Sibalom is one of the three (3) interior towns of the Province of Antique. It is ten (10) kilometers away from San Jose, the provincial capital and 107 kilometers away from Iloilo City, the regional center.

            Sibalom has a total land area of  26,642 hectares of which 83% is considered rolling and mountainous and the remaining comprise the lowland areas. It is the biggest municipality in the province in terms  of the number of barangays  with 76 barangays.

There are four districts in the poblacion which has more than 1,000 population per district.  Six rural barangays aside from those in the poblacion have also more than 1,000 population. As of 2000, Sibalom has a population of 49,970 with a growth rate of 1.56% per  year.

The average income of the municipality for the last three (3) years is P29,510,457.29. These are derived from economic enterprises (public market, livestock and slaughterhouse), real property tax  and internal revenue allotment. Income and expenditures for the last four years is indicated below:

YEAR                           INCOME                                   EXPENDITURES

1997                             24,000,289.43                            23,915,440.02

1998                             24,340.409.59                            25,280,198.72

1999                             29,981,658.84                            27,033,247.01

2000                             34,209,303.44                            29,231,493.00

            Basically, Sibalom is an agricultural community. The main source of income of its inhabitants is derived from agriculture. Total palay production exceeds the cereal requirement of the populace. The lowland plains of which 2,617 hectares are irrigated by  the Sibalom-San Jose irrigation system accounts for such surplus. However, rootcrops and vegetables are not sufficient which is attributed to the poor conditions of the roads and distances of the barangays to the market.

            The upland barangays of Sibalom are ideal for poultry and livestock production. The municipality has the busiest livestock auction market in the province and has a class “A” accredited municipal slaughterhouse.

            Listed below are the major sources of income of the municipality as of 2000:

SOURCES                                                                    INCOME

1. Real Property Taxes                                                  P 924,563.89

2. Taxes on Goods and Services                                    P 599,719.39

3. Other Taxes                                                              P 491,449.70

4. Internal Revenue Allotment                                         P 29,144,270.00            

5. Operating & Services Income                                     P 432,459.99

6. Government Business Operation                                P 2,363,377.75

7. Miscellaneous                                                          P 253,462.72

In the field of education,  the municipality has 38 complete elementary schools, 10 primary schools, 5 national high schools, 1 private elementary school, and one tertiary college, the Polytechnic State College of Antique, the lone state college in the province. The private elementary school is managed by the Assumption sisters. The public schools, considering their area of coverage is divided into two (2) districts, the Sibalom South and Sibalom North districts.

            The health needs of the inhabitants is served by the 25-bed capacity Ramon Maza Sr. Memorial District Hospital in the Poblacion and managed by the following personnel:

            4- physicians

            7- nurses

            2- midwives

1-     dentist

1-     dental aide

2-     nursing aides

3-     institutional workers

1-     medical technician

2-     pharmacist

The municipality has also a Rural Health Unit manned by the Municipal Health Officer, one rural nurse and 13 midwives. These barangays health stations are located  in the barangays of Poblacion II, Egaña, Bontol, Pis-anan, Igsuming, San Juan, Nagdayao, Cabladan, Luyang, Nazareth, Esperanza I, Villar and Lacaron.

Sibalom is relatively a peaceful municipality. The peace and order condition is being maintained by a 20-men force  members of the Philippine National Police. There are also seven (7) personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penalogy. It also maintains one (1) firetruck manned by nine (9) members of the Bureau of Fire Protection. The bureau is also responsible to respond in case of fire in five (5) other municipalities in the province.

The lone natural park in the island of Panay is also found in this municipality. The Sibalom’s Tipuluan-Mao-it Watershed Forest Reserve, by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 282 last April 23, 2000, and pursuant to  R.A 7586,  was declared as such by then President Joseph E. Estrada. The five thousand five hundred eleven hectares (5511 has) natural park  is home to  diverse flora and fauna, which includes the rafflesia, known to be the biggest flower in the world and the  spotted deer.