Malay /mɑːˈlaɪ/, officially the Municipality of Malay (Aklanon: Banwa it Malay; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Malay; Tagalog: Bayan ng Malay), is a municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 64,723 people, making it the second most populous municipality in Aklan.[5]
The municipality is notable for encompassing Boracay island, a major resort destination in the Philippines. Malay is the richest municipality in terms of revenue, and considered the youngest amongst all municipalities in Aklan province. It is the northernmost town on the island of Panay.
The municipality of Malay was created on June 15, 1949, through Republic Act No. 381 and the help of Claro Tumaob, out of various portions of the municipality of Buruanga, then part of Capiz. It included the following barangays: Malay (poblacion, seat of local government), Dumlog, Cabulihan, Balusbos, Nabaoy, Cubay Norte, Cubay Sur, Cogon, Argao, Sambiray, Caticlan, Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, Yapak, Motag, Napaan, and Naasog.[6] On April 25, 1956, Malay became part of the newly created province of Aklan, along with several other towns of Capiz.[7]
It was hit severely by typhoon Seniang on December 9–10, 2006, with much destruction and damage of homes and infrastructure.
Malay is located at 11°53′59″N 121°54′34″E / 11.8997°N 121.9094°E. It is 72 kilometers (45 mi) west of the provincial capital Kalibo, 230 kilometers (140 mi) from Iloilo City, 158 kilometres (98 mi) from Roxas City, and 168 kilometers (104 mi) from San Jose de Buenavista.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 66.01 square kilometers (25.49 sq mi) [8] constituting 3.62% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometer (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.
| Climate data for Malay | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28 (82) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
27 (81) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
28 (82) |
29 (85) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23 (73) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (76) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 102 (4.0) |
27 (1.1) |
30 (1.2) |
129 (5.1) |
120 (4.7) |
237 (9.3) |
189 (7.4) |
186 (7.3) |
126 (5.0) |
231 (9.1) |
162 (6.4) |
90 (3.5) |
1,629 (64.1) |
| Average rainy days | 14 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 203 |
| Source: World Weather Online[9] | |||||||||||||
Malay is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.[10] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
There are 3 barangays (Balabag, Manoc-Manoc, and Yapak) of which situated within Boracay Island, while the rest are in mainland Malay.
| PSGC | Barangay | Population | ±% p.a. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024[11] | 2010[12] | |||||
| 060412001 | Argao | 1.9% | 1,213 | 1,078 | 0.82% | |
| 060412002 | Balabag | 19.0% | 12,296 | 11,076 | 0.73% | |
| 060412003 | Balusbus | 2.0% | 1,310 | 1,079 | 1.35% | |
| 060412004 | Cabulihan | 1.2% | 772 | 575 | 2.06% | |
| 060412005 | Caticlan | 12.4% | 7,996 | 6,593 | 1.35% | |
| 060412006 | Cogon | 1.0% | 647 | 544 | 1.21% | |
| 060412007 | Cubay Norte | 0.6% | 365 | 327 | 0.76% | |
| 060412008 | Cubay Sur | 2.2% | 1,423 | 1,153 | 1.47% | |
| 060412009 | Dumlog | 1.3% | 863 | 768 | 0.81% | |
| 060412010 | Manocmanoc | 22.9% | 14,810 | 12,526 | 1.17% | |
| 060412017 | Motag | 1.4% | 903 | 818 | 0.69% | |
| 060412011 | Naasog | 0.9% | 557 | 547 | 0.13% | |
| 060412012 | Nabaoy | 1.9% | 1,220 | 1,025 | 1.21% | |
| 060412013 | Napaan | 1.2% | 751 | 649 | 1.02% | |
| 060412014 | Poblacion | 2.0% | 1,304 | 1,255 | 0.27% | |
| 060412015 | Sambiray | 2.1% | 1,382 | 1,031 | 2.05% | |
| 060412016 | Yapak | 8.0% | 5,161 | 4,767 | 0.55% | |
| Total | 64,723 | 45,811 | 2.42% | |||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6,816 | — |
| 1970 | 7,623 | +1.12% |
| 1975 | 8,770 | +2.85% |
| 1980 | 9,120 | +0.79% |
| 1990 | 14,378 | +4.66% |
| 1995 | 19,406 | +5.78% |
| 2000 | 24,519 | +5.14% |
| 2007 | 32,110 | +3.79% |
| 2010 | 45,811 | +13.81% |
| 2015 | 52,973 | +2.81% |
| 2020 | 60,077 | +2.68% |
| 2024 | 64,723 | +1.80% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][12][15][16] | ||
In the 2020 census, Malay had a population of 60,077.[17] The population density was 910 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,400/sq mi).
Aklanon is the predominant language of Malay. Kinaray-a is also used due to Malay’s proximity to Antique. Hiligaynon is also widely spoken and understood in the municipality. Tagalog and English are also used particularly in Caticlan and Boracay to communicate with local and foreign tourists alike.
Poverty incidence of Malay
10
20
30
40
50
2000
32.27 2003
40.21 2006
27.60 2009
24.75 2012
12.10 2015
17.27 2018
13.39 2021
16.39 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] |
Because of its robust tourism industry, the municipality is now considered as having the strongest economy in all the municipalities in the region and the richest municipality of Aklan in terms of income and annual budget.[26] The tourism industry of Boracay became the catalyst of its economic growth that brought many investors to come and helped transform the municipality into a cosmopolitan area.
Malay has one airport, officially named Godofredo P. Ramos Airport but more popularly known as Caticlan Airport. Only small aircraft were allowed to land on the 950-meter (3,120 ft) runway. The runway was extended to 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) in 2016, allowing bigger aircraft like the Airbus A320 to land at the airport.[27]
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The Caticlan Jetty Port, one of the ports along the Strong Republic Nautical Highway, serves as a gateway to Boracay island, Roxas, Oriental Mindoro, and Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro The Tabon port is not used a lot but it is used if its not summer.
Malay uses the electrics Sikad in Boracay island.
Malay is also using the hop on hop off shuttle service in boracay island
Malay is being served by 2 hospitals both of which are owned by the government.
Places adjacent to Malay, Aklan | |
|---|---|
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