Pilar, officially the Municipality of Pilar ( Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Pilar; tl, Bayan ng Pilar), is a 5th 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 go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Surigao del Norte Surigao del Norte ( Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Norte''; ceb, Amihanang Surigao; Tagalog: ''Hilagang Surigao''), officially the Province of Surigao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region of Mindanao. ...

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 10,374 people. It is located on

Siargao Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 196 kilometers southeast of Tacloban. It has a land area of approximately . The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar. The coastline is marked by a s ...

Island, bounded by the municipality of San Isidro to the north, municipality of Del Carmen to the west, municipality of

Dapa DAPA may refer to: * Defense Acquisition Program Administration, an executive branch of the South Korean government * Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, a U.S. deferred action In United States administrative law, deferred action is an immigr ...

to south and

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. Its ...

to the east. It used to be a barrio of Dapa until its creation as a separate municipality on October 31, 1953, by virtue of Executive Order No. 638 issued by then President

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; ; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino enter ...

. Pilar has a natural harbor through a small inlet called Port Pilar.

Geography

Barangays

Pilar is politically subdivided into 15

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, listed here with 2010 populations. Town Proper Barangays (Poblacion) * Asinan - 937 * Centro - 343 * Pilaring - 851 * Punta - 381 Outlying Barangays * Caridad - 1,456 * Consolacion - 200 * Datu - 570 * Dayaohay - 350 * Jaboy - 265 * Katipunan - 547 * Maasin - 1,001 * Mabini - 286 * Mabuhay - 455 * Salvacion - 772 * San Roque - 1,042

Climate

Demographics

Religion

Almost all inhabitant are Christians and majority follows Roman Catholicism. Pilar is a parish under the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Surigao The Roman Catholic Diocese of Surigao (Lat: ''Dioecesis Surigensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. Erected in 1939, the diocese is one of the older ecclesiastical territories in the Philippi ...

. The town got its name from its patron saint, Our Lady of the Pillar.

Language

Surigaonon is the local language. Cebuano, Filipino and English are also understood.

Economy

The town's economy is largely based on fishing and agriculture. Major agricultural produce are rice and coconut (copra).

Tourism

Various homestay facilities are available in town for tourists.

Magpupungko Lagoons and Rock Formations

Magpupungko is the most popular tourist destination in Pilar. It is famous for its lagoons which can only be seen during low tide. It also features picturesque limestone rock formations.

Other Beaches and Rock Formations

Other areas that can be explored by tourists are Taglungnan Beach and Tagbayanga Islets, which are across town proper and can be reach in 15–20 minutes by boat ride. Other beaches are Lukod Beach and Caridad Beach.

Surfing

Pilar is also one of the surfing spots in Siargao and is less crowded. It is one and a half hour boat ride from General Luna, where the more popular surfing spot Cloud 9 is located. It holds many good lefts and is best surfed during NE swells. There are good breaks in front and near the town proper and in Barangay Caridad.

Game Fishing

Pilar is popular to game fishing enthusiasts. The town hosts an annual invitational sport fishing event dubbed as Siargao International Game Fishing Tournament.

Mangrove Forest

Pilar has an extensive

mangrove forest Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand fr ...

reserve.

Philippine Freshwater Crocodile

Thirty-six Philippine freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) were released in Paghongawan Marsh (misspelled by media as Paghowangan) in Barangay Jaboy last March 2013 as part of conservation effort to bolster the population of this endangered reptile. The released crocodiles are all yearlings and were bred in captivity. The marsh extends 300 acres (120 hectares) in the dry season and more than 1,500 acres (600 hectares) in the wet season. These crocodiles are not endemic to Siargao and are smaller compared to saltwater crocodiles which can be found in the western side of Siargao, in the mangrove forest of Del Carmen town.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Pilar is connected to

Surigao City Surigao City, officially the City of Surigao ( Surigaonon: ''Siyudad nan Surigao''; ceb, Dakbayan sa Surigao; fil, Lungsod ng Surigao), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Surigao del Norte, Philippines. According to ...

through the Port of Dapa. Jeepneys ply between Pilar and Dapa daily. It is connected to

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...

and

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

through

Sayak Airport Sayak Airport ( Surigaonon: ''Tugpahanan nan Sayak'') , commonly known as Siargao Airport, is the main airport serving Siargao Island located in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte, Philippines. The airport is designated as a Class 2 principal (minor ...

in the adjacent Municipality of Del Carmen. Habal-habal (motorcycle) can also be rented to service transportation needs.

Healthcare

Pilar has a district hospital but now mostly serve lying-in and maternity services. There is also a rural health center in the town proper.

Telecommunications

The

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company 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 ...

provides fixed line services. Wireless mobile communications services are provided by

Smart Communications Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart (and officially stylized/ self-styled as SMART), is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provid ...

and

Globe Telecommunications Globe Telecom, Inc., commonly shortened as Globe, is a major provider of telecommunications services in the Philippines. The company operates the largest mobile network in the Philippines and one of the largest fixed-line and broadband networks ...

Education

Pilar is served by 2 high schools, Pilar National High School in the town proper and Pilar National High School - Caridad Annex in its biggest barangay, Caridad. There are also 12 elementary schools led by Pilar Central Elementary School.

References

External links

*
Pilar Profile at PhilAtlas.com

Pilar Profile at the DTI 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilar, Surigao Del Norte Municipalities of Surigao del Norte