The terrain of the Municipality is relatively plain that along the coastal areas and hilly in some areas. Lamitan is measured to be 2.5 meters above sea level and gently sloping to 320 meters towards the hinterland. Several rivers and creeks can be found in the locality which serve as drainage grounds. The gubawan river located in poblacion is the foremost of all serving a drainage ground for the Urban Center. The Urban Center Land Plateaus out ending a narrow strip in the west. One fourth of the total land area are level lands while the rest remains hilly and valleys.
B.Climate:
The Climatological condition of the municipality is the same with that of the pronounced dry and wet season. It has a “D” type of climate wherein rainfall is more or less evenly throughout the year. Average annual rainfall reaches 188mm. The maximum monthly rainfall was recorded at 382.2 mm and the minimum is at 51 meters. The driest month recorded is February and the wettest is May. Peak months of rainfall usually occurs from May to August. Nine to nineteen days of rain each month is normal for Lamitan. Further details of the climatological data are in TABLE 2.
Table 2
CLIMATOLOGICAL LAMITAN MUNICIPALITY
MONTH
RAINFALL (MM)
NO. OF RAINY DAYS
PREVAILING WIND DIRECTION
SPEED (KPH)
January
56.5
9
NW
4
February
51.8
5
NW
4
March
93.6
11
NW
6
April
143.5
12
NW
6
May
382.2
19
NW
6
June
287.1
17
NE
6
July
352.7
18
NE
6
August
183.2
15
NE
6
September
212.9
16
NE
6
October
282.2
18
NE
6
November
208.9
16
NE
6
December
192.9
12
NE
6
Source: PAG-AS
C.Wind Direction:
In Lamitan, Northwest winds prevails from four (4) to Six (6) kilometers per hour (KPH) from January to April and North to North easterly wind from May to December at 6 KPH as recorded by PAG-ASA.
D.Typhoon/Flooding Hazard:
The island of Basilan, being outside of the typhoon belt area is never afflicted by typhoon. However, whenever, there is a heavy downfall of rains, the lower portion of the Municipal poblacion of Lamitan, Barangay Balobo and some portion of Barangay Limo-ok specifically the area along the creek considered to be the flood prone area is usually affected by flood.
E.Soils:
Land Capability/Fertility/Classification
The record shows in Department of Agriculture that Lamitan has four types of soil. These are the Hydrosol, Bancal, Clay Loam, Bulawan Clay Loam and mountain soil differentiated. These types of soil are generally deficient in Nitrogen (N). Potassium (P) and Phosphorous (K). see soil map, for a detailed presentation of the areas where the various classification types of soil are located and its fertility.
Table ________
Major Agricultural Crops by Estimated Area and Production
Lamitan Municipality
Crops
Area in Hectare
Percent (%)
Production, (MT)
1. Coconuts
13,347.745
52.46%
56,762.060
2. Rubber
3,604.000
14.16%
5,946.600
3. Corn
2,662.000
10.46%
5,324.000
4. Rice
a. Irrigated and
Non-irrigated
500.000
1.96%
1,875.000
b. Upland Rice
325.000
1.28%
400.000
5. Coffee
227.065
0.89%
615.004
6. Black Pepper
202.150
0.79%
232.470
7. Citrus
30.000
0.12%
165.140
20,897.960
82.12%
71,320.274
Source: PDS, SEP
UP, Land Grant
Province of Basilan
Basilan From Wikipedia
Basilan is an island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its capital is Isabela City and is located just off the southern coast of Zamboanga Peninsula. Basilan is the northernmost among the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago.
Basilan is seen as one of the strongholds of the Islamic separatist group, the Abu Sayyaf. This group kidnapped a group of tourists from Palawan and brought them to Basilan, including an American Christian missionary couple.
Geography
Basilan is subdivided into ten municipalities and one city. Isabela City is the only city and capital of Basilan. However, Isabela City is independent of the province and is actually part of the region of Zamboanga Peninsula. Basilan used to be part of Western Mindanao (the former name of Zamboanga Peninsula), but in a recent plebiscite the residents of Basilan opted to join ARMM, with the exception of Isabela City.
Political divisions
City/Municipality
No. of Barangays
Population (2000)
Area (km²)
Pop. density (per km²)
Akbar
9
10,581
Al-Barka
16
17,189
Hadji Mohammad Ajul
11
14,540
Isabela City[1]
45
73,032
223.73
326.4
Lamitan
45
58,709
Lantawan
35
27,487
Maluso
20
31,054
Sumisip
41
51,712
567.60
91.1
Tipo-Tipo
11
15,035
Tuburan
10
17,429
Ungkaya Pukan
12
16,060
1. ^ Administratively part of Zamboanga Peninsula region.
History
The island's early settlers were the Orang Dampuans originating from the islands of Eastern Indonesia, who were the ancestors of the Yakan. The legendary Sultan Kudarat of Maguindanao maintained a stronghold in Lamitan town until the Spaniards under the command of Governor General Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera crushed it in 1637. Jesuit missionaries arrived a few years later. In anticipation of an invasion from the Chinese pirate-warlord Koxinga, that would devastate Manila, the Spanish authorities withdrew all stations in the south of the country to augment their forces holed up in Intramuros, temporarily freeing Zamboanga and Isabela from Spanish administration in 1663.
The Spanish eventually returned, and after having established lucrative trading agreements with the native kingdoms that dotted the area, nearby Zamboanga experienced a revival in its economy. The increasingly wealthy Spanish trading post in Zamboanga became an even more sought after prize for the Muslim pirates of the era, so much so that the surrounding islands started to attract the attention of other foreign powers, and chief among these coveted islands was Basilan.
The Dutch attacked Basilan in 1747 but were repulsed by the natives, who has by then organized a minor, short-lived fiefdom under the Tausug Datu Bantilan. The French then attempted to occupy the island which they called Taguime in 1844, but they, too, failed. Soon thereafter, the Spaniards built a stone fort - Fuerte de Isabela Segunda - named after the Spanish child-queen of the time, Queen Isabela II.
When the town of Zamboanga became a chartered city in 1936, it included Basilan. On July 1, 1948, by virtue of a bill filed by then congressman Juan S. Alano, Basilan itself became a separate city. The city was converted into a province on December 27, 1973 after incessant fighting forced the hand of Filipino Dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos to issue a Presidential Decree to the effect. Initially, 10 Municipalities were created, and these were: Isabela, Lamitan, Maluso, Lantawan, Sumisip, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, Pilas, Tapiantana, and Malamawi. This was eventually reduced to seven municipalities, with the three outlying island-municipalities being merged with their nearest neighbor.
