Oton, officially the Municipality of Oton (; , , ), 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 ...

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

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 98,509 people making it as the most populous town in the province and the entire Panay island. Oton is west of

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...

and is part of the Metro Iloilo–Guimaras area. Oton is the second oldest Spanish settlement in the Philippines after

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

. It was founded in 1571 and later became the capital of the islands of Panay, Guimaras,

Negros Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Tr ...

, Tablas, Sibuyan, and Romblon.

History

Oton, formerly known as Ogtong, has a rich history dating back to the settlement of Malays in the area. Evidence of this early settlement includes the discovery of a gold death mask in Barangay San Antonio during the 1960s. The town's name, Oton, was mentioned in records from the Yuan Dynasty in the 1300s, referred to as in

Hokkien Hokkien ( , ) is a Varieties of Chinese, variety of the Southern Min group of Chinese language, Chinese languages. Native to and originating from the Minnan region in the southeastern part of Fujian in southeastern China, it is also referred ...

. The arrival of the Spanish in the mid-16th century marked a significant turning point in Oton's history. The Spanish designated Oton as the capital of Alcaldia de Oton (now the province of Iloilo) which covered the islands of Panay, Guimaras,

, Tablas, Sibuyan, and Romblon. Spanish missionaries used Oton as a base to spread Catholicism to neighboring settlements, including Jaro,

, Tigbauan, Cordova, Alimodian, Igbaras, Tubungan, Camando, Damilisan, and Tiolas. Oton played a vital role in the Manila galleon trade, as new agricultural products from the trade route arrived in the town. Many ships traveling from Cebu would dock in Oton before continuing on to Manila. However, Oton's location made it vulnerable to pirate attacks, prompting the Spanish colonial authorities to relocate the capital a few kilometers away to La Punta, which is now known as

Iloilo City Proper Iloilo City Proper, also known as Downtown Iloilo or simply Iloilo among locals, is an Districts of Iloilo City, administrative district in Iloilo City, Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas ...

, in the 1600s. This move was intended to enhance the town's defense against pirate raids. In the 21st century, Oton has transitioned from an agricultural town to a growing commercial center, with significant investments, including those by Vista Land.

Geography

Oton is west from

. Oton is bordered by the municipality of Tigbauan to the west, San Miguel to the north, Pavia to the northeast, Panay Gulf to the south, and the district of

Arevalo, Iloilo City Villa de Arevalo (; ), commonly known as simply Villa or Arevalo, is a Districts of Iloilo City, district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is the westernmost district of Iloilo City and shares its border with Oton to the west, in the province of ...

to the east. The town is a part of Metro Iloilo-Guimaras which encompasses the whole island province of Guimaras with its municipalities, the

, and the

provincial towns of

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

, Leganes, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, and Cabatuan.

Barangays

Oton is politically subdivided into 37

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. 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 ...

. The Municipality of Oton belongs to the 1st District of Iloilo. Listed below are the respective population of each

as of 2020 census.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Oton, Iloilo, was 98,509 people, with a density of .

Religion

As a Catholic Dominant Municipality, Oton has two parishes. Parishes: * Immaculate Concepcion Parish (Town Parish) * Sta. Monica Parish (Sta. Monica, Oton)

Language

Kinaray-a is the main language of the people in Oton. Hiligaynon is spoken as a secondary language. There is a fairly unnoticed linguistic division of the town between the two aforementioned languages; the eastern part, or the urban part bordering Iloilo City, primarily speaks Hiligaynon, while the western part bordering the other 1st district municipalities generally speaks both Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon.

Economy

Oton’s economy is growing, driven by its geographic advantage close to Iloilo City. This has led to increased real estate developments, with more residential and commercial properties being established. Retail establishments in Oton include Gaisano Oton, Puregold Oton, and Vista Mall Iloilo. Oton also hosts a number of banking institutions. Agriculture, particularly rice production and fruit farming, plays a significant role in the economy, supporting local food supply and the livelihoods of many residents. The town also has hotels, resorts, and restaurants. A major development in Oton by Vista Land is covering and stretching from Barangay Polo Maestra Bita to Barangay Abilay Norte. The development will include a

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

References

External links

*
Iloilo Travel Website
* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Iloilo Former provincial capitals of the Philippines Populated places established in 1566 1566 establishments in the Philippines