The municipality was named after the tree Phyllanthus acidus, which bears edible sour fruits. It is locally known as iba, a name which also applies to the similar kamias (Averrhoa bilimbi).[5][6]
History
Historical marker at the Zambales Provincial Capitol
Iba was founded by the Order of Augustinian Recollect priests led by Rodrigo de San Miguel in 1611 as the village of Paynauen.[6] The early inhabitants of the town are called Zambals. They were later joined by the Tagalogs and Ilocanos who migrated to the town, which resulted in intermingling of customs and traditions.[7] The Aeta people settled in the hinterlands and the majority of them dwelled in the Mount Pinatubo area. In 1860, the administration of the town was turned over to the Dominican priests until the civil government came to power. There are no available records as to when Paynauen was renamed to Iba.[6]
The permanent capital of Zambales was moved from Masinloc to Iba because of its strategic location being on the central part of Zambales. On August 28, 1901, American Civil Governor William Howard Taft held the historic session of the Second Philippine Commission establishing the Province of Zambales under the American rule held at Roman Catholic Church of Iba.
The League of Cities of the Philippines has disagreed with the proposed conversion of sixteen municipalities into constituent cities. The LCP had tried to influence of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to certify as call for immediate attention a draft of a law imposing a suspension on the conversion of additional towns into cities.[when?][citation needed]
The Local Government Code states that before a town could be classified as a city, it must have an annual income of at least Php100 million and a land area of at minimum 100 square kilometres (39 square miles) or a population of 150,000.[citation needed]
Senator Sonny Angara advocated for House Bill 24 filed by Zamboanga Sibugay Representative Dulce Ann Hofer giving automatic cityhood to capitals of provinces without cities, and freeing the capital towns of provinces from the income needs of the cityhood.[citation needed]
Geography
The municipality of Iba is bounded by the municipalities of Botolan to the south, Palauig to the north, the province of Tarlac to the east, and the South China Sea to the west. Like most of the municipalities in the province, Iba is geographically bound by the coast in the west with the Zambales Mountains in the eastern portion of the municipality.
As the capital of the province, it is second largest provincial capital in terms of land area in Central Luzon Region after Tarlac City.
Iba is 78 kilometres (48 mi) from Olongapo and 204 kilometres (127 mi) from Manila.
Barangays
Iba is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.[8] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
There are 9 barangays which are considered urban (highlighted in bold) while the rest are considered rural.
Iba has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classificationAm). Iba's climate is no different from the other towns where rainy season begins from May and ends in October, while the dry season is from November to April. An average of 43.15 centimetres (16.99 in) of annual rainfall with a temperature of 22 °C (72 °F) is observed during rainy season. The highest temperature recorded is 34 °C (93 °F) while the lowest is 19.18 °C (66.52 °F).
Climate data for Iba (1991–2020, extremes 1910–2023)
In the 2020 census, the population of Iba, Zambales, was 55,581 people,[3] with a density of 360 inhabitants per square kilometre or 930 inhabitants per square mile.
The population of Iba has become a mixture of different people over the last twenty years as opportunities in employment and business attracted people from Pangasinan, Bataan, and Batangas. Originally, the population was composed of the Sambal and Ilocano-speaking people. While Sambal and Ilocano are spoken by many of the population, Tagalog has become the common language spoken in Iba. Sambal residents have switched their language from Sambal to Ilocano and Tagalog.[15][7]
The seat of the Ecclesiastical District of Zambales North of the Iglesia ni Cristo is located in Iba. The INC district administration and district office oversees several locales and extensions from different municipalities in the northern part of Zambales province.
The population of Iba increases during daytime because of traders, market buyers, students, government and private employees flocking into town. There are currently two malls in the municipality, Iba Town Center Mall - the first community mall in the town, and City Supermarket, Inc. (CSI Mall). Happy Go Shopping Center is also a major shopping destination in town, with Robinsons Place Iba and WalterMart Iba being planned.[needs update] Several supermarket chains including have branches in Iba. Some national government offices can also be found in Iba, such as the SSS, NBI and PhilHealth.[citation needed]
With a continuously growing number of commercial establishments, banks, and financial institutions in Iba, it contends among the most competitive municipalities in Philippines, and is pushing forward towards a progressive city.
Tourism
Tourism is one of the major economic activity in Iba during the summer period. It has become a popular destination for summer vacationists and tourists due to the pristine and beautiful beaches that line the shorelines of Iba, and adventure trekking to the unique 3-series of Iba waterfalls. Its pollution-free beaches due to the absence of industrial-polluting activities in the locality, make it one of the best places in the Philippines.
In response to the growing number of both local and foreign visitors, investments in beach resorts have increased in the last fifteen years. Today there are about 50 beach resorts in Iba.
Festivals
Mango Fest
Zambales Mango Festival
The festival is a celebration of a bountiful harvest of mangoes and other agricultural products which the province is known for. It is also aimed to highlight the attractions and places of interest in all of its towns. As a way of promoting and giving thanks for a good harvest, the people of Zambales annually celebrate the six-day Mango Festival in March or April in Iba.[24]
Paynauen Festival
A summer festival in Iba featuring local traditional arts and culture first celebrated in the 1980s, Paynauen Festival (also spelled as Paynawen) has become a yearly tradition and a tourist attraction lasting for about seven days. Paynauen's festivities include street dancing, singing competition, boxing events, sports events, sand castle building, carabao race, kite flying contests, Miss Paynauen competition, cooking contest, barangay booth displays, products display and sales, ballroom dancing, traditional parade, concerts and many others.
The festival is held late April, during the summer season where thousands of visitors flock to Iba for beach activities. Led by the Iba Tourism Council, Paynauen is supported by the local government, different civic organizations, volunteers and the private business sector.
Transportation
Iba Field now Iba Airport in 1941
By land
Iba is easily reached from Manila and Pangasinan by land transportation. It is 204 kilometres (127 mi) from Rizal Park in Manila via North Luzon Expressway exiting in San Fernando, Pampanga to Olongapo. From Olongapo, Iba is 78 kilometres (48 mi) away.[25]
By air
The town can be also reached by small aircraft using the Iba Airport, a small feeder airport with a 900-metre (3,000 ft) runway located along the coast of Iba.
Healthcare
The provincial government administers the President Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital in Bargy. Palanginan to provide convenient medical services at a lower costs to the people of the Zambales. The hospital received a ₱50-million equipment upgrade in 2011 to better serve its patients.[26][27]
The Santa Cecilia Medical Center is a private institution offering one of the most complete and advance medical facilities in the province.[28]
Saint Pio's Medical Center is also a large medical facility and a private institution located along Govic Highway in Brgy. Dirita.
Education
Tertiary education
The President Ramon Magsaysay State University (PRMSU), formerly Ramon Magsaysay Technological University (RMTU), is a government-funded higher education institution founded in 1910. The school was merged with two other colleges in the province in 1998 to become the present multi-campus university system. Its main campus is located in the center of Iba with satellite campuses located all over the province.[29]
The provincial office of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Zambales is located on Magsaysay Avenue. TESDA was established by the Philippine government to manage and supervise the vocational education and skills development of the country's human resources through training and scholarships.[30]
All Asia Aviation Academy is a flying school offering flight and ground training located in Iba Airport between Brgy. LDP and Brgy. Sto. Rosario.
Micro Asia College of Science and Technology located in Brgy. Zone 1.
Marasigan Technological College located in Brgy. Zone 1.
Hopeful Beginnings Institute located in Brgy. Palanginan.
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