Essay 2009 Reg 6- Sapian as a Town of Love, Peace and Progress

Registration No. 6

Sapian as a Town of Love, Peace and Progress

         Long after the Spanish occupation in 1568, some of the Spanish soldiers set foot on the hilltop of Catadman, a settlement area which serves as the watch tower or a convenient lockout  for Marauding  Moros Raiding the settlement during those days. The first person they met in Catadman was a boy who was sent to an Errand, and he was holding a “Salapi”

            The Spanish stopped the boy to inquire what the name of the place. The boy perplexed by the strange look of the Castellan figures and incomprehensive of the Spanish tongue spoken, answered hesitatingly in a faltering voice “SAPI”. Earlier fifty centavos silver coin were said to have been circulated often the Spanish occupation. These coins were locally called “Salapi” means half a peso. And thus the Spaniards named the village “Salapi”. Shortly afterward, the town was organized as the town of “SAPIAN” But no one could tell the exact etymology of the word.

            Sapian is located in the northern portion of Panay Island. It is the town next to Ivisan, Northwest of Roxas city. It is bounded on the North by Sapian Bay, on the Northeast by Municipality of Ivisan, East by Municipality of Sigma, on the South by the Municipality of Batan in Aklan. It is the Boundary town of Capiz and Aklan. Its location is in the coordinates 122 36 north longitude 11 30’ north latitudes.

            It is also accessible by land transportation to Iloilo, Aklan,Antique and Roxas City. Buses and Jeepers are the chief means of transportation for passengers within the Municipalities of Capiz as well as to the neighboring provinces of Iloilo, Aklan and Antique.

            The total land area of Sapian is 10, 65467 sq. km. which were divided into 10 Brgy. Including Poblacion which is the center of government trade and business.

            The Basic Population Data Municipality of Sapian has a total no. of population with 24,395 no. of household: 4, 365, Total no. of males: 11,326, Total no. of females. 11, 208, Crude birth rate: 18.11, Crude death rate: 5.08, infant:  4.49, Maternal death rate has 4.49 also, fetal death rate has “0” data and the total   land area has 15,878.

The Climate of Sapian is characterized by two pronounced seasons, namely: the dry and the wet or rainy seasons, the dry seasons being from June to January. Like other municipalities, Sapian falls under type 3, climate where rainfall is more or less distributed evenly t6hroughout the year and dry season, on certain months, is not even pronounced.

The province of Capiz is not within the typhoon belt. It has occasional tropical storm and typhoon, which may occur when the wind blows from northeast and northwest of Sibuyan sea. Sapian does not have big rivers to cause prolonged flooding that usually happens in like Mambusao, Sigma, Dao, Cuartero, Panitan, Pontevedra and Panay.

There are 6 types of soil found in Sapian. There are the Alimodian Clay loam, the Santa Rita clay loam, Bontog clay loam, the Santa Louisiana clay loam and the thy hydrosol sandy loam, Sapian clay loam. In terms of land capability, Sapian belongs to the class A. The land nearly level and well drained. The northern portions of Sapian belong to Category X, and are suited for fishponds and or mangrove reforestations. Upland barangays are categorized as class which the areas are suited for pasture or forest.

            For the transportation, the Municipality of Sapian, National Road has 36. 07 km. and he municipal road of 1.5 km. and also we have the Brgy. Road with 101.2 km.

            Sapian has a total of 1.56 km. concrete municipal streets, 36.07 km. concrete national roads or highway, 18.54 km. provincial road and 101.2 km. farm to the market roads enter connecting provincial roads, national highways and even to the adjoining municipality of Batan in Aklan. It has 30 passenger jeepney transporting passenger from Sapian to Roxas city and vise versa. Aside from jeepney, 10 buses from Aklan, Philcab Vans for hire passes from Aklan to Roxas City and vise versa. Philtranco, Dimple Star and Ceres Liner connect Manila to Caticlan and Sapian in Western Visayas.

            Based on the National Standards, the municipality particularly urban areas need to construct additional road linked of 7.956 km. to meet the standard requirements set forth for urban brgy, 56.30 km. respectively for rural brgy. The “Bilao Camansi” provincial road was constructed since 1965; still its conditions were very poor because of intermittent maintenance program of the provincial government. These roads are one of  the important road sections because it links to 4 Barangay. As well as an access road to the municipality of Batan, province of Aklan where the Batan port is situated. The Bilao-Binlit- Burias, Mambusao, and Capiz is not properly maintained by the concerned agencies. At present, such road to national, road and need improvement to provide better accessibility and mobility same through with the Dapdapan Oyong Road linking to the Municipality of Sigma.

            As a coastal town, Sapian fishery and aquatic resources is reach and promising with Bangus culture top project is important because almost all of the swampy areas along the coast were converted to productive fishponds. Besides, bangus, crabs, shrimps, and prawns yield through out the year. In Sapian bay mussel culture was developed, it intermixed with oysters. Different species of shell fishes are found in Sapian bay, which could not be found in the other bays of the Philippines.

            Bangus, crabs, shrimps, prawns are marketed in big qualities in Manila which other species of fish are sold to local market and or neighboring provinces like Aklan, Iloilo and other towns of Capiz like Mambusao, Jamindan, Dao, Cuartero, Dumalag and to the farthest municipality like Tapaz Along the Inland stream and rivers, fish traps and fishnets are lined to catch any kind of fish, mollusk and crustaceans that may pass during low tide. Children, men, and women had enjoyed hand catches small crabs, shrimps, tilapia and the most fish called “tanga”. The major fishery products range from bangus or milkfish, prawn, mud crabs, shrimps, Capiz shell, oysters, mussel, nylon shells, angel shells and many others.

            Based on the record of the Municipal Assessor, Sapian had a total of 20202 hectares of productive fishponds which represent 19.24% with an estimated production of 1.5 metric ton per hectares.

            In terms of Agriculture, Sapian is an Agro fishery community. Its economy divided from Agriculture and fishery. The passage of R.A no. 8435 known as agriculture and fisheries modernization Act of 1997, whose primary objectives is to arrest the alarming trend responsible for dwindling agricultural productivity and shrinking farms. These acts aim to improve the quality of life of the farmers and fisher folks with the advent of RA 7160 particularly rule V Article 25 of the implementing rules and regulations.

            The local Government Units shall provides basic services and facilities but not limited to agriculture and fisheries on the site research trough:

1. Disposal of livelihood and profiling, fingerlings and other seedlings for agriculture.

2. Establishment of seed farms, planting materials fruit trees, coconuts, medicinal plants, vegetables demonstration forms and other trees and crops.

3. Implementation of water and soil resources management utilization and conservation projects.

4. Enforcement of fishery laws in water including protection conservation of all marine resources and mangroves.

Minor agricultural products are corn vegetables, bananas, camote, legumes and other root crops. With the presence of modern farming and other technologies to boast Agri fishery productivity.

The Trade of Industry of Municipality of Sapian promote Industrialization and full employment used on sound agricultural development, agrarian reform, through in industries that make full and efficient way of human and natural resources and which are competitive in both domestic foreign markets. The industry in the locality is predominantly agri-fishery based. Being coastal town. There was neither large industry nor light industries, which employed no. of worker. The municipality has 10 stationary baby coco rice mills. And 5 traveling coco rice mills from adjoining  municipality of Ivisan and Mambusao which may contributes as one of the other sources of revenues of the local government.

The business and trade facilities, the municipality has the market, the extension market, which presently have 50 market stalls, were all occupied. The proposed expansions will be on build op0erate transfer scheme as authorized by the local legislative body. The small wharf located at Sitio Angkin, Poblacion with an area of one hundred square meters serve as a venue for food exchanged and center of the distribution of marine products to intermediate users and on consumers.

For banking and credit need of the municipality, Sapian has a Valiant Bank Incorporated is in the lone banking institution that catered the banking and credit needs of the populace and a lot of private money lender. Other money lenders were private persons who engage in short term loans at interest to non-bankable vendors and professionals.

            The availability of basic infrastructure facilities like concrete road network, telephone exchanged and power accelerates the growth of the business industry in the municipality.

The municipality of Sapian has a total of 427,1 hectares classified forest land or area of public domain of which 364.67 hectares is located  in Bilao 62.43 hectares located at Majanlud respectively. However, there are vast areas of forest trees planted on the high , rough mountainous to the mountains, which perennials trees with total area planted is 40-42 hectares, which serves as watersheds of the barangays. Other barangays have 3 hectares to 5 hectares.

Forest trees could be found at the high mountainous boundaries of the municipalities of Ivisan, Sigma and Mambusao in Capiz. As a coastal town, vast of mangroves along the sea coast extending along the streams where water is brackish and composed mainly of Bakawan, api-api and like which serves as natural habitat and breeding ground of crustaceans and other marine organism.

Sapian is served by the NAPOCOR thru Capiz Electric Cooperative (CAPELCO Inc.) situated at Barangay Timpas, Panitan Capiz for power and electricification needs. It was established in 1976 and operated on the same year. Prior to the establishment of the Capelco, the municipal Government of Sapian had its own electric power supply, which serves only the Poblacion, for a reason that for its limited Capacity.

Now a day, 9 barangays were served by the Capelco which other baranggay got their electric power from Aklan Electric Cooperative (Akelco). December 1999 records shows that out of four thousand four hundred fifty (4450) households and establishments were served by the Capelco. The power line extension in the far-fling sitios of the barangays were finance by the municipal government of Sapian, through build operate transfer scheme of the Capiz Electric Cooperatives, to meet the power services back log.

For educational institutions, Sapian has II Elementary Schools, 2 National high schools and 3 Private kindergarten schools. Also in Sapian we have our health services, we have the Health Centers and 7 barangay health center.

In tourism, Sapian has its own way in contribution to the increase of market demand for tourism industry. It is the infusion of preserving and promoting natural beauties of the environment, culture, History and heritage, festivals and celebrations; and livelihood programs for maximum potential that with benefit not only the local government but the entire community of Sapian.

This municipality of coastal town in, it covers nine out of 10 barangays. Talaba and Tahong are very rich in production in this areas. Since Sapian is abundant with sea food products, it was initiative to the local government            Unit organize a Talahong festival every second Friday and second Saturday of May each year that promotes the local products as its best.

The Mangrove in Sapian Bay with an area of 4,500 hectares, and it spreads the long trench of rich and thick mangrove trees along the coastline and river banks. Approximately one hectare of mangrove tree produces up to 3.6 tons o9f liter fall annually; and one hectare of healthy mangrove ecosystem produces about 1.08 tons of fish per year. (Schatz 1991)

Some of the benefits of mangroves to human are clean water, fish, and shellfish, medicine, wood, honey, alcohol, shoreline, protection, research, education, biodiversity, recreation and tourism attraction. Sapian has its beautiful Historical Land Marks just like the Jose P. Rizal Park, Andres Bonifacio Monument, The Sapian Landmark, The Veterans Park and of course the Welcome Arch.

References:

Mr. Fredrick Oleo

Municipal Consultant Tourism and

Cultural affairs

Mr. Bassanio V. Topaz

Municipal Planning and Development

Coordinator

Mrs. Risil O. Luching

Municipal Treasurer