my isabela

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 provinceis 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 whileSantiago, 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]

^{you can visit http://www.lakbaypilipinas.com/travel_isabela.html for more details...}

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 two cities Cauayan City the mushroom capital of the north and Santiago City and can be noted by the presence of the only McDonalds in the province. Its second store will soon to open in Northstar Mall in Ilagan. Tourism is also being developed in the areas of Palanan where white sand beaches can be found.

There are two (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 largestprovince 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 ofCagayan Valley’s 900,000 hectares of forest cover.^[6][7]

Isabela is subdivided into 35 municipalities and 2 cities.

Cities

City	Income Class	District	Population (2007)	Area (km²)
Cauayan City	1st class component city	3rd	110,235	336.40
Santiago City	1st class, independent component	4th	125,980	275.0

Municipalities

Population Census of Isabela
Census	Pop.		Rate
1995	1,160,721		—
2000	1,287,575		2.25%
2007	1,401,495		1.18%

Municipality	Income Class	District	Population (2007)	Area (km²)
Alicia	1st Class[8]	3rd	61,447	154.10
Angadanan	3rd Class	3rd	39,743	204.40
Aurora	1st Class	2nd	31,547	300.56
Benito Soliven	4th Class	2nd	25,151	184.40
Burgos	5th Class	2nd	21,898	73.10
Cabagan	2nd Class	1st	43,562	430.40
Cabatuan	4th Class	3rd	34,079	80.77
Cordon	3rd Class	4th	38,139	144.00
Delfin Albano (Magsaysay)	4th Class	4th	24,899	189.00
Dinapigue	3rd Class	1st	4,807	873.69
Divilican	1st Class	4th	4,602	889.49
Echague	1st Class	2nd	67,553	680.80
Gamu	4th Class	2nd	27,479	129.40
Ilagan	1st Class	1st	131,243	1,166.26
Jones	1st Class	4th	41,237	670.14
Luna	4th Class	3rd	15,884	45.70
Maconacon	4th Class	1st	3,991	538.66
Mallig	4th Class	2nd	27,245	133.40
Naguilian	4th Class	2nd	27,977	169.81
Palanan	2nd Class	1st	16,254	880.24
Quezon	4th Class	2nd	22,050	268.26
Quirino	4th Class	2nd	21,192	126.20
Ramon	3rd Class	4th	45,258	135.17
Reina Mercedes	5th Class	3rd	21,874	57.14
Roxas	1st Class	2nd	53,461	184.80
San Agustin	4th Class	4th	20,681	278.40
San Guillermo	4th Class	3rd	16,865	325.49
San Isidro	5th Class	4th	21,387	71.90
San Manuel	4th Class	2nd	28,420	112.77
San Mariano	1st Class	2nd	44,718	1,469.50
San Mateo	2nd Class	3rd	57,885	120.60
San Pablo	3rd Class	1st	20,561	637.90
Santa Maria	4th Class	1st	20,695	140.00
Santo Tomas	4th Class	1st	22,172	150.00
Tumauini	1st Class	1st	55,041	467.30

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.

Tourists Attractions

Sierra Madre Natural Forest Park (Eastern Coast of Isabela) Maconacon Falls (Maconacon, Isabela) Hanging Bridge (Maconacon, Isabela) White Sand Beaches (Dinapigue, Palanan, Divilacan) - Typical of coastal areas along the Sierra Madre Mountains of Cagayan Valley. Dibulo Falls (Dinapigue, Isabela) Dinapigue Sea Wall (Dinapigue, Isabela) Bonsai Park (Dinapigue, Isabela) Waterworld Grand Resort (Ramon, Isabela) Magat High Rise Dam (Ramon, Isabela) - Asia’s biggest dam project at the time of its construction. It serves the primary function of power generation and irrigation. Its reservoir area of 4,450 hectares has a great potential for water-based recreation like fishing, boating and water skiing, among others. Camp Vizcarra (Ramon, Isabela) Pinzal Falls (Ilagan, Isabela) Abuan River (Ilagan, Isabela) Ilagan Sanctuary (Ilagan, Isabela) Sta. Victoria Caves (Ilagan, Isabela) Worlds Largest Butaka (Ilagan, Isabela) - It is 11 feet 4 inches high, 20 feet 8 inches long, and 9 feet 7 inches wide. It weighs 2,368 kilos and was constructed by 25 workers in 29 days. Desert Island (Divilacan, Isabela) Water Impounding Dam (Roxas, Isabela) Borubor Falls (Roxas, Isabela) Honeymoon Island (Divilacan, Isabela) La Salette Shrine (Santiago City) - located in Balintocatoc Hills, contains life-sized statues of religious icons. Obelisk (Jones, Isabela) Dimanek Falls (San Mariano, Isabela) - Located near boundary ridge between Palanan and San Mariano, Isabela. Crocodile Watching (Crocodylus Mindorensis) - at San Mariano at night. Aguinaldo Shrine (Palanan, Isabela) - Historic Capture and Heroism of General Emilio Aguinaldo. Dilaknadanum (Palanan, Isabela) - is the home Agta people, another minorities on the coast of Isabela. Such a beautiful place, with forest, beaches, rivers and small farmsteads uprivers. Dicotcotan Beach (Palanan, Isabela) Sta. Maria Triangular Park (Sta. Maria, Isabela) Palanan Maconacon Dinapique Abuan River ISABELA SEAL ILOCANO FOODS

Churches Parish of St. Mathias (Tumauini, Isabela) - Work on the church started in 1783. It has been faithfully restored after being damaged during World War II and is acknowledged as the most artistic brick structure in the Philippines. The cyclindrical bell tower is the only one of its kind in the country. Our Lady of the Pillar Church (Cauayan City) San Pablo Church (San Pablo, Isabela) Our Lady of Atocha (Alicia, Isabela)- The church and convent as seen today in the town of Alicia, beautiful and solid, was built by Fr. Tomas Calderon, OP and inaugurated in 1849, with Fr. Francisco Gainza, OP, then vicar of Carig (now Santiago City). Famous for their antique Spanish architectural designs, these churches are found along the national highway and are accessible by land transport. St. James Parish Church (Santiago City) Festivals Bambanti Festival (Isabela Day) Pagay Festival (Alicia) Binnadangan Festival (Roxas) Nateng Festival (Mallig) Gakit Festival (Angadanan) Pattaradday Festival (Santiago City) Nuang Festival (San Agustin) - Carabao Race Gawagaway-yan Festival (Cauayan City)