Jones, Isabela

Jones
Municipality
Aerial view of Jones, Isabela along the Cagayan River
Seal
Map of Isabela showing the location of Jones
Jones Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°33′29″N 121°42′25″E / 16.55806°N 121.70694°E / 16.55806; 121.70694Coordinates: 16°33′29″N 121°42′25″E / 16.55806°N 121.70694°E / 16.55806; 121.70694
Country	Philippines
Region	Cagayan Valley (Region II)
Province	Isabela
District	4th District of Isabela
Barangays	42
Government[1]
• Mayor	Leticia T. Sebastian
Area[2]
• Total	670.14 km2 (258.74 sq mi)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	44,218
• Density	66/km2 (170/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	3313
Dialing code	78
Income class	1st class; rural

Jones is a first class municipality in the province of Isabela on the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 44,218 people.^[3] It is one of only two towns in the Philippines named after William Atkinson Jones who authored the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, the other being Banton, Romblon, which was renamed Jones in 1918 but reverted to its original name in 1959.

History

The southern portion of Echague separated by Cagayan River was created into a municipality named Jones in honor of an American Legislator, William Atkinson Jones, who authored the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, and was inaugurated on January 1, 1921. It was originally composed of 21 barrios of virgin forest and wide fertile plains with Cabanuangan as the seat of the Municipal Government.

The house of one Tirso Mateo served as the first town hall with the following as the first municipal officials; President;Don Antonio Vallejo, Vice President; Benito Tiburcio, Secretary; Francisco Gumpal; Treasurer Pio Tomines; Justice of Peace Daniel Apostol; Zoilo Gadingan, Chief of Police; and Modesto Payuyo, Antonio Pintang, Gregorio Santos, Dionicio Cristobal, Valentin Torio; and Damaso Leano as Councilors.

The first proposed town site of Jones was in Barangay Daligan, but due to the insistence of the Municipal President Don. Antonio Vallejo who voluntarily donated two hectares of land for the municipal hall and public market site, he also later donated the vast fertile land area of Jones Rural School and Jones North Central School hence the present site of Barangay I and II.

Transportation was then a big problem as there were no good roads, the barrios being only connected by narrow roads and trails suited for hiking, for horse and carabao and for sled and cart. During rainy days, these roads and trails easily turned into knee-deep mud fit only for wallowing carabaos. The principal means of transportation was the Cagayan River passing almost all the barrios, using raft and boats. It was only after about eight years of existence that more vehicles applied between Jones and Echague.

The vast virgin forest and fertile soil of the place was pioneered by enterprising Ilocanos from the Ilocos Province, particularly from Ilocos Norte and some Yogads who are natives of Cagayan Valley. Other ethnic groups followed like the Ibanags and some Tagalogs from Central Luzon.

The Aglipayan Church (Philippine Independent Catholic Church) was the first established church. There were very few primary schools, all hinged to an intermediate school called Jones Farm School at the Poblacion. The early inhabitants concentrated on agriculture with tobacco and corn as the chief crop. Revenue principally came from the real property tax, cedula and sled tax. The town was greatly dependent on national aid.

The town holds a special place in the history of Isabela. When the Japanese Imperial Army invaded the Philippines in 1914, JONES was a shelter for the National and Provincial officials and evacuees from other places up to 1942.

The town likewise became the provincial seat of the Provincial Government during the wartorn years from 1941 to 1942. It was subsequently occupied by the Japanese forces but it continued to be a stronghold of Filipino and American Guerillas led by the brave soldiers under the command of the Brigadier General Guillermo Nakar.

On 1945, Filipino troops of the 2nd, USAFFE 11th, 12th and 13th Infantry Division and the USAFIP-NL 11th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was liberated and recaptured the entering towns in Jones, Isabela and helping recognized guerrilla units and defeated and attacking Japanese Imperial Army forces and ended in World War II.

Jones is the home of Silvino M. Gumpal, who ably led the Province as Provincial Governor from 1946 to 1951 and who represented Isabela in Congress from 1934 to 1935.

In 1959, the name of barrio Mangaratungat was changed to San Vicente.^[4]

Jones has two new steel bridges worth P300M.

Barangays

Jones is politically subdivided into 42 barangays.^[2]

Demographics

There was originally a population of Agta living in the vicinity of Jones, along the Dicamay River. The Agta are one of the many groups known as 'Negritos' and who are descended from the pre-Austronesian population of the islands. The Dicamay Agta, who combined hunter-gathering with swidden agriculture, have been severely impacted by the influx of other ethnic groups to take up farming land in the area, resulting in there being no Agta living in the area today. There are numerous reports of the Agta having been driven off their lands, and in some cases of having been killed by immigrant groups of farmers.^[5][6]

Climate

References

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Municipality of Jones
• Local Governance Performance Management System

	Santiago	Echague
	Saguday, Quirino		Echague
		Jones
	Aglipay, Quirino	San Agustin

Province of Isabela Ilagan (capital) Municipalities Alicia Angadanan Aurora Benito Soliven Burgos Cabagan Cabatuan Cordon Delfin Albano Dinapigue Divilacan Echague Gamu Jones Luna Maconacon Mallig Naguilian Palanan Quezon Quirino Ramon Reina Mercedes Roxas San Agustin San Guillermo San Isidro San Manuel San Mariano San Mateo San Pablo Santa Maria Santo Tomas Tumauini Component Cities Cauayan Ilagan Independent Component City Santiago (Administratively independent from the province, but grouped under Isabela by the National Statistics Office) Barangays See: List of barangays in Isabela