Botolan

The name Botolan came from the a native variety of banana common in the area called "Boto-an". The word "Boto-an" is a Sambal word which combines the word botol which means "seeds" and the locative prefix -an, referring to a place with many seeded bananas.{{cite journal |last=Valencia |first=Minda |date=2000 |title=Botolan and Its People in Botolan |journal=Continuity and Change |publisher=Cesar Inc. }}

Located just south of the provincial capital of Iba, Botolan has the largest land area of the municipalities in Zambales.

Botolan is {{convert|7|km}} from Iba, {{convert|71|km}} from Olongapo, and {{convert|197|km}} from Manila.

Botolan is politically subdivided into 31 barangays, as indicated below.[http://nap.psa.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/municipality.asp?muncode=037101000®code=03&provcode=71 "Philippine Standard Geographic Code listing for Botolan"]{{Dead link|date=April 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved on 2007-12-09. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Bancal
• Bangan
• Batonlapoc
• Belbel
• Beneg
• Binuclutan
• Burgos
• Cabatuan
• Capayawan
• Carael
• Danacbunga
• Maguisguis
• Malomboy
• Mambog
• Moraza
• Nacolcol
• Owaog-Nibloc
• Paco (poblacion)
• Palis
• Panan
• Parel
• Paudpod
• Poonbato
• Porac
• San Isidro
• San Juan
• San Miguel
• Santiago
• Tampo (poblacion)
• Taugtog
• Villar

{{div col end}}

{{Weather box

| location = Botolan, Zambales

| width = auto

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| Jan high C = 31

| Jan low C = 20

| Feb high C = 32

| Feb low C = 20

| Mar high C = 33

| Mar low C = 21

| Apr high C = 34

| Apr low C = 23

| May high C = 32

| May low C = 25

| Jun high C = 31

| Jun low C = 25

| Jul high C = 29

| Jul low C = 25

| Aug high C = 29

| Aug low C = 25

| Sep high C = 29

| Sep low C = 24

| Oct high C = 30

| Oct low C = 23

| Nov high C = 31

| Nov low C = 22

| Dec high C = 31

| Dec low C = 20

| Jan precipitation mm = 16

| Feb precipitation mm = 18

| Mar precipitation mm = 28

| Apr precipitation mm = 51

| May precipitation mm = 200

| Jun precipitation mm = 253

| Jul precipitation mm = 301

| Aug precipitation mm = 293

| Sep precipitation mm = 246

| Oct precipitation mm = 171

| Nov precipitation mm = 70

| Dec precipitation mm = 28

| Jan rain days = 6.2

| Feb rain days = 7.1

| Mar rain days = 10.4

| Apr rain days = 15.5

| May rain days = 24.4

| Jun rain days = 26.4

| Jul rain days = 28.2

| Aug rain days = 27.5

| Sep rain days = 26.2

| Oct rain days = 23.6

| Nov rain days = 15.9

| Dec rain days = 8.7

| source 1 = Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)

{{cite web

| url = https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/botolan_philippines_1723822

| title = Botolan: Average Temperatures and Rainfall

| publisher = Meteoblue

| access-date = 26 April 2020 }}

| date = 26 April 2020

}}

{{Philippine Census

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| title= Population census of {{PH wikidata|name}}

| 1903 = {{PH census population|1903}}

| 1918 = {{PH census population|1918}}

| 1939 = {{PH census population|1939}}

| 1948 = {{PH census population|1948}}

| 1960 = {{PH census population|1960}}

| 1970 = {{PH census population|1970}}

| 1975 = {{PH census population|1975}}

| 1980 = {{PH census population|1980}}

| 1990 = {{PH census population|1990}}

| 1995 = {{PH census population|1995}}

| 2000 = {{PH census population|2000}}

| 2007 = {{PH census population|2007}}

| 2010 = {{PH census population|2010}}

| 2015 = {{PH census population|2015}}

| 2020 = {{PH census population|2020}}

| 2025 =

| 2030 =

| footnote= Source: Philippine Statistics Authority{{PH census|2015}}{{PH census|2010}}{{PH census|2007}}{{LWUA population data}}

}}

In the 2020 census, the population of Botolan was 66,739 people,{{PH census|current}} with a density of {{convert|{{sigfig|66,739/735.28|2}}|PD/km2|disp=or}}.

{{PH poverty incidence}}

{{See also|Sangguniang Bayan}}

File:Botolan,Zambalesjf9615 07.JPG

Municipal officials (2025-2028)

• Mayor: Jun Omar Ebdane
• Vice Mayor: Atty. Ed Perez
• Sangguniang Bayan: Doris Ladines, Eddie Daos, Lance Lim, Angel Diesta, Jay Dilag, Dr. Fernando Igrobay, Arthur Daria, Gregorio Jaring

File:The beach at Barangay Beneg looking south towards the Bucao River.jpg

The barangay of Binoclutan is the "Beach Capital" of Botolan, featuring several first class resorts. The area is a habitat of sea turtles, as is all of the Zambales coastline. Olive Ridley, Green turtles and Hawksbill turtles nest along the beaches of Botolan every year between September and January. A turtle hatchery located is located in Binoklutan. The area also has many other attractions, beach resorts, waterfalls, hiking paths, views of the lahar fields left by the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, and views of Mount Pinatubo itself.

The Fiesta Poon Bato, held January 23–24, is a religious festival that attracts up to 500,000 devotees. Features include cultural dancing from local Aeta tribes in the town plaza on the first night.

The Domorokdok Festival, held May 3–4, includes street parades, street dancing, a beauty pageant and displays of Botolan products and industries.

File:Marian Image of Apo Apang, Botolan, Zambales (both Roman Catholic and Aglipayan Church).jpg

The Ina Poón Bató is a purportedly miraculous, syncretised image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.{{cite web|url=http://www.dacapofoundation.com/SpecialInterest/PhilippineMadonnas/OurLadyOfPoonBato.htm|work=dacopofoundation.com|title=Our Lady of Poon Bato|access-date=21 August 2011}} Legend has it that before the arrival of the Spanish in the area sometime in the 17th century, local Aeta peoples had discovered a carved wooden statue on a large rock and began worshipping the image. On the arrival of Recollect missionaries in 1607, the natives associated the statue with the Roman Catholic depictions of the Virgin Mary, and the image was subsequently Christianised as Ina Poonbato (Our Lady of Poonbato) . The original image was previously in the Recollect missionaries’ custody. During the Philippine Revolution, the Filipino revolutionaries took the image and enshrined it in an Aglipayan Church.

The Catholic image was canonically blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1985 at a ceremony in Vatican City.{{cite web|title=The Story of Ina PoonBato|url=http://inapoonbato.webs.com|website=Ina Poon Bato "The Miraculous Blessed Mother"|access-date=10 July 2015|language=en}} After the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo destroyed the original village of Poonbato, the patio image (which was found intact and buried chest-deep in lahar){{cite news|last1=Macatuno|first1=Allan|title=Wooden Marian image draws devotees to Zambales|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/581990/wooden-marian-image-draws-devotees-to-zambales|access-date=10 July 2015|agency=Philippine Daily Inquirer|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=24 March 2014|language=en}} and its shrine were moved to the nearby resettlement area of Loob-Bunga.{{cite web|url=http://botolanzambales.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117&Itemid=114|title=Ina Poonbato Shrine|work=Botolan Official Website|access-date=21 August 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The feast of Ina Poón Bató is celebrated every late January, with devotees flocking to the original image inside a chapel belonging to the Aglipayan Church, and the 1976 replica enshrined in the Catholic chapel.

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [{{NSCB detail}} Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20081120024509/http://www.census.gov.ph/data/census2007/index.html Philippine Census Information]

{{Geographic location

| Centre = Botolan

| North = Iba

| Northeast = San Jose, Tarlac

| East = Capas, Tarlac
Bamban, Tarlac

| Southeast = Porac, Pampanga

| South = Cabangan / San Felipe / San Marcelino

| West = South China Sea

}}

{{Zambales}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Municipalities of Zambales