Malay, Aklan

Malay , officially the Municipality of Malay (Aklanon: Banwa it Malay; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Malay; Tagalog: Bayan ng Malay), is a municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. It is the richest municipality in the province in terms of revenue. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 60,077 people, making it the second most populous municipality in Aklan. It is the northernmost town on the island of Panay and the youngest amongst all municipalities in Aklan province. The resort island of Boracay is part of the municipality.

History

The municipality of Malay was created on June 15, 1949, through Republic Act No. 381 and the help of Claro Tumaob, out of various portions of the municipality of Buruanga, then part of Capiz. It included the following barangays: Malay (poblacion, seat of local government), Dumlog, Cabulihan, Balusbos, Nabaoy, Cubay Norte, Cubay Sur, Cogon, Argao, Sambiray, Caticlan, Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, Yapak, Motag, Napaan, and Naasog. On April 25, 1956, Malay became part of the newly created province of Aklan, along with several other towns of Capiz.

It was hit severely by typhoon Seniang on December 9–10, 2006, with much destruction and damage of homes and infrastructure.

Geography

Malay is located at 11°53′59″N 121°54′34″E. It is 72 kilometers (45 mi) west of the provincial capital Kalibo, 230 kilometers (140 mi) from Iloilo City, 158 kilometres (98 mi) from Roxas City, and 168 kilometers (104 mi) from San Jose de Buenavista.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 66.01 square kilometers (25.49 sq mi) constituting 3.62% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometer (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.

Climate

Barangays

Malay is politically subdivided into 17 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

There are 3 barangays (Balabag, Manoc-Manoc, and Yapak) of which situated within Boracay Island, while the rest are in mainland Malay.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Malay had a population of 60,077. The population density was 910 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,400/sq mi).

Languages

Aklanon is the dominant dialect of Malay. Kinaray-a is also used due to Malay’s proximity to Antique. Hiligaynon is also widely spoken and understood in the municipality. Tagalog and English are also used particularly in Caticlan and Boracay to communicate with local and foreign tourists alike.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Malay

Because of its robust tourism industry, the municipality is now considered as having the strongest economy in all the municipalities in the region and the richest municipality of Aklan in terms of income and annual budget. The tourism industry of Boracay became the catalyst of its economic growth that brought many investors to come and helped transform the municipality into a cosmopolitan area.

Transportation

Air

Malay has one airport, officially named Godofredo P. Ramos Airport but more popularly known as Caticlan Airport. Only small aircraft were allowed to land on the 950-meter (3,120 ft) runway. The runway was extended to 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) in 2016, allowing bigger aircraft like the Airbus A320 to land at the airport.

Sea

The Caticlan Jetty Port, one of the ports along the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, serves as a gateway to Boracay island, Roxas, Oriental Mindoro, and Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro The Tabon port is not used a lot but it is used if its not summer.

Ground Transportation

Malay uses the electrics Sikad in Boracay island.

Bus

Malay is also using the hop on hop off shuttle service in boracay island

Education

List of secondary schools in Malay

Healthcare

Malay is being served by three hospitals, of which 1 is private, and 2 are owned by the government.

Don Ciriaco Tirol Memorial Hospital
Malay Municipal Hospital
Aklan Baptist Hospital

Media

FM Radio Stations

Radyo Todo Aklan 88.5 (Philippine Broadcasting Service/Todo Media, Inc.)
89.7 DYIE FM (Far East Broadcasting Company)
91.1 Yes the Best (Manila Broadcasting Company/Philippine Broadcasting Corporation)
93.5 Easy Rock (Manila Broadcasting Company/Cebu Broadcasting Company)
94.9 Brigada News FM (Brigada Mass Media Corporation)
97.3 Boracay Beach Radio (Interactive Broadcast Media)
98.1 iFM (Radio Mindanao Network)
106.1 FM2 Boracay (Philippine Broadcasting Service/One Media Boracay)