Sibagat, officially the Municipality of Sibagat (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Sibagat; Tagalog: Bayan ng Sibagat), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,957 people.[4]
Located at the northernmost of the province, the town is called as the "Gateway to Agusan del Sur" and "The Last Frontier of Agusan del Sur, "and the newest town in Agusan del Sur."
The word Sibagat is from the word bagat which means "meet" or "meeting place". According to the oral history, the Sibagat River near Sibagat was the place where the warring tribes meet and fight. Sibagat River is a tributary of a bigger river, the Wawa River. The losing tribe would retreat downstream to the Wawa River and disappear.
History
The territories of Sibagat were formerly part of the town of Esperanza, in the historical province of Agusan. In August 1961, through Executive Order No. 440, s. 1961, the barrios and sitios of Bayugan, Maygatasan, Nueva Sibagat, Verdo, Mambutay, Salvacion, Caridad, Sagmone, Calaitan, Sinadyap, Malindao, Noli and other adjacent barrios and sitios were separated from Esperanza and constituted into the newly created municipality of Bayugan.[7] On February 1, 1980, Sibagat was created into a municipality when the barangays of Ilihan, Sinai, Sibagat, El Rio, Afga, Tabontabon, Perez, Magsaysay, Santa Cruz, Santa Maria, San Isidro, Villangit, Del Rosario, Anahauan, Mahayahay and San Vicente were segregated from the municipality of Bayugan and organized into the newly created town, through Batas Pambansa Blg. 56.[8] The seat of Municipal Local Government is located in Barangay Sibagat, now called Barangay Poblacion. On November 6, 1980, the first set of Municipal Officials assumed office and Mr. Vicente B. Benigian, Sr. was the first appointed Municipal Mayor.
Geography
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 567.82 square kilometres (219.24 sq mi)[9] constituting 5.68% of the 9,989.52-square-kilometre- (3,856.98 sq mi) total area of Agusan del Sur.
Sibagat is 29 kilometres (18 mi) away from the Regional Center Hub of Caraga region and 34 kilometres (21 mi)from the nearest airport in Butuan. It is also 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) away from Bayugan, the only city of the province. The town is geographically situated between the two cities of Butuan and Bayugan.
Starting from the 100 M.a.s.l.broad plains in the southern part; where the urban center located, most of the rural barangays are located through the hills in the central part and to the mountainous western part, mountains peaked at 1,000 meters above sea level were located at the northern part comprises 2 barangays of Kolambugan and Padiay.
Sibagat has a Type II climate which has no dry season but with pronounced maximum rain period occurring from December to January. The climate is hot and moist with an average annual humidity of 84 percent. This type of climate is very regular with no dry months and lacks any seasonal contrast. Average annual temperature range is from 23 to 32 Celsius, with the temperatures dropping towards the west portion of the town while altitude is increasing.[12]
The Sibagat Federation of AbacaWeaversAssociation (SAWA), Inc.[28] — as Sibagat town is leading and major producer of "sinamay" (wovenabacafiber) that played vital role in the growing and production of abaca products in the province. Abaca is identified as "One Town One Product" (OTOP).[29] Their major product is Sinamay, a woven stalks of the abaca tree which fiber is stronger than cotton or silk, and as a result of that sinamay holds a very firm shape. Sibagat "sinamay" shines every time they will participate in trade fairs in both regional and national events.[30][31][32] Members of Sibagat AbacaWeaversAssociation (SAWA) make rolls of fabric from sinamay or the first-class fiber from the Tagongon and Laylay varieties of abaca. The woven fabric is used as material for handicraft, housewares and fashion accessories, which are sold in the home and export markets.[33]
Global Sibagat Hydro Power Corporation is a subsidiary of Jowood Industries Inc., Philippines. The company has initially awarded by the Department of Energy (DOE) a Renewable Energy (RE) Service contracts for multiple hydropower projects in the Municipality of Sibagat with a combined potential capacity of 24-Megawatts (MW). The said contracts were executed through a ceremonial signing with Global Sibagat President James G. Ong and the then EnergySecretaryJericho Petilla last February 6, 2014. The RE projects are the Managong Hydroelectric Power Plant (6MW), Wawa Hydro Power Plant (13MW) and Bugsukan Hydro Power Plant (5MW) all located in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur.[35]
Motorcycle taxi, locally known as Habal-habal, is a single motorcycle modified with outriggers to seat more than two persons that caters passengers from Sibagat town proper to adjacent barangays and remote villages with rough and steep terrain. In Sibagat town, the more complex Habal-habal can seat up to twelve persons or more including their baggage.
^"Municipality of Sibagat". Province of Agusan del Sur. Provincial Information Management Office (PIMO). Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
^ abCensus of Population and Housing (2010). "Caraga"(PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.