Pandan, officially the Municipality of Pandan (; ; Aklanon: Banwa it Pandan; ), is a municipality in the province of Antique, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
The town is also one of Antique's popular towns and a major tourist destination for its cold spring, the Bugang River and white beaches along the Pandan Bay from Barangay Mag-aba to Barangay Duyong.
History The town was formally established in 1752 by the Spanish Parishes in the province during the Philippines' colonization by Spain, which started in 1521 and ended with the Spanish–American War in 1899. During World War II, 1942 Japanese occupation of Panay Island saw the harassments and pandemonium in the area. The town was liberated in 1944 as part of the combined Allied forces campaign for the liberation of the Panay Island. In 1945, it was incorporated as a town under the fourth Philippine Republic.
Geography Pandan is located at . It is from the provincial capital, San Jose de Buenavista, and is from Kalibo, the capital of Aklan.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Antique.
Pandan is bounded by Cuyo East Pass as part of Sulu Sea on the west; by Libertad on the north and northwest; by Aklan province on the east and northeast; and Sebaste on the south.
Pandan Bay has coral and artificial reefs, found in barangays Patria, Tingib, Mag-aba, Botbot and Idiacacan.
Barangays Pandan is politically subdivided into 34 barangays, Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
There are 15 barangays which lie along the coast while 12 are inland, and 7 are upland.
Sitios
Proper, Badiangan Batiw, Badiangan Banawang, Badiangan Purok -1, Bagumbayan Purok -2, Bagumbayan Purok -3, Bagumbayan Pukatod, Bagumbayan Proper, Botbot Purok -1, Botbot Purok -2 ( Ilaya ), Botbot Purok -3, Botbot Purok -4, Botbot Purok -5, Botbot Purok -6, Botbot Purok -7, Botbot Purok -1, Buang Purok -2, Buang Purok -3, Buang Proper, Cabugao Proper, Candari Malumpati, Candari Banglid, Candari Anahaw, Candari Colanos, Candari Proper, Centro Sur (Pob.) Dumili, Centro Sur (Pob.) Proper, Dumrog Bura, Dumrog Sabay, Fragante Tabok, Fragante Ilaya, Fragante Ilawod, Fragante Tuburan, Guia Malumpati, Guia Proper, Idiacacan Calabanog, Idiacacan Purok -1, Jinalinan Purok -2, Jinalinan Purok -3, Jinalinan Purok -4, Jinalinan Purok -5, Jinalinan Purok -6, Jinalinan Purok -7, Jinalinan Proper, Luhod-Bayang Purok -1, Mag-Aba Purok -2, Mag-Aba Purok -3, Mag-Aba Purok -4, Mag-Aba Purok -5, Mag-Aba Purok -6, Mag-Aba Purok -7, Mag-Aba Purok -1, Nauring Purok -2, Nauring Purok -3, Nauring Purok -4, Nauring Purok -5, Nauring Purok -6, Nauring Igualdad, Nauring Bautista, Nauring Tabay, Patria Danao, Patria Hinogtan, Patria Inigman, Patria Purok Narra, San Andres Purok Ipil, San Andres Purok Dangkalan, San Andres Purok Avocado, San Andres Purok Molave, San Andres Purok -1, Sta. Cruz Purok -2, Sta. Cruz Purok -3, Sta. Cruz Purok -4, Sta. Cruz Proper, Sta. Fe Listoga, Sta. Fe Purok -1, Sto. Rosario Purok -2, Sto. Rosario Purok -3, Sto. Rosario Purok -4, Sto. Rosario Purok -5, Sto. Rosario Purok -6, Sto. Rosario Purok -7, Sto. Rosario Purok -8, Sto. Rosario Purok -9, Sto. Rosario Tuburan, Sto. Rosario Kaniyogan, Talisay Kapatyokahan, Talisay Kasagingan, Talisay Tulay, Talisay Lunok, Talisay Purok -1, Tingib Purok -2, Tingib Purok -3, Tingib Purok -4, Tingib Purok -1, Zaldivar Purok -2, Zaldivar Purok -3, Zaldivar Purok -4, Zaldivar Purok -5, Zaldivar Purok -6, Zaldivar
Climate
Demographics
The population of Pandan in 1903 until 1948 includes that of its former barangays in northern and southern parts (currently municipalities of Libertad and Sebaste, respectively). In the 2024 census, Pandan had a population of 37,325 people. The population density was .
Language The language generally spoken in the province of Antique is called Kinaray-a. The Pandananons use a version of Kinaray-a that is more similar to Aklanon. Thus, for example, the English word "No" is "Wara" in Kinaray-a but "Uwa" or "Wa" in Pandananon. Pandananons also use Hiligaynon as their secondary language.
Economy
Pandan is a cross-road municipality in Northern Antique, making it a better area for trade and commerce. Pandananons rely on agriculture and fishing which accounts for almost 75% of the total labor force. The other percentages were made up by professionals, civil servants, workers and Overseas Filipino Workers. The municipality began experiencing growth in tourism and development in infrastructure and commerce in late 2010. Some of the major projects that was completed in Pandan are the Pandan Public Terminal (which is bigger than that of Passi City's), the Pandan Arboretum project (first in Antique) near the Malumpati Spring Resort and other infrastructure projects in the barangays. The game changer is the Talisay-Perfecta-Santa Ana Road (to be constructed) that will connect the hinterland barangays of Pandan to the town centre. This will lessen the travel time and delivery of goods from the far-flung areas to the town. The current administration is working for more improvements in the growing tourism and commercial sectors.
Tourism
The town is just away from Boracay Island, which has become one of the world's popular beach resorts and tourist destinations. Both local and foreign tourists bound originally for Boracay have increasingly added a stop in Pandan before or after visiting Boracay.
The town's major attractions include the Malumpati Cold Spring Resort and other popular beach resorts and the Bugang River, which has been nationally awarded several times as "the cleanest inland body of water" in the Philippines; the Pandan Bay sunset, and white-sand beaches, sandwiched between the Sulu Sea to the west and, in the east, the Central Panay Mountain Range, and rice, coconut and other farms.
Leocadio Alonsagay Dioso Memorial Public Library – Since 2004 Pandan has been home to a library that, according to the National Library of the Philippines, is among the top libraries of its kind in the country. The Dioso Library was built by retired United Nations official Leocadio F. Dioso, Jr. as an ongoing gift to the people and town of Pandan. It is named in honor of the founder's father, Leocadio A. Dioso, whose long career included service as Justice of the Peace, Presidential legal adviser, and Philippine diplomat. Although privately owned and operated, the Library functions officially as the Municipal Library and Information Center of Pandan. Housed in a two-story building on 1,700 sq. meters of land in the town center, a block away from the Pandan Bay beach area, the Library has a separate Main Collection Hall, Reading & Reference Room, Computer Room, Children's Room, a "United Nations Corner", and an external stage area for public presentations. Residents of Pandan can borrow books from the Library for up to three weeks at a time. Annual festival – Pandan's popular town fiesta, known as the Tugbong Festival, is held in honor of its patron saint, Saint Vincent Ferrer. The Festival runs from the 21st to the 25th of April and includes, among other events: the Agro-Industrial Fair; the Sports Tournament; the Dalmacio Marathon; the Motocross Invitational Competition; the Dasigay Bugsay Boat Rowing Competition; the Search for Miss Teen Pandan Beauty Pageant; the Ati-Atihan, Mardi-Gras and Float Competitions; and the PBI Annual Alumni Homecoming. Duyong Golden Beach – A long stretch of white sand beach from where one could see the panorama of the Duyong Mountain Ranges on the east, and a view of Batbatan Island and the setting sun on the west. Rosepoint Beach – a beach located in Barangay Mag-aba, nestled at the edge where the Bugang river meets the Pandan Bay
Education Acting under the Department of Education (DepEd), the Pandan School District oversees the implementation of the programs and thrusts of the department. The district is composed of 33 schools—10 mono-grade elementary schools; 5 multi-grade elementary schools, and 18 primary schools—with a total of 200 classrooms.
Secondary education is provided by two private schools (the Pandan Bay Institute, Inc. (PBI) and the Jinalinan Academy) and four public schools (the Pandan National Vocational High School (PNVHS), and the Patria, Mag-aba, and Santa Ana National High Schools). These six schools have a combined 58 classrooms.
Mag-aba National High School was founded in 1977. At first it was a Barangay High School but upon the term of President Corazon Aquino, all Barangay High Schools were renamed as National High Schools. Mag-aba National High School's campus was relocated to the eastern part of Barangay Mag-aba in 1992 where it currently stands.
Founded in 1947, the PBI (Pandan Bay Institute, Inc.) was formerly run by the Diocese of Antique but is now managed and operated by the Canadian Missionary Brothers of Christian Instruction (commonly known as the La Mennais Brothers). The Jinalinan Academy is operated by the Seventh-day Adventists. Located in the town proper, the PNVHS (Pandan National Vocational High School) was founded in 1997 and had its first graduates at the end of the 2000–2001 school year.
On a limited basis, tertiary education is provided by the Jinalinan Academy (which offers a one-year Health Aide course) and by the PBI (which offers two-year Computer Science and Computer Secretarial courses).
Primary and elementary schools
Agripino Tambagahan Memorial School Badiangan Elementary School Bagumbayan Elementary School Botbot Elementary School Buang Elementary School Cabugao Elementary School Ciriaco Tayco Memorial School Duyong Elementary School Fragante Elementary School Guia Elementary School Idiacacan Elementary School Jinalinan Elementary School Maadios Elementary School Mag-aba Elementary School Nauring Elementary School Pandan Central School Patria Elementary School San Andres-Dumrog Elementary School Santa Ana Elementary School Santa Cruz Elementary School Santa Fe Elementary School Santo Rosario Elementary School Tabay Elementary School Talisay Elementary School Tingib Elementary School Vidal Gelito Memorial School
Secondary schools
Jinalinan Academy Mag-aba National High School Pandan Bay Institute Pandan National Vocational High School (Centro Norte) Patria National School Santa Ana National High School
Higher educational institutions
Pandan Bay Institute University of the Philippines - Visayas (Antique)
Healthcare Pandan has one district hospital, the Justice Calixto Zaldivar Memorial Hospital formerly known as Gov. Leandro Locsin Fullon General Hospital, with a 25-bed capacity located at Barangay Bagumbayan, one kilometer away from the town center. It is staffed by a chief of hospital, two resident physicians, eight nurses, one midwife, one dentist, one pharmacist, one medical technologist, and one nutritionist. Attached to the hospital is the Alexander Liberman Memorial Surgical Pavilion.
There is a private Lying-In-Clinic (Tugon Medical Clinic) which is located at the town center. It has a 10-bed capacity and is staffed by one physician, five nurses, one midwife, one dentist, two pharmacists and one medical technologist.
The Municipal Health Office is staffed by one Municipal Health Officer (MHO), two Public Health Nurses (PHN), ten Rural Health Midwives (RHM), one Rural Sanitary Inspector (RSI), four casuals, and one janitor. Each RHM has her own catchment area which is composed of 3-4 barangays. One RHM is based at the Main Health Center. Out of nine Barangay Health Stations (BHS), only three have permanent buildings and these need repair. Midwives with no permanent BHS occupy the Barangay Hall.