Balatan

Balatan, is a fourth class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the, it has a population of people.Balatan was founded by Don Gregorio Balatan, also its first mayor and founder of the municipality's first school, the Balatan Institute Memorial High School . The current and the 6th mayor is the Hon.Ernesto "Bares" Arillas Bagasbas.Balatan celebrates the Pintakasi and Pagkamundag Festivals annually on February 18 and December 1–3 respectively. This town bounded by the municipalities of Bula, Bato, Nabua and a shoreline part of the Ragay Gulf. The town's economy is supported by people from the Burias Island of Masbate province who are mosty trading their products in this small municipality.Animasola Island is part of this municipality's territory.HistoryBalatan is not an old municipality like the other towns in the fourth district. It was once a sitio known as Siramag which belonged to the town of Nabua.In 1951, Camarines Sur Provincial Board Member Gregorio O. Balatan Sr. proposed a resolution to divide Nabua into two municipalities: Nabua and Balatan. Balatan then was separated from its mother town and became independent on December 3, 1951 under Executive Order (EO) No. 485 of then President Elpidio Quirino. It was named after the father of Board Member Balatan, Don Rufino Balatan.Seven years after its establishment as a town, the Parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was erected by Archbishop Pedro P. Santos. Balatan observes the annual Pintakasi fiesta celebration every February 16–18.