Mabinay, officially the Municipality of Mabinay, is a municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 85,770 people, making it the most-populous municipality in Negros Oriental.
History Folklore has it that a woman named Binay fell in love with the son of her father's rival chieftain. Her father ended the affair by having her lover killed. Binay grieved. Mother Nature took the weeping maiden into her bosom. Where Binay was laid to rest, a spring broke forth. According to the legend, she weeps to this day, feeding Mabinay Spring, one of the town's many alluring attractions.
It had over 100 known caves, including the popular Pandalihan, Panligawan and Gasidlak, each one with its own distinctive features ranging from fascinating to awesome. A team of Belgian and Dutch cavers determined Odloman Cave to be the second longest in the Philippines.
Under Republic Act No. 2469, which was signed by President Carlos P. Garcia in 1959, Mabinay was formally created from the fourteen sitios that seceded from the then-municipality of Bais. In 1966, under Republic Act No. 4818, the municipality's territory was enlarged, with four more sitios added from Manjuyod and eight from Bais.
Mabinay produces rice and corn, copra, soybeans and peanuts. Its principal crop, sugar cane, makes it an important member of the north's sugar district. It is a border town: the provincial highway runs through it and links Negros Oriental with its sister province.
On the morning of March 3, 2018, six youth activists on an exposure trip with farmers were arrested in Barangay Luyang by the Philippine Army after 1st Lt. Prad Adoptante and 2nd Lt. Reymart Africa engaged in a firefight with communist rebels earlier in the day, with the six being charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives and suspected as members of the New People's Army. Collectively known as the "Mabinay 6" in the media, among them were Myles Albasin, a 21-year-old activist from Cagayan de Oro and Anakbayan member working as a journalist for Aninaw Productions. On September 22, 2025, seven years after the arrest, the six were acquitted of the charges by the Dumaguete Regional Trial Court Branch 42, with the court ruling the prosecution to have failed to "establish the guilt of all the six accused" due to "numerous loopholes in the evidence".
Geography Mabinay is situated roughly in the central part of the island of Negros abutting the western side of the provincial boundary. The municipality of Ayungon bounds it in the north, the City of Bais in the south, the municipalities of Bindoy and Manjuyod and a portion of Bais in the east, and the city of Kabankalan in the province of Negros Occidental in the west.
Barangays Mabinay is politically subdivided into 32 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Climate Under the Köppen climate classification, Mabinay has a tropical monsoon climate. Unlike other municipalities and cities in Negros Oriental, Mabinay is situated further inland, making its mean temperatures slightly cooler compared to municipalities and cities that are on the coastline.
Demographics
Economy
Tourism Mabinay is known for its caves. The Odloman Cave is one of the largest caves in the Philippines, with long and Cayaso Cave, the ninth longest cave in the country measuring long.
Aside from the caves, Mabinay also has rivers and natural springs. One of its known natural spring is located at the heart of the municipality, the Mabinay spring. Ideal for family outing, swimming, kayaking, it also serves as the main water resource of the main town. It is about a 3 to 5 minute ride with tricycle, jeepney or a bus from the town center.
Healthcare Mabinay itself has a small government-run hospital. Mabinay Medicare Community Hospital provides both in emergency outpatients services and inpatient services. It is located directly behind the Municipal Hall.
Mabinay Health Center is one of the three health centers that serve the town.
Transportation Motorcycles (also locally known as habal-habal), tricycles, jeepneys, and buses are the major modes of transportation in the municipality. Mabinay has a bus terminal that serves Ceres buses in transit from either Bacolod or Dumaguete.
The municipality is easily accessible through the Bais–Kabankalan road which cuts through the entire town. It is also directly connected to Ayungon through the Ayungon-Tambo road and to the city of Bayawan through the Bayawan-Mabinay road. Travel from Dumaguete is about two hours."About | Cities & Towns ", Negros Oriental Tourism Office. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
Mabinay is north-west of the provincial capital, Dumaguete, and from Bacolod.
Education On June 16, 1997, the Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Council) Resolution No. 94 established the Mabinay Institute of Technology (MIT), a technical college operated with the approval of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. On June 25, 2004, MIT was integrated into the newly converted university,"History of Negros Oriental State University ", Negros Oriental State University. Dumaguete, Negros Oriental. Retrieved 2013-05-28. Negros Oriental State University by virtue of the university charter, Republic Act No. 9299 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It became known as Mabinay Campus (NORSU-M).
The public schools in the town of Mabinay are administered by four school districts under the Schools Division of Negros Oriental.
Primary and elementary schools
Abis Elementary School — Abis Alagasihan Elementary School — Sitio Alagasihan, Arebasore Arebasore Elementary School — Arebasore Bagtic Elementary School — Bagtic Baliw Elementary School — Sitio Baliw, Bagtic Banban Elementary School — Banban Barang-barang Primary School — Sitio Barang-barang, Mayaposi Barras Elementary School — Barras Basakan Elementary School — Sitio Basakan, Pandanon Bato Elementary School — Bato Binantangan Elementary School — Sitio Binantangan, Dahile Bugnay Elementary School — Bugnay Bulibulihan Elementary School — Bulibulihan Bulwang Elementary School — Bulwang Campo-aling Elementary School — Sitio Campo-aling, Mayaposi Canggohob Elementary School — Canggohob Cansal-ing Elementary School — Cansal-ing Cantombol Elementary School — Sitio Cantombol, Canggohob Capanun-an Elementary School — Campanun-an Dagbasan Elementary School — Dagbasan Dahile Elementary School — Dahile Danawan Elementary School — Sitio Danawan, Tara Don Cristito C. Tirambulo Memorial Elementary School — Paniabonan Hagtu Elementary School — Hagtu Himocdungon Elementary School — Himocdongon Inapoy Elementary School — Inapoy Lamdas Elementary School — Lamdas Lanot Elementary School — Sitio Lanot, Pantao Lapong Elementary School — Sitio Lapong, Dahile Lower Capanun-an Elementary School — Campanun-an Lumbangan Central School — Lumbangan Luyang Elementary School — Luyang Mabinay Central School — Pomelo Street, Poblacion Mampalasan Elementary School — Sitio Mampalasan, Bagtic Manlingay Elementary School — Manlingay Nabaliwan Elementary School — Sitio Nabaliwan, Samac Namangka Elementary School — Old Namangka Napasu-an Elementary School — Napasu-an New Namangka Elementary School — New Namangka Old Namangka Elementary School — Old Namangka Pandanon Elementary School — Pandanon Pantao Elementary School — Pantao Pantao Brgy. Site Elementary School — Pantao Pinayon-an Elementary School — Sitio Pinayon-an, Bato Pedro Gobuyan, Sr. Memorial Elementary School — Mayaposi Samac Elementary School — Samac Tadlong Elementary School — Tadlong Tampa Elementary School — Sitio Tampa, Inapoy Tara Elementary School — Tara Tingtingon Elementary School — Sitio Tingtingon, Cansal-ing
Secondary schools
Bagtic National High School — Bagtic Barras Annex National High School — Barras Benedicto P. Tirambulo Memorial National High School — Paniabonan Campanun-an Provincial Community High School — Campanun-an Canggohob High School — Canggohob Cansal-ing Provincial Community High School — Cansal-ing Dahile Provincial Community High School — Dahile Inapoy High School — Inapoy Mabinay National High School — Naranghita Street, Poblacion Mabinay Science High School — Poblacion Manlingay High School — Manlingay Mayaposi Community High School — Mayaposi Pantao National High School — Pantao Tara Provincial Community High School — Tara
Private schools Sto. Niño High School — Lumbangan
References
External links
[ Philippine Standard Geographic Code] Philippine Census Information Local Governance Performance Management System