Calinog, officially the Municipality of Calinog (, , ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 62,853 people.
Etymology
The town got its name from the Kinaray-a word kalinong which means calm or placid. But some might say it is from linog or an earthquake given the fact that the town lies near the West Panay Fault.
History
Calinog, which according to legend Datu Marikudo chose to settle, is strategically located in the central part of the Island of Panay. Calinog was already a developing community when the Spaniards came between the 16th and the 17th Century. In the early 18th Century, Calinog was established as a permanent settlement following the system of town planning as prescribed by the Law of the Indies: a town plaza surrounded by the church, Municipal Tribunal, school and public market. This remains as the main town-planning feature of the poblacion until the present. The Spanish Colonial Government then declared Calinog as “Pueblo” or town in 1763.
A new colonial power, the Americans introduced important changes in the civil affairs of the municipality in the early 1900s. The most significant was annexing Calinog as part of the Municipality of Passi (now a component city of Iloilo) from 1904 to 1920. Through intense lobbying by prominent leaders, Calinog was restored to its original status as a separate Municipality in January 1921.
It was in the late 1960s when Calinog stepped on the springboard of development as a progressive Municipality bustling with business and economic opportunities. In 1969, with the sugar industry boom, the political leadership decided to split a portion of the town into a separate municipality, the Municipality of Bingawan.
Among the founders of the old communities in the uplands were the descendants of the families who fought the abusive Spanish colonizers in the settlements of Bugasong and Lawaan, Province of Antique, in the 16th Century (their colorful folklore and the oral tradition of their historical journeys became a part of the timeless epic, “Hinilawod”). Mt. Dila Dila in Barangay Alibunan is best remembered as a strong hold of Filipino guerillas and soldiers during World War II under the command of a Calinognon Major Julian C. Chaves where the fiercest battles in the annals of war in the Island of Panay were fought against the Japanese Imperial Army.
Geography
The town of Calinog nestles in the central part of Panay Island. It is the last municipality in the central part of Iloilo Province which adjourns the province of Capiz. It is located at geographical coordinates 11°15′ latitude and 122°30′ longitudes. It has a total land area of 27,446 hectares representing about 5% of the total land area (532,297) of the entire Province.
Calinog is from Iloilo City.
Soil
Around 75% of the municipality's slope is above 8% or category C. The municipality, however, is mainly agricultural. There are four (4) types of soil in Calinog: 1) Umingan fine sandy loam; 2) Alimodian clay loam; 3) Bantog clay loam and 4) Alimodian soil (undifferentiated).
Topography
The municipality has mixed topographic reliefs. The westernmost portion is very mountainous. The central and northern areas have gently sloping reliefs while the eastern and southern portions are flat lands or plains with also gently sloping reliefs. All urban barangays are located in the lowland area.
The slope category of the municipality are: A (0-8%) 5,049 hectares; Category B (3-5%) 1,644 hectares; Category C (5-8%) 9,056 hectares; Category D (8-15%) 4,199 hectares and Category E (15-18%) 6,971 hectares.
Water sources
Jalaur River is the main source of water supply most specially for irrigation purposes considering the fact that this river is one of the biggest in terms of source volume in the whole Panay Island. For Potable Water, there is one pumping station at Barangay Bo. Calinog as its main source and one back-up pumping station at Barangay Simsiman along the Jalaur River.
Climate
Calinog falls under the third type consisting of seasons, which are not very pronounced relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. The maximum rain periods are not very pronounced with a short dry season lasting only from one to three months. It is influenced by the southeast monsoons, which one of the principal air streams affecting the country. Its exposure to prevailing winds maybe affected by the local topography.