Mabinay, officially the Municipality of Mabinay, 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 go ...

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 ou ...

Negros Oriental Negros Oriental ( ceb, Sidlakang Negros; tl, Silangang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeaste ...

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 82,953 people , making it the most-populous municipality in

History

Folklore has it that a woman named Binay fell in love with the son of her father's rival chieftain. Her father ended the affair by having her lover killed. Binay grieved. Mother Nature took the weeping maiden into her bosom. Where Binay was laid to rest, a spring broke forth. According to the legend, she weeps to this day, feeding Mabinay Spring, one of the town's many alluring attractions. It had over 100 known caves, including the popular Pandalihan, Panligawan and Gasidlak, each one with its own distinctive features ranging from fascinating to awesome. A team of Belgian and Dutch cavers determined Odloman Cave to be the second longest in the Philippines. Mabinay was carved from barrios of Bais and created a municipality in 1960. In 1966 more barrios of Bais and Manjuyod were annexed to enlarge it. Mabinay produces rice and corn, copra, soybeans and peanuts. Its principal crop, sugar cane, makes it an important member of the north's sugar district. It is a border town: the Provincial Highway runs through it and links Negros Oriental with its sister province. Travel from Dumaguete City is about two hours.

Geography

Mabinay is situated roughly in the central part of the island of

Negros Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...

abutting the western side of the provincial boundary. The municipality of Ayungon bounds it in the north, the City of Bais in the south, the municipalities of Bindoy and Manjuyod and a portion of Bais in the east, and the province of

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...

in the west. It is north-west of the provincial capital,

Dumaguete Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dumaguete; fil, Lungsod ng Dumaguete), is a 3rd income class component city and the capital of the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...

and can be reached via the circumferential but well-paved national road that cuts across the middle of the province from Bais City to Negros Occidental.

Barangays

Mabinay is politically subdivided into 32

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 ...

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Tourism

Mabinay is known for its

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s. The Odloman Cave is one of the largest cave in the Philippines with long and Cayaso Cave, the ninth longest cave in the country measuring long. Aside from the caves, Mabinay also has rivers and natural springs. One of its known natural spring is located at the heart of the municipality, the Mabinay spring. Ideal for family outing, swimming, kayaking, it also serves as the main water resource of the main town. It is about a 3 to 5 minute ride with tricycle, jeepney or a bus from the town center.

Healthcare

Mabinay itself has a small government-run hospital. Mabinay Medicare Community Hospital provides both in emergency outpatients services and inpatient services. It is located directly behind the Municipal Hall. Mabinay Health Center, one of three Mabinay health centers.

Transportation

Motorcycles or "habal-habal", tricycles, jeepneys, and buses are the major modes of transportation in the municipality.

Education

The Mabinay National High School (formerly Mabinay Municipal High School) is a high standard accredited institution according to the Philippine

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. Mabinay Science High School is a Secondary Public Science High School system that is a DepEd-recognized institution. The Santo Niño High School is a private Catholic institution located at Barangay Lumbangan. On June 16, 1997, the

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 ...

(Municipal Council) Resolution No. 94 established the Mabinay Institute of Technology (MIT), a technical college operated with the approval of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. On June 25, 2004, the Mabinay Institute of Technology (MIT) was integrated into the newly converted university,History of Negros Oriental State University
", Negros Oriental State University. Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. Retrieved 2013-05-28. Negros Oriental State University by virtue of the university charter, Republic Act No. 9299 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on June 25, 2004, and to be known as Mabinay Campus (NORSU-M).

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Negros Oriental