Calagnaan Island


Calagnaan is an island in northeastern Iloilo, Philippines. It is one of fourteen islands politically administered by the municipality of Carles. The population is 890 in 208 households.

Location and geography

Calagnaan is a wooded island northeast of the Panay Island coast in the Visayan Sea. It is southeast of Binuluangan Island and separated from that island by the Nilidlaran Pass.The west coast of the island is surrounded by reefs. Calagnaan is part of barangays Manlot, Tinigban, Bito-on, Talingting and Barangoalan. The island is home to Brachymeles talinis.

History

The name Calagnaan comes from dagna or lagna, which is the Visayan word for water springs several of which can be found on the island. There are mining operations on the island, administered by the Calagnaan Agro-Industry Corporation.

Typhoon Haiyan

passed over Calagnaan, along with the rest of Panay, on November 8, 2013. The British ships and both stopped on Calagnaan as part of their broader Philippine relief effort. When HMS Daring landed in the area on 23 November, they discovered that one remote village of Calagnaan had not yet been reached and villagers had not eaten for several days. HMS Illustrious initial assessment on November 25 was that 177 houses, 60–70 boats, and the island school had been damaged. Illustrious crew began its aid mission with a helicopter-drop of a food pack and followed up with enough tarpaulin to repair 250 homes. Other organizations involved in the relief efforts on Calagnaan included Save the Children and UNICEF.