Matnog, officially the Municipality of Matnog (Waray Sorsogon: Bungto san Matnog;, ), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines and is the southernmost part of Luzon. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,989 people. Matnog's port is one of the busiest in the region, playing host to millions of people crossing the San Bernardino Strait to Northern Samar annually. It is the jump off point to Visayas and vice versa. It is 65 km from Sorsogon City and 646 km from Manila.

Etymology

Local elders say that the name Matnog comes from the Bicol word "matonog", which means very audible that describes the loud sound of the waves. Some attribute the name to the sound of the gong used by early chieftains to call council meetings, while others link it to the noise of the tidal rip in the San Bernardino Strait.

History

In 1785, Matnog became a barrio of Bulusan, with Juan Evangelista serving as its first head. Fifteen years later, it was designated as Puerto Civil. It later became a separate parish on November 21, 1963.

Geography

Barangays

Matnog is politically subdivided into 40 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

The native people that settled in Matnog are the Agta, Tabangon, and Cimaron Tribe.

Economy

Transportation

Transportation includes buses going to and from Metro Manila and Bulan and ferries going to and from Allen, Northern Samar. In order to spur development in the municipality, The Toll Regulatory Board declared Toll Road 5 the extension of South Luzon Expressway. A 420 km, four-lane expressway starting from the terminal point of the now under construction SLEX Toll Road 4 at Barangay Mayao in Lucena, Quezon, to Matnog, Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation announced that they will invest the project which will reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog from 9 hours to 5.5 hours.

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