Gigaquit, officially the Municipality of Gigaquit (Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Gigaquit; Tagalog: Bayan ng Gigaquit), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Surigao del Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 21,849 people.[3]
Gigaquit | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Gigaquit | |
 Flag | |
 Map of Surigao del Norte with Gigaquit highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Gigaquit Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 9°35′41″N 125°41′51″E / 9.5947°N 125.6975°E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Caraga |
| Province | Surigao del Norte |
| District | 2nd district |
| Founded | 1850 |
| Barangays | 13 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Chandru T. Bonite |
| • Vice Mayor | Jennifer B. Bonite |
| • Representative | Robert Ace S. Barbers |
| • Municipal Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 15,425 voters (2022) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 138.11 km2 (53.32 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 222 m (728 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2020 census)[3] | |
| • Total | 21,849 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (410/sq mi) |
| • Households | 5,229 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 4th municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 34.62 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 108.4 million (2020) |
| • Assets | ₱ 293.9 million (2020) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 128.9 million (2020) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 130.4 million (2020) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative (SURNECO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 8409 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)86 |
| Native languages | Surigaonon Agusan Cebuano Tagalog |
| Website | www |
The name is derived from the words gigad (meaning "shore") and gakit (meaning "bamboo raft") and refers to the means of transportation that the early settlers used to travel from the inland to the shore.[5]
History
Gigaquit was established in 1850 by Cero, a native who fortified the place to make it safe from Moro raiders. During this period, the local population was Christianized by priests from religious orders who made Saint Augustine their patron saint.[5]
Bacuag and Claver, which had been part of Gigaquit, became separate municipalities in 1918 and 1955 under Executive Order Nos. 61 and 126 respectively.[5]
Geography
Barangays
Gigaquit is politically subdivided into 13 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
- Alambique (Poblacion)
- Anibongan
- Cam-boayon
- Camam-onan
- Ipil (Poblacion)
- Lahi
- Mahanub
- Poniente
- San Antonio (Bonot)
- San Isidro (Parang)
- Sico-sico
- Villaflor
- Villafranca
Climate
| Climate data for Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) |
| 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[6] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 5,290 | — |
| 1918 | 14,244 | +6.83% |
| 1939 | 13,676 | −0.19% |
| 1948 | 14,431 | +0.60% |
| 1960 | 8,368 | −4.44% |
| 1970 | 11,097 | +2.86% |
| 1975 | 11,810 | +1.26% |
| 1980 | 13,186 | +2.23% |
| 1990 | 13,715 | +0.39% |
| 1995 | 15,261 | +2.02% |
| 2000 | 16,155 | +1.23% |
| 2007 | 18,870 | +2.17% |
| 2010 | 18,784 | −0.17% |
| 2015 | 20,864 | +2.02% |
| 2020 | 21,849 | +0.91% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[7][8][9][10] | ||
Economy
Poverty incidence of Gigaquit
10 20 30 40 50 60 2006 45.20 2009 59.64 2012 41.53 2015 40.52 2018 39.23 2021 34.62 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] |