New Bataan, officially the Municipality of New Bataan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Davao de Oro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 51,466 people.

History

The municipality was founded on 18 June 1968, through Republic Act No. 4756. With then First Lady Luz Banzon Magsaysay who helped in the approval of the town site reservation in now Barangay Cabinuangan, the municipality got its name in honor to her who came and got prominence in Bataan, where also Tagalog settlers in the area came from during Commonwealth and post-World War II periods. The municipality was one of the hardest-hit towns of Typhoon Pablo when it hit the town on 4 December 2012.

Geography

New Bataan has a total land area of 55315 ha and is situated north and west of Davao Oriental province; south of Municipality of Compostela and west of Municipality of Maragusan. It is surrounded by mountain ranges, with over 50% of its territory being forest cover that has been the source of livelihood for some people living there. The barangays of New Bataan that are mostly covered with forest are Andap, Tandawan, Camanlangan, Manurigao. Manurigao is the most remote among the barangay because of the absence of a better road and transportation. The municipality is also watered by various rivers. One of which is the Mayo River that flows from the mountain of Andap and empties into the Agusan River. The Batoto river is also one of the biggest, it flows from the western part of the area. The northwestern portion of the municipality forms part on the contiguous plain of Compostela valley. It is about 16 km from Compostela, 40 km from the provincial capital Nabunturan, and 75 km from Tagum.

Barangays

New Bataan is politically divided into 16 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Climate

Land classification

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of New Bataan was 51,466 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Economy

Transportation

Road network (within the LGU territory):

Culture

The town's festivals include Araw Celebration, held annually on 18 June; Founder's Day, held every 10 August; Sal’lupongan Festival, held every 13 June. Its patron saint is Saint Anthony of Padua.