New Washington, Aklan

Etymology

Established on January 15, 1904, the municipality was named after the first president of the United States, George Washington, as a tribute to the Thomasites, a group of American teachers who in the early 1900s established a new public education system in the Philippines, taught basic education, and trained Filipino teachers with English as medium of instruction. The municipality was formerly called Fonda Lagatic, which was derived from Lagatik River that stretches along some of the municipality's barangays at a length of 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi).

Geography

New Washington is located at 11°39′N 122°26′E.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 66.69 square kilometres (25.75 sq mi)  constituting 7000366000000000000♠3.66% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometre- (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.

New Washington is bounded by Batan in the east, Kalibo in the west and the Sibuyan Sea on the north. It is 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from Kalibo International Airport, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from the province's capital town of Kalibo, and one and a half (1 ¹⁄₂) hours away from the Boracay Island.

Climate

The third type of climate predominates in the locality, season not pronounced. It is relatively dry from February to July and wet the rest of the year.

Barangays

New Washington is politically subdivided into 16 barangays.

To some locals, the barangays are grouped into two, namely "Eanas" and "Baybay". The barangays that belong to Eanas are those involved in rice farming such as Mabilo, Puis, Jalas, Guinbaliwan, Mataphao, Candelaria, Lawa-an and Jugas. Baybay, on the other hand, covers barangays along or near the coastline, consisting of Tambac, Poblacion, Pinamuk-an, Polo, Cawayan, Ochando, Fatima and Dumaguit.

Common among municipalities in the Philippines, the seat of local government and the center of business are situated in Poblacion. It is also home to the Municipal Auditorium and Sports Complex, where major events of the town are held.

Demographics

In the 2015 census, New Washington had a population of 45,007. The population density was 670 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,700/sq mi).

In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 26,623 registered voters.

In the 2007 census, there were 39,656 residents, an increase by 16.7% since the year 2000 when the official count was 33,981. In the 2010 census, the population had increased to 42,112 persons.

Majority of the New Washingtonians, as the municipality's residents are sometimes called, are of Aklanon origin. Immigration, generally, is due to marriage and employment.

New Washingtonians speak in Aklanon, Hiligaynon, Filipino and English, the former being their primary medium. Aklanon, as a language, is often described as a cross between Bisaya, Hiligaynon and Karay-a making it quite complicated for local and foreign tourists to speak and comprehend. This is not seen as a problem, considering that residents can speak fluent Hiligaynon, Tagalog, and English.

The people of New Washington are predominantly Christians. Religious denominations in the municipality include Roman Catholic Church, Philippine Independent Church, Baptist churches, Iglesia ni Cristo, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses and Church of the Latter Day Saints, among others.

Economy

As New Washington is surrounded by bodies of water such as Sibuyan Sea and Lagatik River, fishing has been the leading livelihood among the people, alongside rice farming. The town has the largest area of ricefields among the municipalities in Aklan.

The municipality operates two ports: one in Dumaguit and the other in Poblacion. The port in Dumaguit caters to passenger and commercial boats, while the port in Poblacion is only for the latter. Both ports serve as major trade routes between the province of Aklan and Manila.

The town has several edifices that have historical or spiritual significance and locations for leisure and relaxation. These include the NHI-recognized commemorative monument of Jaime Cardinal Sin and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary in Poblacion, the Pink Sisters' Convent in Polo, the Sunrise/Sunset Viewing at Tambak Seawall and the Sampaguita Gardens Resort.

Education

All the barangays have either an elementary or primary school. There are four secondary schools: New Washington National Comprehensive High School and Montfort Technical Institute (MTI) in Poblacion, Candelaria National High School in Candelaria and Ochando National High School in Ochando. Montessori de Aklan (MDA),a primary school,is a branch of Montessori de Zamboanga Schools which is an affiliate of AMS or American Montessori Society in Polo, Tertiary education is centered at Aklan State University - College of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, which is located in Poblacion. Vocational courses are also offered at MTI. Some families send their children to schools in Kalibo, Capiz, Iloilo and Manila, among others.

Cultural and historical significance

New Washington observes two annual fiestas as a town. One is a patronal fiesta in honor of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, which is held on the second Saturday of October and the other is a civic fiesta commemorating the heroes of Pacto de Sangre, which is held from March 1 to 3. The Pacto de Sangre, or blood compact, took place in the then Sitio Kuntang (now Barangay Ochando) on March 3, 1897. It was participated in by New Washingtonians of the past as a show of support to the Filipinos' revolution against the Spaniards. A commemorative marker was put up in the area where the event took place in Barangay Ochando. While the patronal fiesta is characterized by pious reflection, the civic fiesta involves three days of merry-making.

Local government

As of June 2016, the municipal officials are:

Leisure

The municipality has numerous beach resorts located near the shores from Mabilo to Dumaguit. The past decade saw an influx of inland resorts. The inland resorts in the town are mostly in Poblacion, some of which include Sampaguita Gardens Resort, Maria Mercedes Resort and Frogs Hollow Resort. For free means of leisure and entertainment, residents go to the town plaza, which houses the Jaime Cardinal L. Sin Park, the Rizal Park, the Municipal Children's Park and the Municipal Auditorium and Sports Complex.

Well-known restaurants in the town include Oriental Flavors (fine-dining) and Poolside Restaurant at Sampaguita Gardens, and the Residence River Restaurant (Seafoods) in Tambak.