About

Balatan is a fourth class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 28,699 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 (formerly Balatan Institute). 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.

Balatan is not an ancient municipality as compared to other towns in the fourth district. It was just a sitio known as Siramag which belonged to the town of Nabua.

In the year 1951, a member of the Provincial Board of Camarines Sur in the person of Gregorio O. Balatan Sr. proposed a resolution which indicated the division of Nabua into two municipalities: Nabua and Balatan. Balatan then was separated to its mother town and became an independent area on December 3, 1951 under Executive Order (EO) No. 485 of then President Elpidio Quirino, owing its name to the father of Board member Gregorio Balatan who was Don Rufino Balatan.

Seven years later from its establishment as a town, the Parish of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was installed by Archbishop Pedro P. Santos. Balatan observes the annual fiesta celebration every February 16–18 Pintakasi.