321
PSGC	[https://psa.gov.ph/classification/psgc/?q=psgc/barangays/{{#pro000&regcode={{&provcode= p {{#property:P988}} ]
IDD : area code	+63 (0)48
Native languages	Kagayanen Palawano Tagalog

Cagayancillo is a small group of islands in the Sulu Sea, Philippines. It's officially called the Municipality of Cagayancillo. It is part of the Palawan province. In 2020, about 6,884 people lived there.

Cagayancillo is located between the islands of Palawan and Negros. It is the closest place to the famous Tubbataha National Marine Park. The name "Cagayancillo" comes from Spanish and means "Little Cagayan".

History of Cagayancillo

The first Spanish explorers in the Philippines called this island "Cagayan". They described it as two low islands not far from Panay island. The Spanish ruled these islands from a town called Arevalo in Iloilo. The islands were surrounded by many reefs, but the Spanish found a safe way in.

In the early days of Spanish rule, about 400 people lived on these small islands. They were very skilled at building ships. These people originally came from Panay. They moved to Cagayan to protect themselves from pirates. They would travel back to Panay, but many of their women died there. Because they believed in soothsayers, they returned to Cagayan.

From Cagayan, they would travel every year to other islands to build and repair ships. They even built ships for the Spanish Royal Navy in the Philippines. Because they were so important, the Spanish first put them under the control of leaders in Negros Island. Later, the Spanish Crown took direct control. So, Cagayancillo was governed from Iloilo.

Later, the islands became part of Antique Province. In 1810, Cagayancillo became its own municipality, with Omabong as its first mayor. During the time when America ruled the Philippines, Cagayancillo was part of Negros Occidental.

In 1959, several small areas called sitios became official villages, known as barrios:

• The sitios of Banted, Nipay, Dool, Cavili, Cabayog, and Langtad became barrio Talaga.
• The sitios of Ibiok, Panderse, Lato, and Gatung-an became barrio Mampio.
• Sitio Nusa became Barrio Nusa.

Geography and Nature

Tubbataha Park Ranger Station

Cagayancillo is the easternmost part of Palawan province. It is about 178 nmi (330 km) east of Puerto Princesa City. It is also only 72 nmi (133 km) southwest of Antique. The islands are located near the center of the Sulu Sea.

The municipality does not have mountains or large forests. There is a small hilly area in the northeast of the main island. Most of the island is flat, with the highest points only 2 to 3 meters above sea level. The soil is mostly sandy loam, which is not good for growing large forests.

Islands and Barangays

Cagayancillo is the smallest municipality in Palawan. Its total land area is only 26.39 square kilometers (10.19 sq mi). It includes 31 islands and islets. It is divided into 12 main villages called barangays. Two island sitios, Cavili and Calusa, are part of the Magsaysay barangay. Each barangay has smaller areas called puroks and some have sitios.

Here are the 12 barangays:

• Bantayan (Poblacion)
• Calsada (Poblacion)
• Convento (Poblacion)
• Lipot North (Poblacion)
• Lipot South (Poblacion)
• Magsaysay
• Mampio
• Nusa
• Santa Cruz
• Tacas (Poblacion)
• Talaga
• Wahig (Poblacion)

Climate and Weather

Cagayancillo has a Type II climate. This means there isn't a clear wet or dry season. The dry season usually runs from December to May, with March being the driest month. The wet season is from May to November, and August gets the most rain.

The municipality experiences both monsoon winds. The Amihan (northeast winds) blow from November to March. The Habagat (southwest winds) blow from June to October. In the summer months, from April to June, a moderate daplak wind comes from the northwest.

Population and Economy

In 2020, Cagayancillo had 6,884 people. This means there were about 260 people per square kilometer.

Important Landmark

Cagayancillo Fort

The Cagayancillo Fort is an old defense fort in Palawan. It was built during the time when Spain ruled the Philippines. Building the fort started in the late 1500s. It was finished in the early 1700s, taking almost 130 years to build.

The fort is shaped like a diamond and is 162 square meters (1,740 sq ft) in size. It was built on a high point on the island's coast. It is made from sea rocks mixed with lime. Inside the fort, there is a church. The fort has very thick walls, 12 meters (39 ft) high and 3 meters (9.8 ft) thick. These strong walls kept the residents safe from pirate attacks. Other old Spanish forts in Palawan include Fort Santa Isabel in Taytay and Cuyo Fort in Cuyo.

Health and Education

Healthcare Services

Cagayancillo does not have any hospitals. The health services available are one rural health unit and four smaller Barangay Health Stations. The health staff includes one municipal health officer, one public health nurse, one rural health midwife, and one rural sanitary inspector. Medical interns sometimes spend 2-3 years here to learn about tropical medicine. This is usually the only time a medical doctor lives on the island.

Education Facilities

Cagayancillo has 8 public elementary schools. These schools have a total of 37 classrooms. In the school year 2000–2001, there were 35 teachers for 1,110 students. This means there was about 1 teacher for every 39 students. This is better than the national goal of 1 teacher for every 50 students. About 85% of elementary-aged children were enrolled in school.

For high school, there is one national high school in the main town area. It had 9 classrooms and 13 teachers. This meant about 1 teacher for every 52 students. The number of students attending high school was lower, at about 69%.

Images for kids

• 

  Flag of Cagayancillo

• 

  Seal of Cagayancillo

• 

  Map of Palawan with Cagayancillo highlighted

See also

In Spanish: Cagayancillo para niños