Basilisa, officially the Municipality of Basilisa (Surigaonon: Lungsod nan Basilisa; Cebuano: Lungsod sa Basilisa; Tagalog: Bayan ng Basilisa), is a municipality in the province of Dinagat Islands, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 27,238 people.
The municipality was created on June 17, 1967 by virtue of Republic Act No. 4986 and named it as Rizal. On June 21, 1969, the municipality was renamed as Basilisa by virtue of Republic Act No. 5775 in honor of the late former Mayor Basilisa Meso.
The town became a part of the province of Dinagat Islands in December 2006, when the province was created from Surigao del Norte by Republic Act No. 9355. However, in February 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, as the necessary requirements for provincial land area and population were not met. The town reverted to Surigao del Norte. On October 24, 2012, however, the Supreme Court reversed its ruling from the previous year, and upheld the constitutionality of RA 9355 and the creation of Dinagat Islands as a province.
Contents
Geography
Barangays
Basilisa is politically subdivided into 27 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
Economy
Poverty incidence of Basilisa (%)
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority