San Miguel, officially the Municipality of San Miguel, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 15,680 people.^[3]

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San Miguel
Municipality
Municipality of San Miguel
Flag
Map of Catanduanes with San Miguel highlighted
OpenStreetMap
San Miguel Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 13°38′28″N 124°18′03″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Bicol Region
Province	Catanduanes
District	Lone district
Founded	August 23, 1952
Barangays	24 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Francisco T. Camano Jr.
• Vice Mayor	Noel S. Morales
• Representative	Hector S. Sanchez
• Municipal Council	Members Manuel T. Sumulat Miguel M. Sacris Antonio I. Tuazon Susan B. Bernal Antonio T. Torrenueva Romel T. Tapel Delia B. Soriao Nestor G. Teves
• Electorate	11,870 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	129.94 km2 (50.17 sq mi)
Elevation	231 m (758 ft)
Highest elevation	692 m (2,270 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	15,680
• Density	120/km2 (310/sq mi)
• Households	3,415
Economy
• Income class	5th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	26.74 % (2018)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 93.94 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 94.81 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 78.76 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 23.9 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative (FICELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	4802
PSGC	052009000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)52
Native languages	Tagalog
Website	www.sanmiguel-catanduanes.gov.ph

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It is located at the mid-south part of the province of Catanduanes, the only inland municipality of the island. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Caramoran, on the east by the municipality of Baras and Gigmoto, on the west by the municipality of Virac and on the south by the municipality of Bato. San Miguel is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Virac.

San Miguel, which was formerly part of the Municipality of Bato, was first inhabited by the early mountaineers and the part of the Malayan race that were pushed to the open valley with the coming of the Spanish Colonizers.

There are myths and fables about how the town got its name. According to a pioneer, San Miguel was once a sitio originally known as "Aguas" named after fish species bigger than the "Balanak". In the 1930s during the celebration of the feast in honor of Santa Cruz, the former patron saint, Aguas was changed to San Miguel in grateful recognition and commendation to the invaluable services of Don Miguel Triumfante and Juez de Cnado of Bato who were present then during the celebration.

There was also a legend handed down to the present generation that once upon a time the chapel caretaker in the person of Marcelo Tapanan, in one early morning heard a long and loud ringing of bells. He hurried to the chapel and was surprised to see the image of Saint Michael the Archangel in the altar. The story passed on every ear of the residents and finally made a common move of changing the name of the place from Aguas to San Miguel.

San Miguel became a separate municipality through then President Elpidio Quirino's Executive Order No. 803 dated August 23, 1952, comprising twelve barangays at that time. The first town mayor was Torribio Taopa who was chosen through a plebiscite in 1952 until the first local elections in 1953, which he won.

The present mayor is SP Francisco Camano Jr.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2020 census, the population of San Miguel, Catanduanes, was 15,680 people,^[3] with a density of 120 inhabitants per square kilometre or 310 inhabitants per square mile.

• San Miguel River Park - is the largest fresh-water stream in the entire Catanduanes island, stretching from the middle of the island all the way to the south. It's best explored while on an inflatable tube or a kayak for a refreshing ride. The jump off station is located at Bgy. Kilikilihan, San Miguel.
• Solong Falls - is a waterfall that is surrounded by trees. Located in Brgy. Solong, San Miguel.
• Bontahiya Falls - is another waterfall in San Miguel.