Calape, officially the Municipality of Calape (; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

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

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,079 people.

Etymology

Its name is derived from ''cape'', referring to either a species of

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...

or to the local varietal of coffee,

Kape Barako ''Kapeng barako'' (), also known as Barako coffee or Batangas coffee, is a coffee varietals, coffee varietal grown in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas province, Batangas and Cavite province, Cavite. It belongs to the ...

, both of which still grow abundantly there to this day.

History

By the time Spaniards arrived, there was already a native settlement in Calape. In 1802, the Spanish governor of Cebu established it as an independent municipality. In 1957, the barangay of Abucayan Norte was created from the

sitio A ''sitio'' ( Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popu ...

s of Cabulihan and Cabinong, and the barangay of Abucayan Sur from the sitios of Rama and Bino. The sitios of Binogawan, Masonoy, Bentig, Cahayag, and Lawis were also constituted into barrios.

Geography

Calape is bounded by

Loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British English, British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family (biolog ...

in the west and

Tubigon Tubigon, officially the Municipality of Tubigon (; ), is a municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 47,886 people. Tubigon is well known for its "lambay" crabs. The municipality o ...

in the east. To the north, the town center faces the

Cebu Strait Cebu Strait (Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Cebú''; also Bohol Strait) is a strait in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines. Geography The Cebu Strait (and its 3 channels, the Mactan Channel, Mactan, the Olango Island Group, Ol ...

on the western side of

Bohol Island Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Boholano people. Its capital is Ta ...

, from

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popu ...

. The jurisdiction of Calape includes the islands of Pangangan (eight barangays) and Mantatao, as well as two uninhabited islets, Poom Island and Basihan Island. There are four rivers that flow through the territory: Tultugan and Liboron Rivers that drain into Calape Bay, and Calunasan and Abucayan Norte Rivers that drain into Tipcan Bay. Most of the coastal area is a fairly level plain that gradually rises into rolling hills of coralline limestone. The highest point in Calape is Mount Candungao in the eastern portion of the town, with an elevation of above sea level.

Barangays

Calape is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. There are 18 barangays which form part of coastal area.

Climate

Demographics

Religion

92% of Calape's population is

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. The remaining 8% is divided among other religious groups.

Economy

List of mayors

* Mauricio T. Cuario (1923-1927) * Benigno Palacio (1933-1937) * Felomeno Ruiz (1938-1941) * Gaudencio Sepe (1942-1945) * Pedro Dumadag (1946-1951) * Ramon E. Nazareno (1952-1955) * Alberto Carlon (1956-1963) * Arsenio G. Damalerio (1964-1967) * Isidro R. Redulla (1968-1979) * Anunciacion R. Tuazon (1979-1986) * Gabriel P. de la Peña (1986-1987) * Gerardo T. Yu (June 30, 1992-June 30, 1995) * Julius Caesar Herrera (June 30, 1995-June 30, 2001) * Ernesto Cuico Herrera II (June 30, 2001-June 30, 2007) * Sulpicio Nesia Yu Jr. (June 30, 2007-June 30, 2016) * Nelson Nesia Yu (June 30, 2016-June 30, 2022) * Julius Caesar Herrera (June 30, 2022-June 30, 2025)

Gallery

Notable personalities

* Yoyoy Villame, a novelty singer * Ernesto Falar Herrera, Senator of the Philippines (1987-1998) and former congressman of Bohol's 1st district (1998-2001); a legislator in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th Congresses.

References

External links

Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

Municipal Officials (2004-2007)

{{Authority control Municipalities of Bohol