Aurora was discovered sometime in 1927 by sixteen Cebuano pioneers, although it wasn’t officially created until August 22, 1942, under Executive Order No. 353. The town got its name from the first lady of the late President Manuel L. Quezon, Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon.
Since the town was established during wartime, there is little information about the first set of officials that ran the municipality after its inception. Whatever information was on hand, however, point to an American mestizo by the name of Col. Luis Morgan as the one who established the first government of Aurora. This government was semi-military in nature and Col. Morgan appointed Anselmo Romanillos as the mayor.
After the war, in 1946, President Manuel L. Quezon appointed Alejandro Ceniza as the municipal mayor until he officially ran for the position and won in January 1948. He was succeeded by Guillerme Ontal, who held office until 1959, when Ceniza ran again and won. His running mate, Jose Lim Tecson, had to take over the position when Ceniza unexpectedly died in 1962. Ceniza’s younger brother, Antolin, decided to pick up where his brother left off and ran for candidacy in 1962, which the young doctor won. Both Tecson and Ceniza would meet numerous times in the political arena until a new face in the person of Enrique Cabahug emerged in 1988. He would later be re-elected multiple times until the present.
The municipality is reputed to be the number one producer of professionals in the province; it is said that it is rare when a family does not have at least one professional in it. With 8,329 households as of the 2000 census, this is a big claim indeed. When it comes to natural attractions, Aurora boasts of the Aurora Mountain Resort, located in Anonang, one of the municipality’s 44 barangays. The resort has two swimming pool amenities that are perfect for family outings and it affords anyone a good view of the place.
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE
| LGU Name | AURORA | Major LGU Products | COCONUT |
| Province | ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR | Major Land Use | AGRICULTURAL |
| Region | IX | Population | 48,434 |
| Income Class | 2nd class | Population Growth (%) | 1.29% |
| Number of Barangays | 44 | Number of Households | 9,263 |
| Land Area ( sq. Km.) | 180.95 |
LGU MISSION/VISION
| Date Created: | October 12, 1942 | ||
| Vision | Mission | ||
| THE MUNICIPALITY OF AURORA ENVISIONED TO BE A PEACE-LOVING, SELF-RELIANT, PROGRESSIVE, AGRO-INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL AND ECO-TOURISM WITH BALANCED ECOLOGY SUSTAINED BY GOD-CENTERED AND EMPOWERED CITIZENRY. | TO EARNESTLY CONTINUE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS, PLAN AND PROGRAMS THAT CATER TO THE BASIC NEEDS OF THE POPULACE WHICH ARE ON THE PIPELINES WHILE PURSUING PERSISTENTLY THE FUND SOURCING OF THOSE IN THE BLUEPRINT TO ATTAIN A SELF-SUFFICIENT CONSTITUENCY WITH COMFORTABLE STANDARD OF LIVING.TO MAINTAIN AND SUSTAIN A PEACEFUL CLIMATE AND VIGOROUSLY PURSUE THE BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS IN LINE WITH THE CLEAN AND GREEN PROGRAMS TO BECOME A TOURIST DESTINATION IN THE ROADMAP OF THE PROVINCE TOURISM VENTURE AND THE ENTIRE UNITED COMMUNITY ARE BUSINESS FRIENDLY. |
POLITICAL PROFILE: LIST OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
| Local Officials | Name | Term | Political Party |
| HON. ENRIQUE J. CABAHUG JR. | Mun. Mayor | 3rd Term | LP-NP |
| HON. EMMANUEL L. PALMA II | Vice mayor | 1st Term | NPC |
| HON. GALLANT ENRIQUE R. CABAHUG | SBM | 1st Term | LP-NP |
| HON. BONIFACIO J. CABAHUG | SBM | 1st Term | LP-NP |
| HON. RAUL A. CENIZA | SBM | 2nd Term | NPC |
| HON. ROSARIO C. PINTOR | SBM | 3rd Term | NPC |
| HON. ROGELIO S. TIGUE | SBM | 2nd Term | LP-NP |
| HON. RUBEN B. CODENIERA | SBM | 2nd Term | NPC |
| HON. ANASTACIO O. RONDRIQUE | SBM | 1st Term | NPC |
| HON. MARCELO P. CENIZA, JR. | SBM | 1st Term | NPC |
GOVERNANCE PROFILE: PERFORMANCE RATING / STATE OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE REPORT
| RATING | ADJECTIVAL EQUIVALENT | |
| LGPMS | 4.75 | High but not excellent |
| Fiscal Admin Performance | 3.99 | High |
| ARTA – RCS Rating | 91.48 | Excellent |
| Seal of Disaster Preparedness | 3.89 | Fair |
FINANCIAL PROFILE
| Income | Expenditure | ||
| IRA Share | 72,566,454.00 | Governance | 14,437,931.00 |
| Locally –Sourced Revenue | 25,890,835.70 | Administration | 28,690,525.00 |
| Other Revenues | 526,794 | Social Services | 9,758,623.00 |
| Total Income | 100,641,406.70 | Environmental Management | 16,853,420.00 |
| Total Expenditure | 69,740,499.00 |
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
| Name of Award | Conferred by | Date Received |
| Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran – 1st Place Regional | 2000 – 1st-3rd class | |
| Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran – Finalist-Nat’l | 2000 – 1st-3rd class | |
| Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran – Finalist-Nat’l | 2001 – 1st-3rd class | |
| Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran – Finalist-Nat’l | 2002 – 1st-3rd class |
ECONOMIC PROFILE
| Sources of Livelihood – Percentage | List Rural Banks / Savings Bank / Commercial Banks / Cooperative Banks |
| IRA – 1% | 1st Valley Bank 2. Salug Valley 3. Katipunan 4. LTMPC 5. AIMCOOP 6. GATA DAKU. |
TOURISM PROFILE
| Tourist Destinations | Restaurants |
| Anonang Mountain ResortWonderland | Louin’s Garden |
| LGU Festivals | Date |
| Badak Festival | Last Saturday of NOVEMBER |
LGU ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
| AGRICULTURAL | MINING | FISHERY | INDUSTRIAL | COMMERCIAL AND SERVICE CENTERs |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Rank the major LGU Economic Activity (1 – low, 5 – high, 0 – not applicable ) |
UTILITIES/FACILITIES
| Telephone ConnectivityMobile Phone ConnectivityCruztelcoSmart/GlobeInternet Service ProvidersElectricity ProvidersSmart BroZAMSURECO-I |
SOCIAL PROFILE
| LGU Literacy Rate: 92% Employment Rate: Poverty Incidence: M Population Growth: 1.38% |
| LGU Educational Institutions Institutions Day Care Centers/Pre School: 41 Primary School (Elementary): 44 Secondary School (High School): 9 Tertiary (College, University): 3 LGU Health Care Hospital: 0 Health Centers: 9 Birthing Clinics: 1 |
| Indigenous/Ethnic Population Subanen: 15% Muslim: 5% |
MUNICIPAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MANAGEMENT
Presence of LDRRM Plans: Y
Presence of LDRRM Office: N
Presence of Early Warning Systems: Y
Emergency Response Team: Y
Number of Evacuation Sites/Centers: 8
LGU SOCIALIZED HOUSING
| Local Housing Board Organized? (Y/N)YLHB date Organized Number of LGU Housing Project1Number of LGU Informal Settlers161 |
| PEACE AND ORDER PROFILE |
| Number of Infiltrated Barangays : NONE Number of Influenced Barangays : NONE Number of Threatened Barangays : NONE Crime Rate : 25.76% |
