Isabela (province)

Isabela
—  Province  —
Seal
Map of the Philippines with Isabela highlighted
Coordinates: COMELEC
Country	Philippines
Region	Cagayan Valley (Region II)
Founded	May 01, 1856
Capital	Ilagan
Government
- Governor	Ma. Gracia Cielo Padaca (Liberal)
Area
- Total	12,556.8 km2 (4,848.2 sq mi)
Area rank	2nd out of 80
Population (2007)
- Total	1,275,251
- Rank	15th out of 80
- Density	101.6/km2 (263/sq mi)
- Density rank	65th out of 80
Divisions
- Independent cities	1
- Component cities	1
- Municipalities	35
- Barangays	1,018 including independent cities: 1,055
- Districts	1st to 4th districts of Isabela (shared with Santiago City)
Time zone	PHT (UTC+8)
ZIP Code
Spoken languages	Ilokano, Tagalog, Ibanag

Isabela is the second largest province of the Philippines next to Palawan. It is located in the Cagayan Valley Region in Luzon. Its capital is Ilagan and borders, clockwise from the south, Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, and Cagayan. This primarily agricultural province is the rice and corn granary of Luzon.

People and culture

According to the latest Philippine Census, Isabela is the most populated province among the five provinces in Cagayan Valley (Region II). It has a population of 1,401,495 people and comprising 45.93 percent of the 3 million people in the region. At the national level, the province contributed 1.58 percent to the total population of 88.57 million. There are 254,928 households in the province.

For all ages, the sex ratio in Isabela was about 105 with 660,627 males and 626,948 females in the 2000 Census of Population and Housing (Census 2000). There are more males than females below 50 years old.

Ilocanos are the most prominent group in Isabela. Of the total household population, 68.71 percent classified themselves as Ilocanos. The next two prominent groups(ethnic) are Ibanag (14.05 percent) and Tagalog (10.02 percent). The remaining 7.22 percent are either Gaddang, Paranan, Yogad, or are from other ethnic groups.

Economy and tourism

Isabela is a first class in terms of income classification. Agriculture, mainly rice with a relatively large corn crop, is the biggest industry in Isabela. Farming is highly mechanized as most of the agricultural lands are irrigated. With the presence of the Isabela State University, joint ventures, other foreign assisted projects, and the Magat Dam, agriculture has a high level of productivity. It is also the hub of trade, commerce, and other economic activities due to its central location in the region. The wood industry used to be a top earner for the province but due to the logging ban imposed in the Cagayan Valley Region, activities in this industry have considerably declined. However, furniture making using narra and other indigenous forest materials continues.

Some potential investments are in fisheries and tourism. Isabela has a fertile fishing ground on the Pacific Coast. The reservoir of the Magat Dam is utilized for fish cage operations, such as tilapia production for domestic markets.

Tourism is relatively a new industry being developed in the province. Support services and accommodation facilities are likewise being developed. Tourism focuses mainly in and around Santiago City and can be noted by the presence of the only McDonalds in the province.

There are 2 airports in the province - Cauayan Airport and in [cauayan].

Geography

Isabela comprises an aggregate land area of 10,665 square kilometers, representing almost 40 percent of the regional territory. It is the largest province in the island of Luzon and the second largest province in the Philippines in terms of land area.

Isabela is subdivided into 35 municipalities and 2 cities.

Cities

Municipalities

Physical

The province is divided into three physiographic areas. The eastern area, straddled by the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, is rugged and thickly forested. A substantial portion is uncharted. These unexplored hinterlands are home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, while others are government reservations. The western area is a sprawling fertile valley hemmed by the Central Cordillera. It is criss-crossed by the mighty Cagayan River, Siffu river, and Magat River. Its mountains rise to a peak of about 8,000 feet, and are home to one of the world’s largest remaining low-altitude rainforests, with numerous unknown endemic species of flora and fauna and exceptional biological diversity. The area is popularly known as the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park. Isabela has 600,000 hectares of Cagayan Valley’s 900,000 hectares of forest cover.^[2][3]

History

Queen Isabella II of Spain

Prior to 1856, there were only two provinces in the Cagayan Valley Region: Cagayan and Nueva Vizcaya. The Province of Cagayan at that time consisted of all towns from Tumauini to the north in Aparri and all other towns from Ilagan southward to Aritao comprised the Province of Nueva Vizcaya. In order to facilitate the work of the missionaries in the evangelization of the Cagayan Valley, a royal decree was issued on May 1, 1856 that created the Province of Isabela consisting of the towns of Gamu, Angadanan and Camarag (now Echague), Carig (now Santiago City) and Palanan. The new province was named in honor of Queen Isabela II of Spain.

Although the province did not play a major role in the revolt against Spain, it was in Palanan that the final pages of the Philippine Revolution were written when the American forces led by General Frederick Funston finally captured General Emilio Aguinaldo on March 23, 1901.

The first Provincial Governor of Isabela was Rafael Maramag, a former Municipal President (then a term for Municipal Mayor) of the capital town Ilagan. Rafael Maramag was also the first Municipal President of Ilagan and was succeeded by his brother Gabriel. A son of Gabriel also served as the longest Municipal Treasurer of Ilagan and also served as the Deputy Provincial Treasurer for Isabela. Isabela was ruled by the Dy family for 34 years, from 1969 to 2004. The dynasty started with the patriarch of the family, Faustino Dy, Sr. who served as the Cauayan Mayor from 1965-1969 and as a Governor of Isabela for 22 years (1969-1992). He was replaced by his son, Benjamin G. Dy in the gubernatorial seat from 1992 to 2001. Another Dy took the gubernatorial seat in 2001 when Faustino Dy Jr. won the 2001 elections after having served first as a Representative of the 2nd district of the province from 1992 to 2001. It was only in the 2004 elections that the Dys' ruling over the gubernatorial seat was taken away from the family when Grace Padaca won.

The Americans built schools and other buildings and instituted changes in the overall political system. The province’s economy, however, remained particularly agricultural with rice replacing corn and tobacco as the dominant crop. World War II stagnated the province’s economic growth but it recovered dramatically after the war. In 1942, the Japanese Imperial forces occupied Isabela. In 1945, liberation of Isabela commenced with the arrival of the Philippine Commonwealth Troops and guerrillas attacked by the Japanese Imperial forces in World War II. Isabela today is the premier province of the north, one of the most progressive in the country and Santiago, the Commercial Center of Region 02, was declared an independent city on July 7, 1994.

In 1995, a bill was passed legislating that Isabela be divided into two new provinces: Isabela del Norte and Isabela del Sur. A referendum was held on the same year with a strong majority voting not to separate the province.

Media

Isabela, the largest province in Cagayan Valley, takes pride i having a number of media entities ( radio, television and print).

Website

• www.isabelinos.net

AM Radio Stations

• DZRH 648 kHz in Santiago City owned by Manila Broadcasting Company
• DZYI Sonshine Radio Ilagan 711 kHz in Ilagan owned by ACQ Sonshine Media
• DZNC Bombo Radyo Cauayan 801 kHz in Cauayan City owned by Newsound Broadcasting System
• DWSI Sonshine Radio Santiago 864 kHz in Santiago City owned by ACQ Sonshine Media
• DWRS Radyo Pilipino 981 kHz in Santiago City owned by Radyo Pilipino
• DWDY 1107 kHz in Cauayan City

FM Radio Stations

• DWND 88.5 mHz in Cauayan
• DWHI Hot FM 89.7 mHz in Ilagan owned by Manila Broadcasting Company
• DWHT Hot FM 92.5 mHz in Santiago City owned by Manila Broadcasting Company
• DWYI Bay Radio 92.9 mHz in Cauayan City owned by Baycomms Broadcasting System
• DWTR Yes FM 93.7 mHz in Santiago City owned by Manila Broadcasting Company
• DWIP Love Radio 94.5 mHz in Santiago City owned by Manila Broadcasting Company
• DWWC Big Sound FM 95.3 mHz in Cauayan City
• DWIT Star FM 96.1 mHz in Cauayan City owned by Newsound Broadcasting System
• DWMX The Mix 97.7 mHz in Santiago City owned by Soundstream Broadcasting Corp.
• DWKB Light FM 99.3 mHz in Santiago City(Close As Of 2001)
• DWYE Hot FM 101.7 mHz in Cauayan City owned by Manila Broadcasting Company
• DWAFY Unano FM 66.6 mHz in Roxas Isabela owned by Ace Rappang Broadcasting Malaysia

TV Stations

• DZZN-TV NBN Channel 4 in Ilagan owned by National Broadcasting Network
• DWAT-TV ABS-CBN Channel 11 in Santiago City owned by Lopez Group of Companies

Cable Television

• Isabela Cable System in Santiago City
• New City Cable in Santiago City
• North Star Cable Vision in Cauayan City
• Psalms Cable, Inc in Roxas, Isabela
• Polaris Cable Vision, Inc. in Ilagan
• Digna Abad Galura (1888 Cable TV Network) in Ilagan
• Antonio E. Diongzon (Parabola Enterprises) in Ilagan
• Orlando N. Dalit, Sr. (Sta. Isabel Cable TV System) in Ilagan

Print Media

• The City Times in Santiago City
• The Valley Times Press in Ilagan
• Northern Sierra Madre Express

Notable residents

• Ogie Menor - Professional Basketball Player (PBA)
• General Mateo Noriel Luga
• Ruthlane Uy Asmundson - Mayor of Davis, California, USA
• Samuel Formoso Reyes - House of Representatives, Former Governor of Isabela
• Freddie Pascual Aguilar - Famous folk musician
• Marlene Aguilar Pollard - Writer, Author & Publisher of many International awards
• Maria Luisa de Asis Gonzales - Model & Beauty Queen 1985 Maja-Internacional 2nd Runner-Up & Best in National Costume
• Phil Villas a.k.a El-nine - Hiphop artist, Documentarist, Founder of the Digital ballers, First isabelino to collaborate with Mike Swift
• Benjamin Gayla Lucas - Awarded Most Outstanding Senior Citizen Of The Philippines 1998
• Jovita Padilla Lucas - Awarded Ulirang Ina of 2010
• Silvestre Bello III - Former Justice Secretary

2010 Local Elections

External links

• Harry Asuncion Balais
• IQuadrant Interactive
• [1]

Notes

Political Divisions of the Philippines Capital Manila • National Capital Region Autonomous region Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Provinces Abra • Agusan del Norte • Agusan del Sur • Aklan • Albay • Antique • Apayao • Aurora • Basilan • Bataan • Batanes • Batangas • Benguet • Biliran • Bohol • Bukidnon • Bulacan • Cagayan • Camarines Norte • Camarines Sur • Camiguin • Capiz • Catanduanes • Cavite • Cebu • Compostela Valley • Cotabato • Davao del Norte • Davao del Sur • Davao Oriental • Eastern Samar • Guimaras • Ifugao • Ilocos Norte • Ilocos Sur • Iloilo • Isabela • Kalinga • La Union • Laguna • Lanao del Norte • Lanao del Sur • Leyte • Maguindanao • Marinduque • Masbate • Misamis Occidental • Misamis Oriental • Mountain Province • Negros Occidental • Negros Oriental • Northern Samar • Nueva Ecija • Nueva Vizcaya • Occidental Mindoro • Oriental Mindoro • Palawan • Pampanga • Pangasinan • Quezon • Quirino • Rizal • Romblon • Samar • Sarangani • Siquijor • Sorsogon • South Cotabato • Southern Leyte • Sultan Kudarat • Sulu • Surigao del Norte • Surigao del Sur • Tarlac • Tawi-Tawi • Zambales • Zamboanga del Norte • Zamboanga del Sur • Zamboanga Sibugay Other subdivisions Island groups • Regions • Cities • Municipalities • Barangays • Legislative districts Territorial disputes Benham Plateau • North Borneo (Sabah) • Scarborough Shoal • Spratly Islands Luzon · Visayas · Mindanao