Isabela (province)


Isabela is the second largest province in the Philippines in land area located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Ilagan. It is bordered by the provinces of Cagayan to the north, Kalinga to the northwest, Mountain Province to the central-west, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya to the southwest, Quirino and Aurora to the south, and the Philippine Sea to the east.
This primarily agricultural province is the rice and corn granary of Luzon due to its plain and rolling terrain. In 2012, the province was declared as the country's top producer of corn with 1,209,524 metric tons.
Isabela is the 10th richest province in the Philippines as of 2011. The province has four trade centers in the cities of Ilagan, Cauayan, Santiago and the municipality of Roxas.

Etymology

The province was named after Isabella II, the first queen regnant of Spain. There have been proposals to change the name of the province into something that will better suit the indigenous roots of the country. However, such plans were rejected by the residents of Isabela.

History

The province of Isabela used to be a vast rainforest where numerous indigenous ethno-linguistic groups lived. Many of the same ethnic groups still live in the province. Shell midden sites and other archaeological sites throughout the province constitute the material culture of those groups during the classical era.

Spanish era

During the Spanish era, prior to 1856, the Cagayan Valley was divided into only two provinces: Cagayan and Nueva Vizcaya. The Province of Cagayan at that time consisted of all towns from Tumauini to Aparri in the north. All other towns from Ilagan southward to Aritao comprised the Province of the old Nueva Vizcaya. In order to facilitate the work of the Catholic missionaries in the evangelization of the Cagayan Valley, a royal decree was issued on May 1, 1856 creating the Province of Isabela consisting of the towns of Gamu, Old Angadanan, Bindang and Camarag, Carig and Palanan, all detached from the Province of Nueva Vizcaya; while Cabagan and Tumauini were taken from the Province of Cagayan.
The province was placed under the jurisdiction of a governor with Ilagan as the capital, where it remains up to present. It was initially called Isabela de Luzón to differentiate from other places in the Philippines bearing the name of Isabela. The new province was named after Queen Isabella II of Spain.

American era

Although the province did not play a major role in the revolt against Spain, it is in Palanan that the final pages of the Philippine Revolution were written when United States troops, led by General Frederick Funston, finally captured General Emilio Aguinaldo in the area on March 23, 1901. Isabela was re-organized as a province under the American military government through Act No. 210, passed August 24, 1901.
The Americans built schools and other buildings and instituted changes in the overall political system. However, the province's economy 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, Imperial Japanese occupied Isabela. In 1945, the liberation of Isabela commenced with the arrival of the Philippine Commonwealth troops under the Philippine Army, Constabulary and USAFIP-NL units and recognized guerrillas attacked by the Japanese Imperial forces in World War II.
A new wave of immigration began in the late 19th and 20th centuries with the arrival of the Ilokano who came in large numbers. They now constitute the largest group in the province. Other ethnic groups followed that made Isabela the "Melting Pot of the Northern Philippines".

Independent era

In 1995, Republic Act Number 7891 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 slight majority voting against partitioning the province.
In 2012, the capital town of Ilagan officially became a city, after the move gained 96% of the votes in the plebiscite conducted on August 11, 2012. The night after the plebiscite, Ilagan was declared as a component city of the province.

Geography

Isabela comprises an aggregate land area of, 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 by land area. Occupying the central section of the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon, Isabela is bordered by Cagayan to the north, Kalinga to the northwest, Mountain Province to the central-west, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya to the southwest, Quirino to the south, and Aurora to the south. To the east lies the Philippine Sea, making Isabela one of the typhoon-prone provinces in the country.
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, and some are under government reservations. It is home to one of the world's largest remaining low-altitude rainforests, with numerous unknown endemic species of flora and fauna and biological diversity in the protected area known as the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park. Isabela has of Cagayan Valley’s of forest cover.
The highest point of the province is located near the border with Cagayan. Mount Dos Cuernos peak has an elevation of located in San Pablo near the border with Maconacon. Other notable peaks in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is Mount Cresta in Divilacan with an elevation of.
The western area is a fertile valley hemmed by the Central Cordillera. It is crisscrossed by the mighty Cagayan River, Siffu River, and Magat River.

Mallig Plains region

is a region in the western section of the province. Its name was derived from the rolling terrains or kilometers of plain lands in western Isabela. The municipality of Roxas serves as the business center of the region. The Plains covers the municipalities of Quezon, Mallig, Quirino, Burgos, Aurora, San Manuel and Roxas.

Administrative divisions

Isabela is politically subdivided into thirty four municipalities, two component cities and one independent component city. The province is represented in the Philippine House of Representatives with six legislative districts.
The province has ten first class municipalities, two second class cities and one first class independent component city. Ilagan City, which became a city thirteen years after its failed cityhood proposal in 1998, it is now Luzon’s largest and the country’s fourth biggest city after Davao City, Puerto Princesa and Zamboanga City by land area.

Barangays

The 34 municipalities and 3 cities of the province comprise a total of 1,055 barangays, with Rizal in Santiago City as the most populous in 2010, and Catalina in Cauayan City as the least. If cities are excluded, Bugallon Proper in Ramon has the highest population, and Uauang-Tuliao in Santo Tomas has the lowest.

Government

Governors

After Isabela was re-organized as a province under the American regime in 1901, its first provincial governor was Rafael Maramag, a former Municipal President and also the first Municipal President of the capital town Ilagan. He was succeeded by his brother, Gabriel. Afterwards, Isabela was ruled by the Dy family for 34 years. The dynasty was started by the patriarch of the family, Faustino N. Dy, Sr., who served as the Mayor of Cauayan from 1965 to 1969 and sat as the provincial governor of Isabela for 22 years. He was succeeded by his son, Benjamin G. Dy, in the gubernatorial seat from 1992 to 2001. Another Dy took over the gubernatorial seat in 2001 when Faustino Dy Jr. won the 2001 elections after having served as the district representative of the 2nd Legislative District of the province from 1992 to 2001. It was only in the 2004 elections that the family's control of the gubernatorial seat ended when Grace Padaca won over Faustino Dy Jr. She was the first woman to serve as the governor of the province. After serving for six years, she was defeated in the 2010 National Elections by Faustino "Bojie" G. Dy III who served as governor of the province for three consecutive terms.
PositionProvincial Official
Provincial GovernorRodolfo T. Albano III
Provincial Vice GovernorFaustino G. Dy III
District RepresentativesRep. Antonio T. Albano
District RepresentativesRep. Ed Christopher S. Go
District RepresentativesRep. Ian Paul L. Dy
District RepresentativesRep. Sheena Alyssa P. Tan
District RepresentativesRep. Faustino Michael Carlos T. Dy III
District RepresentativesRep. Faustino A. Dy V
Provincial Board MembersDelfinito Emmanuel L. Albano
Provincial Board MembersEmmanuel Joselito B. Añes
Provincial Board MembersEd Christian S. Go
Provincial Board MembersEdgar R. Capuchino
Provincial Board MembersRamon Juan N. Reyes
Provincial Board MembersRandolph Joseph P. Arreola
Provincial Board MembersAbegail V. Sable
Provincial Board MembersClifford R. Raspado
Provincial Board MembersFaustino U. Dy IV
Provincial Board MembersEdward S. Isidro
Provincial Board MembersMarco Paolo A. Meris
Provincial Board MembersAfredo V. Alili

Republic Act No. 11080

On September 27, 2018, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11080 - An act reapportioning the province of Isabela into six legislative districts. According to Republic Act 11080, the new legislative districts of the province of Isabela would now be as follows:
The population of Isabela in the was people, making it the most populated province among the five provinces in Cagayan Valley. It had a density of.
In 2010, Isabela had a population of 1,489,645 people: 46 percent of the 3.2 million people in the region at that time. At the national level, the province contributed 1.58 percent to the total population of 88.57 million. There were 254,928 households in the province in 2007.
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. There are more males than females below 50 years old.
Ilocanos are the most prominent group in the province. Of the total household population, 68.71 percent classified themselves as Ilocanos, followed by the Ibanags, and Tagalogs. The majority ethnic group were the Ibanags, who were first seen by the Spanish explorers and converted to Christianity by missionaries, the reason why the Ibanag language had spread throughout the valley region prior to the arrival of the migrating Ilocanos. The remaining 7.22 percent are either Gaddang, Paranan, Yogad, or from other ethnic groups who have assimilated into the Ibanag-Ilocano culture. More recently, a new group from the south, the Muslim Filipinos, have migrated to this province and have made a community for themselves. In addition to this, Tagalog-speaking peoples from Central Luzon and Southern Luzon have also settled in the area, as well as a few Pangasinans and Kapampangans from the Central Luzon.
Major languages spoken are Ilocano followed by Ibanag, Yogad, and Gaddang. Ilocanos and Ibanags speak Ilocano with an Ibanag accent, as descendants of Ilocanos from first generation in Isabela who lived within Ibanag population learned Ibanag; same situation with Ilocano tinged by Gaddang, Paranan, Yogad, and Itawis accents when descendants of Ilocanos from first generation in Isabela who lived within Gaddang, Paranan, Yogad, and Itawis populations learned their languages. People especially in the capital and commercial centers speak and understand English and Tagalog. Tagalogs, Ilocanos, and Ibanags speak Tagalog with an Ibanag accent, as descendants of Tagalogs from first generation in Isabela who lived within Ibanag population learned Ibanag.

Religion

Roman Catholicism is the predominant faith followed by about 80% of the people. Other religions practiced are Aglipayan, United Methodist Church and various Christian churches such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Protestant churches Iglesia Ni Cristo, Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, other Charismatic Christians and Jehovah's Witnesses. There are also small number of Muslims.

Economy

In terms of income classification, Isabela is rated as first-class province and considered among the richest and most progressive province in the Philippines and the most progressive in Region 02 courtesy of the three key cities strategically located in the province.

Trade and industry

Strategically located at the center of Cagayan Valley region, Isabela is acknowledged to have demonstrated strengths in business and industry. Thus, it has come to be known as the Regional Trade and Industrial Center of north-eastern Luzon.
The province of Isabela is the richest in Cagayan Valley. It is also the Top 10 Richest Province in the Philippines last 2011.
The cities of Cauayan, Ilagan, Santiago and the town of Roxas are the principal commercial centers of the province. Metro Manila-based malls and fast food chains have recently opened in these key trading hubs. To date, 192 banking branches operate in the province, with most of the universal and commercial banks providing automated teller machines for the convenience of their clients.
Since the start of the 21st century, a growing number of foreign and local investors have selected Isabela as site of their business ventures. Heading the list are Isabela's top investors, namely: Mindanao Grains Processing Company, Inc., SN Aboitiz Power- Magat Inc., Universal Leaf Philippines, Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, Inc., San Miguel Corporation, RC Cola and Pepsi Cola.
In the rice industry, substantial investments have been made by Valiant Rice Mills Corporation, Family Choice Grains Processing Center, Golden Season Grains Center, Herco Agro Industries, JDT Silver Grains Center, New Cauayan Goldyluck Grains and the La Suerte Rice Mill Corporation.
Retail giants like SM Prime, Robinsons and Puregold Price Club, Inc. have set up shops like Savemore, Robinsons Supermarket and Puregold, respectively. In 2014, these retail companies opened its pioneer malls in the region, the SM City Cauayan and Robinsons Place Santiago.
Land transportation operators Victory Liner, Five Star Bus Company, Dalin Liner, GV Florida Transport, EMC Transportation, Inc., Solid North Transit Inc., and Northern Luzon Bus Company have terminals and depots in the province.
Leading car, motorcycle and truck manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi Motors, Isuzu Motors, Kia Motors, Nissan, Ford, Chevrolet, Suzuki, Hyundai, Mazda, Foton, Peugeot, MAN SE, Yamaha and many other companies entered the province over the past years.
Telecom firms Globe, PLDT/Smart and Digitel/ Sun Cellular operate cellular sites and fixed telephony facilities throughout Isabela.
Big real estate developers like Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc. entered the province with the opening of Camella Isabela, Camella Santiago and the Camella Santiago Trails in Santiago City, and Camella Cauayan and Lumina Isabela in Cauayan City. Vista Malls is set to launch its first high end mall in Santiago City.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the biggest industry in Isabela. As the country's top corn producing province, it contributes 21% of the annual national yellow corn production. Asia's largest post-harvest corn processing facility, the Mindanao Grains, is located in the town of Reina Mercedes.
As second highest rice-growing province nationwide, Isabela produces 15% of the aggregate national rice production on an annual basis. Being a surplus producer of the Filipinos’ staple crop, the province's rice sufficiency rate is at 224%, which means that Isabelinos produce more than they consume and are in fact responsible for supplying the rice requirements of Metro Manila and many other provinces. The unprecedented increase in palay production of Isabela made the province the Hybrid Rice Champion of the Philippines.
High-value agricultural crops grown in Isabela include monggo, tobacco, coffee, banana, and mango. Its livestock and poultry industries are also on the rise, especially dairy processing, hog production, cattle breeding, and commercial poultry raising.
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 wood and other indigenous forest materials continue to exist.
Isabela is one of the most progressive provinces of the Philippines having been adjudged as the most outstanding province on food security in the Gawad Sapat Ani Awards 2000. For corn production, Isabela ranks first among the top ten corn producing provinces for cy 2004, contributing 15.70% to national production. In 2013, the Department of Agriculture declared Isabela as the Best Corn-Quality Awardee. Ilagan City was proclaimed as the Corn Capital of the Philippines for being the top corn producer among the 34 municipalities and 2 cities of the province as well as in the whole country.

Forestland

Forestland covers 54.37% or of Isabela's total land area of which 62% is protected forest and 38% is production forest. The best quality of timber resources in the Philippines are found in Isabela's forest. Isabela's vast forest resources are now being ecologically manage to effect sustainable forest-based resource not only for the wood working industry but to secure a balanced ecosystem. Some 54% of the province's total area is covered by forestland, of which 62% is part of the protected area while 38% is designated as production forest. The woodwork industry continues to operate under a regulated system, particularly the making furniture using indigenous materials.

Fisheries

Isabela has a fertile fishing ground on the Pacific Coast. The Magat Dam reservoir is utilized for fish cage operations for tilapia production for domestic markets. Another thriving industry in the province is aquaculture, sustained by inland fishing through 1,108 hectares of developed freshwater fishponds and 450 hectares of fish cage culture at Magat Dam Reservoir. Rich marine resources could be found in Isabela's coastal seaboard municipalities of Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan, and Dinapigue.

Mineral and energy

Large deposits of copper, gold, zinc and chromite, manganese and nickel have been found in Isabela. It also has extensive deposits of non-metallic minerals such as limestone, clay, marbles, guano, sand and gravel, and boulders. Indigenous energy sources such as natural gas and hydroelectric capabilities have been found to be abundant in the valley. Many of its mineral reserves have yet to be fully tapped.

Power

and biomass power plants in the city of Cauayan and in the town of Alicia have started operating in 2015 to supplement the region's high energy demand. The online solar power plant in Cauayan City is capable of supplying at least 20 megawatts while the biomass power plant in Alicia can produce another 20 megawatts. Both systems provide clean and renewable energy. The P2 billion power facility established by the Isabela Biomass Energy Corporation was built to augment power supply in the Cagayan Valley region. The use of biomass as fuel makes the power plant carbon neutral and sustainable. This biomass power facility is the first in the region and is designed to provide economical source of energy as well as job opportunities to residents of the host town/city.
On May 27, 2015, the service contract of the largest solar PV power plant in the country has been approved by the Department of Energy. The P7-billion worth 100 MW Solar PV project in the city of Ilagan is designed to reduce the current shortage in electricity that causes regular blackouts that results to industry closures as well as inconvenience to the consumers. The solar power facility will be constructed at a 100-hectare land at Barangay Cabannungan, several kilometers away from the city proper.

Transportation

Isabela is accessible by all means of transportation. Almost 180-kilometers of the Pan-Philippine Highway pass through the different towns and cities of the province. Several bus companies offer daily trips to different routes like Manila, Dagupan, Baguio and Ilocos vice versa. Public utility vans and small-time bus operators ply daily trips from Tuguegarao in Cagayan to Santiago City vice versa, while jeepneys and tricycles are commonly used as the basic mode of transportation within the province's jurisdiction.

Ilagan-Divilacan Road

The construction of an 82-kilometer road through the protected Sierra Madre mountains is designed to open access to three coastal towns of the province. The approved budget contract of the project amounting to P1.5B, will pass through the foothills of the 359,486-hectare Northern Sierra Madre mountain ranges. The plan is to improve an old logging road used by a defunct logging company until the 1990s. It will start in Barangay Sindon Bayabo in capital city of Ilagan and will end in Barangay Dicatian in the coastal town of Divilacan. The project is set to be completed in 2021.
Travel to the isolated coastal towns of Divilacan, Palanan and Maconacon is often made by boat or by plane only, making it difficult to reach the coastal towns in times of emergencies and calamities. There are no roads that links the capital city of Ilagan to the coastal areas, depriving residents of basic necessities and social services, such as health. Once completed, the road project is expected to boost the economies of the coastal areas, citing Divilacan's 119-hectares beach and freshwater areas that have lured tourists. The Protected Area Management Board issued Resolution No. 11, which reclassifies portions of the Sierra Madre as a special-use zone. The Agta and Dumagat in the area have also signed a memorandum of agreement with the provincial government, expressing their consent to the road project. At least 1,800 Agta and Dumagat have been staying in the park areas. But the impact of the road on the protected forest has alarmed residents who feared that the project may damage its forests and ecosystems. The project was delayed in the recent years due to concerns about the road's potential impact on the environment. The Cagayan Valley Regional Development Council required the project's proponents to study the full impact of the road on the area's biodiversity.

Airports and sea ports

There are five airports in the province. The Cauayan Airport is the primary airport in the province serving a trip to Manila, Palanan, and Maconacon. The other two are the Palanan Airport in Palanan and Maconacon Airport in Maconacon. The country's leading passenger airline Cebu Pacific services the Cauayan-Manila-Cauayan Route. Light planes operated by Cyclone Airways and WCC Aviation's Sky Pasada Have flights from Cauayan Domestic Airport to the community airports in Palanan and Maconacon. The province has two minor seaports, the Divilacan Port and Palanan Port in the coastal towns of Divilacan and Palanan. The trade going to the ports come primarily from major seaports in Cagayan such as Port of Aparri in Aparri, Cagayan, and Port of San Vicente and Port Irene, both in Santa Ana, Cagayan. The other two airstrips are found in Divilacan, and in Magat River Management Project Site.

Education

Isabela is one of the primary centers of education in the Cagayan Valley Region. There are several public and private educational institutions, the most notable being the Isabela State University, a government-owned and controlled public university. Its main campus is located in Echague and satellite campuses in Cauayan City, Ilagan City, Angadanan, Cabagan, Jones, Palanan, Roxas, San Mariano, San Mateo and Santiago City.

Colleges and universities

Among the most notable higher educational institutions found in the province of Isabela are the following:
Since the early 2000s, tourism has become an income-generating industry for Isabela. New hotels and resorts have opened, mostly in the cities of Ilagan, Cauayan and Santiago, and the towns of Tumauini, Gamu, Roxas, Alicia, Burgos, Ramon, San Mariano and Cordon. Top tourist attractions are the centuries-old churches; Magat Dam Tourism Complex, which houses Southeast Asia's biggest dam; Santa Victoria Caves, Pinzal Falls and Ilagan Sanctuary at Fuyot National Park; the white sand beaches in the coastal municipalities of Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan, Dinapigue and islands of coastal Isabela; the world's biggest wooden lounge chair or butaka in Ilagan City; and various festival and fiestas, including the Bambanti Festival annually celebrated every February, and the commemoration of the birth of the province during Isabela Day every May.

Places of interest

Tourist attractionLocation
Abuan RiverIlagan City
Aguinaldo Shrine — Historic capture AND heroism of General Emilio AguinaldoPalanan
Balai na IlaganIlagan City
Balay Segundo MuseumRamon
Balay na SantiagoSantiago City
Bonifacio ParkIlagan City
Bonsai ParkDinapigue
Borubor FallsRoxas
Burmurbur FallsIlagan City
Camp Samal — "Haven of Scouts"Tumauini
Camp VizcarraRamon
Crocodile Watching San Mariano
Department of Agriculture - Cagayan Valley Research Center Agro Eco-Tourism FarmIlagan City
Desert IslandDivilacan
Dibulo FallsDinapigue
Dicotcotan BeachPalanan
Dilaknadanum — is the home Agta people, a minority group on the coast of Isabela. Features forests, beaches, rivers and small farmsteads uprivers.Palanan
Dimanek FallsPalanan—San Mariano boundary ridge
Dinapigue Sea WallDinapigue
Hanging BridgeMaconacon
Honeymoon IslandDivilacan
Ilagan SanctuaryIlagan City
Ilagan Japanese TunnelIlagan City
Isabela Museum and LibraryIlagan City
La Salette Shrine — located in Balintocatoc Hills, contains life-sized statues of religious icons.Santiago City
Maconacon FallsMaconacon
Magat High Rise Dam — 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.Ramon
MororanTumauini
Museo de PattaradaySantiago City
ObeliskJones
Pinzal FallsIlagan City
Punta Amelita ResortCordon
Queen Isabela II Monument and ParkIlagan City
Sierra Madre Natural Forest ParkIsabela's eastern coast
Sinavulluan CavesTumauini
Spring Garden ResortSantiago City
Santa Maria Triangular ParkSanta Maria
Santa Victoria CavesIlagan City
Villa Diana ResortCordon
Water Impounding DamRoxas
Waterworld Grand ResortRamon
White Sand Beaches — Typical of coastal areas along the Sierra Madre mountains of Cagayan Valley.Dinapigue, Palanan, and Divilacan coastal towns
World's Largest Butaka — 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.Ilagan City

Churches

FestivalCity/townNotes
Baka FestivalSan PabloA survey revealing quite number of ranches in San Pablo led to the establishment of the Baka Festival. Held every January 15, it aims to promote the local cattle industry. The festival also showcases cowboys of San Pablo displaying skills reminiscent of the American Wild West.
Balatong FestivalSan MateoIn San Mateo, mungo beans are packed with economic potential that it is referred to as "black gold". In previous years, the annual town fiesta promoted duck-related products during the Pato Festival.
Bambanti FestivalProvince of IsabelaCelebrated annually by the entire province to honor the province's bountiful harvest and its emerging agro-industrial prowess. The festivity showcases the scarecrow dancing spectacles and agricultural booths. The municipalities and cities exhibit their respective culture, beliefs, traditions, origins and products. Annually, the event can drew at least 250,000 crowds all over the Cagayan Valley region, the biggest in the history of annual festivities in the region. It has become Isabela's showcase of its rich cultural heritage and pristine natural beauty. Bambanti is an iluko word for "scarecrow".
Binallay FestivalIlagan CityIlagueños have made the binallay a symbol of the noble characteristics they aspire to have. These include being masipag, matiyaga, matalino, and makadiyos. According to them, they are patient because the process of preparing binallay is tedious and involves steaming the rice cake twice, hardworking because it is difficult to prepare the rice cake, intelligent because it requires a special technique to peel the wrapper off so that none of the cake is wasted and God fearing because it is a delicacy associated with the Holy Week. They regard the white cake as a representation of the body of Christ and the laro as his blood. As part of their penitence during Holy Week, Binallay is the only food that Ilagueños eat. Every May, their signature product takes center stage twice, once during the festival itself and during the Isabela Day celebrations earlier in the month when it usually has a wider audience.
Binnadangan FestivalRoxasA yearly celebration of Pagay Festival held every July 4. The Festival was popularly known as the Araw ng Roxas Celebration but it was declared formally as Pagay Festival during the reign of Mayor Benedict Calderon. It is celebrated because of the rich agricultural bounty of Roxas, being one of the towns that produce large stocks of rice. The festival features a parade mostly of politicians and participating schools from different parts of Roxas, kuliglig contest and cooking of the biggest rice cake that was also featured in the national television. Major events include a Street Dance Competition from different schools and Palarong Bayan. Due to a conflict in the name of the festival, by which the town of Alicia celebrates the same. It was changed to Binnadangan Festival by then Mayor Harry Soller. The Binnadangan comes from an Ilocano word meaning bayanihan and was also derived from the former name of the town during the 1600s. The festival ends with a long Pyromusical.
Dikit FestivalAuroraKnown for being an agricultural municipality, Aurora annually celebrates its Dikit Festival every 28th to 30 April. Dikit is an Ilocano term for "glutinous rice". The festival is celebrated to showcase this delicacy and its by-products which are bibingka, muriecos, inangit, tupig, kalamay and tinudok, among others. Farmers in Aurora plant this glutinous rice served to guests during special occasions.
Gakit FestivalAngadananAn annual festival held at the Cagayan River. Participants of the festival offer fruits, vegetables, poultry, and livestock as thanksgiving for their abundant bounty. The practice also reminds Angadanians of their tradition of planting crops and raising poultry in their own backyards for their own consumption. The Gakit Festival also aims to show Angadanians that progress can only be achieved if they are united as one. A key detail of the festival is the hand-made bamboo rafts which are used by the participants. Each bamboo pole, if alone, has no value. It cannot float reliably on a river nor can it be used to transport anything. But if many bamboo poles are tied together as one, it can be made into a raft which can float and sail on calm or rough waters while transporting people and products.
Gawagaway-yan FestivalCauayan CityThe City Fiesta and the Feast of Our lady of the Pillar are celebrated annually on April 10–13 and October 10–12 respectively. Since its conversion into a component city on March 30, 2001, the City Government started to celebrate its founding anniversary with the conduct of "Gawagaway-yan Festival" aimed to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the city. It is highlighted by street dancing, beauty contest, trade fair, cultural parade, parlor games, free concert, band exhibition and other variety shows performed by local and Manila-based talents as well.
Isabela DayProvince of IsabelaAnniversary of the establishment of the civil government of Isabela in honor of Queen Isabella II of Spain. Activities like agro-industrial trade and tourism fairs, parades, sports events are conducted to entertain visitors. Also, one of the highlights of the celebration is the Miss Isabela, an extravagant colorful pageant featuring the candidates from each town/city of the province who exemplify Isabela's youth and vibrancy. A grand fusion of fashion, music and dance with particular focus on Isabela's tourism attractions and its leader.
Kankanen FestivalCabatuanCelebrated in Cabatuan, showcasing native delicacies made of glutinous rice. Mayor Alma Dayrit and the Rural Improvement Club started this annual tradition in 2003 and done on the Foundation Day rites of every year.
Mammangui FestivalIlagan CityCelebrated by Ilagueño farmers as a thanksgiving activity for a bountiful harvest, Mammangui is an Ybanag word which means to harvest corn, the primary crop in the city. Since the assumption in office of Mayor Josemarie L. Diaz, Mammangui Festival was proclaimed as the official festivity of the city. During the celebration, different activities such as parlor games, cultural and trade fairs, colorful street dance, cook fest, sports events, cheerdance competitions, float parade and many others are conducted by the city government to showcase the past to present day transition of Ilagan's rich tradition and cultural heritage. Highlights of the celebration are the annual beauty pageants namely Little Miss Mammangui, Miss Gay Mammangui and the Miss Mammangui, which is one of the most prestigious of its kind in the valley and a free concert featuring local celebrities. It is annually celebrated every 29–31 May.
Mangi FestivalTumauiniCorn was one of the plants that came aboard the Spanish galleons to become one of the primary crops of the Philippines. The late National Artist for Dance, Ramon Obusan traced the origins of a traditional dance inspired by the crop to Tumauini. Thus, a corn-inspired festival seemed especially appropriate for Tumauini.
Nateng FestivalMallig
Cariada FestivalSan Manuel
Nuang FestivalSan AgustinThe carabao, which remains a farmer's indispensable helpmate in the fields, is honoured in the Nuang Festival of San Agustin as are the products the carabao enables farmers to produce. The town boasts of over 300 heads and farmers bring them over to the poblacion for the festival. To get the cattle there, they either guide the animals onto the ferry and keep them quiet for the short river crossing or find the shallowest point of the river, take off their clothes then lead them across. San Agustin supplies carabao milk to other towns where carabao milk candy is produced. The festival also serves as a venue for promoting other major products such as maize and bananas.
Pagay FestivalAliciaHeld annually every September 28 in conjunction with the founding anniversary of the town of Alicia. It used to be called Alicia Town Festival, but was redefined and renamed to Pagay Festival in 2010 by Mayor Cecilia Claire N. Reyes. The festival aims to uphold the town's cultural identity and heritage and to promote the municipality's primary agricultural product called, pagay - the municipality's major livelihood economy and trade mark. The festival is widely participated by the community which features various competitions, street dance showdown, beauty pageant, battle of the bands, and exhibits. However, the Pagay Parade is the main highlight of the festival that features decorated carabaos, various rice crop floats, and people marching with colorful costumes.
Pansi FestivalCabaganPansi Festival is the official festivity of Cabagan.Pansi is an Ybanag word for pansit, a noodle dish topped with chopped karajay or lechon kawali in Tagalog. The town became noted for its well-known local product, the "Pansit Cabagan".
Pattaraday FestivalSantiago CityFrom pattaraday, an Ybanag word for "unity", the festival is celebrated in the city of Santiago to honor its founding anniversary, and the unity of the ethnolinguistic groups that have merged in the city to make it the melting pot of culture of Region II and contributed to the city's progress and development-unity in action. Highlighted with the presentation of the Comedia – a moro-moro dance made famous by the Spaniards to stress the power of Christian Religion over the Moorish non-believers; other activities include beauty pageant, grand batalla presentations and a grand street dancing parade and exhibition with performers from other cities, provinces and regions.
Pinilisa FestivalJones
Sabutan FestivalPalananHeld every March in Palanan, the festival is named after the local name for pandan which is plentiful in the town. The people of Palanan are fine craftsmen who weave dyed and natural colored strips into a variety of bags, hats, and placemats, among other items that have both traditional and contemporary designs. For the festival, the sabutan products are not only sold, these are also used as a theme and are fashioned into costumes and décor.
Sinag-Banga FestivalSan Isidro-
Balamban Dance FestivalSantiago CityOn the year 2014, a new festival was conceptualized by the city government to celebrate Santiago's cityhood anniversary. Balamban which means butterfly is a cultural dance of lowland Christians that originated in Santiago City. The dance depicts the graceful movement and fluttering of butterflies that throng Dariuk Hills' scented gardens. It is usually danced during wedding celebrations in Santiago.

Notable residents