Batan, Aklan

Batan is a fourth class municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, Batan has a population of 30,312 people.

History

Pre-Hispanic Period

Batan was believed to be the seat of the government of Datu Bendahara Kalantiaw III, the promulgator of the Code of Kalantiaw in 1433. The code is a collection of 17 laws used during the time of the Datu before the coming of the Spaniards.

Spanish Colonial Era

Batan is one of oldest town founded in the province Aklan. Batan was formerly an encomienda of Miguel Rodriguez in 1591. The parish in Batan was established by the Augustinians in 1601 under the patronage of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. Batan was first incorporated to Aclan or Aklan (now Kalibo) in 1603 and in 1789 it became an independent municipality. In 1903, Batan was again incorporated to the new town of New Washington and became independent again in 1931.

Independent Philippines

In 1957, the Kalantiaw National Shrine marker was erected by the Philippine Historical and Cultural Society to honor the significance of Datu Kalantiaw where it displays a copy of the “original manuscript” of the Code. It was built in this former school building near the port which houses the province's historical mementos and antiques, including the original manuscript of the code which the Spaniards obtained from an old chief and translated. In 2004 however, after years of investigation and historical findings, the National Historical Institute concluded that the Code of Kalantiaw was fake and a hoax. Remnants of the Kalantiaw National Shrine marker still remain in Batan.

Aklan

Aklan (Akean), pronunciation: [ak'ɤan] is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique province to the southwest, and Capiz province to the east. Aklan faces the Sibuyan Sea and Romblon province to the north.

History

Aklan is believed to have been settled in the 12th century by settlers from Borneo, ruled by the chieftain Datu Dinagandan which traded with its neighbouring islands. Aklan then became a part of the Kedatuan of Madja-as.

Towards the end of the 14th century, Datu Dinagandan moved the capital from what is now Batan. In 1433, Datu Kalantiaw's grandson and successor, Datu Kalantiaw III, was said by Jose Marcos to have formulated a set of laws known today as the Code of Kalantiaw. Well respected scholarly long-term Philippine resident historian William Henry Scott, proved these "laws" to be a total fabrication. In 1437, the short-lived dynasty of Datu Kalantiaw ended when Datu Kalantiaw III was killed in battle with the tribes of Datu Manduyog, the legitimate successor of Datu Dinagandan. When Datu Manduyog became the new chieftain, he moved the capital to Bakan (now known as Banga).

Aklan (disambiguation)

Aklan may refer to three things in the Philppines: