History:

New Washington is a municipality in the province of Aklan in the Philippines,articularly famous for being the native town of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, former Archbishop of Manila. Dubbed in recent years as New Washington, The Bountiful, it is home to proactive, prolific and development-oriented people.

Established on January 15, 1904, the municipality was named after the first president of the United States, George Washington, as a tribute to the Thomasites, a group of American teachers who in the early 1900s established a new public education system in the Philippines, taught basic education, and trained Filipino teachers with English as medium of instruction. The municipality was formerly called Fonda Lagatik, which was derived from Lagatik River that stretches along some of the municipality's barangays at a length of 9.6 kilometers.

New Washington is the third most populous municipality in Aklan, holding 8% of the province's total population. According to the 2007 census, it is home to 39,656 residents. The number has increased by 16.7% since the year 2000 when the official count was 33,981.

Majority of the New Washingtonians, as the municipality's residents are sometimes called, are of Aklanon origin. Immigration, generally, is due to marriage and employment.

New Washingtonians speak in Aklanon, Hiligaynon, Filipino and English, the former being their primary medium. Aklanon, as a language, is often described as a cross between Bisaya, Hiligaynon and Karay—a making it quite complicated for local and foreign tourists to speak and comprehend. This is not seen as a problem, considering that residents can speak fluent Filipino and English.

The people of New Washington are predominantly Christians with such movements as Catholic, Protestant and Nontrinitarian scattered around the town. Religious denominations present in the municipality include Roman Catholic Church, Philippine Independent Church, Baptist churches, Iglesia ni Cristo, Seventh Day of Adventist Church, Jehovah's Witnessess and Church of the Latter Day Saints among others.

Although a considerable number is involved in fishing and farming, New Washingtonians have forayed into a diverse array of professions. The majority of them are into marine transportation, education, nursing and business. A few are involved in the fields of medicine, law, public service, etc. Small to medium-scale businesses abound in the municipality.

Barangays

New Washington is politically subdivided into 16 barangay's as follows:

Candelaria Cawayan Dumaguit Fatima Guinbaliwan Jalas Jugas Lawa-an

Mabilo Mataphao Ochando Pinamuk-an Poblacion Malogo Polo Puis Tambak

To some locals, the barangays are grouped into two, namely "eanas" and "baybay". The barangays that belong to Eanas are those involved in rice farming such as Mabilo, Puis, Jalas, Guinbaliwan, Mataphao, Candelaria, Lawa-an and Jugas. Baybay, on the other hand, covers barangays along or near the coastline, consisting of Tambac, Poblacion, Pinamuk-an, Polo, Cawayan, Ochando, Fatima and Dumaguit.

Common among municipalities in the Philippines, the seat of local government and the center of business are situated in Poblacion. It is also in that barangay, specifically at the locally iconic Municipal Auditorium and Sports Complex, where major events of the town are held.