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Oton, officially the Municipality of Oton (; krj, Banwa kang Oton, hil, Banwa sang Oton, tgl, Bayan ng Oton), is a 1st class
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the g ...
in the
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outs ...
of
Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the r ...
,
Philippines 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 ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 98,509 people making it as the most populous town in the province and the entire Panay island. It is the second oldest Spanish settlement in the Philippines after
Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 1 ...
, founded in 1566. Oton is a part of the
Metro Iloilo–Guimaras Metropolitan Iloilo–Guimaras ( hil, Kaulohan nga Iloílo–Guimarás; fil, Kalakhang Iloílo–Guimarás), also shortened as Metro Iloilo–Guimaras or simply MIG, is a metropolitan area in the Visayas in the Philippines. It consists of the ...
area, centered on
Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of th ...
.


History

Ogtong, former name of Oton, was settled by Malays. A gold death mask from that period was unearthed in the 1960s in Barangay San Antonio. There was a mention of Oton in Yuan Dynasty records in the 1300s when Oton was called in Hokkien . The Spanish arrived in middle of 16th century and made Oton as Capital of
Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City ...
, Negros, and
Romblon Romblon ( , ), officially the Province of Romblon, is an archipelagic province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. Its main islands include Tablas, the largest, which covers nine municipalities; Sibuyan with its three towns; as ...
. From Oton as capital, Spanish missionaries spread the Catholic church in neighboring settlements such as Jaro,
Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the r ...
, Tigbauan, Cordova,
Alimodian Alimodian, officially the Municipality of Alimodian ( krj, Banwa kang Alimodian; hil, Banwa sang Alimodian; tgl, Bayan ng Alimodian), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a ...
, Igbaras, Tubungan, Camando, Damilisan, and Tiolas. New agricultural products from the Manila galleon trade arrived in Oton where a number of ships arriving from Cebu were stationed and then moved to Manila. Because Oton was vulnerable to, and difficult to defend from pirate attacks, Spanish colonial authorities decided to move the capital to few kilometers away to La Punta (now Iloilo City Proper) around 1600s.


Geography

Oton is west from
Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of th ...
. Oton is bordered by the municipality of Tigbauan to the west, San Miguel to the north, Pavia to the northeast, Panay Gulf to the south, and the district of
Arevalo, Iloilo City Villa de Arevalo (; ), commonly known as simply Villa or Arevalo, is one of the seven districts of Iloilo City in the province of Iloilo, on the island of Panay in Western Visayas, in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popul ...
to the east. The town is a part of Metro Iloilo-Guimaras which encompasses the whole island province of
Guimaras Guimaras , officially the Province of Guimaras ( hil, Kapuoran sang Guimaras; tl, Lalawigan ng Guimaras), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Jordan while its largest local government ...
with its municipalities, the
Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of th ...
, and the
Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the r ...
provincial towns of
Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the capit ...
, Leganes, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, and Cabatuan.


Barangays

Oton is politically subdivided into 37
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. The Municipality of Oton belongs to the 1st District of Iloilo. Listed below are the respective population of each
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 ...
as of 2020 census.


Climate


Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Oton, Iloilo, was 98,509 people, with a density of .


Religion

As a Catholic Dominant Municipality, Oton has two parishes. Parishes: * Immaculate Concepcion Parish (Town Parish) * Sta. Monica Parish (Sta. Monica, Oton)


Language

Kinaray-a is the main speech of the people in Oton. Hiligaynon is spoken as a secondary dialect. There is a fairly unnoticed linguistic division of the town between the two aforementioned languages; the eastern part bordering Iloilo City primarily speak Hiligaynon, the western part bordering the other 1st District municipalities generally speak Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon.


Economy

The economy of Oton is fueled by growing number of real estates and geographic advantage due to its proximity to Iloilo City. Due to increasing demand of retail, Gaisano Oton, Puregold Oton, and Vista Mall Iloilo were built. The town has quite a few number of banking institutions as well. The Iloilo Provincial Agricultural Statistics reported rice production and fruits are among top economic drivers. It has a number of hotels, resorts, and restaurants. Vista City Iloilo in Oton is a flagship master-planned city by Vista Land in the Visayas that stretches from Barangay Polo Maestra Bita to Barangay Abilay Norte. Along with existing residential areas, it will house a central business district.


References


External links

*
Iloilo Travel Website
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Iloilo Former provincial capitals of the Philippines Populated places established in 1566 1566 establishments in the Philippines