Tapaz, officially the Municipality of Tapaz (Capiznon: Banwa sang Tapaz; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Tapaz; Aklan: Banwa it Tapaz; Kinaray-a: Banwa kang Tapaz/Banwa ka Tapaz; Tagalog: Bayan ng Tapaz), is a municipality in the province of Capiz, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 57,684 people.[5]
The first people who arrived and settled in what is now Tapaz are the Panay-Bukidnon people who speak the indigenous Ligbok language.
When the Spanish arrived in Panay, they established Dumalag. Eventually, Tapaz was founded in 1835 but it continued being a part of Dumalag for many years. In 1862 and 1863 two letters were made to declare parish under the patronage of St. Jerome. Both were signed by Governor General Lemery, but they were never executed. Finally, in 1874, Tapaz was declared an independent parish by Jaro Bishop Mariano Cuartero.
In 2016, the Ligbok language of the Panay-Bukidnon of Tapaz was confirmed to be dying out. This triggered a massive conservation program for the language and the epic chant spoken by the Panay-Bukidnon.[6]
Geography
Tapaz lies within the latitude 11° 09’ to 11° 09’ 42" and the longitude of 121° 11’ to 122° 34’ 45". It is 55 kilometres (34mi) from Roxas City.
Marugo Lake in Barangay San Antonio is a popular tourist destination.
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[7]
Barangays
Tapaz is politically subdivided into 58 barangays.[8]However, there are boundaries issues with neighboring municipalities of Jamindan, Capiz and Libacao, Aklan. The Sitio Maytaraw which is bordered to Calinog, Iloilo is occupied by Libacao, Aklan but within the territory of Tapaz, while the four Barangays, the Brgy Hilwan, Brgy Rizal Sur, Brgy Rizal Norte, and Brgy Maliao are within the Territorial Jurisdiction of Jamindan. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
There are 36 lowlands barangays and the rest of the 22 are upland barangays.
In the 2024 census, the population of Tapaz was 57,684 people,[14] with a density of 110 inhabitants per square kilometre or 280 inhabitants per square mile.
The natives of Tapaz are mixture of several ethnic groups as the Malays, Spaniards, Indonesians, and the Aetas or Negritos who are the aborigines of Panay. In the recent years the residents are a distinct group as the "Baludnons" those in the lowlands and "Bukidnons" those in the uplands.
There is a small community of indigenous Panay-Bukidnon in Barangay Tacayan. The community is home to Feliza, a binukot who has expertise in chanting the Suguidanon, one of the most significant epic chants of the Western Visayas region. Feliza is the last known person who can speak the Ligbok language in her community, making her the last bastion for the thousand-year old language in Tapaz. Her death would translate to the death of the language in Tapaz itself and the Suguidanon epic chant as well. Also, Feliza has traditional tattoos on her skin which were inscribed when she was chosen as a binukot. In 2016, after reports came out on the dying Ligbok language and suguidanon epic chant, the government began documenting the language and epic chant and teaching the language to younger generations of Panay-Bukidnon in Tapaz.[15]
Religion
As a Catholic Dominant Municipality. Tapaz has two parishes and three mission stations and many churches.
Parishes:
St. Jerome Parish (Poblacion, Tapaz)
St. Nicholas of Myra Parish (San Nicolas, Tapaz)
Mission Stations:
St. Andre Besette Mission Station (Taft, Tapaz)
St. Juan Diego Mission Station (Cristina, Tapaz)
St. Julian of Cuenca Mission Station (San Julian, Tapaz)
The festivals are the Patabang Festival in September honoring Patron Saint Jerome, and Sirinadya Festival in January honoring Sr. Santo Niño. Other local festival is Tinuom Festival in Barangay San Nicolas celebrated in the Month of December honoring Patron Saint Nicholas of Myra.
Education
There are two schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.[24] These are the:
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