Panamao

Panamao, officially the Municipality of Panamao (Tausūg: Kawman sin Panamao; Tagalog: Bayan ng Panamao), is a municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 49,849 people.^[5]

Panamao ڤنمااو
Municipality
Municipality of Panamao
Flag
Nickname:  Old Panamao
Map of Sulu with Panamao highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Panamao Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 5°58′50″N 121°12′51″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Zamboanga Peninsula
Province	Sulu
District	2nd district
Barangays	31 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Al-Frazier S. Abdurajak
• Vice Mayor	Renden H. Abdurajak
• Representative	Munir N. Arbison Jr.
• Municipal Council	Members Halmie L. Sarab Eti J. Abdusalim Sakandal A. Ammad Hataie A. Asanulla Husnolbasar S. Arao Nurlita T. Talib Lasanda L. Asanji Abdusuil M. Hadil
• Electorate	23,701 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	107.57 km2 (41.53 sq mi)
Elevation	49 m (161 ft)
Highest elevation	419 m (1,375 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	30,847
• Density	290/km2 (740/sq mi)
• Households	7,846
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	68.54 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 195.2 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 167.3 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 190 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 32.63 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Sulu Electric Cooperative (SULECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	7402
PSGC	1906607000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)68
Native languages	Tausug Tagalog

Geography

Barangays

Panamao is politically subdivided into 31 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Asin
• Bakud
• Bangday
• Baunoh
• Bitanag
• Bud Seit
• Bulangsi
• Datag
• Kamalig
• Kan Asaali
• Kan Ukol
• Kan-Dayok
• Kan-Sipat
• Kawasan
• Kulay-kulay
• Lakit
• Lower Patibulan
• Lunggang
• Parang
• Pugad Manaul
• Puhagan
• Seit Higad
• Seit Lake (Poblacion)
• Su-uh
• Tabu Manuk
• Tandu-tandu
• Tayungan
• Tinah
• Tubig Gantang
• Tubig Jati
• Upper Patibulan

Climate

Climate data for Panamao, Sulu
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)	152 (6.0)	120 (4.7)	125 (4.9)	132 (5.2)	239 (9.4)	301 (11.9)	281 (11.1)	268 (10.6)	190 (7.5)	263 (10.4)	234 (9.2)	179 (7.0)	2,484 (97.9)
Average rainy days	17.4	14.9	15.8	15.4	22.7	24.4	25.0	23.5	20.5	22.7	21.2	18.7	242.2
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[6]

Demographics

Population census of Panamao

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	253	—
1918	6,808	+24.55%
1939	10,414	+2.04%
1948	6,506	−5.09%
1960	13,042	+5.97%
1970	17,431	+2.94%
1975	20,606	+3.41%
1980	21,105	+0.48%
1990	27,189	+2.57%
1995	28,549	+0.92%
2000	35,906	+5.04%
2007	49,903	+4.64%
2010	37,933	−9.50%
2015	40,998	+1.49%
2020	49,849	+4.20%
2024	30,847	−10.88%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[7][8][9][10][11]

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Panamao

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 67.02 2003 53.32 2006 55.30 2009 55.91 2012 48.31 2015 59.74 2018 84.72 2021 68.54 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]