Physical Features
Location
The municipality of Tigbauan is a coastal town 23 kilometers southwest of Iloilo City. It is one of the seven (7) towns comprising the First District of the Province of Iloilo which lies between 10º40’30” latitude and 122º22’30” longitude. It is bounded by the towns of Leon on the Northwest, San Miguel on the Northeast, Oton on the East, Guimbal to the West, and by the Iloilo Strait on the South.
Land Area and Waters
Tigbauan is a second class municipality with a land area of 8,889 ha or 88.89 sq. km. The urban core, consisting of 10 barangays, has an area of 169 hectares or 1.69 square kilometers representing 1.90% of the total area of the municipality while the 42 rural barangays occupy a total area of 8,720 ha or 80.720 square kilometers equivalent to 98.10%. The municipality’s coastline is an 8-km. stretch spanning 10 coastal barangays from Bgy. Barroc down to Bgy. Buyuan. The municipal waters covered by this coastline serve as fishing grounds for both migrating and endemic fishes. The inland bodies of water consisted of two (2) main rivers, namely: the Sibalom River and the Tacuyong River. The latter joins the Sibalom River at the Western side of the urban core barangays before flowing into the Panay Gulf. There are also creeks and natural springs which are used as sources of water supply for people in the rural areas.
Topography
The municipality, generally, has a flat terrain. The plains cover an area of 6,667 ha or about 75% of the total area of the municipality. Rolling hills covering an area of about 1,518 hectares are located along boundaries of neighboring towns, excluding Oton and San Miguel.
Soil Types
There are four types of soil found in Tigbauan. These are the Sta. Rita Clay Loam which are located in Bgy. Sipitan and Bgy. Linobayan. Umingan Fine Sandy Loam is found in Cordova Norte, Cordova Sur, portions of Bgys. Napnapan Norte, Napnapan Sur, Bitas, Bagumbayan, Dorong-an, Bayuco, Buenavista, San Rafael and Poblacion. Alimodian Clay Loam is found in Bgy. Bantud, Baguingin, Bangkal, Olo Barroc, Barroc, Namocon, Parara Norte, Parara Sur and Buyu-an. Alimodian Silt Loam is found in the rest of the rural Barangays.
Climate
Tigbauan has two pronounced seasons: dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. There are two prevailing winds: the Southeast Monsoon (Amihan) and the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat).
Population Levels and Growth Pattern
Based on the National Statistics Office Census of 2010, the municipality recorded a fluctuating growth rate from 1903 to 1960 (Table Dem-1) and steadily increased with a growth rate of 2.43% in 1990. From 2000 to 2010, population growth rate increased from 1.39% to 1.55%. It was during the period of 1981 to 1990 that the municipality registered the highest in population growth with 43,934 persons. This represents an increase of 9,394 persons or 27.20% higher than those in 1976 to 1980 which is 34,540 persons. The average annual growth rate from 1976 to 1980 was 2.37%. This is higher than those recorded for the Province of Iloilo for the same period. The high population growth for the period 1981-1990 may be due to the establishment of ILECO I, SEAFDEC/AQD, St. Therese MTC and the location of police camp in the municipality. Some of the employees of these institutions opted to establish their residences in the municipality. On the other hand, the decline in growth rate from 1991-2010 may be due to out-migration of the municipality’s professionals and skilled workers/non-professionals who seek for greener pasture outside of the municipality. It was likewise during this period when a great demandoutside for professionals such as physicians, nurses, physical therapist, engineers, and midwives started. There was also a big demand for skilled workers and domestic helpers abroad.
Population, Household Distribution and Density Levels
The NSO Census of 2010 data on population distribution (Table Dem-3) and population densities by barangay show the unbalanced spatial distribution of the municipality’s population. Among the 52 barangays of the municipality, the most densely populated are those within the poblacion or those comprising the 10 urban barangays. The urban barangays has the highest population concentration of 11,075 persons in an area of 169 has. or a population density of 66 persons per hectare. The rural barangays post a population of 51,274 persons in an area of 8,720 has. or a population density of 6 persons per hectare. The 2010 NSO Census on Population shows a total population in the municipality of 58,814 and a population density of 7 persons per hectare. The data (Table Dem-2) reveals the same trend for the number of household. The urban barangays shows a total household of 2,194 or an average household density of 13 household per hectare while the rural barangays have 10,509 households or an average household density of 1.2 household per hectare. Of the most densely populated barangays, Barangay 2 ranks first with a population density of 147 persons per hectare (Table Dem-3), followed by Barangay 6 and Barangay 5 with a population density of 126 and 125 persons per ha., respectively. On the other hand, the three sparsely populated barangays come from the rural group. Ranking them from the bottom, the barangay which ranks lowest is Barangay Cansilayan with 1.80 persons per ha. followed by Barangays Isian and Supa with 1.87 and 2.00 persons per ha., respectively. The data show that accessibility to the poblacion as one of the factors affecting concentration of population. The three bottom ranking barangays and those with less than 3 persons per ha. are located in the remote areas of the municipality with poor farm-to-market roads that are not passable during rainy days. The data generally indicate that the barangays with access to good roads have higher concentration of population
