Historical Background
One hundred forty eight ( 148 ) kilometers south of Calapan lies the small but promising town of Roxas. The name was taken from the late President Manuel A. Roxas in whose honor the proposal for the barrio's separation from its mother town, Mansalay, was first acknowledged.
The present town was once a small settlement along the Tikling River where early settlers and immigrants from Panay and Batangas provinces set ashore. Tikling was then a sitio of Mansalay- a barrio of Bulalacao. The place was earlier called " palasan" meaning rattan palms, which used to grow abundantly along the shore of the river. " Palasans" later became paclasan and the setllement became the site of the first government of Roxas.
Through Executive Order No. 181. President Elpidio Quirino, in a proclamation dated October 15, 1948 declared Paclasan as seperate town from Mansalay. The order, however, took effect on November 15,1948. The name paclasan was changed to Roxas and Roxas was born as a town. Andres Torrefiel, Sr. had been appointed as the first Mayor of the town.
Roxas has 20 barangays;
Bagumbayan Odiong Paclasan San Isidro
Dangay Cantil San Jose San Aquilino
San Miguel Victoria Libertad Libtong
Uyao Mabuhay Little Tanauan San Mariano
San Rafael Happy Valley Maraska San Vicente
Total Land Area: 8,526 hectares
I Population: 51, 857 (2011)
Industry: Farming and fishing continue to serves as main economic activities with trade
and commerce continuously gaining importance in its economic development.
The present town was once a small settlement along the Tikling River where early settlers and immigrants from Panay and Batangas provinces set ashore. Tikling was then a sitio of Mansalay- a barrio of Bulalacao. The place was earlier called " palasan" meaning rattan palms, which used to grow abundantly along the shore of the river. " Palasans" later became paclasan and the setllement became the site of the first government of Roxas.
Through Executive Order No. 181. President Elpidio Quirino, in a proclamation dated October 15, 1948 declared Paclasan as seperate town from Mansalay. The order, however, took effect on November 15,1948. The name paclasan was changed to Roxas and Roxas was born as a town. Andres Torrefiel, Sr. had been appointed as the first Mayor of the town.
Roxas has 20 barangays;
Bagumbayan Odiong Paclasan San Isidro
Dangay Cantil San Jose San Aquilino
San Miguel Victoria Libertad Libtong
Uyao Mabuhay Little Tanauan San Mariano
San Rafael Happy Valley Maraska San Vicente
Total Land Area: 8,526 hectares
I Population: 51, 857 (2011)
Industry: Farming and fishing continue to serves as main economic activities with trade
and commerce continuously gaining importance in its economic development.
PHYSICAL AND NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
Roxas lies on the southern part of the Province of Oriental Mindoro. It is located on geographical coordinates latitude 12-35-30.00 N and Lontitude 121-30-45.00 E. it is bounded on the north by Municipality of Bongabong on the east Tablas Srait, on the South by the Municipality of Mansalay and on the West by portions of Mansalay and Bongabong.
TOPOGRAPHY:
Majority of the land is flat. Approximately 8% is moderately rolling to steep slope. It is generally flat from the shorelines of Tablas Strait, the eastern side going westwards until the moderately sloping areas at the western tip.
The place is dissected by a network of creeks and rivers. Inundungan and Tauga River which flow on a west to east direction starting from the mountainous boundary of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro join at Barangay San Vicente forming a big river called the Baroc River. This serves as boundary between the Municipalities of Roxas and Mansalay.
SLOPE:
Roxas has slope ranging from 0-1% to 15% and above. Generally, that inlans have 0-1% to 0-3%. Undulating to rolling slopes are areas with 3-8% slope, strongly rolling and sloping areas with 8-15% slope; while strongly hilly to mountainous areas with 15% and above slope.
0-3 % slope characteristics are greatly favorable for utilization and cultivation, on the other hand, slope of 15% and above may result to severe erosion rendering the land difficult to develop and cultivate.
CLIMATE:
A relatively dry season starts from the latter part of December till the early part of february. Wet season occurs during the early part of July until August and scattered rain showers takes place during the month of September. Heavy rains usually occur in July and August.There is Moderate rain fall in March, April, May and June. The weather condition is generally fair throughout the year.
GENERAL LAND USE:
Of the total land area of the municipality, agricultural land comprises the biggest percentage of 75.56% or recovering about 6,442.3305 hectares. These are generally ricelands, coconut lands and fruit trees. Built up areas of the settlement areas with clusters of residential, commercial, institutional and functional open space account for about 4.46% or 380.7544 of the total land area. Forested or sloping areas constitute only 1.03% or 87.7051. Water bodies within or internal to the municipality is about 7.71% or 657.7993. Special areas such as open grassland, fishponds, swamps and mangroves and industrial areas account for 11.23% or 957.4107 total area.
Four (4) out of twenty (20) barangays are located along the coastal lines of Tablas Strait, a sea waterbody, hence fishing serves as the secondary economic source. Aside from sea water fishing grounds, there are also inland fishponds, swamps and backish water fishponds that provide resources for the fishing industry in the municipality.
LANGUAGE:
Tagalog is the prime language within the municipality brought from nearby province of Batangas & Quezon.Visayan dialect, however, are also spoken in some place brought in by migrants from Panay Island and other neighboring island-provinces down south. The people are also equally conversant in English.
TRANSPORTATION:
The major mode of land transporataion in the municipality is tricycle and motorcycle plying all routes including the interior barangays. Tribike or pedicabs are used with in Metro Roxas.PUJs,PUVs, multicabsbuses, trucks, private vehicles such as cars and vans augment the need for transport within and in going outside of the municaplity.
The port of Dangay, a major commercial port connecting the Province of Oriental Mindoro to the Visayas and Mindanao Islands, is located in Barangay Dangay. There are Three (3) shipping company currentaly operating in the route of Dangay Port to Caticlan Port in Aklan. There are also small passenger and cargo vessels plying the route to Odiongan and Looc Ports of Romblon.
WATER SYSTEM:
The Roxas local Water Authority (RLWA) serve a total of 374 households in barangays Bagumbayan and Paclasan, for both residential and commercial, with an average consumption of 21 cu.m. per connection per month. Cantil Waterworks Association provides level III water systemto 70HHs in barangay Cantil. San Vicente, San Rafaael, and happy Valley developed springs as the main source of water and constructed water reservoirs and tanks for distribution to end users, which is level II water systems and the rest of barangays are level I. About 97% of HH have access to potable water supply.
Roxas lies on the southern part of the Province of Oriental Mindoro. It is located on geographical coordinates latitude 12-35-30.00 N and Lontitude 121-30-45.00 E. it is bounded on the north by Municipality of Bongabong on the east Tablas Srait, on the South by the Municipality of Mansalay and on the West by portions of Mansalay and Bongabong.
TOPOGRAPHY:
Majority of the land is flat. Approximately 8% is moderately rolling to steep slope. It is generally flat from the shorelines of Tablas Strait, the eastern side going westwards until the moderately sloping areas at the western tip.
The place is dissected by a network of creeks and rivers. Inundungan and Tauga River which flow on a west to east direction starting from the mountainous boundary of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro join at Barangay San Vicente forming a big river called the Baroc River. This serves as boundary between the Municipalities of Roxas and Mansalay.
SLOPE:
Roxas has slope ranging from 0-1% to 15% and above. Generally, that inlans have 0-1% to 0-3%. Undulating to rolling slopes are areas with 3-8% slope, strongly rolling and sloping areas with 8-15% slope; while strongly hilly to mountainous areas with 15% and above slope.
0-3 % slope characteristics are greatly favorable for utilization and cultivation, on the other hand, slope of 15% and above may result to severe erosion rendering the land difficult to develop and cultivate.
CLIMATE:
A relatively dry season starts from the latter part of December till the early part of february. Wet season occurs during the early part of July until August and scattered rain showers takes place during the month of September. Heavy rains usually occur in July and August.There is Moderate rain fall in March, April, May and June. The weather condition is generally fair throughout the year.
GENERAL LAND USE:
Of the total land area of the municipality, agricultural land comprises the biggest percentage of 75.56% or recovering about 6,442.3305 hectares. These are generally ricelands, coconut lands and fruit trees. Built up areas of the settlement areas with clusters of residential, commercial, institutional and functional open space account for about 4.46% or 380.7544 of the total land area. Forested or sloping areas constitute only 1.03% or 87.7051. Water bodies within or internal to the municipality is about 7.71% or 657.7993. Special areas such as open grassland, fishponds, swamps and mangroves and industrial areas account for 11.23% or 957.4107 total area.
Four (4) out of twenty (20) barangays are located along the coastal lines of Tablas Strait, a sea waterbody, hence fishing serves as the secondary economic source. Aside from sea water fishing grounds, there are also inland fishponds, swamps and backish water fishponds that provide resources for the fishing industry in the municipality.
LANGUAGE:
Tagalog is the prime language within the municipality brought from nearby province of Batangas & Quezon.Visayan dialect, however, are also spoken in some place brought in by migrants from Panay Island and other neighboring island-provinces down south. The people are also equally conversant in English.
TRANSPORTATION:
The major mode of land transporataion in the municipality is tricycle and motorcycle plying all routes including the interior barangays. Tribike or pedicabs are used with in Metro Roxas.PUJs,PUVs, multicabsbuses, trucks, private vehicles such as cars and vans augment the need for transport within and in going outside of the municaplity.
The port of Dangay, a major commercial port connecting the Province of Oriental Mindoro to the Visayas and Mindanao Islands, is located in Barangay Dangay. There are Three (3) shipping company currentaly operating in the route of Dangay Port to Caticlan Port in Aklan. There are also small passenger and cargo vessels plying the route to Odiongan and Looc Ports of Romblon.
WATER SYSTEM:
The Roxas local Water Authority (RLWA) serve a total of 374 households in barangays Bagumbayan and Paclasan, for both residential and commercial, with an average consumption of 21 cu.m. per connection per month. Cantil Waterworks Association provides level III water systemto 70HHs in barangay Cantil. San Vicente, San Rafaael, and happy Valley developed springs as the main source of water and constructed water reservoirs and tanks for distribution to end users, which is level II water systems and the rest of barangays are level I. About 97% of HH have access to potable water supply.