Balete, Aklan

Balete, officially the Municipality of Balete (Aklanon: Banwa it Balete; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Balete; Tagalog: Bayan ng Balete), is a municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 30,090 people.^[5]

Balete
Municipality
Municipality of Balete
Church of Balete
Flag Seal
Map of Aklan with Balete highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Balete Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°33′19″N 122°22′45″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas
Province	Aklan
District	1st district
Barangays	10 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Dexter M. Calizo
• Vice Mayor	Patrick F. Lachica
• Representative	Carlito S. Marquez
• Municipal Council	Members Inocentes F. Bantigue Jr. Roman R. Villaruel Jose Roger D. Feliciano Evelyn V. Villanueva Agnes D. Recidoro Karl V. Yasa Rex C. delos Reyes Ralph B. Cleope
• Electorate	17,585 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	118.93 km2 (45.92 sq mi)
Elevation	144 m (472 ft)
Highest elevation	1,568 m (5,144 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	30,310
• Density	250/km2 (660/sq mi)
• Households	2,242
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	26.79 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 178.8 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 504.8 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 148.5 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 129.7 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5614
PSGC	060402000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)36
Native languages	Aklanon Hiligaynon Capisnon Tagalog

Geography

Alternate flag of Balete

Balete is 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Kalibo, the provincial capital.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 118.93 square kilometres (45.92 sq mi) ^[6] constituting 6.53% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometre- (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.

Climate

Climate data for Balete, Aklan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	28 (82)	29 (84)	30 (86)	32 (90)	32 (90)	31 (88)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	28 (82)	30 (86)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23 (73)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	47 (1.9)	33 (1.3)	39 (1.5)	48 (1.9)	98 (3.9)	150 (5.9)	169 (6.7)	147 (5.8)	163 (6.4)	172 (6.8)	118 (4.6)	80 (3.1)	1,264 (49.8)
Average rainy days	11.4	8.2	9.3	9.7	19.1	25.6	27.4	25.5	25.5	25.2	18.5	14.5	219.9
Source: Meteoblue[7] (Use with caution: this is modeled/calculated data, not measured locally.)

Barangays

Balete is politically subdivided into 10 barangays.^[8] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Fulgencio was formerly known as Morthon.^[9]

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2024[10]		2010[11]
060402001	Aranas	17.3%	5,256	5,083	▴	0.23%
060402002	Arcangel	11.5%	3,486	3,454	▴	0.06%
060402004	Calizo	12.7%	3,863	3,773	▴	0.17%
060402005	Cortes	10.8%	3,278	2,872	▴	0.93%
060402006	Feliciano	9.5%	2,883	2,788	▴	0.23%
060402007	Fulgencio	11.8%	3,568	3,230	▴	0.70%
060402008	Guanko	4.4%	1,321	1,322	▾	−0.01%
060402009	Morales	10.5%	3,184	2,619	▴	1.38%
060402010	Oquendo	4.1%	1,234	1,226	▴	0.05%
060402011	Poblacion	2.8%	847	830	▴	0.14%
	Total		30,310	27,197	▴	0.76%

Demographics

Population census of Balete

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	5,529	—
1939	9,508	+1.52%
1948	10,835	+1.46%
1960	12,677	+1.32%
1970	14,310	+1.22%
1975	15,827	+2.04%
1980	17,300	+1.80%
1990	19,842	+1.38%
1995	19,972	+0.12%
2000	23,616	+3.66%
2007	26,360	+1.53%
2010	27,197	+1.14%
2015	28,920	+1.18%
2020	30,090	+0.84%
2024	30,310	+0.18%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][11][14][15]

In the 2020 census, Balete had a population of 30,090.^[16] The population density was 250 inhabitants per square kilometre (650/sq mi).

Economy

Poverty incidence of Balete

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 2000 63.59 2003 60.92 2006 45.10 2009 52.68 2012 25.59 2015 23.83 2018 17.26 2021 26.79 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

Culture

In Balete, the Aklanon people-based piña industry preserves Filipino traditional weaving. Raquel Eliserio, as its cultural master won the AGAATI's Global Eco Artisan Awards 2021. She founded a haeab-ean (weaving area) in her Barangay Feliciano and another in neighboring Tangalan. Her over a hundred looms and piña fiber knotters utilize her unique suksuk or inlay. The counted warp and weft are pulled by cotton threads, numbered with Dicranopteris linearis sticks and the piña textile is inlaid with designs.^[25]

Landmarks

• Agtawagon Hill - located at the south-eastern portion of Barangay Morales, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) away from the town center. During the Philippine Revolution, the hill was the last line of defense of the Filipino patriots during the Spanish-Filipino conflict.^{[citation needed]} The same hill had served as camp for Filipino guerrillas during Japanese occupation during the Second World War.^{[citation needed]} Foxholes had been built on the summit of the hill overlooking potential enemy movement.

Education

Secondary

Private sector schools:

• Balete Academy, Barangay Polacion

Public High schools:

• Calizo National High School, Barangay Calizo
• Cortes Integrated School, Barangay Cortes
• Fr. Julian C. Rago National High School, Barangay Feliciano
• Jose Borromeo Legaspi Memorial National High School, Barangay Aranas
• Jose F. Meñez Memorial National High School, Barangay Feliciano
• Balete Integrated School

Colleges

• Balete Community College^[26]

Notable personalities

• Jonha Richman - businesswoman and philanthropist
• Gabrielle Calizo-Quimpo - politician