Ilagan

The town was then called by its native Gaddang settlers as Bolo during the pre-Spanish conquest era. It is one of the populous settlement during that period and site of the vast tobacco plantation in the region making it one of the most important economic areas in northern Luzon.

Shortly after Juan de Salcedo conquered Northern Luzon in 1587, Gov. Rodrigo de Penalosa sent Capt. Pablo de Carreon to explore Cagayan Valley as well as to establish missions in towns. Among the Spanish missionaries who penetrated deeply into the region was P. Pedro Jimenez, who founded Ilagan.

The town of Bolo was founded by the Dominicans in 1619 in honor of Saint Ferdinand of Castile. The old Bolo was situated in the western side of Cagayan River in what is known today as Barangay Naguilian-Baculod. The cultural shock brought by the dominating social and economic regulations introduced by the Spanish authorities propelled the natives to dissent in the Mallig and Ilagan-Tumauini territories in what was known as the Gaddang Revolution. The natives abandoned their settlement after burning their church and houses until 1622 when the Spanish government pardoned and exempted them from paying tribute within three years. After the Gaddang revolt, the natives re-established their settlement upon the efforts of Fr. Pedro Jimenez in 1678 on the east side of the river thereby giving the legendary name for Ilagan which is the reverse of the word Nagali meaning "transfer". The Dominicans accepted the settlement as an ecclesiastical mission given the name San Fernando de Ilagan in honor of its patron, Saint Ferdinand of Castile.

On May 4, 1686, Ilagan was founded and missionaries converted the natives to Christianity. Ilagan was made the capital of Cagayan Valley when Brig. Manuel Sanchez Mira was then the governor of the whole territory. Ilagan was the scene of the 1763 revolt in Isabela led by Dabo and Marayag against the collection of tribute, the enforcement of tobacco monopoly committed by the friars during the Spanish occupation. Upon the separation of Isabela on May 1, 1856, Ilagan became the capital of the province.

On August 4, 1901 the American occupation under the United States-Philippine Commission has enacted the Provincial Government Act 210 that has re-established Isabela and other provinces in the Philippines. Rafael Maramag, a former municipal president (mayor) of Ilagan was appointed as the first governor. The act then re-established Ilagan as the provincial capital.

On November 13, 1925, Gaffud has approved a resolution filed by all "Municipal Presidents of the Isabela" (the counterpart of the present-day Mayors' League) following a four-day convention. The resolution called for the erection of a monument in honor of the country's National Hero José Rizal in the old Ilagan public plaza in Barangay Bagumbayan. By the turn of the 1950s the new Poblacion was located uphill from the old Saint Ferdinand Parish Church (formerly known as Saint Ferdinand Cathedral in Barangay Bagumbayan) to Barangay San Vicente; site of the current City Hall.[7]

When Ferdinand Marcos' September 1972 declaration of Martial Law began a 14 year period of authoritarian rule, the province of Isabela - including Ilagan - became a center of both conflict and protest when Marcos crony Danding Cojuangco and his associate Antonio Carag managed to block a Spanish-era grant which was supposed to see the return of Hacienda San Antonio and Hacienda Santa Isabel in Ilagan to local farmers. Cojuangco and Carag purchased the two haciendas themselves, displacing tens of thousands of farmers who were supposed to get those lands back a hundred years after the Spanish acquired them.[8]

In its desire to serve its parishioners, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan hosted a Social Action Center which would help the farmers. In the Social Action Center's newsletter, the "Courier," researcher Sabino Padilla Jr. documented and exposed the ways by which Cojuangco, Carag, the provincial government and the military harassed the farmers who were supposed to get the land. This all led to a protest march in joined by 12,000 protesters from all over Isabela, and eventually, for 4,000 farmers to finally get the titles to their land. But it also earned the ire of the administration.[8][9]

In 1982, Padilla and 12 others were arrested by the regime and jailed under poor conditions at the Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya Stockade of the Philippine Constabulary until almost the end of the Marcos regime.[8]

In 1983, soldiers went as far as to raid the residence of the Bishop of Ilagan, Miguel Purugganan, in search of alleged rebels and firearms. They found none, but continued to keep Bishop Puruggananan and the church workers under him under military surveillance.[9]

Ilagan has attempted to gain cityhood status at least five times in its history:

• During the Spanish colonization period, Ilagan applied to gain cityhood status from the Spanish Government but was unsuccessful. Ilagan could have been the second city of the Philippines after Nueva Segovia, now Lal-Lo, Cagayan.
• During the administration of then Mayor Paguirigan, but was shelved during the American occupation.
• On February 2, 1998, congress passed Republic Act No. 8474 which sought to convert Ilagan into a city. But the plebiscite held on March 14, 1999 turned down its bid for cityhood under the administration of then Mayor Uy. The majority of the people voted no in that event.[10]
• During the administration of then Mayor Albano, Ilagan's cityhood status did not push through when the mayor was gunned down by three unidentified men in the night of June 27, 2006 in Quezon City.[11] Mayor Albano used the term C-U-DAD Ilagan for campaigning the cityhood status of Ilagan.

• In 2012, led by then Isabela 1st District Representative Rodolfo Albano Sr., renewed its bid for its cityhood. Local officials of the town headed by then Mayor Josemarie Diaz, expressed support for the town's conversion into a city.[12] On May 22, 2012, the congress approved the cityhood bill of Ilagan on its House Resolution No. 144 and was signed by then President Benigno Aquino III.[13] Plebiscite was held on August 11, 2012, with a majority of votes voting "yes". By virtue of Republic Act 10169, Ilagan was then proclaimed as a new component city, the third in the province of Isabela and the fourth in Cagayan Valley on the same day by COMELEC Commissioner Armando Velasco.[14]
• On August 11, 2015, marked another day in the history of Ilagan as the Department of Agriculture proclaimed the city as the new Corn Capital of the Philippines during its third cityhood anniversary. Former Sec. Proceso Alcala was represented by then Asec. Edilberto M. De Luna who travelled all the way to Ilagan to attend the momentous event.

Of the total 1,166.26 km² land area of Ilagan; 31% are agricultural, 36% are forest areas and the remaining 33% are built-up areas and open grassland areas that are available for industrial, commercial and residential uses.[15] Of all cities in the country, Ilagan ranks as the top producer of corn. As an agriculture-based city, it produces ample supply of corn, rice, vegetables and legumes. Fruits like the banana are year-round products especially in the mountainous areas of the city. Ilagan also produces seasonal fruits such as mangoes and pomelo. The Cagayan Valley Research Center (CVRC) is the primary plant breeding institution in Region 02. It is located in Barangay San Felipe along National Highway. Ilagan has rich forest resources. Hectares of forest land are strictly protected by authorities like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), several NGOs and the Local Government Unit.

Ilagan's population is predominantly Roman Catholic. The Diocese of Ilagan has 39 catholic churches all over the province of Isabela. There are also Protestants, Baptist, Church of Christ, Adventists, Born Again groups, Victory Christian Fellowship, Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, and Philippine-based groups like Iglesia ni Cristo and Ang Dating Daan that accounts to the city's population. These religious organizations have their own temples and churches sparsely located in the city. Some Ilagueños were converted to Islam where their mosque is found in Barangay Baligatan.

There are several food and beverage companies in the city. The largest of which is the Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI)[21] which operates a softdrink bottling plant in Barangay Guinatan. Another, is a vinegar and soy sauce fermentation company locally known as 'Best Choice', which is operated and owned by Robelly's Food Products and also the Jack Confectionery, which operates a wine fermentation plant. There are 15 bakeries/bakeshops and 1 ice cream/ice drop company. Aside from the increasing number of local cafés, restaurants and several multi-national fastfood companies opened their respective branch/es in the city.

One major industry in Ilagan is furniture making. Several furniture shops, located along the National Highway in Barangays Alinguigan 2nd & Alinguigan 3rd, manufacture and sell furnitures made of quality narra wood. These barangays were dubbed as "Butaka City" of Ilagan,[22][23] where the Guinness Book of Records' entry for the biggest lounge chair in the world, the Butaka, was manufactured.[24]

Ilagan became one of the largest producers of tobacco during the Spanish time. The Tobacco Monopoly have caused the valley to languish in poverty from 1785 to 1797. The lifting of the monopoly was caused by the heavy loss incurred by the government. A Royal Decree released in 1882 totally abolished the monopoly and attracted foreign capitalist to invest in the country. In Ilagan, the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas or the Tabacalera was established in 1881 and produced the famous La FLor de Isabela which was the largest company of its kind in the world at that time. The Tabacalera acquired two haciendas in Ilagan: the Hacienda San Antonio and Hacienda Santa Isabela.

At present, most of the industries in the city are agri-based. For the past ten years, there has been a great number of local investment in poultry and hog raising. At present, there are seven poultry contract growers and 33 small and medium scale hog raisers in Ilagan. Other support facilities, warehouses and small rice mills, strategically located in different barangays of Ilagan address the storage needs of farmers during the harvest season.

There are 9 motor vehicle assembly shops in Ilagan; 5 jeepney assembly shops and 4 tricycle side-car makers. These motor vehicle assembly shops respond to the increasing need for transportation service in the city.

• Aggaw na Ilagan or Ilagan Day is celebrated annually every May 4. It was the date when Ilagan was founded as a town.
• Binallay is a native rice cake prepared year-round in Ilagan. It was during the administration of then Mayor Albano that Binallay Festival became the official festivity of Ilagan but was later replaced by the Mammangui Festival.[26]
• Cityhood Anniversary - Celebrated every 11th day of August. The city government celebrated the first anniversary of Ilagan's cityhood charter in 2013.[27]
• Mammangi Festival- Celebrated during the last week of May; Mammangi is an Ybanag word meaning the harvest or planting of corn. It honors the farmers who are the real foundation of Ilagan's economy and is celebrated as a thanksgiving activity for a good harvest. In 2011, General Ordinance No. 33 promulgated during the administration of then Mayor Diaz ordained Mammangui Festival as the official festivity of Ilagan to be celebrated on the month of May.[28]
• Patronal Fiesta – As a predominantly Catholic nation, the culture of observing the feast days of the most venerated Roman Catholic icons are common and widespread in the Philippines. In Ilagan, the city celebrates the feast day of its patron, San Fernando, every 30 May.
• Balai na Ilagan has been set up to give a communal space of Ilagueños with the aim to nurture artistic talents of residents and to provide a multipurpose hall within the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church. Balai na Ilagan is intended to celebrate arts and culture in the province of Isabela.[29]

In 1993, Ilagan hosted the Palarong Pambansa (National Games) and in 2011 the SCUAA National Olympics.[30] It was held at the Isabela Sports Complex.[31] The sports complex was erected by the National Government and local officials during the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos as a permanent facility for the province of Isabela, in Barangay Alibagu, Ilagan, the capital. The impressive facility of 50 hectares, on which has built a stadium with a 39,000 seating capacity, likewise has an athlete's village for housing participants. Some of the houses for the athlete's village were donated by certain civic-minded citizens and organizations who were approached by the officials of the province through the initiative of the late former Isabela Governor Benjamin G. Dy. The complex is also equipped with a basketball court, volleyball courts, swimming pool, badminton and tennis courts, sepak takraw court, oval rubber track and a baseball field.

The City of Ilagan Sports Complex (formerly called as Paguirigan Memorial Athletic Stadium) is a sports facility equipped with new modern rubber track, basketball, volleyball, badminton and tennis courts, concrete bleachers and a new swimming pool that was built to accommodate major sports and athletic events such as the Cagayan Valley Regional Athletic Association (CAVRAA) meet held in 2016 and 2017. It was the chosen venue by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), Inc. for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships, 12th and 14th South East Asia Youth Athletics Championship and the 2017 Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championship, where world class athletes from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Fil-Am contingent, Philippine Team and the host City of Ilagan team participated in the said event. It is the first city outside Metro Manila to have hosted the championships for 2 years in a row, first and only Philippine city in this decade to have an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) certified track and field competition venue, first host city to stage the international format of athletics competition and the first host city to have organized the championships integrating entertainment and the thrill of sports competition.[32][33][34]

On January 11, 2019, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced that Ilagan will be hosting the 2019 Batang Pinoy Luzon qualifying leg sports competition; it was held on March 16 – 23, 2019. Batang Pinoy is a national competition for athletes under fifteen (15) years old and was established through Executive Order No. 44, which was signed by then President Joseph Estrada on December 2, 1998.[35][36]

The City of Ilagan Community Center is a government facility that was built to accommodate indoor events such as basketball games, badminton and volleyball tournaments, cheerdance competitions, concerts, and other important activities. It is now fully airconditioned.

Table tennis is also a popular sport in the city. It is played regularly in Ping-Pong Central in Francisca Village,Baligatan and hosted by the Table Tennis Association of Ilagan (TATAC-Ilagan).[37] Regular ranking tournament is held monthly among residents of Ilagan. Open tournament is held annually.

The only golf course[38] in Isabela is located in Ilagan. This golf course has produced several World Junior Golf Champions.

The SK Federation in Ilagan has a yearly basketball tournament for the youth of the city.

There were 28 municipal mayors during its municipal period since 1904. Its first city mayor is Josemarie L. Diaz, DMD from 2012–2016.

Ilagan City is politically subdivided into 91 barangays, the most number of barangays in the province. [2] Each barangay consist of 7 puroks and some have sitios. Currently, there are 12 barangays in the city that are considered urban.

Barangays in Ilagan City are grouped into 4 clusters, namely Centro Poblacion Cluster, Northeastern Cluster, San Antonio Cluster, and Western Cluster.[40]

Ilagan is linked by a national highway called Maharlika Highway (designated as Asian Highway 26, AH26 by Asian Highway Network) The highway starts at Barangay Alibagu and ends at Barangay San Juan. On-going road constructions are the Ilagan-Divilacan road and the Ilagan-Delfin Albano-Mallig Road[44] which are expected to be completed in five years and the former later this year 2013. Ilagan's longest bridge is the Malalam Bridge in Barangay Malalam going north.

In 2014, the city government inaugurated the Baculud Overflow Bridge that connects the poblacion area to the northeastern barangays going to Tuguegarao. However, in 2016, the structure was damaged by flood brought by the torrential rain when Typhoon Haima or locally known as Super Typhoon Lawin struck the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan. The authorities had to close the bridge until the completion of its rehabilition which began in 2017.[45] On May 4, 2019, the two lane overflow bridge was reinaugurated by the city government during the 333rd founding anniversary of Ilagan.[46]

In February 2015, the Lullutan Bridge was opened to the public local by the local government. In April 2015, then President Benigno S. Aquino traveled to Isabela to lead the inauguration of the new bridge, which connects the east and west banks of the Cagayan River. It is expected to connect the city's western barangays and nearby municipalities of Delfin Albano and Tumauini. Before the construction of the new bridge, residents have to use barges to transport agricultural products to the market. With its completion, residents would no longer have to pay barge fees, and travel time between barangays on either side of the river has been cut short drastically. The bridge in Santa Maria (Cabiseria 8) was completed and opened to the public in 2015.[47] Road concreting and widening, creation of diversion and circumferencial roads and farm to market roads were prioritized by the national and city government to help mobilize the transportation goods and delivery of basic services within the city's jurisdiction and neighboring municipalities.

The construction of an 82-kilometer Ilagan-Divilacan Road through the protected Sierra Madre mountains is on-going to open access to the coastal towns of Divilacan, Palanan and Maconacon. 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 and will take four years to complete. The project will improve an old logging road used by the defunct Acme Logging Corp. until the 1990s. It will start in Barangay Sindon Bayabo in Ilagan and will end in Barangay Dicatian in the coastal town of Divilacan. The project is started in March 2016 and it will be completed in 2021.[48]

There are 29.313 kilometres (18.214 mi) of concrete road out of 24.56 kilometres (15.26 mi) of national road that passes through the city. Other road networks are 33.005 kilometres (20.508 mi) provincial roads, 8,909 city streets and 269.713 kilometres (167.592 mi) of barangay roads. Ilagan is accessible by all means of land transportation. From the Poblacion to the 91 barangays and five adjacent municipalities. Regular jeepney trips are from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm. Tricycles are available 24 hours a day.

Ilagan is the only place in the Cagayan Valley Region that considers jeepneys as one of the primary means of public transportation within its vicinity and neighboring municipalities. There are 432 Jeepneys used as the major public transportation in Ilagan with corresponding routes from Centro-Calamagui-Alibagu-Upi junction-Guibang vice versa, Centro-Calamagui-Bliss Village-Salindingan vice versa, Centro-San Antonio region vice versa, Centro-Bintacan vice versa, and neighboring towns Ilagan-Gamu-Burgos-Roxas vice versa, plus 4,000 tricycle units and few bus companies. Each company operates a fleet of air conditioned buses with daily trips to Manila from their respective terminals. Several bus companies also use the Ilagan route from Tuguegarao City and Northern Isabela to Manila, Dagupan City, Baguio and other destinations. The Local Government Unit (LGU) inaugurated the Ilagan City Central Transport Terminal beside the Northstar Mall in Alibagu on November 28, 2011.

Victory Liner and GV Florida Transport have terminals within the city that offers daily trips to Kamias, Quezon City and Sampaloc, Manila.

PLDT and Digitel are the main Telecommunications Service provider in Ilagan. They operate and maintain several telecommunications facilities and offices within the city. They offer various services such as telephony and broadband internet (DSL). Mobile network operators in Ilagan include Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Sun Cellular, Talk 'N Text, Touch Mobile, and Red Mobile. Other companies providing various telecommunications services such as telegraph and fax services are PT&T, and RCPI now Universal Storefront Services Corporation.

The city has a number of internet cafés, and the majority of the country's Internet Service provider (ISPs) are available in Ilagan such as Smart Broadband, Globe Tattoo, Sun Broadband, PLDT myDSL and Digitel. Cable TV provider Polaris Cable Vision also offers broadband.

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPOst)[49] is the major postal service provider in Ilagan. Express delivery services are provided by LBC, FedEx (Air21),JRS Express,[50] and EMS (through PhilPost).

Residences and establishments are able to get their energy needs through the service provided by the Isabela Electric Cooperative II, Inc. (ISELCO II). Its main office is located at Barangay Alibagu. Based on MPDO record, 63 out of 91 barangays are energized.[51] As of 2011, Ilagan is now 100% energized. Also, a sub-station of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is located in Barangay Baligatan.

Ilagan is one of the few places in the Cagayan Valley Region that has a continuous freeway lighting system. The city government have managed to install incandescent highway lights along the national road from Barangay Alibagu in the south all the way to Barangay San Juan in the north.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has approved on May 27, 2015 the service contract of the largest solar PV power plant in the Philippines. Cheap solar energy will be available for residents here soon after the proponents of the P7-billion solar power plant have already secured its funding.

A twenty-five (25) year Service contract was signed between Living Project 4 People Philippines Inc. (LP4PP) and the Department of Energy. The signing will start the process of completion of development, installation, construction, commissioning and operation of a 100.0 MW Solar PV Project in the city. LP4PP said that the solar project will be constructed in 10 phases to install 10.0 MW for each phase that will start construction in August 2015.

Accordingly, it is a pure solar PV Grid connected installation that will avail on the privileges under the Renewable Energy Law of the country. The renewable energy to be generated will be sold directly to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) under the Feed-in-Tariff Scheme of the RE law.

The 100.0 MW Solar PV project will help alleviate the current electricity shortage in the country that causes regular black-outs resulting in 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.

The City of Ilagan Water District (CIWD) is a government-owned and controlled corporation that is mandated to supply all the water needs of its concessionaires. It has managed to put up several pumping stations all throughout the city to cater the increasing demand of Ilagan's growing population and economy. Some residents and privately owned business entities have their own electric water pumps and some are able to put up their own traditional deep wells for their own water needs and irrigation systems specially those residents from far-flung barangays who are not able to avail the service provided by the water district. Its main office is located in Barangay Osmeña. Several water refilling stations have opened to serve as an alternative for the residents for their water needs. Also, the city government is continuously implementing solutions in line with the water and sewerage problems of the city such as the construction of deep wells in every barangay and the construction of drainages and canals in those area affected by floods during the rainy and stormy season.

Pasa Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (PSRIP)

The Pasa Small Reservoir Irrigation Project (PSRIP), a $21.7 million project in Barangay Pasa, a joint undertaking between the South Korean government, through Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), and the Philippines, through the National Irrigation Administration and the local government of Isabela.

The project entailed construction of a 34-meter high earth-filled dam across Pasa River, a reservoir with an active storage of 3.90 million cubic meters, with 5.93 kilometers of a main canal and 16.20 kilometers of lateral canals.

According to authorities and government officials, the project is said to be under South Korea's five-year program under the East Asia Climate Change Partnership to address climate change and to bolster Green Growth in Asia. It was built to help mitigate floods with its small water impounding or catchment basin features aside from irrigating more farmlands in the province, the project is also aimed at reducing the impact of climate change and promoting water management in rural areas. The dam is expected to irrigate eight hundred (800) hectares of farmlands, covering the barangays of Pasa, Santa Victoria, Fuyo, Morado and Minabang, all within Ilagan City, and should benefit seven hundred forty seven (747) families in the province of Isabela. Also, the authorities added that the Pasa Dam project would further fortify Isabela as the country's leading agriculture province, which has kept the title as a top corn producer and second in rice production.[52]