Loon is a 2nd municipal income class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 43,034. In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 27,676 registered voters.
Loon lies halfway between Tagbilaran and Tubigon, Bohol's major ports of entry, each of which is only 40 minutes away by public utility buses, jeepneys and vans-for-hire that frequently ply the north—south route. Loon has one provincial secondary port and six fishing ports. The secondary port is being converted into the Loon Bohol International Cruise Ship Port. Currently it serves the Loon—Argao (Cebu) route.
Loon was among the hardest hit towns in the 2013 Bohol earthquake. About a third of all casualties occurred in this town, and its church, dating from the 1850s, completely razed to the ground.
Twenty-eight kilometres (17 mi) north of Tagbilaran is the town proper of Loon, the westernmost municipality of the island province. Cabilao and Sandingan islands are part of the municipality. Lanao Lake on Cabilao island (also known as Cabilao Island Lake) is the only natural lake in Bohol province.
Loon is composed of land mass, coastlines and natural waters and has a relatively rolling topography consisting of moderate hills, rolling plains, sparse plateaus interspersed with valleys, and some ravines.
Loon comprises 67 barangays.
In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 27,676 registered voters, meaning that 64% of the population are aged 18 and over.
Gross Annual Income (2014): ₱63.2 million
Major industries: agriculture, fishery, cottage (ready-to-wear clothes, mats, baskets), transportation, trading, tourism
Loon's public markets include two main public markets and five barangay/feeder markets. There are more than 800 business establishments and entrepreneurs in Loon.
Road network:
national - 24.0 kilometres (14.9 mi)provincial - 12.8 kilometres (8.0 mi)municipal - 8.0 kilometres (5.0 mi)barangay - 145.0 kilometres (90.1 mi)Indigenous culture and crafts
Processing of "binagow", grated and dried cassava steamed over a perforated coconut half-shell fitted onto the mouth of an earthen pot half-filled with water; common in the barangays on Sandingan and Cabilao islands and in Ubayon.Production of "tubâ" or toddy from coconut in Cantaongon and other upland barangays."Drama" or community theater in Napo, a fervently sustained local tradition that originated during the Spanish period. Local residents get involved as actors, singers, directors, stage managers and playwrights.Weaving of mats from romblon palm in Cabilao; production of nypa shingles near Moalong River; and weaving of baskets and other handicrafts from bamboo, rattan, baliw, nito, sig‑id, sagisi and other materials in some upland barangaysProduction of corn and cassava on the rocky slopes of Basdio. The "farm-on-the-rocks" is itself a tourist attraction because from below, the crops seem to grow not on soil but on black rocks and boulders.Christmas caroling: "Daygon", "Pastores" and "Igi‑igi"Good Friday dawn pilgrimage to Big CrossGood Friday procession and Easter "Sugat/Hugos" rites in the town centerSeptember "Festival of Lights" or "SidlaKasilak" in honor of the town's patronessTown fiesta on 8 September and barangay fiestas throughout the year.Heritage and historical sites
Inang-angan (grand stairway of coral stone blocks, 212 steps): A National Cultural TreasureSombria Bridge: stone bridge with the highest elevation among colonial bridges in the province.Napo Ruins: possibly the remnants of a watchtowerFerandos House: ancestral house (chalet) built during the American period.Gabaldon building: the main building of Loon South Central Elementary School built in 1915.Loon Public PlazaBig Cross: a pilgrimage site marked by a Big Cross on the slopes Cabug offers a majestic view of the Cebu Strait. A road leading to the place features replicas of the 14 Stations of the Cross.Virgen de la Paz Hermitage: home of the Virgen de la Paz hermit nuns that sits on a cliff that overlooking the mangroves and marine sanctuary in Tangnan and offers an unobstructed view of the sea and the blue mountains of Cebu.Solar-powered Lighthouse: located in Punta Baluarte in Pantudlan, Cabilao Island, this modern lighthouse is a donation of the Spanish government and stands beside the old one retained for its historical value.Punta Baluarte Eco-Museum: a Spanish-era bulwark on Cabilao Island that has been transformed into an eco-cultural museumMesina House: the only remaining ancestral house of such design. With some families experiencing early the economic boom brought about by success in the retail business, mostly in Leyte, Samar, Negros and Mindanao, and in the practice of their professions, all the other old houses have been replaced with modern designs.‡ Totally destroyed by the 15 October 2013 earthquake.
Church of Nuestra Señora de la Luz (including old convent): A National Historical Landmark and National Cultural TreasureSpanish-Era Mortuary Chapel: A National Cultural TreasureSpanish Colonial Cemetery (1800–1860s): A National Cultural TreasureChrist the King Monument: an imposing structure on the church plaza that features a figure of the Risen Christ atop a three-sided column at the center of an ornate and multi-layered circular baseThe Grotto: depicts the scene in Lourdes, France where Mary appeared to a girl named Bernadette. It is a favorite backdrop for the annual reenactment of the Last Supper and many other photo opportunitiesHugosan: a four-column platform serving as main gate of the church; used during Easter Sunday ritesLoon Coastal Geomorphic Conservation Park (417-hectare [1,030-acre] intertidal zone uplifted as a result of the 2013 earthquake)Loon Macaques: a mainstream tourist destination featuring the crab-eating mangrove monkeys (Cantomocad)Cabilao islandDive sitesCabilao Island LakeGreen Footprint LagoonCabacungan Fish SanctuaryTubig-Loon Spring ParkWhite beaches and sand bars (Cabilao and Sandingan Islands)Mangrove gardens (Tangnan, Pig-ot, Basdacu, Napo, Cogon Norte, Basac, Tajang Causeway, Sandingan)Caves (Cantam-is Baslay and many upland barangays)Mount CanmanocMount Tan-awan: highest point of LoonMoalong River and Antaeg Spring and LagoonPiong and Kabantian FallsDanicop Ticugan SpringsEndemic animals: hammerhead shark, pygmy seahorse, monkeys, exotic birds, "mamag" (tarsier), "kagwang" (a lemur-like gliding mammal), "tinggawong" (bearcat)Health and safety
one provincial district hospital (Cong. Natalio P. Castillo, Sr. Memorial Hospital)two Rural Health Units12 Barangay Health Stationsone private dental clinicthree private medical clinicsone LGU emergency response unit ("Alagad" Center)Model Senior Citizens CenterLying-in / Birthing Centers, including IMAP Lying-in Center in Calayugan Norte and Catagbacan NortePublic security: one PNP station; 704th Regional Public Safety Battalion (Catagbacan Norte)Water is made available to more than 42 barangays principally by the Loon Waterworks System, which has about 3,000 active individual water service connections reaching the northernmost barangay of Pondol, the southernmost barangay of Song-on, all barangays on Sandingan Island, and many hinterland barangays. The rest of the upland barangays are served by Level II communal water systems.
The abundance of water in Loon has also encouraged investors to establish water-refilling stations in the town.
Public educational institutions: Loon North District - 12 elementary schools; 8 primary schools; 3 secondary schools - Cabilao National High School, Sandingan National High School and Gov. Jacinto Borja National High School (formerly Cantaongon High School)Public educational institutions: Loon South District - 10 elementary schools; 9 primary schools; 1 secondary school, Loon South National High SchoolPrivate secondary schools: University of Bohol–Loon Institute, Sacred Heart Academy, Saint Teresa AcademyPreparatory schools: 64 public preparatory schools (day-care centers); UB Loon Institute Learning Center; Trinitas Learning Center; Saint Teresa Academy Kindergarten School; Catechetical Learning Center (Cuasi)
