Loreto, Dinagat Islands
Municipality in Dinagat Islands, Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Loreto, officially the Municipality of Loreto (Cebuano: Lungsod sa Loreto; Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Loreto; Tagalog: Bayan ng Loreto; Waray: Bungto han Loreto), is a municipality in the province of Dinagat Islands, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 9,940 people.[5]
Loreto | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Loreto | |
|
Flag | |
| Nickname: Last Frontier of Dinagat | |
 Map of Dinagat Islands with Loreto highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Loreto | |
.svg)  Loreto Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 10°21′31″N 125°34′54″E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Caraga |
| Province | Dinagat Islands |
| District | Lone district |
| Founded | January 1, 1919 |
| Barangays | 10 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Doandre Bill A. Ladaga |
| • Vice Mayor | Richard C. Tan |
| • Representative | Alan 1 B. Ecleo |
| • Municipal Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 8,150 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 255.87 km2 (98.79 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 764 m (2,507 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 9,940 |
| • Density | 38.8/km2 (101/sq mi) |
| • Households | 2,427 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 2nd municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 26.21 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 217.9 million (2024) |
| • Assets | ₱ 599.3 million (2024) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 159.2 million (2024) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 127.8 million (2024) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Dinagat Island Electric Cooperative (DIELCO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 8415 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)86 |
| Native languages | Surigaonon Cebuano Tagalog Waray |
History
The town became a part of the province of Dinagat Islands on October 2, 2006, when the province was created from Surigao del Norte by Republic Act No. 9355. However, in February 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, as the necessary requirements for provincial land area and population were not met. The town reverted to Surigao del Norte.[6] On October 24, 2012, however, the Supreme Court reversed its ruling from the previous year, and upheld the constitutionality of RA 9355 and the creation of Dinagat Islands as a province.[7]
Geography
Barangays
Loreto is politically subdivided into 10 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
Climate
| Climate data for Loreto, Dinagat Islands | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) |
27 (81) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
29 (83) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23 (73) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
24 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 210 (8.3) |
161 (6.3) |
123 (4.8) |
85 (3.3) |
148 (5.8) |
186 (7.3) |
164 (6.5) |
157 (6.2) |
141 (5.6) |
190 (7.5) |
223 (8.8) |
200 (7.9) |
1,988 (78.3) |
| Average rainy days | 21.0 | 16.8 | 18.5 | 18.2 | 24.9 | 27.7 | 28.4 | 27.0 | 26.1 | 27.6 | 24.6 | 22.0 | 282.8 |
| Source: Meteoblue[9] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 2,193 | — |
| 1939 | 6,623 | +3.12% |
| 1948 | 6,212 | −0.71% |
| 1960 | 8,324 | +2.47% |
| 1970 | 5,020 | −4.93% |
| 1975 | 5,270 | +0.98% |
| 1980 | 5,530 | +0.97% |
| 1990 | 7,340 | +2.87% |
| 1995 | 8,048 | +1.74% |
| 2000 | 8,751 | +1.81% |
| 2007 | 9,030 | +0.43% |
| 2010 | 8,920 | −0.45% |
| 2015 | 9,309 | +0.82% |
| 2020 | 9,690 | +0.85% |
| 2024 | 9,940 | +0.61% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[10][11][12][13][14] | ||
Economy
Poverty incidence of Loreto (%)
49.40
49.82
29.90
54.21
31.36
36.63
31.45
30.80
26.21
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
The town is endowed with rich mineral resources like aluminous laterite ore, chromite, gold, niceliferous laterite, sand and gravel, guano, rock phosphate, limestone, and siliceous sand. It is also considered as an excellent fishing ground.