Nabas, Aklan

History

Accounts about the earliest community of Nabas are uncertain but the initial documentation for the town's existence was recorded in 1845. Facing the Sibuyan Sea, the town started as a small coastal village referred to as Barrio Alimbo which extends to the hills and mountains to the west. This small community occupies the floodplains of Alimbo River where the village derived its name. Fishing and farming is the primary source of livelihood, even today except for the hunting which was common on that time because of the abundances of wild pig, monkey and deer in the area.

Before, the town was part of the municipality of Ibajay under the jurisdiction of Capiz Province. Ibajay's municipal boundary was so vast but with poor road system.

The developing populaces whose tongue and customs diverge from those of the eastern community build awareness amongst people of the west. The invasion of migrants from the nearby province of Antique continued that further emphasized the difference in dialect and culture to some extent. In 1853, their notion of a separate municipality for better living and independence serves as the foundation for taking apart of Alimbo in concert with its adjoining barrios of Nagustan, Panaytayon (Toledo), Gibon, Namao (Rizal), Kabangrosan (Union), and Pakilawa (Unidos) ceased to be a barrio to form a new municipality inevitably. The municipality was formed in 1854 and named Navas, after Governor Nava of the province of Capiz who came to inspect the area before its creation.

The Cartilla System, an early teaching methods that dominantly use the letter "b" than "v" caused the variable spelling of "Navas" and "Nabas". In 1906, the Municipal Council in a resolution approved by unanimous vote adopted the name Nabas as the official name.

Geography

Nabas is located at 11°50′N 122°05′E.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 96.82 square kilometres (37.38 sq mi)  constituting 7000532000000000000♠5.32% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometre- (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.

Barangays

Nabas is politically subdivided into 20 barangays.

Demographics

In the 2015 census, Nabas had a population of 36,435. The population density was 380 inhabitants per square kilometre (980/sq mi).

In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 19,948 registered voters.

Language

The natives of Nabas speak two distinct Aklanon dialects. The eastern side of the municipality that is the Ibajay utters a dialect generally spoken by most municipalities of the province. Those in the western side constituting now the municipalities of Nabas, Malay, and Buruanga speak a dialect currently regarded as Malaynon but with softer intonation. The same dialect was also influenced and spoken by the neighboring Antiqueños, particularly the people from the towns Libertad, Pandan, and Sebaste of Antique. Hiligaynon is also used as a regional language by the natives.

Nabas Bariw Festival

The Nabas Bariw Festival is celebrated to commemorate the feast day of Saint Isidore the Farmer, the town's patron saint. It is celebrated annually from May 12 to 15. This celebration showcases the town's hat, mat and other bariw products as well as the town's unique tourism sites and natural attractions.

During this affair, various skills in mat, hat and bag making and designing are demonstrated. Among the events is a contest to produce the biggest hat and mat contest. The festival is highlighted by continuous street dancing by folks from the town's 20 barangays dressed in colorful bariw costumes accompanied by indigenous bamboo instruments.

The festival is intended to promote the town's cottage industry, which is a thriving livelihood activity in Nabas. It also promotes the town's well preserved cold spring resorts, lagoons, long winding coastline, rivers, and low elevation intact forest, home to various endemic flora and fauna.