Larena

Larena, officially the Municipality of Larena (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Larena; Tagalog: Bayan ng Larena), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Siquijor, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 13,847 people.[3]

This article is about the Philippine municipality. For the Italian newspaper, see L'Arena. For other uses, see Larena (disambiguation).

Larena
Municipality
Municipality of Larena
Municipal Hall
Seal
Map of Siquijor with Larena highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Larena Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 9°14′N 123°37′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Visayas (Region VII)
Province	Siquijor
District	Lone district of Siquijor
Barangays	23 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Dean "Danny" S. Villa
• Vice Mayor	Cyrus Vincent M. Calibo
• Congressman	Jake Vincent S. Villa
• Electorate	11,490 voters (2019)
Area  [2]
• Total	49.81 km^2 (19.23 sq mi)
Population  (2015 census)[3]
• Total	13,847
• Density	280/km^2 (720/sq mi)
• Households	3,078
Economy
• Income class	5th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	17.14% (2015)[4]
• Revenue (₱)	65,415,094.70 (2016)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6226
PSGC	076102000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)35
Climate type	tropical monsoon climate
Native languages	Cebuano Tagalog
Website	larena.gov.ph

It was the former capital of the province of Siquijor.

Larena Port is the main gateway to Siquijor island as it is the largest port. It can accommodate ships up to 1,000 tons and is serviced by five shipping companies, providing passenger and cargo service to Santander and Cebu City in Cebu; Tagbilaran in Bohol; Dumaguete in Negros Oriental, and Plaridel in Misamis Occidental.[5]

History

Can‑oan, which was how Larena was known during the Spanish period, had long been a flourishing township. It was mainly due to this fact that the Spanish authorities developed it into a headtown or cabecera for the whole island of Siquijor.[6]

American Period

With the coming of the Americans at the turn of the century, Can‑oan still was regarded as a cabecera where lieutenant governor James Fugate, the first American governor of Siquijor, held office for sixteen years ending in 1916. In the same year, the authorities in Manila, acting on the recommendation of local authorities officially declared Canoan as a capital town. During his term which began in 1901, Governor Demetrio Larena, the first Filipino governor for Negros Oriental and Siquijor, changed the name of Can‑oan to Larena, his own name, which was duly approved by the Philippine legislature.

From then on until the declaration of martial law in 1972, several people shared the mayoral seat after every four years. Albito was followed by Restituto Calibo. Then Antonio Albito again. In the following election, he was replaced by Herbert Calibo, who in turn was followed by Soledado Lumosad. Juanito Calibo followed and stayed for most of the martial law era and again succeeded by Herbert Calibo.

The post-EDSA Revolution saw Remedios Albito mayor until the present, having beat others in three elections since then. Thus the intertwined dynasties continue.

All through the years, spanning the time before and after the war, Larena maintained its position as the hub of business activities in the province. The small but safe port of Larena is a strategic port of call for merchant ships from major cities in Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao. It is home to two commercial banks and a rural bank. Nationally known commercial establishments usually set their shops here.

Barangays

Larena comprises 23 barangays:

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2015[3]		2010[7]
076102001	Bagacay	3.9%	546	631	▾	−2.72%
076102002	Balolang	2.5%	340	313	▴	1.59%
076102003	Basac	7.3%	1,004	1,051	▾	−0.87%
076102004	Bintangan	2.4%	326	217	▴	8.06%
076102005	Bontod	3.5%	489	532	▾	−1.59%
076102006	Cabulihan	2.2%	310	251	▴	4.10%
076102007	Calunasan	2.8%	381	381	⬄	0.00%
076102008	Candigum	2.5%	340	353	▾	−0.71%
076102009	Cang‑allas	2.4%	331	294	▴	2.28%
076102010	Cang‑apa	2.3%	321	332	▾	−0.64%
076102011	Cangbagsa	7.1%	980	881	▴	2.05%
076102012	Cangmalalag	3.1%	429	376	▴	2.54%
076102013	Canlambo	5.3%	739	758	▾	−0.48%
076102014	Canlasog	2.3%	322	274	▴	3.12%
076102015	Catamboan	3.5%	482	392	▴	4.01%
076102016	Helen (Datag)	9.0%	1,243	1,262	▾	−0.29%
076102017	Nonoc	7.8%	1,084	1,027	▴	1.03%
076102018	North Poblacion	9.1%	1,264	1,019	▴	4.19%
076102020	Ponong	2.0%	274	266	▴	0.57%
076102021	Sabang	2.8%	385	84	▴	33.63%
076102022	Sandugan	7.3%	1,013	1,021	▾	−0.15%
076102019	South Poblacion	6.3%	872	789	▴	1.92%
076102023	Taculing	2.7%	372	425	▾	−2.50%
	Total		13,847	12,931	▴	1.31%

Note: There is a boundary dispute between barangay Sabang, municipality of Larena, and barangay Sabang, municipality of Siquijor.

Climate

Climate data for Larena, Siquijor
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	29 (84)	30 (86)	31 (88)	32 (90)	31 (88)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)
Average low °C (°F)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	26 (1.0)	22 (0.9)	28 (1.1)	41 (1.6)	95 (3.7)	136 (5.4)	147 (5.8)	126 (5.0)	132 (5.2)	150 (5.9)	98 (3.9)	46 (1.8)	1,047 (41.3)
Average rainy days	7.5	6.7	8.9	10.4	21.6	25.6	26.3	25.0	24.1	26.2	19.2	12.1	213.6
Source: Meteoblue [8]

Demographics

Population census of Larena

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 10,450 —     1918 11,884 +0.86% 1939 7,544 −2.14% 1948 7,041 −0.76% 1960 7,790 +0.85% 1970 9,344 +1.83% 1975 9,794 +0.95%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1980 10,365 +1.14% 1990 11,010 +0.61% 1995 11,212 +0.34% 2000 11,861 +1.21% 2007 12,550 +0.78% 2010 12,931 +1.09% 2015 13,847 +1.31%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[3][7][9][10]

Education

One of the remaining bright spots of the town of Larena is the continuous evolution of one of its educational institutions. The Larena sub-provincial High School, another landmark, evolved to become the Larena National Vocational School and then the Larena National Vocational College, drawing to its fold a great number of young people from all over the province and neighboring provinces.

On 3 March 1995, LNVC was converted into a state college now known as Siquijor State College (SSC). In 2006, a second campus was named SSC-Lazi campus in the town of Lazi.

Gallery

• 
  Larena Bay and town from Triad Hill
• 
  Sandugan Beach in Larena, Siquijor
• 
  The ferry port of Larena

References

1. "Municipality". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
2. "Province: Siquijor". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
3. Census of Population (2015). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. PSA. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
4. "PSA releases the 2015 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Quezon City, Philippines. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
5. "Infrastructure Profile". Provincial Government of Siquijor Province. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
6. "Municipality of Larena". Provincial Government of Siquijor. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
7. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. NSO. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
8. "Larena: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
9. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VII (Central Visayas)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. NSO.
10. "Province of Siquijor". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

External links

• Larena Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code