Nabas, Aklan

Accounts about the earliest community of Nabas are uncertain but the initial documentation for the town's existence was recorded in 1845. Facing the Sibuyan Sea, the town started as a small coastal village referred to as Barrio Alimbo which extends to the hills and mountains to the west. This small community occupies the floodplains of Alimbo River where the village derived its name. Fishing and farming is the primary source of livelihood, even today except for the hunting which was common on that time because of the abundances of wild pig, monkey and deer in the area.

Before, the town was part of the municipality of Ibajay under the jurisdiction of Capiz Province. Ibajay's municipal boundary was so vast but with poor road system.

The developing populaces whose tongue and customs diverge from those of the eastern community build awareness amongst people of the west. The invasion of migrants from the nearby province of Antique continued that further emphasized the difference in dialect and culture to some extent. In 1853, their notion of a separate municipality for better living and independence serves as the foundation for taking apart of Alimbo in concert with its adjoining barrios of Nagustan, Panaytayon (Toledo), Gibon, Namao (Rizal), Kabangrosan (Union), and Pakilawa (Unidos) ceased to be a barrio to form a new municipality inevitably. The municipality was formed in 1854 and named Navas, after Governor Nava of the province of Capiz who came to inspect the area before its creation.

The Cartilla System, an early teaching methods that dominantly use the letter "b" than "v" caused the variable spelling of "Navas" and "Nabas". In 1906, the Municipal Council in a resolution approved by unanimous vote adopted the name Nabas as the official name.

Nabas is a coastal town located east of the town of Malay at the north-west tip of Panay Island called Northwest Panay Peninsula. It bounded on the north by Sibuyan Sea; on the south by Pandan, Antique; east by Ibajay; and west by Malay. It is 43 kilometres (27 mi) from Kalibo, the provincial capital.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 96.82 square kilometres (37.38 sq mi) [2] constituting 5.32% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometre- (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.

Nabas holds the record of fastest growing population in the whole province of Aklan covering a period of five years from 2011–2015.

In the 2015 census, Nabas had a population of 36,435 [3] , the sixth most populous municipality in Aklan. The population density was 380 inhabitants per square kilometre (980/sq mi).

Nabas, a 4th class municipality, is noted for its hat and mat industry made of indigenous bariw leaves which abound on the hillsides and plain lowlands of the town. It is likewise a farming and fishing community with its vast lowlands and elongated strips of shoreline. While the cost of marine commodity has soared due to the proximity of Nabas to Boracay Island, the fishermen remained impoverished.

Signs of gradual progress can be seen in its urban center but mainly the income inflows can be felt in the families with relatives working abroad. Some Nabasnons have likewise turned businessmen because of the tourism industry ignited by Boracay Island.

The town serves as a satellite area for the expansion of tourism from the traditional town of Malay to expand and stretch developments to Nabas. The expansion of the Caticlan International Airport in Malay overlapped into the jurisdiction of Nabas.

One of the most imposing presence in Nabas is PetroWind Energy Inc. 36-megawatt wind farm in Pawa. An array of gigantic wind turbines lined-up along a mountain ridge aimed to spur tourism and add livelihood in the area.

The Nabas Bariw Festival is celebrated to commemorate the feast day of Saint Isidore the Farmer, the town's patron saint. It is celebrated annually from May 12 to 15. This celebration showcases the town's hat, mat and other bariw products as well as the town's unique tourism sites and natural attractions.

During this affair, various skills in mat, hat and bag making and designing are demonstrated. Among the events is a contest to produce the biggest hat and mat contest. The festival is highlighted by continuous street dancing by folks from the town's 20 barangays dressed in colorful bariw costumes accompanied by indigenous bamboo instruments.

The festival is intended to promote the town's cottage industry, which is a thriving livelihood activity in Nabas. It also promotes the town's well preserved cold spring resorts, lagoons, long winding coastline, rivers, and low elevation intact forest, home to various endemic flora and fauna.

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  Union seascape
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  Gibon seascape

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nabas, Aklan.

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Official website
• ABS-CBN Choose Philippines travelogue on Nabas