Concepcion, officially the Municipality of Concepcion (
Asi: ''Banwa it Concepcion'',
Filipino: ''Bayan ng Concepcion''), is a 6th class
municipality in the
province of
Romblon,
Philippines. Located in the island of
Maestro de Campo. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 3,561 people.
History
Early history
Concepcion started as a small village founded in 1570 by the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
colonization forces led by
Martin de Goiti and
Juan de Salcedo, upon orders from then Spanish
Governor-General of the Philippines
The Governor-General of the Philippines ( Spanish: ''Gobernador y Capitán General de Filipinas''; Filipino: ''Gobernador-Heneral ng Pilipinas/Kapitan Heneral ng Pilipinas''; Japanese: ) was the title of the government executive during the colo ...
,
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi
-->
Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to:
Places
*Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands
*São Miguel (disambi ...
. The village was named after the
Immaculate Concepcion
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth ...
. Throughout the Spanish era, the village was administered as part of
Banton municipality on nearby
Banton Island
Banton, officially the Municipality of Banton ( Bantoanon: ''Banwa it Banton'', Filipino: ''Bayan ng Banton'', formerly known as Jones), is a fifth-class municipality in the province of Romblon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...
.
[Maestro de Campo History](_blank)
Maestro de Campo Dive Resort. Retrieved on 14 April 2012
On 2 July 1907, during the
American colonization of the Philippines
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
, Concepcion was elevated to municipal status but was incorporated as part of
Mindoro province after
Romblon was abolished and incorporated as part of
Capiz
Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz ( Capiznon/ Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; tl, Lalawigan ng Capiz), is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas. It ...
province. However, on 10 March 1917, Romblon was reinstated as a separate province, and thus, Concepcion was incorporated back to the province.
On 8 June 1940, the special municipality of Maghali was established upon passage of Commonwealth Act No. 581 (authored by Congressman Leonardo Festin). This demoted Concepcion and
Corcuera from their municipality status and incorporated into the new municipality with its capital in Banton. The special municipality was abolished through the passage of
Republic Act No. 38 (authored by Congressman Modesto Formilleza), and by 1 October 1946, Concepcion regained its municipal status which it still holds today.
Proposed secession
Among the islands of Romblon, Concepcion is the farthest from the
provincial capital
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the go ...
. It is also far from the nearest commercial capital,
Odiongan
Odiongan, officially the Municipality of Odiongan ( Asi: ''Banwa it Odiongan'', Filipino: ''Bayan ng Odiongan'', is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Romblon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 49,284 pe ...
. It takes five hours to travel between Concepcion and Romblon thus making it difficult for provincial executives to visit the island municipality. The nearest municipality from Concepcion is
Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro
Pinamalayan, officially the Municipality of Pinamalayan ( tgl, Bayan ng Pinamalayan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 90,383 people.
Pinamalayan ...
, which is only two hours by boat. Hence, most Sibalenhons buy and sell their products in this town instead of Odiongan or Romblon.
In the past, there have been attempts to secede Concepcion from Romblon and re-annex it to Oriental Mindoro. On 16 March 1924, Act No. 3131 was introduced in
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
seeking to re-annex the municipality to Oriental Mindoro but it didn't push through. More recently, in 2014, town mayor Lemuel Cipriano expressed that "90% of Concepcion's 4,500 population are seeking to be re-annexed to Oriental Mindoro". In order to be re-annexed, a resolution calling for a referendum in the island must be filed in Congress by the provincial representative. Oriental Mindoro governor Alfonso Umali Jr. and Second District Congressman
Reynaldo Umali
Reynaldo Villar Umali (February 26, 1957 – January 7, 2021) was a Filipino politician who served in the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2010 to 2019 representing the 2nd district of Oriental Mindoro. He ran as governor of Ori ...
have expressed support for a possible referendum.
Geography
Concepcion is located on
Maestro de Campo Island (also known as Sibale to its inhabitants) which is the westernmost island of the province and approximately off the coast from
Mindoro. The island is mountainous with steep shores. Its settlements are dispersed along the coast with the
poblacion
''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or municipality, which may take up the a ...
on the south shore. The island's interior is jagged and forested, with caves, clear rivers, unique rock formations, and hills that offer extensive views. Every village has its own cove and white sand beaches which are used for swimming and scuba diving.
Climate
Barangays
Concepcion is politically subdivided into 9
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
s.
Demographics
According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 4,037 people.
Majority of its inhabitants speak the local dialect,
Asi, which is also spoken in the nearby islands of
Banton and
Simara. Sibalenhons, as the islanders call themselves, are predominantly Roman Catholic with a small percentage of Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Iglesia ni Cristo.
Economy
Government
Pursuant to Chapter II, Title II, Book III of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, the municipal government is composed of a
mayor (alkalde), a
vice vayor (bise alkalde) and
members (kagawad) of the legislative branch
Sangguniang Bayan
The Sangguniang Bayan () is the local legislative branch of the municipal governments in the Philippines. It is responsible for passing ordinances and resolutions for the administration of a municipality. Its powers are defined by the Local Gov ...
alongside a secretary to the said legislature, all of which are elected to a three-year term and are eligible to run for three consecutive terms. As of 30 June 2019, Concepcion's incumbent mayor is Medrito "Jun" Fabreag, Jr. while his vice mayor is Monico "Nonoy" Firmalan, Jr. Both are from the
PDP–Laban
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (), abbreviated as PDP–Laban, is a democratic socialist political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was part of the country's ruling party alliance from 1986 to 1992 under the administrat ...
political party.
The barangays or villages, meanwhile, are headed by elected officials, the topmost being the ''
Punong Barangay'' or the Barangay Chairperson (addressed as ''Kapitan''; also known as the Barangay Captain). The ''Kapitan'' is aided by the ''
Sangguniang Barangay
The Sangguniang Barangay, also known as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest form of government in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Ta ...
'' (Barangay Council) whose members, called ''
Barangay Kagawad'' (Councilors), are also elected.
Tourism
The mountains and the forest offer mountain trekkers new challenges. The beaches have diving spots. Tropical coral reef systems surround the island. Some old folk believe they share the forest and coves with enchanted beings.
Each of the island's nine barangays has its own cove with a palm-fringed white sand beach front. The entire island is visited for its swimming and scuba diving. Notable beaches include those along Tongo point and the beaches between barangay (village) Bachawan and Sampong. The island's interior hills, stretching five to nine kilometer, have trails for hiking and climbing. The island hills are also commonly visited by motor-cross biking enthusiasts. Other places of interest in the island include:
[
*Mount Banderahan: American soldiers in the early 20th century climbed the island's mountain and planted an American flag. The flagpole, hewed in a big stone, is a landmark sought out by mountain climbers.
*Tinigban Falls: The fall site is a rock formation amid lush greenery. An Old Spanish ''encomendero'' once built a mansion here, embedding a mirror into a huge rock so he could have a full view of the waterfalls from his bathroom.
*Matudtod Cave: Ancient skeletal remains and artifacts were found in this cave.
*Quebrada Beach: Quebrada beach facing the town of Concepcion, scalloping the cove with its white sand and wonderful rock formation.
]
References
External links
Concepcion Profile at PhilAtlas.com
Concepcion, Romblon Profile - Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
*Philippine Standard Geographic Code
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
br>Philippine Census Information
Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Romblon
Beaches of the Philippines
Island municipalities in the Philippines