Pan de Azucar, variously known as Tampisaw Island or Tambaliza (which is also the name of one of the

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 metropolita ...

s on the island), is a populated island in the

Visayan Sea The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines surrounded by the islands of the Visayas. It is bounded by the islands Masbate to the north, Panay to the west, Leyte to the east, and Cebu and Negros to the south. The sea is connected to several b ...

in the

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 ...

. The island is known for Mount ''Pan de Azucar'' (Sugarloaf Mountain) a steep volcanic cone and a prominent landmark at the northern entrance of

Guimaras Strait Guimaras Strait is a strait in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, connecting the Visayan Sea with the Panay Gulf and Sulu Sea beyond. To the north and west are Panay and Guimaras Islands, while Negros Island is to the south and eas ...

. Pan de Azucar is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of

Concepcion, Iloilo Concepcion, officially the Municipality of Concepcion ( hil, Banwa sang Concepcion, tgl, Bayan ng Concepcion), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,633 peop ...

Panay Island 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 ...

, one of the largest and major islands of the Philippines. Pan de Azucar is the largest of 16 outlying islands of the town and makes up nearly 19 percent of Concepcion's total land area. According to the 2015 census, the island has a population of 7,502. The island possibly contains valuable mineral deposits and is being studied for mineral extraction, which could possibly destroy the natural beauty of the island and mountain."Pan de Azucar Overview"
Mindoro Resources Ltd.

Etymology

Mount Pan de Azucar (

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 ...

for "Sugarloaf") is one of the mountains and hills worldwide named "

Sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a r ...

" because of its tall conical shape resembling an old ''

sugarloaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a r ...

'' of the 19th century, not because of its resemblance to

Sugarloaf Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain ( pt, Pão de Açúcar, ) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to ...

in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as falsely reported on some local websites."Pan de Azucar Island"
Explore Iloilo. Retrieved on September 1, 2014.

Geography

The island is located east of

and northeast of Concepcion town proper. Nearby islands include

Sombrero Island Sombrero, also known as Hat Island, is part of the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla and is the northernmost island of the Lesser Antilles. It lies north-west of Anguilla across the Dog and Prickly Pear Passage. The distance to Dog Isla ...

, Naburut Island,

Magaisi Island Bag-o Isi Island (variously Magaisi Island or Magaisi Islet) is a small island in northeastern Iloilo, Philippines. It is part of the municipality of Concepcion. Location and geography Bag-o Isi Island is east of Panay Island in the Visayan S ...

, and Bocot Islet. At , the steep-sided Mt. Pan de Azucar (also called Mt. Manaphag) is the most prominent feature and distinguishable landmark of the island. The lofty cone is one of the inactive volcanoes in the country.PHIVOLCS (July 30, 2008)
"Inactive Volcanoes Part 6"
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. Retrieved on September 1, 2014. The island is ringed by beaches, such as Lumpatan Beach in Bagotao, Brgy. Macatunao which are golden-yellow to white in color. The ''Pan de Azucar Seascape'' is an area of 2,480.1478 square meters that includes both land and sea water areas around the island. Local governmental officials recognize the seascape as a

protected Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

sanctuary, although the Philippine government has yet to declare the seascape as an official protected area.

Barangays

List of Barangays in Pan de Azucar island by population (2015 census). * Tambaliza - 3,139 * Talotu-an - 2,771 * Macatunao - 1,592

History

Early history

In the 1600s, a battle took place near Pan de Azucar between Filipino and Spanish forces. Captain

Juan Salagao ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

, who was mayor of Sugbú at the time, defeated Spanish forces who had come up from

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

, intent on burning down Arevalo and Octóng.

Mining

It has been speculated that Pan de Azucar contains possible mining deposits of gold, silver, copper, and zinc. Mindoro Resources, Ltd. began initial drilling exploration in 2012 and received initial positive results.

Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...

passed directly over Pan de Azucar in 2013, damaging houses, food stores, and fishing boats.Mindoro’s Agata project escapes wrath of typhoon Haiyan
/ref> The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) delivered relief goods to the island soon after it passed.AFP chief: Ceasefire in Yolanda-hit areas up to political leaders
/ref> The typhoon did not do much to disrupt mining operations on Pan de Azucar.

Transport

Pan de Azucar is accessible from Concepcion by boat. There is one public boat trip per day; trips outside the official schedule are arranged with private boat owners.
Pinoy Mountaineer.