PROVINCE OF ISABELA

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 May 1, 1856 that created the Province of Isabela consisting of the towns of Gamu, Angadanan and Gamarang (now Echague), Carig (now Santiago City) and Palanan. The new province was named in honor of Her Royal Highness Queen Isabella II of Spain. Although the province did not play a major role in the revolt against Spain, it was in Palanan where the final pages in the Philippine Revolution was written when the American forces led by Gen. Frederick Funston finally captured Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo on March 23, 1901.

The Americans built schools and other buildings 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.

Isabela today is one of the premier provinces of the north, one of the more progressive in the country and Santiago, the commercial center of Region 02 has been declared an independent component city thru a plebiscite last July 3, 1994 under R.A. 7720.

OVERVIEW

Geography

Home to the Yagads and Gaddangs, the province is divided into three physiographic areas. The eastern area, straddled by the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, is rugged and thickly forested. Substantial portion is uncharted and unexplored hinterlands and home to a rich variety of flora and fauna while some are government reservations. The western area is a sprawling fertile valley hemmed by the Central Cordillera and is crisscrossed by the mighty Cagayan, Siffu and Magat Rivers. Its mountains rise to a peak of about 6,000 feet and is 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.

Location

The province is located in the northeastern part of Luzon. It is bounded on the north by the Province of Cagayan, on the south by Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Aurora, on the west by the Provinces of Kalinga, Apayao, Ifugao and Mountain Province of the Cordillera Administrative Region and on the east by the Pacific Ocean.

Area and Population

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 region and the second largest province in the country in terms of land area.

Based on the 1995 mid-decade census of population the province has a population of 1,062,179 with population density of approximately 100 persons per square kilometer.

Climate

Generally, the province has two types of climate. The eastern and coastal areas experience moderate rainfall more or less distributed throughout the year while Western Isabel has more pronounced wet and dry seasons. The average temperature is recorded at 27.1 degrees Celsius.

Political Subdivision

The province has 36 municipalities, 1055 barangays and is divided into four congressional districts. Ilagan is the capital town while Cauayan is the industrial center.

Language

Major languages in Isabela are Ilocano followed by Ybanag, Yagad, and Gaddang. People especially in the capital and commercial centers speak and understand English and 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 while 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/products 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.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

BONSAI FOREST at Sumanget, Dinapigue is about 20,000 hectares. The area is accessible by land transportation from Baler in Aurora Province and by air from Cauayan Airport.

STA. VICTORIA CAVES at Fuyo National Park features an underground waterfalls and naturally formed lattices and sparkling rock formations. The park is 15 kilometers from Ilagan town proper.

PALANAN RAINFOREST is the Philippine's largest remaining rainforest of more than 350,000 hectares at 800 feet above sea level. It has numerous unknown endemic species of flora and fauna and exceptional biological diversity. Researches have been conducted in the Palanan Wilderness by national and international organizations concerned with environmental preservation. A paradise for researchers and adventurers, the place is accessible by light aircraft from Cauayan Domestic Airport, pump boat from Sta. Ana in Cagayan and Baler in Aurora Province and trekking from San Mariano, Cauayan and Ilagan in Isabela. It is also accessible by air transportation from Tuguegarao Airport through CHEMTRAD.

GUIBANG CHURCH houses the Miraculous Lady of the Visitation of Guibang. Guibang Church is located along the national highway of Gamu, Isabela and frequently visited by travelers along the Maharlika Highway.

PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MATHIAS IN TUMAUINI was built in 1753 under Dominican supervision and was completed in 1805. it is in an ultra baroque church unique for its extensive use of baked clay both for wall finishing and or ornamentation. Clay bricks come to life in concentric circles on the façade, spiral curves on the finial serpentine relief's and many finely molded details - flowers, foliage, surfaces, cherubs and saints. Its architecture bears Chinese ancestry and this church of stone features a unique cylindrical bell tower that is the only one of its kind in the Philippines.

THE CHURCH OF ALICIA and GAMU are famous for their antique Spanish Architectural designs. These churches are along the national highway and very accessible by land transport.

MAGAT HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER PLANT is East Asia's biggest dam project, which serves the primary function of power generation and irrigation. Built at a cost of $83.7 M (P3.5B) during the '780's, the plant can generate a power of 360 megawatts for the Luzon Grid and is capable of irrigating 102,000 hectares of agricultural land. Its reservoir area of 4,450 hectares has a great potential for water-based recreation like fishing, swimming, boating and water skiing among others. The plant is accessible by passenger jeepneys and buses from Santiago City.

SAN PABLO CHURCH. The church was built in 1625 and is said to be the oldest in the province and its bell tower was the tallest in the Cagayan Valley. San Pablo, the oldest town of Isabela was founded by Padre de Sto. Tomas, 210 years before Isabela was made a province.

AGUINALDO SHRINE in Palanan, Isabela is a historical place where Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by the American forces, thus, ending the Philippine Revolution in 1901. it is accessible by aircraft, pump boat and trekking thru Sta. Ana, Cagayan, San Mariano/Cauayan and Ilagan, Isabela respectively.