Sometime in 1929, Bato, then a forestal land with few inhabitants was a
place of gathering of people living in the hinterlands. They used a place called
“tabu”, where people from the hinterlands meet for recreation like cockfighting
(“tari”) and horse fighting. In clearing the area near the Himoga-an River where a
big rock (“bato”) was a landmark. The place was also used by the people during
“tabu”, a day set by them for marketing or bartering their products. For the few
residents of the place, this clearing also served as a place of recreation. For people
who visited the place for recreation or for economic reasons, they named the place
“Bato” because of the big rock.

Location

    
Barangay Bato is 13 kilometers away from Poblacion of Sagay City and five (5) kilometers away from Barangay Maquiling.The barangay proper is 100 meters above sea level per record of NAMRIA.It is bounded on the North by Barangay Campo Himoga-an; on the West by Himoga-an River;
on the East by Tan-ao River and on the South by Barangay Maquiling and Himoga-an River.

Area

    
Barangay Bato has an area of 819.4700 hectares. Based on the latest Comprehensive Land Use Plan
(CLUP) of Sagay City for the period of 2006 to 2015, the land area of barangay are classified as follows, to wit:

Type of Soil

    Guimbalaon Clay, La Castellana Clay Loam and Fara-on Clay Steep Phase

Climate

    Sagay City has a tropical climate with season not very pronounced, relatively dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year.

Political Boundaries:

     Barangay Bato comprises sixteen (16) puroks, namely

Population

Based on the Census Population conducted by Philippine Statistic Authority (formerly NSO) Barangay Bato has a total population, as follows, to wit;

Population Density and Size

    
Per computation as of latest Census Population the population density of Barangay Bato is 7.49 persons/hectare or 749 persons/square kilometers.

Registered Voters:

    
Barangay Bato has a total registered voters of 3,465, with twenty (20) precinct numbers as of latest survey per record of COMELEC Sagay City.

Religion

    
The population is predominantly Catholic interspersed with small groups or percentage of other sects such as Evangelical Church, Iglesia ni Cristo,
Baptist Church, Jehovah Witness and Seventh-Day Adventist.

Cultural:

    
Barangay Bato celebrates its annual fiesta in honor of their Patron Saint “Roch” every 30th day of March spearheaded by men and women of the Catholic faith.

Dialects

    
Principal dialect is Ilonggo, however, the population are able to speak Cebuano. English is still generally spoken as business language.

Labor and Employments

    
The bulk of labor force is engage in agriculture and farming with sugarcane as their prime product. During off-season, they engage in planting
of root crops,vegetables and other short-term products that could easily generate money.

    
Record showed at NEGOSYO CENTER (One Stop Shop Office ) of Sagay City Barangay Bato has a total of sixty two(62) approved business license permits as of December 2015. There are
nineteen (20) sari-sari stores retailers, six (6) sugarcane farming producers, three (3) Water
Refilling Stations retailers, three (3) Bakeries retailers/processor, two (2) Meat shop retailers,
two (2) Motor parts dealers, two (2) Chicken Joy retailers, one (1) Printing services, one (1)
Motorcyle sale/lease rental services, one (1) Feeds Supply retailer, one (1) Pharmacy/Groceries
& Canteen services, one (1) Funeral services, one (1) Gasoline/Diesel retailer, one (1) Planters
Association services, one (1) Construction Supply dealer, one (1) Multi Purpose cooperative
service, one (1) Hollow Block Making dealer, one (1) Bread & Spices Display retailer, one (1)
Carinderia services, one (1) Anti -oxidant & Soft Sugar Manufacturing processor, one (1) Frozen
Foods retailer/peddler, one (1) Internet service, one (1) Videoke services, one (1) Swine Farm
producer, one (1) Rice/feeds retailer, one (1) Sand & Gravel dealer and one (1) Fertilizer &
Agricultural Chem. Dealer.

Source: Sagay City Accounting Office

    
Barangay Bato has two (2) Elementary Schools, two (2) High Schools and one (1) College, per record of Department of Education, Division of Sagay, as of 2014, to wit;

The barangay has one (1) Health Station manned by one midwife. It has twenty seven (27) Barangay Health Workers. It has three (3) Day Care Centers for the kids and two (2) Barangay Nutrition Scholars.

Barangay has one covered court and six (6) open basketball courts scattered in some puroks for sports and recreational activities. There are also video houses and internet café’s in the barangay.

Transportation:

    
The local mode of transportation is by means of PUJ, PUB, and tricycles.

Power Supply

    
There are two sources of power supply, one from NONECO for the general populace while the other is supplied by Sagay Central, Incorporated for the majority of its personnel/workers in the compound.

Water Supply

    
Some residents get their water from Sagay Central Incorporated and some from Sagay Water District others got water from dug wells and deep wells.

Communication

    
Communications are available through mobile phones such as Globe and Smart, radio handsets and Islaphone. Newspapers are available at the store outlets from the city proper.