Isabela (province)

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 due to its plain and rolling terrain.

History

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, Roxas southward to Aritao comprised the Province of old Nueva Vizcaya. In order to facilitate the work of the Catholic missionaries in the evangelization in the Cagayan Valley, a royal decree was issued on May 1, 1856 that created the Province of Isabela consisting of the towns of Gamu, Old Angadanan (now Alicia), Bindang (now Roxas) and Camarag (now Echague), Carig (now Santiago City) and Palanan, all detached from Nueva Vizcaya; while Cabagan and Tumauini were taken from the Cagayan province. The province was put under the jurisdiction of a governor with the capital seat at Ilagan, where it remains at the present. It was initially called Isabela de Luzon to differentiate from other places in the Philippines bearing the name of Isabela. The new province was named in honor of Queen Isabela II of Spain.^[1]

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.

Isabela was reorganized as a province under the American regime through Act No. 210, passed August 24, 1901.^[2] Its first provincial governor 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. 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 Cauayan,the agro industrial center and the commercial center of region 2 is a component city while Santiago, the Commercial Center of Region 02, was declared an independent city on July 7, 1994.

A new wave of immigration began in the late 19th and 20th centuries with the arrival of the Ilocanos who came in large numbers. They now constitute the largest group in the province. Other ethnic groups followed and Isabela became the “melting pot of the north”.^[1]

In 1995, Republic Act Number 7891 was passed legislating that Isabela be divided into two new provinces: Isabela del Norte and Isabela del Sur.^[3][4] A referendum was held on the same year with a strong majority voting not to separate the province.^[5]

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 the two cities Cauayan City- 'the mushroom center of the north' Santiago City and can be noted by the presence of the only McDonalds in the province. Tourism is also being developed in the areas of Palanan where white sand beaches can be found. The SM Megamall will soon rise in Cauayan City, and is the first SM Mall in Cagayan Valley.

There are 2 airports in the province - Cauayan Airport which serves as the primary airport for the province with service to Manila and vice versa. The other one is in Palanan, which is inaccessible by land.

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. It is located on the right-most part of the Northern Luzon facing the Pacific Ocean and comprising parts of the Sierra Madre. Isabela is one of the provinces which is often hit by typhoons due to its location.

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.^[6][7]

Isabela is subdivided into 35 municipalities and 2 cities.

Cities

Municipalities

The municipalities of Ilagan and Roxas are candidates for cityhood and is scheduled for assessment on 2012.^[9] Ilagan, which failed to become a city after 13 years of proposal would be the country’s second biggest city after Davao City in terms of the land area if its stalled cityhood dream will be eventually realized.^[9] While Roxas, files its economic and financial profile however it would not be converted immediately into city until 2015.^[9]

Language

Major languages in Isabela are Ilocano followed by Ibanag, Yogad, Gaddang. People especially in the capital and commercial centers speak and understand English and Tagalog/Pilipino.

Major Industries

Agriculture is the major industry of the people of Isabela. Farming is highly mechanized as most of the agricultural lands are irrigated. With the presence of the Isabela State University, joint ventures and other foreign assisted projects and the Magat Dam contribute to the high productivity in agriculture. It is also the hub of trade and 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 considerably declined. However, furniture making using narra and other indigenous forest materials continue to exist.

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 for 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.

Tourists Attractions

Notable residents

• Gilbert Teodoro - former secretary of the national defense of the republic of the Philippines
• Jejomar Binay - Vice President of the Philippines
• Ruthlane Uy Asmundson - Mayor of Davis, California, USA
• Faustino Dy Jr. - Chairperson of Nationalist People's Coalition or NPC
• Ebe Dancel - Vocalist of Sugarfree
• Phil Villas - Rap Battle MC, founder of the hiphop record label "Homemade music Ent."
• 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
• Benjamin Gayla Lucas - Awarded Most Outstanding Senior Citizen Of The Philippines 1998
• Mark Clemence Telan - PBA Player
• Rogemar Menor - PBA Player
• General Mateo Noriel Luga
• Heherson Alvarez - Senator
• Edgardo "Boy" Vinarao - (Echague, Isabela) Film Editor and Movie director
• Freddie Aguilar - Singer/ composer
• Ricky Calimag - (Echague, Isabela) - PBA player
• Cynthia Baculi-Condez - (Cauayan, Isabela) - Recipient, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature

References

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information