Anda, Island of the morning sun
Anda or Cabarruyan Island consists of 18 barangays with total land area of 8,379 hectares (1995). Approximately 50% of the population depend on agriculture, 35% on fishing and 15% on other sources on income. Land area devoted to agriculture is 4,956 hectares, of which 3,800 hectares are rice lands (only 200 hectares are irrigated); 3,827 hectares are marginal lands and fishponds; and 596 hectares are forestlands.
The municipal waters are endowed with coral reefs second to that of the adjacent town of Bolinao in area and biodiversity. Marine productivity, however is declining due to overfishing, dynamite and other harmful methods of fishing, as well as pollution emanating from increasing number of commercial fishpens. Aside from seafood, Anda is a major producer of mango, salt and buri products.
Anda is connected to the mainland by a concrete bridge over Caquiputan channel to the west which was finished only in 1995. The town is approximately 75 kms from Lingayen, the provincial capital.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
The municipality of Anda is the only island town in Pangasinan. It is located at 16 18’ North and 119 57’ East; and lies at the western portion of the Lingayen Gulf. In the Western side of the island town, just across the Caquipotan Channel is the municipality of Bolinao.
In the Southeast is the municipality of Alaminos, and in the Southwest is the municipality of Bani; the Northern portion lays the China Sea and in the east is the Lingayen Gulf. Anda is approximately 91 kilometrs away from Dagupan City, the business hub of Central Luzon and about kilometers away from Lingayen, which is the Capital of Pangasinan. Two main routes can reach the two. One is by passing through Anda Bridge at Garrita, Mal-ong, Anda, and other means is by a forty five minutes to one hour motorboat ride from Lucap, Alaminos to Poblacion Wharf some few hundred meters south of Poblacion, It has a total area of about 8,379 ha. And is composed of 18 barangays including the Poblacion and the island barangay North of the mainland. In aerial view, the terrain of the town is generally rolling.
Hills are found on the west and some patches of plains in the east. The entire edge characterized by irregular coast with few cliffs. The town’s elevation ranges from then to thirty feet above sea level. Slope is 0-2 %. The island and its islets are composed of undifferentiated metamorphic rocks and limestone. Sta. Rita River is the only river system in the municipality. The river has estimated length of for (4) kilometers and an average width of 45 meters. It traverses from barangay Sablig to barangay San Jose. It is a river estuary used as a discharge and an irrigation area of approximately 316.00 hectares of brackish water fishpond. Agricultural Districts · All land uses that are classified as built-up areas; fishponds and agro-forest are classified as agricultural areas. All open grassland and idle lands subject to cultivation for agricultural purposes are classified as agricultural areas.
There are different soil types found in Anda: clay-loam Bolinao type, clay-loam Bani type and hydrosol type. Small islands surrounding the town consist of undifferentiated metamorphic rocks and limestones. The Bolinao type clay-loam comprises about two-thirds (2/3) of the town’s total area. This type of soil is found in the western portion of the towns in barangays Awile, Malo-ng, Poblacion, Roxas, San Jose, Macandocandong, Sablig, Carot, Awag, Dolaoan, Namagbagan and Toritori and in the western portion of barangays Cabungan, Imbo, Tondol, Sablig, Macaleeng and Batiarao. Hydrosol type soil in the northwest section of barangays Siapar, Awag and in the eastern section of Carot. The Bani type clay-loam is found in the eastern side of barangays Batiarao, Sablig, Macaleeng, Cabungan, Tondol and Imbo. According to the Bureau of Soils, soil in the upland and rolling in Brgy. Awile, Macandocandong, Roxas, Sablig, Awag, Tondol, Macaleeng and San Jose are too steep and shallow for cultivation hence these are best suited for grazing and forestry. This is especially true for the Bani and Bolinao type clay-loam. Only the lowland scattered between the hills and mounds are good for agriculture, thus, rice is generally grown in limited areas only.
Climate in Anda has two main seasons: wet and dry. The wet season is during the months of May until October and dry season throughout the rest of the year. The wettest months are from July to December, while the driest months are from December to March. A month of less than fifty millimeters of rainfall is considered a dry month especially if it comes after three or more dry months. Based on the data given by PAGASA, Dagupan City in 1997 the average annual temperature of the Anda is 27.5 C. The warmest months are from April to July with an average temperature of 29.9 C. The coolest months from December to February with an average temperature of 26.34 C. Monthly rainfall in the locality is 170.3 millimeters. August has an average of twenty-five rainy days, July has twenty-two, September has twenty-one and June has fifteen days.
Reference:
www.anda.gov.ph
