Sablayan, Philippines
Sablayan is a town of 91,406 people in Mimaropa, Philippines, founded in 1906.
Why visit Sablayan
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 9 places to eat, 9 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Old Church of Sablayan historical marker.
Weather in Sablayan
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Sablayan
Sablayan (Tagalog pronunciation: [sɐ'blajan]), officially the Municipality of Sablayan (Tagalog: Bayan ng Sablayan), is a municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 91,406 people.
From the Wikipedia article Sablayan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Museums and landmarks4
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Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Restaurants and cafes9
Mang Jo Chicken
Fast food · Chicken · 1.6 km
P. Urieta Street, Sablayan
Mo-Su 08:00-19:00
History
The town used to be called Dongon, a coastal village located currently at Barangay San Nicolas. The first accounts of the baptism of the locals under the Recollects were recorded in 1670. By 1749, Dongon became the biggest pueblo in the whole island of Mindoro in terms of population.
In 1754, the Moro pirates started attacking the town, and almost every year thereafter, until in 1791 when the Moros effectively wiped out the whole population from more than 600 inhabitants to less than 98 people.
In 1814, the inhabitants of Dongon gradually transferred to the village of Sablayan, until Dongon ceased to become a village in 1829. In 1832, the missionary friar Simeon Mendoza de la V. de Ibernalo requested the Spanish government for the exemption of the town's inhabitants from paying taxes so that they could build a stone church, convent and fort at a hilly part of the village. The church that stands today at the town may have been built from 1832 to 1835, and its advocacy was placed under San Sebastian.
In 2026, the town was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.
From the History section of Sablayan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay9
Churches and places of worship9
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries39
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sablayan
School · 2.3 km
Salvo Street
Healthcare5
Map of Sablayan
92 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Mamburao Airport (MBO) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 45 km away.
- Tuban 7 km east, about 7 min by car
- Batasan 8 km south, about 8 min by car
- Barahan 20 km north, about 20 min by car
- Ligaya 24 km southeast, about 24 min by car
- Mamburao 47 km northwest, about 47 min by car
- San Jose 63 km southeast, about 1 h by car
- Victoria 67 km northeast, about 1 h by car
- Bansud 75 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Calapan 78 km northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Pinamalayan 79 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ligaya sablayan occidental mindoro, Winelfred Pasamba, CC BY 3.0
- Parola, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, Pjilippines - panoramio, Allan Siquioco, CC BY 3.0
- Lumang Simbahan ng Sablayan (1), National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Public domain
- Our friend from Pandan Island near Apo Reef, Wiki.mjmasangkay, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Klara Of Pandan Island, Kris Mikael Krister, CC BY 3.0
- ISS055-E-67983 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-67984 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-67980 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS055-E-67979 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center, Public domain
Page built November 7, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.