Murcia, Negros Occidental
Municipality in Negros Occidental, Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Murcia, officially the Municipality of Murcia, is a municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 90,123 people.[5]
.jpg)
Murcia | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Murcia | |
Murcia Municipal Building | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Map of Negros Occidental with Murcia highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Murcia | |
.svg)  Murcia Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 10°36′N 123°02′E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Negros Island Region |
| Province | Negros Occidental |
| District | 3rd district |
| Named after | Murcia, Spain |
| Barangays | 23 (see Barangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Victor Gerardo M. Rojas |
| • Vice Mayor | Johnny P. Reosura (Lakas) |
| • Representative | Javier Miguel L. Benitez (PFP) |
| • Municipal Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 56,755 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 279.14 km2 (107.78 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 429 m (1,407 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 2,432 m (7,979 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 90,123 |
| • Density | 322.86/km2 (836.20/sq mi) |
| • Households | 21,101 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 22.95 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 426.3 million (2024) |
| • Assets | ₱ 1,031 million (2024) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 390.3 million (2024) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 330.4 million (2024) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 6129 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)34 |
| Native languages | Hiligaynon Tagalog |
| Named after | Murcia, Spain |
History
Murcia was founded by an Augustinian Recollect priest named Fr. Miguel Alvarez in 1860.[6]
During World War II, the municipal hall of the town was used as a garrison by the invading Japanese. Due to resistance from Filipino guerillas, the Japanese withdrew from the municipality on April 21, 1945.[6]
Geography
It is 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of Bacolod.
Barangays
Murcia is politically subdivided into 23 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Climate
| Climate data for Murcia, Negros Occidental | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
29 (83) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
22 (72) |
22 (72) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 120 (4.7) |
87 (3.4) |
95 (3.7) |
97 (3.8) |
187 (7.4) |
263 (10.4) |
251 (9.9) |
220 (8.7) |
227 (8.9) |
268 (10.6) |
220 (8.7) |
158 (6.2) |
2,193 (86.4) |
| Average rainy days | 16.1 | 12.6 | 15.4 | 16.8 | 25.8 | 28.4 | 29.1 | 27.9 | 27.7 | 28.5 | 23.9 | 18.4 | 270.6 |
| Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[7] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
Population census of Murcia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11][12] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
Tourism
The Mambukal Resort, located in Barangay Minoyan, features bats as a key tourist attraction. The resort is home to three species: the Philippine flying fox (Philippine giant fruit bat), the Philippine bare-backed fruit bat, and the little golden-mantled flying fox, which is endangered. They produce a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer called guano. Bats are included in the list of animals protected by Republic Act 9147 (Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act).[21] In December 2007, the provincial government-owned resort opened its "Butterfly Garden". Live predators of butterflies like tarantula, wild geckos, scorpions, millipedes and centipedes were displayed.[22]
Aside from the Mambukal Mountain Resort, Murcia is also famous for its Pandanon River Resort situated in the Murcia-Don Salvador Benedicto municipality border. A golf and country club is situated in Barangay Blumentritt.
