Bataraza, officially the Municipality of Bataraza (Tagalog: Bayan ng Bataraza), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,439 people.

Etymology

The town was named after Datu Bataraza Narrazid who served as the father of the town. He was a locally influential Muslim chieftain and father of the town's first mayor and former mayor of Brooke's Point, then Datu Sapiodin Narrazid.

History

The area that forms the present-day Bataraza was previously part of the municipality of Brooke's Point. On June 18, 1961, the barrios of Bonobono, Bulalacao, Buliluyan, Culandanum, Igang-Igang, Inogbong, Iwahig, Malihud, Malitub, Marangas, Ocayan, Puring, Rio Tuba, Sandoval, Sarong, Sapa, Sumbiling, Tabud, Tagnato, Tagolango, Taratak, and Tarusan were separated from Brooke's Point and constituted into a new municipality known as Batarasa, by virtue of Republic Act No. 3425. The law took effect on January 1, 1964, following the election of its first municipal officials in November 1963.

Cityhood

House Bill No. 6278 was filed on February 12, 2020 for the conversion of the municipality of Bataraza into a component city in the province of Palawan. The bill is pending with the committee on local government as of February 18, 2020.

On June 30, 2022, House Bill No. 334 was filed by 1-Pacman Party List Representative Michael L. Romero which seeks to convert Bataraza into a component city.

Geography

Bataraza is located on the southernmost tip of Palawan Island, 218 kilometres (135 mi) from Puerto Princesa City. It has total land area of 957 km (369 sq mi).

Bataraza is situated some 775 kilometers (480 mi) south-west of Manila, between roughly 8.3 and 8.75 degrees latitude north of the equator. It stretches approximately 80 kilometers (50 mi) in north-easterly to south-westerly direction along the Sulu Sea, from the Malis River to Cape Buliluyan in the south. On the western side, it extends up to Wangly River.

It is bounded in the east by the Sulu Sea, in the west by a great mountain range, extending from Mount Mantalingahan (the highest peak of the province) to Mount Malitub, which serves as the divider between Bataraza and Rizal, and in the south-west by the South China Sea.

Barangays

Bataraza is politically subdivided into 22 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Rio Tuba is one of the populated barangays of Bataraza and known for its nickel mineral reserves. The primary mine site of Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation is located within its jurisdiction.

Climate

Demographics

Population census of Bataraza

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1970 10,176 —     1975 15,510 +8.82% 1980 17,973 +2.99% 1990 29,142 +4.95% 1995 33,303 +2.53%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2000 41,458 +4.81% 2007 53,430 +3.56% 2010 63,644 +6.57% 2015 75,468 +3.30% 2020 85,439 +2.47%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

In the 2020 census, the population of Bataraza was 85,439 people, with a density of 120 inhabitants per square kilometre or 310 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Bataraza

10 20 30 40 50 2006 44.20 2009 27.49 2012 30.58 2015 40.34 2018 15.29 2021 31.09 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Main industries of Bataraza includes farming, fishing, and nickel mining and processing.

Culture

The Molbog people dominate the municipality of Bataraza, as well as the municipality of Balabac in the south. The area constitute the homeland of the Molbog people since the classical era prior to Spanish colonization. The Molbog are known to have a strong connection with the natural world, especially with the sacred pilandok (Philippine mouse-deer), which can only be found in the Balabac islands. A Muslim tale tells the Philippine mouse-deer once tricked a prince into giving up his bag of gold and facing a hive of angry bees. Another tale depicts him as a clever guardian of the environment, using his wisdom as an advantage against those who destroy forests, seas, and wildlife. The coconut is especially important in Molbog culture at it is their most prized agricultural crop.