Loreto, officially the Municipality of Loreto (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Loreto; Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Loreto; Tagalog: Bayan ng Loreto; Waray: Bungto han Loreto), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Dinagat Islands, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 9,690 people.[3]
Loreto | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Loreto | |
 Flag | |
| Nickname: Last Frontier of Dinagat | |
 Map of Dinagat Islands with Loreto highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Loreto Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 10°21′31″N 125°34′54″E / 10.358567°N 125.581567°E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Caraga |
| Province | Dinagat Islands |
| District | Lone district |
| Founded | January 1, 1919 |
| Barangays | 10 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Doandre Bill A. Ladaga |
| • Vice Mayor | Richard C. Tan |
| • Representative | Alan 1 B. Ecleo |
| • Municipal Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 7,951 voters (2022) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 255.87 km2 (98.79 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 764 m (2,507 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2020 census)[3] | |
| • Total | 9,690 |
| • Density | 38/km2 (98/sq mi) |
| • Households | 2,427 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 4th municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 30.80 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 120.3 million (2020) |
| • Assets | ₱ 409.5 million (2020) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 108.9 million (2020) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 62.82 million (2020) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Dinagat Island Electric Cooperative (DIELCO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 8415 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)86 |
| Native languages | Surigaonon Cebuano Tagalog Waray |
History
The town became a part of the province of Dinagat Islands on October 2, 2006, when the province was created from Surigao del Norte by Republic Act No. 9355. However, in February 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, as the necessary requirements for provincial land area and population were not met. The town reverted to Surigao del Norte.[5] On October 24, 2012, however, the Supreme Court reversed its ruling from the previous year, and upheld the constitutionality of RA 9355 and the creation of Dinagat Islands as a province.[6]
Geography
Barangays
Loreto is politically subdivided into 10 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
- Carmen (Poblacion)
- Esperanza
- Ferdinand
- Helen (on Gibusong Island)
- Liberty (on Gibusong Island)
- Magsaysay (on Gibusong Island)
- Panamaon
- San Juan (Poblacion)
- Santa Cruz (Poblacion)
- Santiago (Poblacion)
Climate
| Climate data for Loreto, Dinagat Islands | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 29 (83) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 24 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 210 (8.3) | 161 (6.3) | 123 (4.8) | 85 (3.3) | 148 (5.8) | 186 (7.3) | 164 (6.5) | 157 (6.2) | 141 (5.6) | 190 (7.5) | 223 (8.8) | 200 (7.9) | 1,988 (78.3) |
| Average rainy days | 21.0 | 16.8 | 18.5 | 18.2 | 24.9 | 27.7 | 28.4 | 27.0 | 26.1 | 27.6 | 24.6 | 22.0 | 282.8 |
| Source: Meteoblue[8] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 2,193 | — |
| 1939 | 6,623 | +3.12% |
| 1948 | 6,212 | −0.71% |
| 1960 | 8,324 | +2.47% |
| 1970 | 5,020 | −4.93% |
| 1975 | 5,270 | +0.98% |
| 1980 | 5,530 | +0.97% |
| 1990 | 7,340 | +2.87% |
| 1995 | 8,048 | +1.74% |
| 2000 | 8,751 | +1.81% |
| 2007 | 9,030 | +0.43% |
| 2010 | 8,920 | −0.45% |
| 2015 | 9,309 | +0.82% |
| 2020 | 9,690 | +0.79% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[9][10][11][12] | ||
Economy
Poverty incidence of Loreto
10 20 30 40 50 60 2006 29.90 2009 54.21 2012 31.36 2015 36.63 2018 31.45 2021 30.80 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] |
The town is endowed with rich mineral resources like aluminous laterite ore, chromite, gold, niceliferous laterite, sand and gravel, guano, rock phosphate, limestone, and siliceous sand. It is also considered as an excellent fishing ground.