a Masbateño term for clearing. In the olden days, the place was heavily forested with mangrove trees. The residents decided to cut the trees and created a clearing. They built a cluster of houses and then in the course of time, Pawa community was formed. Boat building and fishing are the major industries of Pawa barangay. Tugbo Tugbo Barangay is situated some four kilometers south of Masbate City proper. The legend of the place tells that its name originated from "tigbe" a kind of wild plant which thrived abundantly in olden days. Tugbo is a fishing community, no wonder then that the Badjaos who came in droves some two years ago had chosen the shoreline of Tugbo as their dwelling place. Ubongan Dacu Ubongan, on the other hand was named after the portion of the river where residents wade especially during the rainy season when the river swells. Originally, it was "ubogan", meaning, where one wades, from the root word "ubog" or wade. Usab Usab originated from the Cebuano word "usab" which literally means "again". When the Combined American-Filipino Liberation Army came in 1945, it is said that a Cebuano farmer had crossed the street and was almost run over by a large army truck. Later, he told the people that he will not cross the street again if there is a vehicle around by saying "Dili na ako mo-usab paglakaw sa kalsada ug na-ay sakyahan nga mo-agi". The people named the place where the incident happened, "Usab". The barangay is a farming community. Demographics In the 2020 census, the population of Masbate City was 104,522 people, with a density of . The city's majority language is Masbateño, with Hiligaynon, Waray, Cebuano and Bicolano following next. Religion The city is the ecclesiastical seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Masbate with the Cathedral of Saint Anthony of Padua (Masbate Cathedral) as its church. Like most Filipinos, the vast majority of the city's residents are Roman Catholics. Economy Masbate City was recognized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry as Top 4 Awardee Nationwide in the 2013 Most Business-Friendly LGU Award (City Level 3 Category). The city is also cited as the 20th Most Competitive City among 143 cities in the Philippines. The city is the center of trading activities in the province. It serves as the intra-distributor of almost all commodities being traded to other municipalities in the entire