Maluso

Maluso, officially the Municipality of Maluso (Tausūg: Dai'rah Lupah Maluso; Chavacano: Municipalidad de Maluso; Tagalog: Bayan ng Maluso), is a municipality in the province of Basilan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 45,730 people.^[5]

Maluso مالوسو
Municipality
Municipality of Maluso
Gaunan Island, off the coast of Port Holland, Maluso, circa 1926
Flag Seal
Map of Basilan with Maluso highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Maluso Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 6°32′46″N 121°52′12″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Province	Basilan
District	Lone district
Barangays	20 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Hanie A. Bud
• Vice Mayor	Al-Mashor A. Yasin
• Representative	Mujiv S. Hataman
• Municipal Council	Members Annual M. Saluway Abbas T. Barang Jr. Nurhamin S. Muksan Munib B. Basa Muktar K. Abon Rashedin S. Kamlon Melanie J. Sonny Mhoamhar S. Aron
• Electorate	30,398 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	168.46 km2 (65.04 sq mi)
Elevation	42 m (138 ft)
Highest elevation	874 m (2,867 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	66,817
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
• Households	7,195
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	59.8 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 204.6 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 453.8 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 193.7 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 417.1 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Basilan Electric Cooperative (BASELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	7303
PSGC	1900704000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)62
Native languages	Yakan Chavacano Tagalog

It is geographically situated in the Province of Basilan, on the southwestern part of the island, in close vicinity to Sulu group and Banguingui Isles, making it the third most populous town after Isabela City and Lamitan City, in terms of people living in semi-urban areas. Maluso has beautiful beaches, rivers and dynamic mangrove areas, and also home to different ethnolinguistic tribes such as Yakan, Iranun, Banguingui and Tausug, peaceably living with kolono groups from different parts of Luzon and Visayas who migrated during the commonwealth era, mostly settled permanently later on. Maluso is one of the core member of Western Basilan Alliance, a group of five municipalities consisted of Maluso, Hji. Muhtamad, Lantawan, Sumisip and Tabuan-Lasa LGUs, sponsored and capacitated by the Spanish government aid agency AECID-funded "MILAB 2" Project, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Basilan.

On July 1, 2022, it launched its own Flagship program dubbed as “Marayaw Maluso: Peace and Eco-Tourism Hub of Southern Philippines", primarily focused on three major key areas of peace, environment and tourism. Maluso is home to Maluso River, locally known as “Subah Maluso”, historically tied with its humble beginnings centuries ago, and a known source of freshwater from European sailors and adventurers of the past.^[6]

Geography

Barangays

Maluso is politically subdivided into 20 barangays.^[7] Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2024[8]		2010[9]
150704001	Abong-Abong	1.4%	965	846	▴	0.93%
150704002	Batungal	1.8%	1,207	924	▴	1.89%
150704003	Calang Canas	4.3%	2,862	1,101	▴	6.91%
150704016	Fuente Maluso	1.8%	1,185	1,261	▾	−0.43%
150704004	Gaunan North (Zone I)	1.6%	1,079	1,089	▾	−0.06%
150704005	Gaunan South (Zone II)	2.0%	1,336	1,202	▴	0.74%
150704006	Limbubong	1.5%	976	1,220	▾	−1.55%
150704007	Mahayahay Lower (Zone I)	0.9%	595	671	▾	−0.84%
150704019	Mahayahay Upper (Zone II)	1.9%	1,252	1,112	▴	0.83%
150704008	Muslim Area	0.8%	509	440	▴	1.02%
150704009	Port Holland Zone I Poblacion (Upper)	5.7%	3,784	3,171	▴	1.24%
150704010	Port Holland Zone II Poblacion (Shipyard Main)	4.0%	2,649	2,436	▴	0.59%
150704011	Port Holland Zone III Poblacion (Samal Village)	6.8%	4,532	3,417	▴	2.00%
150704012	Port Holland Zone IV (Lower)	8.7%	5,834	3,355	▴	3.95%
150704020	Port Holland Zone V (Shipyard Tabuk)	3.1%	2,054	1,444	▴	2.50%
150704015	Taberlongan	2.8%	1,855	2,046	▾	−0.68%
150704017	Tamuk	1.5%	976	1,008	▾	−0.23%
150704013	Townsite (Poblacion)	7.5%	4,993	4,820	▴	0.25%
150704018	Tubigan	2.1%	1,424	1,649	▾	−1.02%
150704021	Upper Garlayan	0.9%	579	591	▾	−0.14%
	Total		66,817	33,803	▴	4.88%

Climate

Climate data for Maluso, Basilan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	27 (81)	26 (79)	27 (81)	27 (81)	28 (82)	28 (82)	27 (81)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	104 (4.1)	71 (2.8)	87 (3.4)	96 (3.8)	206 (8.1)	262 (10.3)	272 (10.7)	264 (10.4)	181 (7.1)	240 (9.4)	192 (7.6)	109 (4.3)	2,084 (82)
Average rainy days	14.3	12.8	14.3	14.2	21.8	23.3	24.1	24.0	19.7	21.8	19.4	15.4	225.1
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[10]

Demographics

Population census of Maluso

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1960	16,869	—
1970	15,519	−0.83%
1975	12,665	−3.99%
1980	17,287	+6.42%
1990	18,666	+0.77%
1995	26,844	+7.05%
2000	31,054	+3.17%
2007	48,178	+6.24%
2010	33,803	−12.10%
2015	40,646	+3.57%
2020	45,730	+2.51%
2024	66,817	+9.53%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[11][12][9][13][14]

In the 2020 census, Maluso had a population of 45,730.^[15] The population density was 270 inhabitants per square kilometre (700/sq mi).

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Maluso

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 2003 39.90 2006 48.00 2009 39.16 2012 37.52 2015 48.70 2018 72.75 2021 59.80 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

Notable people