Bataraza

The town was named after Datu Bataraza Narrazid who served as the father of the town. He was a locally influential Muslim chieftain and father of the town's first mayor and former mayor of Brooke's Point, then Datu Sapiodin Narrazid.^[6]

The area that forms the present-day Bataraza was previously part of the municipality of Brooke's Point. On June 18, 1961, the barrios of Bonobono, Bulalacao, Buliluyan, Culandanum, Igang-Igang, Inogbong, Iwahig, Malihud, Malitub, Marangas, Ocayan, Puring, Rio Tuba, Sandoval, Sarong, Sapa, Sumbiling, Tabud, Tagnato, Tagolango, Taratak, and Tarusan were separated from Brooke's Point and constituted into a new municipality known as Batarasa (Bataraza), by virtue of Republic Act No. 3425.^[7] The law took effect on January 1, 1964, following the election of its first municipal officials in November 1963.^[8]

Bataraza is located on the southernmost tip of Palawan Island, 218 kilometres (135 mi) from Puerto Princesa City. It has total land area of 957 km² (369 sq mi).

Bataraza is situated some 775 kilometers (480 mi) south-west of Manila, between roughly 8.3 and 8.75 degrees latitude north of the equator. It stretches approximately 80 kilometers (50 mi) in north-easterly to south-westerly direction along the Sulu Sea, from the Malis River to Cape Buliluyan in the south. On the western side, it extends up to Wangly River.

It is bounded in the east by the Sulu Sea, in the west by a great mountain range, extending from Mount Mantalingahan (the highest peak of the province) to Mount Malitub, which serves as the divider between Bataraza and Rizal, and in the south-west by the South China Sea.

In the 2024 census, the population of Bataraza was 87,384 people,^[15] with a density of 120 inhabitants per square kilometre or 310 inhabitants per square mile.

Religion

Religiously, it is estimated that the population of Bataraza is divided into 35% Roman Catholic, 23% Islam, and 23% tribal religions, with another 19% unspecified, most likely followers of Islam, as well as Roman Catholic or other Christian sects.^[6] However, based on the percentage of religion in 2024, the majority of the population is Islam (62.8%), then Christianity (36.1%), and others (1.1%). The majority of Muslims are indigenous peoples of Molbog and Palawano, as well as Tausug and other migrants. Then Christianity and other religions were mainly practiced by Tagalog settlers and other Luzon origins, as well as the native population of Palawano.

Poverty incidence of Bataraza

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]}

Main industries of Bataraza includes farming, fishing, and nickel mining and processing.

The Molbog people dominate part of the municipality of Bataraza, as well as the municipality of Balabac in the south. The area constitute the homeland of the Molbog people since the classical era prior to Spanish colonization. The Molbog are known to have a strong connection with the natural world, especially with the sacred pilandok (Philippine mouse-deer), which can only be found in the Balabac islands. A Muslim tale tells the Philippine mouse-deer once tricked a prince into giving up his bag of gold and facing a hive of angry bees.^[24] Another tale depicts him as a clever guardian of the environment, using his wisdom as an advantage against those who destroy forests, seas, and wildlife. The coconut is especially important in Molbog culture at it is their most prized agricultural crop.^[25] Here also stands the largest mosque in Palawan, the Bataraza Grand Mosque which can accommodate about 2,000 people, established in 2020, near Saipodin Port.^[26]

There are two schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[27] These are the Bataraza District I Schools District, and Bataraza District II Schools District.