Oas, officially the Municipality of Oas (; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,084 people. Etymology There are two stories that purport to tell the origin of the name of Oas: a) There is a dam across the narrowest portion of a local river. This dam solely irrigates the vast fields of the place including those of the nearby town of Libon and results in a good harvest. People are wary of any cracks or leaks on the dam walls during months of heavy rains. A crier would shout nawaswas, giving the call to the people (in times of this kind of emergency) for immediate action in groups. From then on, the natives coined this name to the place and later shortened it to present form. b) Early Spanish colonizers reaching this particular section of the Bicol Peninsula asked the name of the place from the about 600 natives living there, "Como se llama este sitio?" The natives mistakenly thought the question to be "Onan kading lugar kadi, maiwas?" ("What place is this, it's very big?") in their native dialect. In response, the natives answered, "Si, señores. Labi nikading iwas. Labi nikading iwas." ("Yes, sirs, this is grand and spacious".) From then on the early Spanish colonizers adopted in their official census the existence of "a rich fertile valley with verdant fields of grain" which is the little town of Oas in Bicol. History Oas was founded during the early Spanish colonization of the Bicol Peninsula. In 1605, Father Baltazar de los Reyes converted 12 leading natives of the area to Christianity in one day, forming the foundation of the community now known as Oas. Geography Oas is located at . According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Albay. Oas is from Legazpi City and from Manila. Barangays Oas is politically subdivided into 53 barangays. Climate Demographics In the 2020 census, Oas had a population of 66,084. The population density was . Economy Government Sangguniang Bayan Vice Mayor: Renee R. Raro Members Councilor Raymond T. Raquid Henry R. Raposon Don John Menguito Gil Boy R. Redillas Leopoldo R. Zaragoza Gregorio P. Comboy Gader Rellama Jesus Boy Reario Joseph Rentosa (Liga ng Barangay President) Jessie James Lo Reario (SK PRESIDENT) Notable personalities David