Tubajon

Tubajon, officially the Municipality of Tubajon (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Tubajon; Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Tubajon; Tagalog: Bayan ng Tubajon; Waray: Bungto han Tubajon), is a municipality in the province of Dinagat Islands, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,119 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province.^[5]

Tubajon
Municipality
Municipality of Tubajon
Flag
Map of Dinagat Islands with Tubajon highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Tubajon Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 10°19′31″N 125°33′26″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Caraga
Province	Dinagat Islands
District	Lone district
Founded	June 21, 1969
Barangays	9 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Simplicia P. Pedrablanca
• Vice Mayor	Marvin M. Lasco
• Representative	Alan 1 B. Ecleo
• Municipal Council	Members Samson A. Tidalgo Jorvie B. Agbo Oscar B. Navidas Wilfredo L. Punay Novo M. Magallanes Revic T. Jarabe Pastor B. Olaco Helen B. Daytoc
• Electorate	6,910 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	90.00 km2 (34.75 sq mi)
Elevation	55 m (180 ft)
Highest elevation	406 m (1,332 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	8,964
• Density	100/km2 (260/sq mi)
• Households	1,971
Economy
• Income class	5th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	45.57 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 118.2 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 278.6 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 93.01 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 58.73 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Dinagat Island Electric Cooperative (DIELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8426
PSGC	1608507000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)86
Native languages	Surigaonon Cebuano Tagalog
Website	www.tubajon.gov.ph

History

Tubajon, which was once a barangay of Loreto, became a municipality on June 21, 1969, under Republic Act No. 5643. According to local folklore, during the Spanish regime, a banca boarded with Guardia Civils landed in the shores of Tubajon in search of a criminal. One of them came across a river and saw a man pounding leaves. Curious, he asked the man, "What will you do with it?" The man answered "Akong Tubajon ang suba aron sayon dakpon ang mga isda" (I will poison the river with Tuba leaves so that the fishes could be easily caught). When the man returned to the group, he narrated everything he saw and heard from the native to his companions. From then on, the place was called Tubajon.

The town became a part of the province of Dinagat Islands in December 2006, when the province was created from Surigao del Norte by Republic Act No. 9355. However, in February 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, as the necessary requirements for provincial land area and population were not met. The town reverted to Surigao del Norte.^[6] On October 24, 2012, however, the Supreme Court reversed its ruling, and upheld the constitutionality of RA 9355 and the creation of Dinagat Islands as a province.^[7]

Geography

Barangays

Tubajon is politically subdivided into 9 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Diaz
• Imelda
• Mabini
• Malinao
• Navarro
• Roxas
• San Roque (Poblacion)
• San Vicente (Poblacion)
• Santa Cruz (Poblacion)

Climate

Climate data for Tubajon, Dinagat Islands
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	27 (81)	27 (81)	28 (82)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	29 (84)	28 (82)	27 (81)	28 (83)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	22 (72)	22 (72)	22 (72)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	210 (8.3)	161 (6.3)	123 (4.8)	85 (3.3)	148 (5.8)	186 (7.3)	164 (6.5)	157 (6.2)	141 (5.6)	190 (7.5)	223 (8.8)	200 (7.9)	1,988 (78.3)
Average rainy days	21.0	16.8	18.5	18.2	24.9	27.7	28.4	27.0	26.1	27.6	24.6	22.0	282.8
Source: Meteoblue[8]

Demographics

Population census of Tubajon

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1970	3,660	—
1975	3,685	+0.14%
1980	4,461	+3.89%
1990	5,783	+2.63%
1995	6,155	+1.17%
2000	6,800	+2.16%
2007	7,815	+1.94%
2010	7,568	−1.16%
2015	8,276	+1.72%
2020	8,119	−0.40%
2024	8,964	+2.41%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[9][10][11][12][13]

Economy

Poverty incidence of Tubajon

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 2000 64.18 2003 62.98 2006 47.60 2009 56.26 2012 41.64 2015 41.97 2018 35.70 2021 45.57 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]