Santa Fe, officially the Municipality of Santa Fe, 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 ...

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 w ...

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 17,802 people.

History

Legend says that the barrio was named after a beautiful, lovely daughter of one of its early settlers of the place. She was so loved and revered by the locals that they named her ''Santa Fe'', and in her death, they named the place after her. However, in ''Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas'' by Spanish conquistador Miguel de Loarca, it states that the barrio was named after Santa Fe in the province of

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Its first settlers were Onhan-speaking

Negritos The term Negrito () refers to several diverse ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia and the Andaman Islands. Populations often described as Negrito include: the Andamanese peoples (including the Great Andamanese, the On ...

from

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 ...

who emigrated to Tablas as early as 1730. During the Spanish colonial period, Santa Fe was a barrio of neighboring Looc town until 1855 when it was established as a separate ''pueblo'' or town. It was abolished and reverted into a barrio again in 1868. In 1892, the Spaniards restored Santa Fe's municipal status, which would remain until the American colonial period. Santa Fe was one 11 municipalities created in Romblon when civilian government was established in the province. However, on 10 March 1917, it was abolished and reverted once more into a barrio of Looc. On 8 January 1940, by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 581, authored by Romblon congressman Leonardo Festin, the municipality of Looc was abolished and incorporated into a new special municipality called Tablas. Hence, Santa Fe became a barrio of this special municipality. On 1 October 1946, by virtue of Republic Act No. 38 authored by Romblon congressman Modesto Formilleza, the special municipality of Tablas was abolished and Looc municipality was reinstated. The law also created Santa Fe into an independent municipality. Santa Fe is also the home of ''Pinoy Big Brother'' Season 1 big winner

Nene Tamayo Jennivev "Nene" Santillan Tamayo (born September 27, 1981) is a Filipina reality television personality known for winning the first season of ''Pinoy Big Brother''. Career ''Pinoy Big Brother'' She's best known as the dancing diva and the 'astig ...

Geography

Santa Fe has a total land area of 63.52 km². It lies on the southern tip of

Tablas Island Tablas is the largest of the islands that comprise the province of Romblon in the Philippines. The name of the island was of Spanish origin. Before the colonization of the Philippines, Tablas was known as the Island of ''Osigan''. At the time of ...

. The town is mountainous with so many beaches and islets. It has sandy loam type of soil rich with mineral resources such as granite and white clay. The tallest elevation in the town is Mount Calatong.

Climate

Barangays

Santa Fe is politically subdivided into 11

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 ...

Demographics

At the 2015 census, Santa Fe had a population of 16,098 people. Most of its natives descended from

Ati Ati or ATI may refer to: * Ati people, a Negrito ethnic group in the Philippines **Ati language (Philippines), the language spoken by this people group ** Ati-Atihan festival, an annual celebration held in the Philippines *Ati language (China), a ...

indigenous people from

. Majority of its population speak the Loocnon variant of Inunhan that switches /r/ or /l/ for /d/. The townsfolk are predominantly

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. Every April, they celebrate the ''Fiesta sa Dagat'', also known as "Fisherfolk's Day" in honor of St. Vincent Ferrer, the town's patron saint. Other Christian denominations include the Philippine Independent Church, Foursquare Gospel Church in the Philippines, Assemblies of God, Baptist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the Potter's Fellowship.

Economy

Agriculture is the most important sector in the municipality. This sector comprises sub-sectors namely: crops, livestock, poultry, and fishing. Crops like rice, corn, mango, cassava, banana, sweet yam and coconut are raised by farmers. Coconut comprises the largest share of the agricultural area of the municipality and is dominantly grown in all barangays.

Infrastructure

National Power Corporation (NPC) supplies 32.37% (or 836 households) of Santa Fe's households with electricity. The town is serviced by Levels 1, 2 and 3 water supply system. It also has four community irrigation projects with 92 service areas. Potable water is also supplied from water pumps, artesian wells, and rainwater collection reservoirs.

PLDT PLDT, Inc., formerly known as the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company ( fil, Kompanya ng Teleponong Pangmalayuan ng Pilipinas), is a Philippine telecommunications, internet and digital service holdings company. It is one of the country's ...

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 Telecom 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 ...

provides landline and cellular phone service in the municipality. Radio, as well as, terrestrial and cable television services are also available. Santa Fe Municipal Port caters to intra-provincial travel, particularly between San Jose in Carabao Island. The town is connected to the neighboring towns of Looc and Alcantara through the Tablas Circumferential Road.

Jeepneys Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become ...

tricycles A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for passenger transport) and freight trikes ...

, and

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

are to common forms of transportation.

Transportation

From Looc town proper, there are scheduled jeepney trips going to

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 ...

. The earliest trip is at 5 a.m. and travel time is one hour. Travelers may expect some delays as the jeepneys will halt every now and then to unload and load passengers along the way. The jeepney route's terminus is at Odiongan Public Market, where travelers can ride a tricycle to get to Odiongan Port. Fare is around P100 and may take 15–20 minutes bumpy ride. At Odiongan Port, there are scheduled

RORO Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ferry trips by Montenegro Lines, Starlite Ferries and 2GO Travel. Travelers can also reach Santa Fe by flying to

Tugdan Airport Tugdan Airport (Filipino: ''Paliparan ng Tugdan'', Romblomanon (Onhan): ''Paluparan it Tugdan'') is an airport located in the province of Romblon in the Philippines. It is the only airport in the province of Romblon. The airport is located in Ba ...

in neighboring Alcantara.

Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific (), is a low-cost airline of the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. The airline operates fl ...

operates four flights weekly to the airport from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Tourism

There are several beaches and other scenic spots to visit in Santa Fe. These include: *Mateo Beach Resort: Situated along a rough and winding road at Sitio Guinpoingan in Barangay Tabugon, only 5 kilometers away from the Poblacion. The place has stretches of white sand and clear blue waters. *Santa Fe Trail This mountainous zigzag road leading to Santa Fe offers views of Tablas Strait, Looc Bay, the neighboring island of Panay, San Jose, and

Boracay Island Boracay (; often locally shortened to Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of three barangays in Malay, Aklan ...

. A common place for strolling and sightseeing. *Canyayo Beach It is located in Barangay Canyayo, some 4 kilometers from the Poblacion. This beach is a combination of white sands and crushed corals. Its ocean floor is of pebbles and drops abruptly. *Japar Islet Located off coast of Barangay Guinbirayan. It is a small islet dotted with golden-hued sandy beaches. The sea here is generally calm the whole year and considered the richest ground in the province. *Tablas Point Beach Resort Located at Agnamic, Santa Fe, Tablas Island Romblon, Philippines. *Balisa Beach Resort *SANTA FE DOWNTOWN RESORT (Downtown Santa Fe) *CASA del Kaplan *Beachaus Resort *Tablas Point *Cabalian Beach Point Resort *Kaburihan Beach Resort *La Grande de Capdang Lane *Kapiapihan 1026 Resort and Resto Bar *The Nahi Cliffside Resort *Capdang Lane Beach Resort *Pili Beach Resort Agmanic

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 In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

(alkalde), a

vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

(bise alkalde) and

members Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

(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. Santa Fe's incumbent mayor and vice mayor are Elsie Visca and Miguel M. Galido, both 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 ...

party, respectively.

References

External links

Santa Fe Profile at PhilAtlas.comSanta Fe, Romblon Profile - Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Romblon