La Castellana, Negros Occidental
Etymology
The town is named after the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, Spain.
History
According to popular belief, the early settlers of the town came from Marayo (now Pontevedra), calling their place of settlement as the village of "Lapak".
During the Spanish conquest of the Philippines, the Spaniards named the place "La Castellana" due to its similarity in vegetation with Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, Spain. Under Spanish colonization, the Spaniards established haciendas and sugar plantations. These improved heavily on the local economy and soon many nationalities and natives flocked to the place to find work and opportunities. La Castellana became one of the major center of trade and commerce in the region.
Under the American colonial government, the municipality was formally established on January 1, 1918. It became a municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 101, as proclaimed by American Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison.
Geography
La Castellana lies at the base of Kanlaon Volcano, known for its natural springs and water falls. It is 65 kilometres (40 mi) from Bacolod.
Barangays
La Castellana is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
- Biaknabato
- Cabacungan
- Cabagnaan
- Camandag
- Lalagsan
- Manghanoy
- Mansalanao
- Masulog
- Nato
- Puso
- Robles (Poblacion)
- Sag-Ang
- Talaptap
Climate
| Climate data for La Castellana, Negros Occidental | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
29 (85) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
24 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 100 (3.9) |
75 (3.0) |
90 (3.5) |
101 (4.0) |
183 (7.2) |
242 (9.5) |
215 (8.5) |
198 (7.8) |
205 (8.1) |
238 (9.4) |
194 (7.6) |
138 (5.4) |
1,979 (77.9) |
| Average rainy days | 14.9 | 11.3 | 14.5 | 17.4 | 26.4 | 28.4 | 28.5 | 27.5 | 26.9 | 28.4 | 24.2 | 17.2 | 265.6 |
| Source: Meteoblue | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 5,329 | — |
| 1918 | 8,087 | +2.82% |
| 1939 | 16,861 | +3.56% |
| 1948 | 24,654 | +4.31% |
| 1960 | 35,630 | +3.12% |
| 1970 | 34,881 | −0.21% |
| 1975 | 41,821 | +3.71% |
| 1980 | 44,684 | +1.33% |
| 1990 | 54,368 | +1.98% |
| 1995 | 59,620 | +1.74% |
| 2000 | 59,102 | −0.19% |
| 2007 | 70,838 | +2.53% |
| 2010 | 71,013 | +0.09% |
| 2015 | 74,855 | +1.01% |
| 2020 | 79,492 | +1.19% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority | ||
Economy
La Castellana is an agricultural town engaged in sugarcane, rice, and banana farming.
Poverty incidence of La Castellana
10
20
30
40
2006
32.40 2009
29.70 2012
29.58 2015
26.11 2018
26.98 2021
26.45 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority |
Culture
La Castellana holds many festivals namely Bailes de Luces, Banana Festival and Senior San Vicente Ferrer Feast Day where devotees far and near attend to for healing. Caduhada Spring Resort is a popular tourist spot located in Sitio Mambangon, Barangay Cabacungan.