The name Mahayag was derived from a native Subanen dialect which means “Boyed Mahayag”, a term that insinuates for fertile alps and mountainous expanse due to the profusion of pristine forest, hedging plants, vegetation, and animals living in a natural undomesticated state. Subanens, who lived along river banks, were the first settlers of Mahayag; they have refined the breadth of land and crafted it into an economic state of livelihood, enriching the primeval vegetation they envisioned of culturing for their succeeding generations. At this spot, they pitched camp and claim the land to hone it and further develop their own small civilization.
Christians inhabited the plains of Mahayag to seek for greener pastures and to pursue more productive land to cultivate sometime in the late 1930’s. Subanens then retreated to the uphill lands in search for plain land for farming. The opportunity for a new-fangled life was found at last, and subsequently it was of essence that such prospect be pursued to the end. Mahayag expanded into a prosperous community owing to the perseverance and persistence of purpose of the first settlers.
Consequently, Mahayag was formally imprinted out from the Municipalities of Molave and Dumingag on March 9, 1960 through the virtue of Executive Order No. 393 that was issued by the former President of the republic of the Philippines, his exellency Carlos P. Garcia. The new municipality was urbanized and merged to be one of the novel emergent communities in the entire province of Zamboanga del Sur.
At the present time, Mahayag is constitutionally subdivided into 29 Barangays. One of which is Barangay San Vicente.
The Municipality we're in.
Municipality of Mahayag is a third class municipality geographically situated in the political boundaries of Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte. Its latitude measurement is 8° 6’ 52.8” to 8° 20’15” East, and its longitude measurement is 123° 21’ 52.8” NS to 123° 27’ 49.2” NS. It is bounded by the Municipalities of Molave, Zamboanga del Sur and Sergio Osmeña, Zamboanga del Norte on the north; by the Municipality of Molave on the east; by the Municipalities of Ramon Magsaysay and Sominot on the south; and by the Municipalities of Sominot and Dumingag on the west. The town proper is situated about 45 kilometers from provincial capital, Pagadian City, and around 57 kilometers from Ozamis City.
Mahayag has a total of 146.811 km road of which 16.35% are national, 15.02% are provincial, 5.78% are municipal and 62.85% are barangay. The national road, particularly the Molave-dipolog route, traverse barangays San Isidro, Lourmah, Poblacion, San Vicente, Delusom and Panagaan has a total length of 51.513 km. are concrete pavements.
MAHAYAG.
According to the preliminary National Statistics Office (NSO) 2007, the total population count of the Municipality of Mahayag is 44, 087, revealing a mere 5.08% of the province’s total population. An increase by 1,625 persons over the year 2000 figure of 42,462 represented only an increase of 3.82% over and above registering an annual growth rate of 0.54% in the span of 7 years (from 2000-2007). Moreover, it is expected that by the year 2013 that the total population would reach 45,781 persons if the average annual growth rate remains equal.
