2016-2022 Comprehensive Development Plan Sta.

Magdalena, Sorsogon

CHAPTER 1MUNICIPAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE

1. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

This little coastal town off the tip of Luzon is a paradise in itself, boasting of long stretches of white
sand beaches. The original name of Sta. Magdalena was Busaingan. The term implies Water
Breakers or the place where sea water smash.

It is presumed that the earliest settlers must have been Datu Dumaguils tribe. The history of its
adjacent municipality of Matnog mentions that a few families led by Sirangan, the chief and his wife
Hara-hara, who supposedly came from this place, then known Busaingan, had settled in Matnog.
Some local sources on the other hand, claimed the earliest settlers originated from Bulusan. It may
be inferred therefore, that Bulusan must have been settled by civilized Malays earlier than Sta.
Magdalena or Matnog. These early settlers inhabited the slope of what is known as Binongtohan.
Binongtohan is a local term which means former town site. The place was part of Bulusan where the
first Spanish explorers and missionaries during the latter part of the 16th century made contact with
the natives who were converted to Christianity.

The natives embraced the faith brought by the Spanish missionaries who had special devotion to St.
Francis of Assisi. This blessed saint was chosen by the people as their patron saint. In his honor, they
constructed a chapel on top of the hill which was later transferred to a plain below. For more than a
century they celebrated October 4 as their patronal feast day.

The barrio of Busaingan was organized under the town of Bulusan when Matnog became independent
from its mother parish of Sto. Nino de Matnog. The newly organized parish installed for its patron
head, San Francis de Asis. On November 1894, Busaingan became an independent pueblo civil, first
under the Province of Albay, then after a few days with the newly organized Province of Sorsogon.
Isidro Gallanosa was the 1st Gobernadorcillo.

When the Poblacion was transferred to the present site during the early part of the 20th century, the
parishioners decided to have St. Mary Magdalene as their patroness and likewise changed the name
of the town from Busaingan to Santa Magdalena, and the feast day had also been changed from
October 4 to July 22.

2. NATURAL FEATURES

A. STA. MAGDALENA TERRITORY

The territorial jurisdiction of the Municipality of Sta. Magdalena is comprised of some 4706.443
hectares of land mass. The local government unit is politically subdivided into 14 barangays, dispersed
geographically in the lowlands of Poblacion (4 barangays) and upland (10 barangays). It has 13 coastal
barangays and 1 inland barangay (La Esperanza).

B. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
Sta. Magdalena is strategically located at the southernmost tip of Luzon Island. It is situated on the
east side of the province of Sorsogon along 12.64 degrees longitude and 124.10 degrees latitude. The
municipality is bounded from the east by the San Bernardino Strait, from the north by the town of
Bulusan, from the west by the town of Irosin and from the south by the town of Matnog.

The town is 72 kilometers away from the capital of Sorsogon City and is accessible by land or sea.

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2016-2022 Comprehensive Development Plan Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon

Figure 1. Geographical location of Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon

C. LAND AREA AND CLASSIFICATION

Sta. Magdalena has a land area of 4,706 hectares or approximately 47 square kilometres. About 97%
of the municipalitys total land area is classified as agricultural and 72% of which are planted with
coconuts while the rest are devoted to other crops like abaca, palay, root crops and woodland.

Table 1: Land Area per Barangay and Use

Barangay Area(hectares) Land Use Classification Area(hectares)

La Esperanza 546.6667 Abaca 762.0391
Peafrancia 364.008 Coconut 3467.6374
Barangay Poblacion I 7.8374 Rice 311.6233
Barangay Poblacion II 2.3659 Nipa 31.2981
Barangay Poblacion III 4.4203 Total Agriculture Area 4572.5979
Barangay Poblacion IV 16.5489 Residential Area 25.28127
Salvacion 945.5704 Forest Area/Timberland 108.56383
San Antonio 373.4254 TOTALAREA 4706.4436
San Bartolome 911.7839
San Eugenio 256.1672
San Isidro 404.9858
San Rafael 463.4383
San Roque 247.0121
San Sebastian 162.2133
TOTAL AREA 4706.4436

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2016-2022 Comprehensive Development Plan Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon

Figure 2: General Land Use Map

Figure 3: Urban Land Use Map

Figure 4: Road Network

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2016-2022 Comprehensive Development Plan Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon

Table 2. Transportation Routes

Shown in the table and figure above are the transportation routes in the municipality. From the
Maharlika Highway, the 8.82 kilometers Pawa - Sta. Magdalena Road is almost concreted with
remaining one kilometer dilapidated asphalt road. The road from the crossing in Penafrancia going to
the center of barangay San Sebastian is already concreted with almost one kilometer gravel road to
the boundary in Barangay Sta. Isabel, Matnog.

The road to Talaonga consists of 50% (5.119 out of 10) concreted and 50% (4.881 out of 10 km) gravel
road. The 1.5 kilometer road from San Roque to Salvacion is concreted. The municipal roads or
Poblacion streets are all concreted. There are still 4.435 km gravel roads and 15.436 earth roads that
need to be improved.

D. CLIMATE
The province of Sorsogon, of which Sta.
Magdalena is a municipality, belongs to type 2
climate characterized by a short dry season in the
months of April to August and a pronounced
rainfall from September to January. Generally,
maximum rainfall occurs during the month of
November reaching 112 mm while the minimum
rainfall is on the month of May with about 6 mm
of rainfall.

As a coastal municipality, the climate is cool and

invigorating which varies according to the
elevation of the place. The plains along the
seashores have alternating land and sea breeze.
Figure 5. Climate Map
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2016-2022 Comprehensive Development Plan Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon

E. TOPOGRAPHY
The land formation of Sta. Magdalena is generally rugged and mountainous especially in the central
and western portion where the peek reaches as high as 1100 feet above sea level. From the central
and higher parts the elevation
gradually drops. Plains with an
average of 10 feet above sea level
can be found adjacent to the
coastal settlements notably in the
Poblacion.

A big river coming from the

hinterlands in the western
boundary of the municipality flows
out to the sea immediately south of
the built-up area of San Bartolome.
Waterfalls can be found in the
Barangays of Peafrancia, San
Isidro and Salvation.

Figure 6. Topographic Map

F. GEOLOGY
The earth layer of the town is composed of sedimentary (recent) and igneous rocks (upper Miocene-
Pleistocene). The sedimentary rocks are described as Fluviatile Alluvium, consisting of heterogeneous
assemblage of angular to rounded, gravel to pebble size with occasional boulders, fragments of older
rocks, loosely embedded in a sandy to clay matrix in flood plains, swampy and coastal areas and along
the rivers. Thalwegs, coral and shell debris abundant in coastal plains and beach ridges.

Igneous rocks in Sta. Magdalena is of Bulusan pyroclastic type which is thick, extensive whitish buff,
acid to intermediate pyroclastic consisting of heterogeneous unsorted assemblage of pumice, ashes,
lapilli, volcanic glass and other volcanic objects. Another igneous rock formation is of quarterly
volcanic types. These were formed by extensive lava flows and minor agglomerate made up by
hypersthene andesite and basaltic andesite. Lead can also be found in unspecified quantity in the
municipality based from the Bureau of Mines, Region V records.

Figure 6. Geologic Map

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2016-2022 Comprehensive Development Plan Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon

G. SOILS
Sta. Magdalena has four types of soil based from the records of the Bureau of Soils and Water
Management.
1. The first soil type is the Sorsogon clay loam. It is found in level and nearly level slopes (0%-
3%) which are located on the east side of the municipality. It is currently used for agriculture
with such vegetation as lowland rice, corn, abaca and root crops covering an area of 2,800
hectares.
2. The second type of soil is the fine clay loam covering an approximate area of 900 hectares and
is found in rolling to strongly hilly slopes (4%-up). These are located in the west, north, south
and central part of the municipality. These areas include forest lands, pastures and multi-
layered plants.
3. The third type of soil is the hydrosol which can be found in swamps and marshes only.
4. The last type of soil of the town is the beach sand situated along the seashore and adjacent
areas.

Figure 7. Soil Map

H. SLOPE
The plain that dot the municipality on the coastal (east) side belong to the 0%-3% inclination type
(Type A). This type of slope has an approximate area of 492.2 hectares mostly planted with rice. Other
land use within this slope include: swamps and built-up areas (urban and rural). Areas with slopes of
3.1%-8% have an approximate area of 1,146.3 hectares. These slightly rolling areas are usually planted
to coconut crops and fruit trees. Areas with 8%-18% slopes have about 2,362.2 hectares.

Slopes of 18% and higher inclination, referred to as very mountainous/rugged in terms of terrain,
cover approximately 350.3 hectares. Forest reserves and watershed areas are usually found in this
slope classification. Majority of the slopes can be described as sloping to hilly. This is suitable to
coconut production and consequently considered as agricultural area.

Figure 8. Slope Map

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2016-2022 Comprehensive Development Plan Sta. Magdalena, Sorsogon

I. HYDROLOGY
Generally, there are two classifications of water sources, ground water and surface water. In the
municipality of Sta. Magdalena, available sources of surface waters are from rivers which vary from
small capacity streams to bigger drainage branches with most of them are originating from the
uplands and discharging into the San Bernardino Strait or Busaingan Bay after meandering through
the plain.

There are three perennial rivers in the Municipality, the Winaclean River, Cawayan River and Nava
River. They are the current sources of water supply for the irrigation of the major rice plains in the
town. Each has sufficient flow which could meet the future water demand of the town. Other rivers
and streams are listed in the table below.

The Oroc Spring in Barangay San Antonio is the source of the water system of the town. It is located
about 6 kilometers West of Poblacion. There are many springs in the different barangays which
serve as sources of drinking water.

Table 3. Hydrologic Data

Physical Features Location Physical Features Location
Rivers: Beaches
Manangkas River La Esperanza Liang Beach Peafrancia
Busing River Peafrancia Villa Veronica Beach Peafrancia
Winaclean River San Antonio Bigo Beach Peafrancia
Cawayan River SanIsidro Olango Beach San Rafael
Dongyan River San Bartolome Alig-igan Beach San Eugenio
Nava River San Bartolome Talaonga Beach San Bartolome
Sagpan River San Eugenio
Lapinig River Salvacion
BAY
Balusingan Bay Peafrancia

J. DEVELOPMENT CONSTRAINTS
Sta. Magdalena is predominantly a hilly to mountainous area. Such topography may be a major factor
to its poor development considering its inaccessibility to agricultural production. The hilly nature of
the terrain increases the erosion susceptibility of the area particularly when vegetation is inadequate
and farming systems are not appropriate. Presently, surface run-off and siltation occur in the area.

K. LAND CAPABILITY AND SOIL SUITABILITY

As an agricultural municipality, the people of Sta. Magdalena are dependent on the soil and its
capability to handle a sustained agricultural production. Recently, farmers experienced poor harvest
due to repeated use of the land. A strong dependency on fertilizers and chemicals has added to the
high cost of production.

Most areas are rolling and moderately sloping which are suitable for permanent trees and root crops.
On these areas, the concept of crop diversification is highly promising to enhance land capability and
increase income of farmers. Higher slope classification with loam type of soil offers opportunity for
timber production and watershed development. It must be stressed that to optimize land capability
of these areas, the full support of the government in the infrastructure and price support are
concerned and the NGO for community development.

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3. DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFORMATION

A. POPULATION
Based from the 2015 Population Census, the municipality of Sta. Magdalena has a total population of
16,848. San Bartolome registered the greatest number of population constituting approximately 18%
of the total municipal population. The least populated barangay is La Esperanza with about 2.82% of
the total population. The estimated total number of households in the municipality is 3,370 based on
the 5 members per household assumption.

Table 4. Population

Barangay 1990 1995 2007 2010 2015

La Esperanza 424 474 452 473 475
Peafrancia 613 644 718 825 781
Barangay Poblacion I 906 1067 1095 1095 1,139
Barangay Poblacion II 597 659 597 553 584
Barangay Poblacion III 857 1000 855 907 792
Barangay Poblacion IV 943 1095 1110 1222 1,151
Salvacion 1061 1070 1516 1413 1,527
San Antonio 807 906 1206 1412 1,474
San Bartolome (Talaongan) 2198 2663 2623 2970 3,037
San Eugenio 637 717 869 931 961
San Isidro 1057 1114 1408 1481 1,557
San Rafael 832 858 1077 1253 1,204
San Roque 755 891 1078 1097 1,249
San Sebastian 583 742 821 888 917
TOTAL 12270 13900 15425 16520 16,848

The male population of the municipality slightly outnumbers the female by 3.5%, or 51% of the total
population. Approximately 52% of the total population belongs to the working age group (15 to 64
years old bracket) while 48% falls within the dependent age group (0-14 and 65 years old and over).
The computed age-dependency ratio is 1:1.06 which means that for every 100 members of the
working population, there are 94 dependent populations. The population is considerably young with
the 5-9 age groups posting the highest number of population. With a population of 15,425 and a land
area of 4706.4436 hectares, the municipality has a population density of 3.28 persons per hectare.
*2007 NSO Census

The urban portion of the municipality is composed of the four barangays in Poblacion: Barangay 1 to
4. The rest of the barangays are considered rural. At present the urban population comprise 22.5% of
the total municipal population. Population density in the urban areas is 115 persons per hectare.
Almost 97% of the population speaks Bicol. With its proximity to the Visayas, about .28% and 41% of
the population talks Bisaya and Waray respectively. Tagalog-speaking inhabitants comprise about
0.71% of the population.

Table 4. Population Projection - Ten Years

POPULATION PROJECTION, AAGR 1.67, NSO 2010

Barangays 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
La Esperanza 497 505 513 522 531 540 549 558 567 576
Peafrancia 867 881 896 911 926 941 957 973 989 1006
Poblacion I 1151 1170 1190 1210 1230 1251 1272 1293 1315 1337
Poblacion II 581 591 601 611 621 631 642 653 664 675

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Poblacion III 953 969 985 1001 1018 1035 1052 1070 1088 1106
Poblacion IV 1284 1305 1327 1349 1372 1395 1418 1442 1466 1490
Salvacion 1485 1510 1535 1561 1587 1614 1641 1668 1696 1724
San Antonio 1484 1509 1534 1560 1586 1612 1639 1666 1694 1722
San Bartolome 3121 3173 3226 3280 3335 3391 3448 3506 3565 3625
San Eugenio 978 994 1011 1028 1045 1062 1080 1098 1116 1135
San Isidro 1556 1582 1608 1635 1662 1690 1718 1747 1776 1806
San Rafael 1317 1339 1361 1384 1407 1430 1454 1478 1503 1528
San Roque 1153 1172 1192 1212 1232 1253 1274 1295 1317 1339
San Sebastian 933 949 965 981 997 1014 1031 1048 1066 1084
TOTAL 17362 17652 17947 18247 18552 18862 19177 19497 19823 20154

B. RELIGION AND EDUCATION

Catholicism remains predominant in Sta. Magdalena with less than 4% belonging to other Christian
sects. The basic education in the municipality is provided by the ten public elementary schools and
two public national high schools. There are no tertiary schools or vocational schools in the
municipality. Average literacy rate in the municipality is 94%.

C. LABOR FORCE AND EMPLOYMENT

Agriculture remains to be the major source of employment in Sta. Magdalena with about 66% of its
labor force is classified as farmers and fishermen. Professionals and government employees account
for 8.54% of the labor force. People engaged in business are mere 2.35%. The rest of the labor forces
are either laborers, carpenters, or other skilled workers.

D. HEALTH
The Rural Health Unit provides the medical and health care needs of the population in four Barangay
Health Stations (BHS) and a Municipal Health Center. The services rendered by the RHU and BHS
includes maternal and child health care, immunization, treatment of simple medical conditions,
nutrition, family planning, sanitary health care, emergency treatment and health education.

E. SOCIAL WELFARE
Social welfare services are an important component of Sta. Magdalenas long term objective. It is
critical considering the poor socio-economic situation in the municipality which calls for more
accessible and efficient social welfare services to the disadvantaged people.

The current social welfare programs in the municipality include: Self Employment Assistance, Family
Welfare Program, Women Welfare Program, Child Development, Youth Development, Emergency
Assistance, and Program for the Disabled and Elderly, 4PS and Food for Work.

F. HOUSING
Most houses in the municipality are made of light materials, such as Nipa or anahaw roofing and
wooden bamboo walling. Houses in the urban barangays of the municipality are mostly made of
galvanized iron or tile roofs and concrete walls.

G. PROTECTIVE SERVICES
Enforcing national, local and natural laws and the maintenance of peace and order in the municipality
falls under the jurisdiction of the local PNP. At present, the local PNP consist of 21 police officers, with
a police-civilian ratio of 1:756.

Considering the standard ratio of 1:1000 as recommended by NAPOLCOM, the number of police
officers in the area is within the accepted ratio. Because of terrain and distances of barangays, the
police may not be adequate to provide public safety. Barangay Tanods are trained to provide
additional manpower in the maintenance of peace and order.
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H. SPORTS AND RECREATION

Sports and recreation facilities in the municipality includes billiard halls, baseball/softball ground,
volleyball and basketball courts as well as several beach resorts and scenic spots. Barangays are
provided with multipurpose pavements and auditorium which are being utilized as hard-surface
playground for outdoor sports activities and for community gatherings and socialization especially
during fiesta celebrations.

4. ECONOMIC SECTOR

A. AGRICULTURE
About 97% or 4572.5979 hectares of the municipalitys land area is classified as agricultural. 74% or
3647.6374 hectares is planted to coconut, abaca (16%), rice (7%) and the rest are devoted to fruit
trees and root crops. Pili were observed to be the major fruit tree in the area. Livestock and poultry
production is largely in the backyard level. Swine is the major livestock and native chickens are the
primary poultry species raised by the residents of the area. Fishery products are mainly crustaceans
such as crabs, lobsters, and others. These products are sold to local assemblers and traders and are
directly shipped to Sorsogon and Metro Manila.

B. TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Commercial activities in the municipality consist mostly of retail businesses that supply the
consumption needs of the town population. As of 2010, there are a total of 105 registered business
establishments operating in the area. There are 67 retailers, 30 service establishments including
eateries and beauty shops, 5 copra traders, 1 bank and a number of beach resorts. Largely these
businesses operate in the Poblacion particularly in the public market.

C. TOURISM
One of the major comparable advantages of Sta. Magdalena is the abundance of natural tourist
destinations aside from its historical value as an old time Spanish frontier town.

The town has a long list of potential local and international tourist destinations. At present, these
areas have limited accessibility because of poor road networks and communication systems.
Furthermore, these tourist destinations lack the basic amenities for tourists.

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