Contents

Aroroy

Aroroy
Municipality
Municipality of Aroroy
Flag
Map of Masbate with Aroroy highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Aroroy Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 12°30′45″N 123°23′56″E / 12.512483°N 123.398933°E / 12.512483; 123.398933
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region
Province	Masbate
District	2nd district
Founded	1904
Barangays	41 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Arturo B. Virtucio
• Vice Mayor	Valentin C. Alonzo
• Representative	Elisa T. Kho
• Municipal Council	Members Archimedes R. Suguitao Lito B. Briones Arturo R. Virtucio II Jovimel P. Jaquilmo Julius M. Tuason Susan D. Valera Rudy R. Rañola Vicente R. Cioco
• Electorate	54,625 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	440.30 km2 (170.00 sq mi)
Elevation	32 m (105 ft)
Highest elevation	346 m (1,135 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	88,351
• Density	200/km2 (520/sq mi)
• Households	18,792
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	29.93 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 573.5 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 1,192 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 394.1 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 217.5 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Masbate Electric Cooperative (MASELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5414
PSGC	054101000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)56
Native languages	Masbateño Tagalog
Website	www.aroroy.gov.ph

Aroroy, officially the Municipality of Aroroy, is a 1st class municipality in the provinceofMasbate, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 88,351 people.^[3] The town is known for the Kalanay Cave, one of the most important archaeological sites in Masbate province.

The town of Aroroy (Al-Oroy its former name), which came from the Spanish word for gold-"oro", was established back in 1822 upon the arrival of a Chinese expedition. The Chinese fleet was composed of seven vessels called "pancos". They entered Lanang River, which is part of Puerto Barrera, the former name of the area now covered by Aroroy. A Moro named Talcum guided this expedition. They were sent by the Chinese merchants who came to Aroroy to explore for gold coins near Lanang River.^[5]

When the present Masbate province was still part of the province of Ibalon (present-day Albay),^[6]acaptain from the Spanish Army named Gregorio Cordero of Tondo, Manila was exiled in Masbate for the killing of his superior officer. Instead of being incarcerated in the castle of San PascualinBurias Island, where political and military prisoners were imprisoned by the Captain-General of the Philippine Islands, he was brought to Masbate. Accompanied by his two daughters and a son, they established residency in the Port of Magdalena, Masbate town. He had with him four "Faluas" or Spanish vessels named – Jesus Maria Y Jose, Sacramento, Salvacion and Santa Ana for use in the vigilance against Moro pirates who preyed on the three islands of Masbate, Ticao and Burias.

When the Spaniards discovered the Chinese expedition, Cordero and about 150 men, who believed him to possess amulets (anting-anting) which made him invulnerable, sailed to Lanang River to find out the nationality of the said seven vessels which entered Lanang River. When investigated as to where they were going, the aliens answered in their Chinese manner that they were going to "Al-Oroy" meaning to the Gold or in Spanish “Al-oro”. Not satisfied with the results of the investigation with the belief that these are Moro vessels, Cordero and his men established their headquarters for over three months in the present poblacion of Aroroy, which was known as Al-Oroy taken from the Chinese reply.

Another expedition of Spaniards from Manila headed by a certain Sarmiento came to explore the gold in the river near Al-oroy in 1861. This expedition was aided by natives of Al-oroy, including Toribio Bunayag, Jose Pusing, Norberto Pusing and Protacio Fabon. The natives abandoned the expedition during the same year due to numerous attacks. This led to the death of Sarmiento and since then, the said river was called Rio Guinobatan or “River of Assaults”.

Since then the site of Al-Oroy became a "visita" or barrio of the town of Baleno but later was transferred to the town of San Agustin in the interior part of Port Barrera. In 1904, when the towns of Baleno and San Agustin were combined, the name Al-Oroy was changed to Aroroy. It was also in 1904 when Aroroy became a municipality because of its strategic location. San Agustin now a barangay of Aroroy.

Aroroy is geographically located between 12 degrees and 13 degrees Latitude and 123 degrees and 124 degrees Longitude or at the northernmost part of the province of Masbate, Bicol Region. It is bounded on the north by the Masbate Pass, to the East by the municipality of Baleno, to the West by the Sibuyan Sea and to the South by the municipalities of Milagros and Mandaon.^[7] It is 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Masbate City.

Aroroy is politically subdivided into 41 barangays. ^[8] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

In the 2020 census, the population of Aroroy was 88,351 people,^[3] with a density of 200 inhabitants per square kilometre or 520 inhabitants per square mile.

Poverty incidence of Aroroy

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System