Lantapan, officially the Municipality of Lantapan (Bukid and Higaonon: Banuwa ta Lantapan; ; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,974 people.
Lantapan is known as the “vegetable basket” of Mindanao.
It used to be a barrio of Malaybalay until its creation, by virtue of Republic Act No. 4787 enacted on June 18, 1968, as a separate municipality.
Geography
The town is on a plateau in the heart of Bukidnon, situated between the Kalatungan and Kitanglad Mountain Ranges, after which its native name of "lantapan" was derived which means "level-on-top".
Lantapan is bounded on the north by the municipalities of Sumilao and Impasugong; east by Malaybalay City; south by Valencia City; and west by Talakag. It lies above sea level at an average of and a maximum of of the Kitanglad range.
It has an aggregate area of 318.2 km2, mostly agriculture and forest lands. It has six river channels and 40 creeks and springs traversing across different points in the landscape. Lantapan is strategically located between two cities of Bukidnon, Malaybalay and Valencia. It can be reached via Aglayan crossing, which is a potential convergent zone of four cities: Iligan, Butuan, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.
Barangays
Lantapan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
Flora and fauna
Lantapan's virgin forests are home to a diverse variety of flora and fauna. There are orchids, berries, pitcher plants, lichens, and a host of other wild flowers. A number of mammal species also thrive in the dense forests, including squirrels, monkeys, bats, flying lemurs, deer, tarsiers and wild pigs among others. The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) along with other bird species such as the serpent eagle and sparrow hawk takes its home within the Mt. Kitanglad Range.
Climate
The climatic condition of Lantapan is relatively cool and humid for Philippine standards with winds blowing at a northward direction. The temperature around noon tends to be 5-7 °C cooler than nearby coastal areas to the north. November to April is relatively dry and May brings the start of the rains which continue 'til October. Mountains of neighboring towns in the north protect it from cyclone storms.
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Lantapan was 65,974 people, with a density of .
Originally, the Talaandig were the main inhabitants of Lantapan. Then, migrants from the Visayas and northern Luzon started to settle in the area, even during the Spanish colonial period. More inflow took place after the Second World War. This stream of settlers eventually led to the varied mix of ethnic groups in Lantapan. Visayan is the predominant language, followed by Binukid. 2010 Census showed Lantapan's population have reached 55,934 with the Poblacion as the most populated barangay. Its population growth rate between 1980 and 1990 of 4.18% was well above the national rate of 2.3 percent.
The Tala’andig (one of the 7 tribes of Bukidnon) Ancestral Territory is native to Barangay Songco, where the tribal ways and customary law is tried to be revived and preserved. A school for living tradition was built as an avenue for elders to teach the young the traditional Tala’andig way of life, including its history, rituals, music, arts, embroidery, dance, and literature. Other activities involved earth paintings (painting utilizing soil as a medium), singing and dancing to traditional music, and making musical instruments and indigenous accessories among others.
Economy
Agriculture
Lantapan has agri-based economy. Farming has remained a dominant economic activity among the Lantapanons. The major crops grown are corn, coffee, cabbage and potatoes, sugarcane and other high valued crops and bananas also becoming an important commercial crop.
Lantapan is also home to two banana plantations: the Mount Kitanglad Agri-Ventures Inc. (MKAVI) and the Dole Banana Plantation with thousands of hectares of lands in the highland-barangays of the town planted with export quality bananas. The plantations started their operation in 1998 with thousand of residents of the municipality employed.
Commerce
There are 428 commercial establishments registered at the Licensing Division of the municipality, 15 of which are classified under agro-industrial, manufacturing and servicing. Trading activities include wholesale buying of corn, coffee and vegetables by traders from within Lantapan, neighboring towns in Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro.