History About Sapian
Long after the Spanish occupation in 568, some of the Spanish soldiers set foot on the hilltop of Catadman, a settlement area which serves as the watch tower or a convenient lockout for Marauding Moros raiding the settlement during those days. The first person they met in Catadman was a boy who was sent to an errand, and he was holding a “Salapi”. The Spanish stopped the boy to inquire what the name of the place, the boy perplexed by the strange look of the Castellan figures, and incomprehensive of the Spanish tongue spoken, answered hesitatingly in a faltering voice”Sapi”. Earlier fifty centavos silver coin were said to have been circulated often the Spanish occupation. These coins were locally called “ Salapi” means half a peso. And thus, the Spaniards named the village “Salapi”. Shortly afterward, the town was organized as the town of “SAPIAN”. But no one could tell the exact etymology of the word.
Sapian is located in the northern portion of Panay Island. It is the town next to Ivisan, northwest of Roxas City. It is bounded on the north by Sapian Bay, on the Northeast by the municipality of Ivisan , East by the Municipality of sigma, on the south by the municipality of Mambusao and on the boundary town of Capiz and Aklan. Its location is on coordinates 122 36’ north longitudes, 11 30’ north latitudes.
The Municipality is accessible by land transportation to Iloilo, Aklan, Antique and Roxas City. Buses and jeepneys are the chief means of transportation for passengers within th municipalities of Capiz as well as to the neighboring provinces such as Iloilo, Aklan, and Antique.
Sapian being a coastal town, fishery and aquatic resources is rich and promising with bangus culture. Top project is important because almost all of the swampy areas along the coast were converted to productive fishponds. Aside from bangus, crabs, shrimps, and prawns yield throughout the year. In Sapian bay mussel culture was developed, it inter-mixed with oysters. Different species of shellfish are found in Sapian bay, which could not be found in other bays of the Philippines.
Bangus, crabs, shrimps, prawns are marketed in big quantities in Manila which other species of fish are sold to local market and or in neighboring provinces like Aklan, Iloillo, and other towns of Capiz like Mambusao, Jamindan, Dao, Cuartero, Dumaro, Dumalag and to the farthest municipality like Tapaz.
Along the inland stream and rivers, fish traps anf fishnets are lined to catch any kind of fish, mollusc and crustaceans that may pass during low tide. Children, men and women had enjoyed hand catches small crabs, shrimps, tilapia and the most fish called “Tanga “. The major fishery products range from bangus (milkfish), prawn, mud crabs, shrimps, capiz shell, oysters, mussels, nylon shell, angel shells and many others.
Based on the record of the municipal assessor, Sapian had a total of 20,202 hectares of productive fishpond which represents 19.24% with an estimated production of 1.5 metric ton per hectares.
Sapian is an Agro-fishery community. Its economy is divided from agriculture and fisheries. The passage of RA No. 8435 known as agriculture and fisheries modernization act of 1997, whose primary objectives is to arrest the alarming trend responsible for dwindling agricultural productivity and shrinking farms. These acts aim to improve the quality of life of the farmer and fisher folks, with the advent of RA 7160 particularly Rule V Article 25 of the implementing rules and regulations which states that the “Local Government Units shall provide basic services and facilities ut not limited to agriculture and fisheries and on site research.
Commerce and business is the lifeblood of our economy. It deals with the distribution of opportunities, income and wealth, and to increase the amount of goods and services for the benefits of the people as key raising the quality of life of the people.
The existing land area occupied by commerce were 3.74 hectares or 0.17 percent of total land area of the municipality, and the proposed land area will be 5.694 hectares with an increase of 1.259 hectares or 0.34 percent of the areas occupied by commerce.
Public market is the main feature of the municipality which complemented by shops, recreational and transport facilities; noticeable in its character is quasi-residential-commercial or mixed- use development.
Trade state promote industrialization and full employment based on sound agricultural development, agrarian reform, thru in industries that make full and efficient to of human and natural resources which are competitive in both domestic and foreign markets.
The industry in the locality is predominantly agri-fishery based, being a coastal town. There was neither large industry nor light industries, which employed number of worker. The municipality has ten (10) stationary baby coco rice mills. And five (5) travelling coco rice mills from adjoining Municipalities of Mambusao and Ivisan, which may contributes as one of the other sources of revenues of the local government.
The business trade facilities of the municipality is the market and extension markets which presently have fifty (50) market stalls, were all occupied. The proposed expansions will be on build operate transfer scheme as authorized by the Local Legislative Body.
The small wharf located at Sitio Angkin, Poblacion, Sapian, Capiz has an area of one hundred (100 sq.m) square meters which serve as a venue for food exchange and center of the distribution of marine products to intermediate users or consumers.
For banking and credit need of the municipality we have the Valiant Bank Incorporated is the lone banking institution that catered the banking and credit needs of the populace and a lot of private money lender. Other money lenders were private persons who engaged in short term loans at high interest to non bankable vendors and professionals. The numbers could not be specified because the operation was on and off.
The availability of basic infrastructure facilities like concrete road network, telephone exchange and power accelerates the growth of business industry in the municipality. Presently the Philippine Long Distance Telecommunication Company (PLDT) serves the municipality.
The municipality has a total of 427.1hectares classified forest land or area of public domain of which 364.7 hectares located in Bilao and 62.43 hectares located at Majanlud respectively. However, there are vast areas of forest trees planted on high, rough mountainous areas to the foot of the mountains, which perennial trees with a total area planted is forty two (42) hectares, which serves as watersheds of the barangays. Other barangays have three (3) hectares to five (5) hectares.
Forest tres could be found at the high mountainous boundaries of the Municipalities of Ivisan, Sigma anf Mambusao in Capiz and the Municipalities of Altavas and Batan in Aklan.
Being a coastal town, vast of mangroves along he sea coast extending along the streams where water is brackish and composed mainly of bakawan, api-api and like which serves as natural habitat and breeding ground of crustaceans and other marine organism.
The municipality of Sapian is served by the NAPOCOR thru Capiz Electric Cooperative (CAPELCO Inc.) located at Barangay Timpas, Panitan, Capiz for the power and electrification needs. It was established in 1976 and operated on the same year.
At present, nine (9) barangays were served by the CAPELCO. While other Barangays got their electric power from Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO).
December 1999 records shows that out of four thousand five hundred fifty (4550) households and establishments, there are two thousand four hundred seventy eight (2,478) or fifty five percent (55%) of the households and establishments were served by the CAPELCO. The power line extension in the far-flung sitios of the barangays were finance by the Municipal Government of Sapian, through build operate transfer scheme of the Capiz Electric Cooperatives, to meet the power services backlog.
Water is one of the basic needs, problems of the province of Capiz and the same through with the Municipality of Sapian. At present, there is no water system operating in the municipality, therefore the use of rain water to the maximum had been practiced in some places. Springs provide water supply as well as deep wells, developed dug wells and shallow wells.
At he Poblacion, the people got there water supply from the rain for those who have water tanks while others get from deep wells protected shallow wells and few others used purified or bottled distilled water for drinking. Despite of the water shortage, the municipality fined all means to more or less minimize the problem.
