Ibaan, officially the Municipality of Ibaan (), 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 ...

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...

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 58,507 people. Temperature is moderate both in its rainy and dry seasons, conducive to farming, agricultural and livestock production, which are the most common occupations. There are fewer farmers each year as residents switch to hog-raising, which provides better income. Ibaan is known as the home of the "''kulambo''" (

mosquito net A mosquito net is a type of meshed curtain or cloth that is circumferentially draped over a bed or a sleeping area to offer the sleeper barrier protection against bites and stings from mosquitos, flies, and other pest insects, and thus a ...

), as its production and trading has become one of the most profitable businesses in the locality. Ibaan is also known for its ''

tamale A tamale, in Spanish language, Spanish , is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of ''masa'', a dough made from nixtamalization, nixtamalized maize, corn, which is steaming, steamed in a corn husk or Banana leaf, banana leaves. The wrapping ...

s'' that are wrapped in banana leaves. The town celebrates its foundation day every February 11, with a simple festival called "Les Kuhliembo Festival", featuring their products: ''tamales'', ''kulambo'', ''habi'', ''liempo'', and ''tubo'' (sugar cane).

Etymology

Ibaan is derived from a Tagalog word which means "the town where Iba flourishes." According to historians, the present-day municipality was greatly forested with Iba trees (''

Averrhoa bilimbi ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel) is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus ''Averrhoa'', family (biology), family Oxalidaceae. It is believed to be originally native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia but ...

'').

History

Ibaan is originally a barrio part of the then-town of

. Its present-day barangay Matala and talaibon was the first municipal seat (''poblacion'') of Batangas beginning in 1780. Ibaan was established as a distinct town on February 11, 1832, separating it from the then-town of Batangas.

Geography

Ibaan is located at . It is from

Batangas City Batangas, sometimes called Batangas City and officially called the City of Batangas (), is a component city and capital of the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 351,437 people. Batangas City ...

and from

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. It is bounded to the northwest by San Jose, to the northeast by

Lipa City Lipa (), officially the City of Lipa (), is a component city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 372,931 people. It is the first city with a charter in the province and one of five ...

, to the east by

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...

, to the southeast by Taysan, and to the southwest by

. It has a land area of at an altitude of above sea level. According to the

Philippine Statistics Authority The Philippine Statistics Authority (; PSA) is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that collects, compiles, analyzes, and publishes statistical information on economic, social, demographic, political affairs, and gene ...

, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Batangas.

Barangays

Ibaan is politically subdivided into 26

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s, as shown in the matrix below. 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 ...

. Bungahan was constituted as a barrio in 1956.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Ibaan had a population of 58,507. The population density was .

Language

Tagalog is the local language in the Batangueño dialect; however, English is included in its educational curriculum and is often used in official dealings and transactions.

Religion

Ibaan is home to the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint James the Greater, the seat of the Roman Catholicism in Ibaan and the oldest church in town. It is a predominantly

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 ...

community, with small percentages of

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

s and members of the

Iglesia ni Cristo The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...

. The indigenous

has several locales in the town, including the chapels in Coliat and Matala. Other than this, non-denominational full gospel churches are also established to name a few like Jesus the Anointed One Church, United Pentecostal Church and Jesus is Lord Church.

Economy

Ibaan main products include ''tamales'', ''kulambo'' (

), ''lomi'', ''panutsa'' (sweet peanut), and

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

Transportation

The town is served by the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), a toll road that leads to the capital,

, or neighboring Batangas City.

Culture

Festivals

Good Friday Procession in Ibaan Batangas 2023-04-07

Ibaan celebrates civic and national holidays. The ''Ibaan Foundation Day'' is celebrated every December to commemorate the city's founding. Each barangay also has its own festivity guided by their patron saint. The town is host to the Feast of Saint James, held every 25 July, which draws hundreds of Catholic devotees. Another religious feasts held in Ibaan was the Procession Feast of Holy week. Non-religious holidays include the

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

National Heroes' Day Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that ...

, Bonifacio Day, and

Rizal Day Rizal Day (, ; ) is a Philippine national holiday commemorating life and works of José Rizal, a national hero of the Philippines. It is celebrated every December 30, the anniversary of Rizal's 1896 execution at Bagumbayan (present-day Rizal ...

Sports

Most barangays have a makeshift basketball court, with court markings drawn on the roads. Larger barangays have covered courts where interbarangay leagues are held every summer (April to May). The town has several well-known sports venues, such as the Bro. Medrano Plaza and Recto Gymnasium, the home of the now defunct Ibaan Basketball Team. The Bro. Medrano Plaza, which houses the basketball and volleyball courts, had hosted several multi-sport events and games. Other well-known sports facilities include the Recto Gym, operated by the local government, and the Fr. Guido Colletti Gym, a private venue owned by Saint James Academy.

Education

Elementary schools and high schools include: * Dr. Juan A. Pastor Memorial National High School * Maximo T. Hernandez Memorial National High School * Bungahan Elementary School * Balanga Elementary School * Coliat Elementary School * Ibaan Central School * Lucsuhin Elementary School * Mabalor-Catandala Elementary School * Malainin Elementary School * Munting Tubig Elementary School (Gregorio Sison Memorial Elementary School) * Palindan Elementary School * Quilo Elementary School * Sabang Elementary school * San Agustin Elementary School * Santo Niño Elementary School * Talaibon Elementary School * Tulay-Calamias Elementary School Ibaan has private schools, mostly Catholic or Christian: * Acts Christian Academy * Ibaan Nazareth School * Marfeben Academy * Our Lady of Grace Formation School * Ibaan Saint James Academy, Inc. * St. Jude Science and Technological School of Ibaan, Inc.

Gallery

File:IbaanHalljf0080 04.JPG, Municipal hall File:Ibaanjf0132 13.JPG, Downtown Ibaan File:Ibaan,Batangasjf9985 03.JPG, B.R. Medrano Memorial Plaza File:Ibaan exit.jpg, Ibaan Exit of STAR Tollway

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Code {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibaan Municipalities of Batangas