Malay/mɑːˈlaɪ/, officially the Municipality of Malay (Aklanon: Banwa it Malay; Hiligaynon: Banwa sang Malay; Tagalog: Bayan ng Malay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. It is the richest municipality in the province in terms of revenue. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 60,077 people, making it the second most populous municipality in Aklan.[3] It is the northernmost town on the island of Panay and the youngest amongst all municipalities in Aklan province. The resort island of Boracay is part of the municipality.
History
The municipality of Malay was created on June 15, 1949, through Republic Act No. 381 and the help of Claro Tumaob, out of various portions of the municipality of Buruanga, then part of Capiz. It included the following barangays: Malay (poblacion, seat of local government), Dumlog, Cabulihan, Balusbos, Nabaoy, Cubay Norte, Cubay Sur, Cogon, Argao, Sambiray, Caticlan, Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, Yapak, Motag, Napaan, and Naasog.[5] On April 25, 1956, Malay became part of the newly-created province of Aklan, along with several other towns of Capiz.[6]
It was hit severely by typhoon Seniang on December 9–10, 2006, with much destruction and damage of homes and infrastructure.
In 2010, a resolution created an ad hoc committee and technical working group to conduct initial study and evaluation for the proposed cityhood of the municipality of Malay, Aklan.[7]
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 66.01 square kilometres (25.49 sq mi)[10] constituting 3.62% of the 1,821.42-square-kilometre- (703.25 sq mi) total area of Aklan.
Because of its robust tourism industry, the municipality is now considered as having the strongest economy in all the municipalities in the Region and the richest municipality of Aklan in terms of income and annual budget.[25] The tourism industry of Boracay became the catalyst of its economic growth that brought many investors to come and helped transform the municipality into a cosmopolitan area.
Banks
As of 2016[update], there are ten (10) banks in the municipality of Malay operated by six (6) commercial banking corporations.
Malay has one airport, officially named Godofredo P. Ramos Airport but more popularly known as Caticlan Airport. Only small aircraft were allowed to land on the 950-metre (3,120 ft) runway. The runway was extended to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) in 2016, allowing bigger aircraft like the Airbus A320 to land at the airport.[26]