Buenavista, officially the Municipality of Buenavista (Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Buenavista; Tagalog: Bayan ng Buenavista), is a 2nd class municipality and the largest settlement in the province of Guimaras, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,899 people.

The town acts as a cheaper link between Panay and Negros, as opposed to taking a ship directly between the two islands.

Buenavista is a part of the Metro Iloilo–Guimaras area, centered on Iloilo City.

History

Buenavista is the oldest municipality on Guimaras. It was established in 1775, during the Spanish colonial period. A Spanish governor general was reputedly impressed by the scenery of the location, and called the place Buenavista, Spanish for "beautiful view".

Santo Rosario was formerly known as Baybay, while Salvacion's old name was Ambulong, and furthermore Old Poblacion's name was Daan Banwa.

Geography

Buenavista is located at the northern tip of Guimaras Island, and is one of the five towns comprising the province of Guimaras. The northern and north-west part of the town overlooks Panay Island and the north-east portion faces Negros Island. Iloilo Strait lies between the town and Panay, and Guimaras Strait lies between the town and Negros. MacArthur's Wharf serves as the municipal wharf for Buenavista and part of San Lorenzo is used by passengers from the neighboring Panay Island in going to Negros Province and vice versa. This transportation route serves as a cheaper link, rather than taking a ship. Buenavista is 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Jordan.

Buenavista's terrain ranges from plains (nearly level in the central and north-west coastal areas) to mountains (north-western part).

Climate

The climate is mild and cool, due to its being bounded by the sea on the three directions.

Barangays

Buenavista is politically subdivided into 36 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Demographics

Population census of Buenavista

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	10,533	—
1918	11,847	+0.79%
1939	15,494	+1.29%
1948	15,548	+0.04%
1960	22,587	+3.16%
1970	26,692	+1.68%
1975	30,154	+2.48%
1980	31,921	+1.15%
1990	41,435	+2.64%
1995	37,681	−1.76%
2000	41,717	+2.21%
2007	43,817	+0.68%
2010	46,703	+2.35%
2015	50,437	+1.48%
2020	52,899	+0.94%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

In the 2020 census, the population of Buenavista, Guimaras, was 52,899 people, with a density of 410 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,100 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Buenavista

5 10 15 20 25 30 2006 22.50 2009 23.94 2012 16.25 2015 18.36 2018 6.99 2021 14.37 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

Transportation

There are passenger ferries, utilizing pump boats to Iloilo City. The ferry terminal in Iloilo is on the Iloilo River.

Education

Buenavista is the center of higher education. In fact, the main campus of Guimaras State University, only state university in Guimaras, is found in Barangay Mclain. Furthermore, the municipality has 19 public elementary schools, 5 public high schools, and 1 vocational technical school. It has a literacy rate of 98.4%, the highest in the whole of Guimaras.