Estancia, Iloilo

Estancia (ɛsˈtanʃa), officially the Municipality of Estancia, (Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Estancia, Tagalog: Bayan ng Estancia), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 48,546 people.[3]

Estancia
Municipality
Municipality of Estancia
Seal
Etymology: its name came from the Spanish word "estancia" (ranch) because it was a part of the wide ranch of Don Felipe Aguilar.
Motto(s):  " Kusog Uswag Estancia "
Map of Iloilo with Estancia highlighted
Estancia Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 11°27′N 123°09′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas (Region VI)
Province	Iloilo
District	5th district of Iloilo
Barangays	25 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Melina D. Requinto
• Vice Mayor	Mary Lynn N. Mosqueda
• Congressman	Raul C. Tupas
• Electorate	32,895 voters (2019)
Area  [2]
• Total	29.38 km2 (11.34 sq mi)
Elevation	17.9 m (58.7 ft)
Population  (2015 census)[3]
• Total	48,546
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
• Households	11,102
Economy
• Income class	2nd municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	23.98% (2015)[4]
• Revenue (₱)	112,382,701.15 (2016)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	5017
PSGC	063019000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)33
Climate type	tropical climate
Native languages	Hiligaynon Capiznon Tagalog
Website	www.estancia.gov.ph

Estancia is located in the northern part of the province and is 131 kilometres (81 mi) from the provincial capital, Iloilo City, and 66 kilometres (41 mi) from Roxas City.

Estancia was originally a ranch for a wealthy Spaniard named Rodrigo who married a local woman. Estancia is not known for its agricultural products nor livestock but rather for its location as it is adjacent to Carles' impressive marine resources. Estancia has a fishport and a pier - these being one of the most developed in northern visayas, a banking industry, cable television, a hospital (adjacent only, that belongs to the Municipality of Balasan) and resorts.

Estancia is known around the country as a center for commercial fishing, so much so that it shares to carries the name Alaska of the Philippines . The name “Alaska of the Philippines” reflects back early 1900 up to pre World War II when major commercial fishing activities was within Carles fishing ground ( facing Estancia Town ) and small portion of Estancia water territory, with bountiful catches, running out place to process and preserve their catch ended up rotting by the beaches. Commercial fishing boats from Bantayan Cebu, Province of Capiz, Samar, Leyte, Masbate and Negros came to Carles to fish (The true Alaska of the Philippines). As a testament to its location adjacent to Carles' bountiful marine resources. The reason for this is that Carles lies in the Visayan Sea triangle, an imaginary triangle extending from the provinces of Iloilo, Negros, Cebu, Samar, and Masbate. This triangle is a part of the "Sulu-Sulaweisi Triangle" of the Sulu Sea and neighboring Indonesia where a large concentration of marine organisms coupled with climate conditions support a massive marine ecosystem. Various commercial species are harvested along Carles' waters, namely mackerel, barracuda, sardines, shad, pompano, grouper, squid, cuttlefish, shrimp, prawns, shells, seaweed and others, these all are catches from Carles' water territory and brought to fishports of Estancia and Bancal.

The method predominantly used are purse seining, trawling and gill netting as these are suited for the relatively shallow waters (up to 60 fathoms) of the Visayan Sea.

However, as of recent years, pollution, heavy overfishing, and irresponsible fishing practices have slowly diminished the once abundant fish stocks of Estancia, and now problems like diminishing catches and unpredictable weather are beginning to surface. These factors have raised awareness in the government as well as the private sector and currently an artificial reef is off the shore of Brgy Paon in an attempt to provide juvenile fish with shelter in hopes of restocking these once populous waters. For now, Estancia is experiencing influx of investments as Gaisano Grand put up their first mall in the 5th District of Iloilo, also Prince Hypermart and some mall like CityMall shows interests to come in. Estancia as " Investor's Haven in Northern Iloilo " aspires to become a City in the near future.