Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay

Ipil, officially the Municipality of Ipil ( ceb, Lungsod sa Ipil; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Ipil''), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 89,401 people. It is the most populous municipality of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Ipil Airport is located at Barangay Sanito, along the Pan Philippine Highway, and it is the only airport in Zamboanga Sibugay.

History

Ipil used to be known as Sanito, a place under barrio Bacalan under the Municipality of Kabasalan. It was a swampy area and a docking spot for pioneering Ilocanos who settled in the upper areas of Titay. Ipil was a jumping point for their lantsa sailing to Zamboanga City. The first mayor of Ipil was Gregorio Dar, an Ilocano who came from Titay. The Dar Family were the second batch of Ilocanos who settled upon the invitation of Mariano Families who are among the first batch of Ilocanos from Luzon. When Sanito became a Town in 1949, its name was changed to Ipil, as there were many Ipil trees found within the said locale.

Early Ilocano routes

The first Ilocanos used Ipil as the nearest jump point in connecting Titay with Zamboanga City. They would walk via Lumbia then to Longilog then Gabo reaching Mayabang their original settlement. It was this route that they do not have to cross the rivers as it is uphill. It was the Ilocanos who first set foot on these areas.

Ipil massacre

On the morning of April 3, 1995, Ipil was attacked by approximately 200 heavily armed Abu Sayyaf militants who fired upon residents, strafed civilian homes, plundered banks, took up to 30 hostages and then burned the centre of the town to the ground.

The militants allegedly arrived in the town by boat and bus, and a number of them had been dressed in military fatigues

The town's Chief of Police was reportedly killed in the attack and close to a billion pesos were looted from eight commercial banks. Army commandos pursued some rebel gunmen in nearby mountains while officials said that the rebels were looting farms and seizing civilians as "human shields" as they fled the town of about 40 rebels, who may have taken hostages, were cornered in a school compound west of Ipil on the 6th of April when an elite army unit attacked. In the fighting that followed, the television station GMA reported, 11 civilians were killed.

Geography

Ipil is located three hours from the key cities in the region ( Dipolog, Pagadian and Zamboanga City). The Ipil seaport is south of the town center.

Climate

Barangays

Ipil is subdivided into 28 barangays.

Demographics

Economy

Government

List of former chief executives

*Merjuar
*Generoso Sucgang
*Col Escalona
*Andres P. Olegario (1972 – 1986)
*Henry de Villa (1986 – 1988)
*José Fontanoza (1988 – 1992)
*Francisco Q. Pontanar (1992 – 1998)
*Rey Andre C. Olegario (1998 – 2007)
*Eldwin M. Alibutdan (2007 – 2016)
*Anamel C. Olegario (2016 – present)

Healthcare

*Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Hospital
*Dr. Henry De Villa Memorial Hospital
*Dr. M. Simon Hospital
*Ipil Doctors Hospital

Media

Several radio stations operate in the area: dxLR- 98.1 FM, Flazh-FM 99.7, Hitz 98.9, Magic 103 FM, 94.3 dxIR FM, dxDS FM, Igsoon FM and Radyo Lipay AM; and several newspapers are published here, including the ''Zamboanga Sibugay Tribune'' and ''The Sibugay Express''.

References

External links

Official Website of the Municipality of Ipil
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationDILG-Zamboanga Sibugay
*

{{Authority control

Municipalities of Zamboanga Sibugay
Provincial capitals of the Philippines