Fifteen (15) kilometers south of the seafood capital, lay the beautiful town of Panitan. Traveling through its Eight Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty Eight (8,988) hectares of greenery would surely take your breath away.
Panitan’s luscious greens are due to the Six Thousand Twenty Two (6,022) hectares of its land area, which is devoted to agriculture. The agricultural industry provides Three Thousand Ninety three (3,093) farmers major source of livelihood. Panitan’s agricultural industry yields Sixteen Thousand Two Hundred Nineteen (16,219) Metric Tons of clean rice annually, more than enough to feed its constituents.
§ Panitan proudly claims to be the “Home of the Professionals.” They traditionally honor their yearly batch of graduates through a big annual “Summer Affair” managed by the college students, who call themselves the “PANITAN VARSITARIANS.” The affair is now on its Fiftieth (50th) year.
§ Panitan posted a total population of 39, 094 for the year 2008 as per 10-year Comprehensive Land Use Plan & Municipal Profile based on 1980-1995 (1.25%) growth rate based from the Census of Population. Barangay Timpas has the most population of 3,516 or 9.19% of the total population, while the least populated barangay is Agbabadiang with only 484 persons or 1.2 %. Panitan has an area of 8,988 hectares, thus, it has a population density of 3.7 persons per hectare.
§ An increase in the number of households was observed from 6,436 in 1995 to 7,073 households in 2000. Average households size was recorded at 5.30.
§ In Panitan 56.35% of the total population were 15 to 64 years old (working age group). Those 0 to 14 yrs. (young dependents) constituted 38.33% and those aged 65 years and above (old dependents) was 5.32%.
§ Catholicism is the primary religion of Panitan comprising 97.34% of the total population.
§ The local economy is predominantly agricultural which consist of a total land area of 6,022 hectares. Major economic activities include rice farming, sugar and corn.
§ The Municipality of Panitan has a total road network of 133.91 km. of which 11.71 kilometers are national roads, 21.73 – provincial road, 4.15 kilometers – municipal roads and 96.30 kilometers – barangay and farm to market roads.
§ The 26 barangays were already supplied power by CAPELCO. Communication services are accessible to all barangays because of mobile phones aside from the landlines which are servicing the four urban barangays and other accessible barangays.
§ Water needs are being served by the Metro Roxas Water District in the urban barangays and level 1 and 11 potable water system are also present in some barangays aside from the shallow wells which are made available by the local government to its constituents in areas not served by the Metro Roxas Water District ( MRWD).
§ Based on the general land use plan of the municipality, agriculture ranks number one among the land use categories occupying 83.20% while built up areas (institutional, residential, commercial, industrial, roads and waterways) took 16.80%.
§ The urban area of the municipality consists of four urban barangays namely; Pob. Ilaya, Pob. Ilawod, Tabuc Sur and Tabuc Norte. Urban land use has been distributed into residential, commercial, institutional commercial, parks and open space as well as agricultural.
§ Panitan has already climbed the first step of the ladder of industrialization due to the presence of Asia Pacific Aquamarine, Inc., in Timpas, Panitan, Capiz. Other light industries such as rice mills also exist.
Founded in 1800 by the malay brothers Danao and Dalhog, Panitan prides itself as one of the oldest towns in Capiz. Its original settlement was at Sitio Capul-an, near the banks of lake Danao. It was only after the Spanish colonization, that it was transferred to its present location.
Legends tell how the town got its name. It was known by the name “IPIONG” (YPION) before the arrival of the Spaniards. The present name accounts for two etymologies: one folkloric & another, scientific. According to an oral tradition, that when the Spaniards came, they inquired from the farmers working in the field peeling off the bark of the tree presumably to be dried for firewood. They asked in Spanish “Como se llama el pueblo este lugar?, asked the Spaniards. Thinking that they were asked what they were doing, they answered back without hesitations . . . PANITAN, meaning to peel off. So, from then on, PANITAN became the official name of the village as listed by the Spanish overlords.
But for historians like Fr. Juan Fernandez, O.S.A in his “Monografias De Los Pueblos De La Isla De Pan-Ay” The word “Panitan” comes from a local fish called “Apnit” (Annona rufa), which is abundant in this town like in the common conversation: “Pacain ca? Paapnitan ako” (are you going to serve a meal? I want apnit). By word of mouth Pappnitan has become a by word and is always been said by the natives so that when the Spaniards came they adapted it and make it Panitan due to the difficulty on their part to say the word Paapnitan.
Panitan has been led by many great men and women, since Spanish times they have molded Panitan into what it has become today.
Panitan is a breathtakingly beautiful town-its sights and sounds, its people and history. Panitan truly is one of Capiz’s prized gems.
Province of Capiz