San Mariano, Isabela
Encyclopedia
San Mariano is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela
, Philippines
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 44,718 people in 7,796 households.
San Mariano has a total land area of 146,950 hectares. It constitutes 13.78 percent of the total land area of the Province and is considered as the largest town in the country.
The municipality lies in the eastern part of the Province of Isabela. It is bounded on the North by the Municipality of Ilagan, on the East by the Municipality of Palanan, on the South by the Municipality of San Guillermo and on the West by the Municipality of Benito Soliven. It is approximately 404 km from Metro Manila and 46 km from Ilagan, the provincial capital.
In 1920, by virtue of Executive Order 25, San Mariano became a Municipal District and with the passage of Philippines Legislature Act No. 3416 dated December 7, 1927, it was made a distinct and regular municipality.
After some years, there was an influx of migrants coming from the provinces of Ilocos, Cagayan and Pangasinan. These new settlers formed communities in tracks of agricultural lands on which they grew corn and other crops such as rice, root crops, different kinds of vegetables and bananas.
On the pacific side of the mountains, Semper saw the “Negritos” and concluded that they were new arrivals because he observed no “Kalinga-Negrito” mestizos among them. They inhabit ed the forest close to the “Kalinga” settlements and showed up with games in seasonal periods to barter for agricultural products. Years later, some sociologists noted that there were inter-marriages entered into between these tribes.
These natives, however, were out-numbered by the mestizos or the “Ibanag-Kalinga,” the pure “Ibanags” and “Ilocanos” with a ratio of about four to one. These settlers tilled permanent farms at a place which is now known as Barangays Disulap and Minanga.
There was also an influx of several groups from the Bicol and Tagalog regions during the logging concession boom. The continuing acculturation of these groups brought about social changes in the locality. The once verdant forest slowly became barren and denuded with the ceaseless illegal logging and kaingin system employed by the local people and new migrants. When the national government decided to impose a total log ban, the ethnic groups decided to settle in the remote areas of the municipality to farm their lands. The Bicolanos and Tagalogs, on the other hand, went back to their own regions
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Isabela province
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...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 44,718 people in 7,796 households.
San Mariano has a total land area of 146,950 hectares. It constitutes 13.78 percent of the total land area of the Province and is considered as the largest town in the country.
The municipality lies in the eastern part of the Province of Isabela. It is bounded on the North by the Municipality of Ilagan, on the East by the Municipality of Palanan, on the South by the Municipality of San Guillermo and on the West by the Municipality of Benito Soliven. It is approximately 404 km from Metro Manila and 46 km from Ilagan, the provincial capital.
History
Legend has it that San Mariano was once a barrio of Ilagan, the capital town of the province of Isabela. It was first named as Angela in reference to Mariano Kalingog whose family was one of the foremost settlers of the place. Angela was drowned while she was washing clothes along the Pinacanauan River. The incident brought grief to the people and her husband Mariano who also died some years later. Since then, this village teeming with fish and lush trees was known as San Mariano.In 1920, by virtue of Executive Order 25, San Mariano became a Municipal District and with the passage of Philippines Legislature Act No. 3416 dated December 7, 1927, it was made a distinct and regular municipality.
After some years, there was an influx of migrants coming from the provinces of Ilocos, Cagayan and Pangasinan. These new settlers formed communities in tracks of agricultural lands on which they grew corn and other crops such as rice, root crops, different kinds of vegetables and bananas.
Cultural history
Records also show that when a German naturalist named Carl Semper hiked the Sierra Madre mountains in May 1860, he observed early inhabitants who are known today as the “Kalingas”. He described the said group as a typical Filipino “cultural minority” who grew their own food, practiced their own religious rites, smithed their own tools, decorated their own artifacts with distinctive designs and traded forest products for metal and salt.On the pacific side of the mountains, Semper saw the “Negritos” and concluded that they were new arrivals because he observed no “Kalinga-Negrito” mestizos among them. They inhabit ed the forest close to the “Kalinga” settlements and showed up with games in seasonal periods to barter for agricultural products. Years later, some sociologists noted that there were inter-marriages entered into between these tribes.
These natives, however, were out-numbered by the mestizos or the “Ibanag-Kalinga,” the pure “Ibanags” and “Ilocanos” with a ratio of about four to one. These settlers tilled permanent farms at a place which is now known as Barangays Disulap and Minanga.
There was also an influx of several groups from the Bicol and Tagalog regions during the logging concession boom. The continuing acculturation of these groups brought about social changes in the locality. The once verdant forest slowly became barren and denuded with the ceaseless illegal logging and kaingin system employed by the local people and new migrants. When the national government decided to impose a total log ban, the ethnic groups decided to settle in the remote areas of the municipality to farm their lands. The Bicolanos and Tagalogs, on the other hand, went back to their own regions
Political history
| Leaders of Town | Date |
|---|---|
| Ferando Ampa | 1924 - 1927 |
| Placido Buensuceso | 1927 - 1931 |
| Eulogio Alejo | 1931 - 1934 |
| Elias Gabriel | 1934 - 1945 |
| Jose Miranda | 1945 - 1947 |
| Felicisimo Baua | 1947 - 1963 |
| Emilio Bueno | 1964 - 1967 |
| Jose Miranda | 1967 - 1976 |
| Carlos Dumelod | 1976 to 1980 |
| Deodoro Go | 1980 |
| Carlos Dumelod | December 1980 - 1986 |
| Aristotle Claravall | 1986 - 1987 |
| Romulo S. Taggueg Jr. | 1987 - 1988 |
| Deodoro Go | 1988 - 1995 |
| Jesus C Miranda | 1995 - 2004 |
| Edgar T. Go | 2004 to present. |
Existing general and urban land uses
Of the total land area of the municipality, built-up area constitutes 1,268 hectares or 0.86 percent with the Poblacion as the largest and most densely populated built-up area. Open grasslands occupy a total area of approximately 20,700 hectares representing about 14.09 percent. Generally, the open grasslands are flanked by either agricultural areas or forest areas. Vast forest areas of the municipality are mostly found at its eastern portion, which covers about 53.39 percent or an approximated area of 78,450.50 hectares. About 29,264 hectares or 19.91 percent are presently devoted to extensive agricultural activities with corn, rice and bananas as the major crops. Water bodies, including banks, buffer or salvage zones occupy an estimated 11.58 percent while existing roads and streets cover 2.17 percent of the municipality’s total area.Barangays
San Mariano is politically subdivided into 37 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
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