Pulupandan
Pulupandan, officially the Municipality of Pulupandan, is a municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the, it has a population of people.
The town is known for their annual "Salapan Festival".
Etymology
The town's name is derived from the vernacular phrase Pulo sang Pandan, meaning the "Isle of Pandan". Pandan itself is a Malayo-Polynesian vocabulary for a plant with the scientific name Pandanus amaryllifolius.Saint Philomena is the patron saint of Pulupandan. February 15 is the feast day. The main street is named after St. Philomena, the Wonderworker.
History
The town was once a barrio of Valladolid before it became a separate municipality in 1917. It was in the beaches of Pulupandan in the early dawn of March 29, 1945 that the historical event of the landing of American liberation forces without any opposition, who together with the Filipino guerillas, drive the Japanese forces away from the island of Negros during the Battle of the Visayas.Geography
With an area of 23 square kilometers, Pulupandan is the smallest town in terms of area in Negros Occidental. It is from Bacolod.Barangays
Pulupandan is politically subdivided into 20 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.- Barangay Zone 1-A -Punong Barangay Rodolfo A. Verde
- Barangay Zone 4-A
- Barangay Zone 1
- Barangay Zone 2
- Barangay Zone 3
- Barangay Zone 4
- Barangay Zone 5
- Barangay Zone 6
- Barangay Zone 7
- Canjusa- Punong Barangay Cecilia J. Yuro
- Crossing Pulupandan
- Culo
- Mabini
- Pag-ayon
- Palaka Norte
- Palaka Sur
- Patic
- Tapong
- Ubay
- Utod
Climate
Demographics
Languages
The people in the municipality speak Hiligaynon. Tagalog and English are generally understood.Religion
Majority of the town are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church, followed secondly by the Philippine Independent Church.Economy
Politics
The current mayor of Pulupandan is Miguel C. Peña, son of its former mayor Magdaleno "Magsie" Peña who, until recently, was mayor of Moises Padilla town.Known for being a bailiwick of the Liberal Party, the town is notable for being the only municipality in Negros Occidental where Rodrigo Duterte won during the 2016 presidential election.
President Bongbong Marcos won by a landslide with a delivery vote of 89% in the 2022 Presidential election.
Transportation
Pulupandan currently has a sea port with RORO vessels traveling straight to the island province of Guimaras.Notable personalities
- Maniya Barredo - Ballet Dancer, Prima Ballerina of the Philippines
- Agustín Montilla y Orendáin - Patriarch of Montilla clan, his descendants include Gil Montilla 4th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines and Soledad Montilla Oppen-Cojuangco who has an estimated net worth of $1.15 billion and was ranked the 17th richest person in the Philippines by Forbes Magazine for 2025
- Lea Salonga - Actress, Singer, 1st Asian Actress to win a Tony Award, two time Grammy Award nominee
- Gerard Salonga - Classical Music Conductor, Composer