Basilan Island is the main landmass that forms the Province of Basilan in the southern waters of the Philippines. The main island has an area of 1,265.5 square kilometers with a coastline stretching 169.8 kilometers.
As an island province, its total territorial coverage reaches approximately 1,327.2 square kilometers. The administrative territory not only encompasses the main island landmass but also oversees dozens of offshore islands scattered in the surrounding waters.
An Autonomous Territorial Governance
Administratively, the Province of Basilan is under the jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The provincial government is led by a governor, while the regional authority of Bangsamoro is led by a Chief Minister. The provincial seat of government is located in Lamitan City, which has served as the capital of Basilan since 2017.
The administrative map of the Province of Basilan divides the main landmass into nine municipalities, namely Lantawan, Maluso, Sumisip, Ungkaya Pukan, Al-Barka, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, Akbar, and Hadji Mohammad Ajul.
The territorial coverage of the Province of Basilan is not limited to the mainland alone, but also extends to the offshore island clusters in the surrounding waters. In the western waters, there is the Pilas Islands group, whose governance is consolidated under the municipality of Hadji Muhtamad.
The southern waters harbor a cluster of satellite islands that includes the Bubuan and Tapiantana islands. The southern island groups are organized under the administrative jurisdiction of the municipality of Tabuan-Lasa. The geographical position of the islands lies along open water routes connecting maritime traffic toward the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi archipelagos.
Isabela City, an Administrative Status Outside Autonomy
In the northern coastal region of the Basilan mainland, Isabela City is situated between the municipalities of Lantawan and Lamitan. The region holds a different jurisdictional position compared to most other areas on the island.
Although located on the mainland of Basilan Island, Isabela City is not part of the Bangsamoro autonomous region. The governance and regional coordination of the area fall under the administration of Region IX, or the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Isabela City originally served as the seat of government and capital of the Province of Basilan from 1975 until 2017. When the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was expanded through a plebiscite in August 2001, the majority of the population in the Province of Basilan chose to join the autonomous region.
However, the residents of Isabela City chose not to join the autonomous region. Such conditions kept the administrative status of Isabela City separate from the surrounding municipalities.
The provincial government subsequently moved its official seat of government to Lamitan City in 2017. When the ARMM transformed into the BARMM in 2019, Isabela City remained outside the autonomous region and maintained its position under the administration of the Zamboanga Peninsula. Meanwhile, Lamitan City still assumed the function of the provincial capital of Basilan Province.
Demographic Conditions of the Basilan Region
Demographically, the population of the Province of Basilan was recorded at 541,947 based on the 2024 census, while the population of Isabela City stood at approximately 151,297 in the same year.
The population composition in Basilan Province is divided among three main ethnolinguistic groups living side by side. The Yakan people are the native indigenous inhabitants of the island. The majority of the Yakan and the Tausug community adhere to Islam, while the Chavacano group predominantly practices Christianity.
In daily social interactions across different groups, the Chavacano language serves as the lingua franca used in community life. Aside from the official national languages of Filipino and English, the Tausug and Cebuano languages are also widely spoken by the public. Meanwhile, the Yakan language continues to be preserved and spoken as a native tongue by the indigenous community.
