Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay

Ipil (/ˈiːpiːl/ EE-peel), officially the Municipality of Ipil (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Ipil; Maguindanaon: Inged nu Ipil, Jawi: ايڠد نو ايڤل; Chavacano: Municipalidad de Ipil; Tagalog: Bayan ng Ipil), is a municipality and capital of the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 89,401 people.^[5] Ipil is the most populous municipality of Zamboanga Sibugay, and the second most populous in Region IX after Sindangan.

Ipil
Municipality
Municipality of Ipil
Skyline Rotunda Obelisk Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Capitol
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  Heart of Sibugay Crossroads of Region IX
Motto(s):  Ipil: Our place, our responsibility, our pride!
Map of Zamboanga Sibugay with Ipil highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Ipil Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 7°46′56″N 122°35′12″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Zamboanga Peninsula
Province	Zamboanga Sibugay
District	2nd district
Founded	July 26, 1949
Barangays	28 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Ramses Troy D. Olegario
• Vice Mayor	Anamel C. Olegario
• Representative	Dr. Marly T. Hofer-Hasim
• Municipal Council	Members Ian Sabijon Eric Alibutdan Elias Dangpalan Dianne L. Cataluña Albert Alcoriza Janelle Bordner Sharif Mazin Hasim Joel Ebol
• Electorate	60,353 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	241.60 km2 (93.28 sq mi)
Elevation	27 m (89 ft)
Highest elevation	185 m (607 ft)
Lowest elevation	−2 m (−7 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	96,363
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
• Households	21,548
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	18.34 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 452.8 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 1,399 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 340.8 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 357.6 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Zamboanga del Sur 2 Electric Cooperative (ZAMSURECO 2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	7001
PSGC	0908305000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)62
Native languages	Subanon Cebuano Chavacano Tagalog Maguindanaon
Website	ipilsibugay.gov.ph

The town hosts its only airport in the province, Ipil Airport located at Barangay Sanito, along the Pan Philippine Highway. Its large income and population makes it a major commercial and economic center in Zamboanga Sibugay.

History

Ipil used to be known as Sanito, a place under barrio Bacalan under the Municipality of Kabasalan. It was a swampy area and a docking spot for pioneering Ilocanos who settled in the upper areas of Titay. Ipil was a jumping point for their lantsa sailing to Zamboanga City. The first mayor of Ipil was Gregorio Dar, an Ilocano who came from Titay. The Dar Family were the second batch of Ilocanos who settled upon the invitation of Mariano Families who are among the first batch of Ilocanos from Luzon. When Sanito became a Town in 1949,^[6] its name was changed to Ipil, as there were many Ipil trees found within the said locale.

The territory was further reduced when, through Batas Pambansa Blg. 183 of 1982, fourteen barangays were separated to create the municipality of Roseller Lim.^[7]

Early Ilocano routes

The first Ilocanos used Ipil as the nearest jump point in connecting Titay with Zamboanga City. They would walk via Lumbia then to Longilog then Gabo reaching Mayabang their original settlement. It was this route that they do not have to cross the rivers as it is uphill. It was the Ilocanos who first set foot on these areas. Mayabang came from the first Tagalog settlers who intermarried with the first ilocano settlers of the place.

Ipil massacre

Main article: 1995 Ipil massacre

On the morning of April 4, 1995, Ipil was attacked by approximately 200 heavily armed Abu Sayyaf militants who fired upon residents, strafed civilian homes, plundered banks, took up to 30 hostages and then burned the centre of the town to the ground.^[8][9]

The militants allegedly arrived in the town by boat and bus, and a number of them had been dressed in military clothing.

The town's Chief of Police was reportedly killed in the attack and close to a billion pesos were looted from eight commercial banks.^[10] Army commandos pursued some rebel gunmen in nearby mountains while officials said that the rebels were looting farms and seizing civilians as "human shields" as they fled the town of^[11] about 40 rebels, who may have taken hostages, were cornered in a school compound west of Ipil on April 6 when an elite army unit attacked. In the fighting that followed, the television station GMA reported, 11 civilians were killed.^[11]

Geography

Ipil is located three hours from the key cities in the region (Dipolog, Pagadian and Zamboanga City). The Ipil seaport is 4 kilometres (2 mi) south of the town center.

Barangays

Barangay hall of Barangay Bangkerohan

Ipil is subdivided into 28 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Bacalan
• Bangkerohan
• Buluan
• Caparan
• Domandan
• Don Andres
• Doña Josefa
• Guituan
• Ipil Heights
• Labe
• Logan
• Tirso Babiera (Lower Ipil Heights)
• Lower Taway
• Lumbia
• Maasin
• Magdaup
• Makilas
• Pangi
• Poblacion
• Sanito
• Suclema
• Taway
• Tenan
• Tiayon
• Timalang
• Tomitom
• Upper Pangi
• Veteran's Village

Climate

Climate data for Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	61 (2.4)	55 (2.2)	75 (3.0)	81 (3.2)	145 (5.7)	189 (7.4)	189 (7.4)	197 (7.8)	162 (6.4)	181 (7.1)	115 (4.5)	70 (2.8)	1,520 (59.9)
Average rainy days	16.4	15.7	19.1	21.5	26.9	27.1	26.4	25.0	24.2	26.8	23.5	18.7	271.3
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[12]

Demographics

Population census of Ipil

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1960 21,141 —     1970 32,478 +4.38% 1975 35,798 +1.97% 1980 43,540 +3.99% 1990 43,031 −0.12% 1995 43,991 +0.41%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2000 52,481 +3.86% 2007 60,686 +2.02% 2010 64,939 +2.50% 2015 74,656 +2.69% 2020 89,401 +3.87% 2024 96,363 +1.82%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17]

Economy

Poverty incidence of Ipil

10 20 30 40 50 2000 42.84 2003 36.39 2006 29.30 2009 32.23 2012 19.67 2015 23.22 2018 22.30 2021 18.34 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]

Ipil has the largest income and population in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, and is considered to be a significant commercial and investing center in the province. The town also attracts many domestic tourists within its region. Many businesses, regional and national, have set their foot in the town. This includes Budgetwise Shopping Center and Cecile's Pharmacy, both businesses tracing its roots to nearby Zamboanga City, and Gaisano Grand Malls, which has opened its first mall in the region, Gaisano Grand Ipil.

Government

Ipil Municipal Hall

List of former and current chief executives

• Merjuar
• Generoso Sucgang (1960 - 1967)
• Col Escalona
• Andres P. Olegario (1972 – 1986)^{[citation needed]}
• Henry de Villa (1986 – 1988)
• José Fontanoza (1988 – 1992)
• Francisco Q. Pontanar (1992 – 1998)
• Rey Andre C. Olegario (1998 – 2007)^[26]
• Eldwin M. Alibutdan (2007 – 2016)^[27]
• Anamel C. Olegario (2016 – 2025)
• Ramses Troy "Rambo" D. Olegario (2025 – Present)

Healthcare

• Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Hospital
• Dr. Henry De Villa Memorial Hospital
• Dr. M. Simon Hospital
• Ipil Doctors Hospital

Media

Radio stations

AM

• DXUZ 1035 Radyo Lipay (Universidad de Zamboanga)

FM

• 88.7 Radyo Bisdak (Times Broadcasting Network Corporation)
• 92.7 XFM (XFM (Philippines)
• 94.3 Infinite Radio (St. Jude Thaddeus Institute of Technology)
• 95.3 Radyo Natin (Manila Broadcasting Company/Radyo Natin Network)
• 96.5 DABIG C Radio (Prime Broadcasting Network)
• 99.3 FM Radio Zamboanga Sibugay (Philippine Collective Media Corporation)
• 100.1 Juander Radyo (Capitol Broadcasting Center)
• 100.9 Brigada News FM (Brigada Mass Media Corporation)
• Magic 103.1 (EMedia Productions)

Cable and Satellite TV

• Ipil Cable TV
• Cignal Digital TV
• G Sat Direct TV

Newspapers

• Zamboanga Sibugay Tribune
• The Sibugay Express