Daanbantayan

Not to be confused with Bantayan, Cebu.

Daanbantayan, officially the Municipality of Daanbantayan (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Daanbantayan; Tagalog: Bayan ng Daanbantayan), is a municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 93,502 people.^[3]

Daanbantayan
Municipality
Municipality of Daanbantayan
Maya, Daanbantayan – northernmost point of Cebu island
Flag Seal
Map of Cebu with Daanbantayan highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Daanbantayan Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°15′N 124°00′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Central Visayas
Province	Cebu
District	4th district
Founded	1886
Barangays	20 (see Barangays)
Government [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Sun J. Shimura
• Vice Mayor	Elver Ali B. Abucay
• Representative	Janice Z. Salimbangon
• Municipal Council	Members Jupiter Roy M. Rosell Gilbert M. Arrabis Jr. Simplicio P. Mantos Maria Bregidorietta M. Tancawan Louise Marvi J. Loot-Pinos Juanito P. Ybañez Wendell V. Rosell Rex M. Novabos
• Electorate	57,409 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	92.27 km2 (35.63 sq mi)
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Highest elevation	120 m (390 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	93,502
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
• Households	22,289
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	35.82 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 363.9 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 790.7 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 263.3 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 66.06 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Cebu 2 Electric Cooperative (CEBECO 2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	6013
PSGC	072221000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)32
Native languages	Cebuano Tagalog

Daanbantayan celebrates its annual fiesta along with the Haladaya Festival which starts 21 August and ends with street-dancing on 30 August, in honor of Datu Daya, the legendary founder of the town.

History

The name Daanbantayan was derived from two words: the word "daan", which means "old" in Cebuano, and the word "bantayan", which refers to a place that served as a look out for Moro raiders during the Pre-Hispanic Philippines. The original site of the town might have been at an elevated vantage point near Punta, in Tapilon.

On 8 November 2013, 9 people were killed and 50 injured when Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in Philippines area of responsibility) passed over Daanbantayan.^[5]

Geography

Located at the northern tip of Cebu, Daanbantayan is bordered on the north by the Visayan Sea, to the west by Bantayan Island, on the east by the Camotes Sea, and on the south by the town of Medellin. It is 136 kilometres (85 mi) from Cebu City.

Islands and thalassic attractions

There are several small islands / islets and diving spots, with the list below arranged by latitude from nearest to farthest from Cebu island:

• Chocolate (11°18′20″N 124°03′48″E)
• Monad Shoal (11°18′30″N 124°11′30″E)
• Malapascua (11°20′00″N 124°07′00″E) 600 ha (1,483 acres)
• Gato cave & islet (11°26′48″N 124°01′13″E) 4.5 ha (11 acres)
• Maria (11°29′34″N 124°06′13″E) 1.5 ha (4 acres)
• Carnaza (11°30′50″N 124°05′58″E) 175 ha (432 acres)

Barangays

Daanbantayan is politically subdivided into 20 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2020[3]		2010[6]
072221001	Aguho	6.1%	5,726	4,836	▴	1.70%
072221002	Bagay	4.9%	4,549	4,015	▴	1.26%
072221003	Bakhawan	2.7%	2,540	2,267	▴	1.14%
072221004	Bateria	3.9%	3,664	3,252	▴	1.20%
072221005	Bitoon	5.1%	4,753	4,350	▴	0.89%
072221006	Calape	2.4%	2,233	2,518	▾	−1.19%
072221007	Carnaza	2.4%	2,259	2,360	▾	−0.44%
072221008	Dalingding	2.3%	2,137	2,069	▴	0.32%
072221009	Lanao	3.5%	3,313	2,968	▴	1.11%
072221010	Logon	6.1%	5,720	4,496	▴	2.44%
072221011	Malbago	4.7%	4,408	3,311	▴	2.90%
072221012	Malingin	1.7%	1,600	1,512	▴	0.57%
072221013	Maya	9.4%	8,822	7,815	▴	1.22%
072221014	Pajo	3.9%	3,634	2,970	▴	2.04%
072221015	Paypay	3.1%	2,888	2,741	▴	0.52%
072221016	Poblacion	8.3%	7,794	7,144	▴	0.87%
072221017	Talisay	4.6%	4,297	3,802	▴	1.23%
072221018	Tapilon	8.9%	8,323	7,281	▴	1.35%
072221019	Tinubdan	2.1%	2,002	2,050	▾	−0.24%
072221020	Tominjao	4.0%	3,768	3,149	▴	1.81%
	Total		93,502	74,897	▴	2.24%

Climate

Climate data for Daanbantayan, Cebu
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	28 (82)	29 (84)	29 (84)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (85)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	73 (2.9)	56 (2.2)	75 (3.0)	71 (2.8)	114 (4.5)	174 (6.9)	172 (6.8)	163 (6.4)	167 (6.6)	161 (6.3)	158 (6.2)	125 (4.9)	1,509 (59.5)
Average rainy days	15.2	12.5	16.2	17.3	23.9	27.3	28.4	26.9	26.9	27.1	23.8	19.3	264.8
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[7]

Demographics

Population census of Daanbantayan

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 14,735 —     1918 21,334 +2.50% 1939 24,198 +0.60% 1948 29,484 +2.22% 1960 34,599 +1.34%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1970 40,649 +1.62% 1975 43,228 +1.24% 1980 45,926 +1.22% 1990 58,771 +2.50% 1995 64,845 +1.86%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2000 69,336 +1.45% 2007 73,254 +0.76% 2010 74,897 +0.81% 2015 84,430 +2.31% 2020 93,502 +2.03%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][6][9]

Economy

Poverty incidence of Daanbantayan

10 20 30 40 50 60 2000 54.49 2003 39.38 2006 42.10 2009 42.91 2012 28.35 2015 25.40 2018 17.80 2021 35.82 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Transportation

Ceres Liner (And Sugbo Transit), White Stallion Express (Subsidiary Of Rough Riders) and Cebu Autobus are among the bus companies with regular service to and from Cebu city (North Bus Terminal). Jeepneys, tricycles, and trisikads are the main modes of transportation within the town.

Tourism

Daanbantayan is now known for its pristine, white powder-like sandy beaches – one of which is Malapascua Island. With its vast and rich marine resources, it hosts a long string of dive sites offering unique marine life and beauty.

As a tourist destination, Daanbantayan stages the Haladaya Festival every year as an added attraction to local vacationers, holidaymakers, Filipino expatriates, and foreign tourists from as far away as North America, South America, and Europe.

Attractions

• 
  Sta Rosa de Lima parish church
• 
  Approaching Gato Islet
• 
  Malapascua island from the air
• 
  Malapascua Island

• Municipal hall – built in 1916.
• Santa Rosa de Lima parish church – inaugurated on 10 April 1858 and finished in 1886. Its façade is still intact with its original design.^[18]
• Town plaza – site of a battle between the so-called Daanbantayan Volunteers and 19 well-armed bandits led by Capitan Berinoin 1898.^[18]
• San Pedro River - its northern bank has an abandoned Muslim settlement founded by Datu Daya during the pre-Spanish era.^[18]
• Tapilon point (also known as Punta Sampero) – site of the watchtower of Kandaya, called "daang bantayanan". But there are no remains of the watchtower.^[18]
• Malapascua Island – is situated across a shallow strait from the northernmost tip of Cebu. This small island is known for its wide white sand beach, Bounty Beach; it has also become known as a superior diving destination.
• Gato Cave and Islet – a small sharp rocky island rising in the middle of the Visayan Sea, about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from Malapascua. The 83-metre-high (272 ft) island is home to nesting seabirds, a colony of flying foxes, soft coral canyons, and rare and unusual nudibranchs.^[18]
• Monad Shoal – a 20-metre-deep (66 ft) seamount known for its thresher sharks, making the shoal popular for recreational divers. The common thresher shark (alopias vulpinus) and pelagic thresher shark (alopias pelagicus) normally live in depths as deep as 350 metres (1,148 feet), but the shoal offers opportunities to see them in less than 20 metres of water.^[18]