The municipality of Bato, like Buhi town, is home to a lake teeming with various kinds of fishes. Sinarapan, the world's smallest commercially harvested fish, occupies the waters of Lake Bato. Also present, the lake abounds with tilapia housed in fish cages.
Bato is 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Pili and 476 kilometres (296 mi) from Manila.
Historyedit
This town was formerly called as "Kaliligno" or "Caliligno" named by the natives that settled along the river area.
This small village later was elevated into a status of a town under the decree of Spanish Superior Government on February 15, 1753. Years back, a parish was already existing which was also made under the same decree. This parish adopted "The Most Holy Trinity" as its patron saint. Its feast day is celebrated every Sunday after the Pentecost. The Bato is also known for its best noodles called Pansit Bato.
Geographyedit
Barangaysedit
Bato is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
In the 2020 census, the population of Bato, Camarines Sur, was 52,155 people,[3] with a density of 490 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,300 inhabitants per square mile.
Only about 58.27% of the household population is considered as literate.
Mother tongue of the majority is Riŋkonāda also known as Bikol Rinconada, one of the languages of Bicol region. The population speaks a different form of Rinconada Bikol called Bato variant, a lowland dialect (sinaranəw). Natives are also conversant with Coastal Bikol, Filipino/Tagalog and English languages.
Religionedit
Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion, followed by the Iglesia ni Cristo as the largest minority.
Other religious denominations include Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; United Churches of Christ in the Philippines Seventh Day Adventist; Bible Baptist; Born Again; Jehovah's Witnesses; Protestants; Aglipay and Islam.
Majority of employment is within agriculture, fishery, poultry and construction industry groups.[17]
Commerce and industry
96 commercial establishments engaged in retail trade
46 commercial establishments engaged in services
1 commercial establishment engaged in real estate - MTBK Co.
1 engaged in banking and finance
31 industrial establishments
2 Hotels - Casa de Piedra and MTBK Hotel
Natural resources include clams, pearls, local shrimps, tabios, and tilapia, particularly within Lake Bato; forest products such as anahaw leaves and local bamboo; non-metallic mineral resources such as white clay among others.
Agriculture Sector
78.087 square kilometers of Agricultural Lands devoted to crop production
Rice, corn, coconut, root crops, vegetables, and fruit-bearing trees.
Numerous farm and poultry products found
Local governmentedit
The list of the incumbent and former officials of the Municipality of Bato is the following:[18]
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2023)
Paulino Calleja (1860)
Tourismedit
Cotmon Falls
Arbin Beach Resort
Lake Bato
Most Holy Trinity Parish Church
Infrastructureedit
Healthedit
Municipal Health Center and Barangay Health Stations total bed capacity: Eight (8) beds
Health personnel numbers only about seventeen (17)
Securityedit
Facilities for police protection include Police Station Headquarters near the Municipal Hall in the Poblacion, Police Substation in Barangay Tres Reyes, Police Outpost in Barangay San Miguel. The bureau of Fire Protection of Bato has about eleven (11) firemen personnel.
Transportationedit
19.550 kilometres (12.148 mi) of National Roads
45.650 kilometres (28.366 mi) of Provincial Road
7.206 kilometres (4.478 mi) of municipal roads
38.683 kilometres (24.037 mi) of Barangays Roads
six (6) bridges
235 privately owned vehicles
public utility vehicles and government vehicles
Utilitiesedit
Water supply is provided on 3 levels:
Level I: wells, springs, or water peddlers common in rural barangays and households
Level II: communal faucet system
Level III: Bato Water District provides Level III Water Supply Service generally within the poblacion only
Power and electricity:
Camarines Sur Electric Cooperative (CASURECO) which provides retails electrical supply to the municipality and maintains a substation
Domestic Consumptions
95.18% with total average consumption rate of 35,595.40 KWH/month Industrial and Commercial Consumption have only about 0.48% connections
Public buildings, streetlights and other account for the remaining 1.72% number of consumption
Communication facilities include telephone/cellular services, postal services, telegraph services, cable television services, and print and broadcast media services.
^"2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
^ abcCensus of Population (2020). "Region V (Bicol Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
^"PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
^
"Bato, Camarines Sur: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". World Weather Online. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
^Census of Population (2015). "Region V (Bicol Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
^Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region V (Bicol Region)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
^Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region V (Bicol Region)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)