Bataraza

Bataraza, officially the Municipality of Bataraza, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,439 people.

Etymology
The town was named after Datu Bataraza Narrazid who served as the father of the town. He was a locally influential Muslim chieftain and father of the town's first mayor and former mayor of Brooke's Point, then Datu Sapiodin Narrazid.

History
The area that forms the present-day Bataraza was previously part of the municipality of Brooke's Point. On June 18, 1961, the barrios of Bonobono, Bulalacao, Buliluyan, Culandanum, Igang-Igang, Inogbong, Iwahig, Malihud, Malitub, Marangas, Ocayan, Puring, Rio Tuba, Sandoval, Sarong, Sapa, Sumbiling, Tabud, Tagnato, Tagolango, Taratak, and Tarusan were separated from Brooke's Point and constituted into a new municipality known as Batarasa, by virtue of Republic Act No. 3425. The law took effect on January 1, 1964, following the election of its first municipal officials in November 1963.

Cityhood
House Bill No. 6278 was filed on February 12, 2020 for the conversion of the municipality of Bataraza into a component city in the province of Palawan. The bill is pending with the committee on local government as of February 18, 2020.

On June 30, 2022, House Bill No. 334 was filed by 1-Pacman Party List Representative Michael L. Romero which seeks to convert Bataraza into a component city.

Geography
Bataraza is located on the southernmost tip of Palawan Island, 218 km from Puerto Princesa City. It has total land area of 957 km2.

Bataraza is situated some 775 km south-west of Manila, between roughly 8.3 and 8.75 degrees latitude north of the equator. It stretches approximately 80 km in north-easterly to south-westerly direction along the Sulu Sea, from the Malis River to Cape Buliluyan in the south. On the western side, it extends up to Wangly River.

It is bounded in the east by the Sulu Sea, in the west by a great mountain range, extending from Mount Mantalingahan (the highest peak of the province) to Mount Malitub, which serves as the divider between Bataraza and Rizal, and in the south-west by the South China Sea.

Barangays
Bataraza is politically subdivided into 22 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.


 * Bono-Bono
 * Bulalacao
 * Buliluyan
 * Culandanum
 * Igang-Igang
 * Inogbong
 * Iwahig
 * Malihud
 * Malitub
 * Marangas (Poblacion)
 * Ocayan
 * Puring
 * Rio Tuba
 * Sandoval
 * Sapa
 * Sarong
 * Sumbiling
 * Tabud
 * Tagnato
 * Tagolango
 * Taratak
 * Tarusan (Bulosan)

Rio Tuba is one of the populated barangays of Bataraza and known for its nickel mineral reserves. The primary mine site of Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corporation is located within its jurisdiction.

Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Bataraza was 85,439 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Economy
Main industries of Bataraza includes farming, fishing, and nickel mining and processing.

Culture
The Molbog people dominate the municipality of Bataraza, as well as the municipality of Balabac in the south. The area constitute the homeland of the Molbog people since the classical era prior to Spanish colonization. The Molbog are known to have a strong connection with the natural world, especially with the sacred pilandok (Philippine mouse-deer), which can only be found in the Balabac islands. A Muslim tale tells the Philippine mouse-deer once tricked a prince into giving up his bag of gold and facing a hive of angry bees. Another tale depicts him as a clever guardian of the environment, using his wisdom as an advantage against those who destroy forests, seas, and wildlife. The coconut is especially important in Molbog culture at it is their most prized agricultural crop.