Libon, Albay
| Libon | |
|---|---|
| Municipality | |
 Location within Albay province |
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 Libon
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| Coordinates: 13°18′N 123°26′E / 13.3°N 123.43°ECoordinates: 13°18′N 123°26′E / 13.3°N 123.43°E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Bicol Region (Region V) |
| Province | Albay |
| District | 3rd district |
| Founded | 1573 |
| Barangays | 47 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Wilfredo "Das" Maronilla (NPC) |
| • Vice Mayor | Marc Gregor "Mac" Sayson (Liberal Party) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 222.76 km2 (86.01 sq mi) |
| Population (2015 census) | |
| • Total | 75,172 |
| • Density | 340/km2 (870/sq mi) |
| • Voter (2016) | 41,117 |
| Demonym(s) | Libongueño |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) |
| ZIP code | 4507 |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)52 |
| Income class | 1st class |
| PSGC | 050507000 |
| Website | www |
Libon, officially the Municipality of Libon (Central Bikol: Banwaan kan Libon; Filipino: Bayan ng Libon), is a municipality in the province of Albay in the Bicol Region (Region V) of the Philippines. The population was 75,172 at the 2015 census. In the 2016 electoral roll, it had 41,117 registered voters.
Libon is a first class municipality with a land area of 222.76 square kilometres (86.01 sq mi). It is about 37 kilometres (23 mi) west-north-west of the provincial capital of Albay Legazpi City, and about 300 kilometres (190 mi) east-south-east of Manila. It is classified as a partly urban municipality with 47 barangays.
Libon’s major economic activities are agriculture and fishing. Its 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of ricelands produce 30.4 million kilos or 608,000 bags of palay per year. Libon is also the seat of the Pantao Port, a regional port facility linking the Masbate island province, the Visayas and Mindanao to mainland Bicol towards Southern Luzon and the National Capital Region.
The town of Libon, as it is presently known was originally called Libong. It is not known when and how the letter "g" got dropped. Some writers believe that the Spaniards must have found it difficult to pronounce the word "Libong" with the letter g, so that in due time Libong became Libon. There are conflicting and various versions regarding the origin of the name Libong. Some say that the word must have been derived from the Bicol term "libong" or "ribong", meaning puzzled, dizziness, losing one's sense of direction, or becoming oriented. Others believe that the word Libon must have originated from a Spanish term "libon", which means "assault". Another version is that the word is a corruption of the Bicol word "libtong", meaning difficulty, obstacle or pool of stagnant water, which when applied to a place could mean a difficult or stagnant place. The more popular and perhaps more plausible version is the claim that Libon originated from the Bicol term "libong" or "ribong", and there is a story which seems to support this view. The story goes that Captain Juan de Salcedo and his men arrived in this place, by sailing across Lake Bato and entering the river called, Quimba. Sailing upstream, they finally landed in a place called Linao; (Linao is one of the barrios of Libon today and is situated on the banks of Quimba River). Here Salcedo and his men proceeded to find a town. However, after exploring the surrounding area and noting that Linao was at the foot of a mountain range, making it vulnerable to enemy attacks from the surrounding mountains, Salcedo and his men, with some natives as their guide, decided to move on to a more suitable place. Traveling across marshy land, they arrived at a slightly elevated area. Upon looking around and trying to determine where they were, one native guide remarked "libong aco". (I am confused). The Spaniards on hearing the word "libong" understood it to mean the name of the place. Hence, Salcedo christened it "Santiago de Libon."
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Wikipedia