Murcia, officially the Municipality of Murcia, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 88,868 people.[3] It is 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of Bacolod.
History
Murcia was founded by an Augustinian Recollect priest named Fr. Miguel Alvarez in 1860.[5]
During World War II, the municipal hall of the town was used as a garrison by the invading Japanese. Due to resistance from Filipino guerillas, the Japanese withdrew from the municipality on April 21, 1945.[5]
Geography
Barangays
Murcia Public Plaza
Murcia is politically subdivided into 23 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Negros Occidental Eco-Tourism Highway (N69) along Murcia
Poverty incidence of Murcia
Tourism
Lake in MambukalTinabu-ay of Murcia Festival
The Mambukal Resort in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia, Negros Occidental has bats as tourist attraction. There resort has 3 species of bats – the Philippine Flying Fox (Philippine Giant Fruit Bat), the Philippine bare-backed fruit bat, and the Little Golden-mantled Flying Fox, which is already endangered. They produce a nitrogen-rich organic fertilizer called guano. Bats are included in the list of animals protected by Republic Act 9147 (Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act).[19] The provincial government-owned Mambukal Resort inaugurated its "Butterfly Garden," on December 2007. Live predators of butterflies like tarantula, wild geckos, scorpions, millipedes and centipedes were displayed.[20]
Aside from the Mambukal Mountain Resort, Murcia is also famous for its Pandanon River Resort situated in the Murcia-Don Salvador Benedicto municipality border. A golf and country club is situated in Barangay Blumentritt. The newly built Kahulihoha Herbal Garden and Serenity Park can be found in Barangay Alegria.
^"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.
^ a bCensus of Population (2020). "Region VI (Western Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
^"PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
^"Murcia: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
^Census of Population (2015). "Region VI (Western Visayas)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
^Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region VI (Western Visayas)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
^Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region VI (Western Visayas)". 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)
