Bunawan
Municipality in Agusan del Sur, Philippines
Bunawan, officially the Municipality of Bunawan (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Bunawan; Tagalog: Bayan ng Bunawan), is a municipality in the province of Agusan del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 50,999 people.
Bunawan was created on June 21, 1959, through Republic Act No. 2517. The world's largest crocodile, Lolong, was captured in the town in September 2011.
01Geography
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 512.16 square kilometres (197.75 sq mi) constituting 5.13% of the 9,989.52-square-kilometre- (3,856.98 sq mi) total area of Agusan del Sur.
Climate
| Climate data for Bunawan, Agusan del Sur | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
29 (83) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
21 (70) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 64 (2.5) |
48 (1.9) |
40 (1.6) |
28 (1.1) |
41 (1.6) |
48 (1.9) |
38 (1.5) |
34 (1.3) |
33 (1.3) |
46 (1.8) |
52 (2.0) |
53 (2.1) |
525 (20.6) |
| Average rainy days | 13.9 | 12.5 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 16.5 | 17.6 | 17.5 | 17.4 | 16.6 | 19.0 | 16.6 | 14.6 | 186.6 |
| Source: Meteoblue | |||||||||||||
Barangays
Bunawan is politically subdivided into 10 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
| PSGC | Barangay | Population | ±% p.a. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2010 | |||||
| 160302001 | Bunawan Brook | 10.4% | 5,283 | 5,063 | ▴ | 0.30% |
| 160302002 | Consuelo | 18.7% | 9,528 | 5,863 | ▴ | 3.43% |
| 160302008 | Imelda | 3.3% | 1,672 | 1,179 | ▴ | 2.46% |
| 160302003 | Libertad | 12.9% | 6,583 | 6,018 | ▴ | 0.63% |
| 160302004 | Mambalili | 5.9% | 3,008 | 2,355 | ▴ | 1.72% |
| 160302009 | Nueva Era | 2.7% | 1,375 | 1,139 | ▴ | 1.32% |
| 160302005 | Poblacion | 10.5% | 5,379 | 4,683 | ▴ | 0.97% |
| 160302006 | San Andres | 6.5% | 3,336 | 3,043 | ▴ | 0.64% |
| 160302007 | San Marcos | 2.4% | 1,212 | 896 | ▴ | 2.12% |
| 160302010 | San Teodoro | 15.2% | 7,775 | 7,243 | ▴ | 0.49% |
| Total | 50,999 | 37,482 | ▴ | 2.16% | ||
02Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | 2,648 | , |
| 1939 | 4,743 | +2.81% |
| 1948 | 6,384 | +3.36% |
| 1960 | 11,423 | +4.97% |
| 1970 | 8,646 | −2.74% |
| 1975 | 9,603 | +2.13% |
| 1980 | 12,719 | +5.78% |
| 1990 | 21,105 | +5.20% |
| 1995 | 24,615 | +2.92% |
| 2000 | 26,704 | +1.76% |
| 2007 | 35,757 | +4.11% |
| 2010 | 37,482 | +1.73% |
| 2015 | 45,151 | +3.61% |
| 2020 | 47,512 | +1.08% |
| 2024 | 50,999 | +1.71% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority | ||
In the 2024 census, Bunawan had a population of 50,999. The population density was 100 inhabitants per square kilometre (260/sq mi).
03Economy
Poverty incidence of Bunawan (%)
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 200057.85 2003
61.63 2006
60.80 2009
54.22 2012
39.10 2015
38.05 2018
30.33 2021
32.35 2023
23.08
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
04Education
Primary and Elementary
| Name | Barangay |
|---|---|
| East Bunawan Central Elementary School | San Teodoro |
| West Bunawan Central Elementary School | Poblacion |
High Schools
There are three high schools in the municipality.
| School | Barangay |
|---|---|
| Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology | San Teodoro |
| Bunawan National High School | San Teodoro |
| Libertad National High School | Libertad |
University
Bunawan has 1 university, the Agusan del Sur State University.
05Crocodile Lolong
In early September 2011, local residents and veteran crocodile hunters caught a 6.17-metre-long (20.2 ft) saltwater crocodile weighing 1,075 kilograms (2,370 lb) in a local creek. The municipality planned to make the giant beast the centerpiece of an ecotourism park for species found in the marshlands.
On November 9, 2011, the National Geographic Team confirmed that Lolong was the world's biggest crocodile. The crocodile was transferred at the Bunawan Eco-Park and Research Center in Barangay Consuelo.
Villagers had witnessed the crocodile attack and kill a water buffalo, and they suspected it also killed a fisherman who went missing that summer. Experts from an area crocodile farm were called in to capture the wild animal, which destroyed four traps before a stronger one caught it. A hundred villagers were needed to drag the crocodile to a truck before a crane was used to put it in a truck. From there, it was taken to a special cage where it was expected to be held until the ecotourism park was built around it.
The crocodile was declared dead a few hours after flipping over in a pond with a bloated stomach on February 10, 2013. The crocodile, despite being responsible for many deadly attacks, was mourned by residents of the town, as it was the only notable tourist attraction in the area. Its remains are preserved to allow the municipality to keep its fame.
Several other crocodiles roam the marshy areas on the outskirts of town, and villagers have been told to avoid the marshes at night.
06Industry
Co-O Gold Mine of Philsaga Mining Corporation is located in Barangay Consuelo.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Bunawan”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Bunawan Municipal Hall.jpg by Bunawan, Agusan del Sur (Local Government Unit), Public domain
- Barangays in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur.png by KLTNRR, CC0
- Lolong crocodile.jpg by MartyWilliams, CC BY-SA 3.0
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