Palanan, Isabela

Palanan , officially the Municipality of Palanan ( Ibanag: ''Ili nat Palanan''; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. It also served as the final capital of the First Philippine Republic from 1900 until the capture of President Emilio Aguinaldo by the Americans during the Philippine-American War in 1901. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,684 people.

Etymology

Since the location was surrounded by Aetas, the Ibanags from the lowland Isabela would warn their close friends with the term "''Palanammu''" which indicates uneasiness or caution. Similarly, some vagabond Tagalogs who arrived there either as a sanctuary during difficult sailing or pure adventure, dubbed the site "''Palatanan''" which is suggestive of the character of the residents. Eventually, the word transformed into its modern name "''Palanan''".

History

Unlike other towns in the Cagayan Valley, Palanan was established in 1625 by Spanish forces who arrived by boat from the Pacific coastal town of Baler in Tayabas province (now part of Aurora). As such, Palanan was initially a part of Pampanga before being transferred to Laguna, Tayabas (now Quezon Province; Tayabas became independent from Laguna), Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and finally Isabela. Also, unlike the rest of Cagayan Valley, it was served by Franciscan missionaries rather than the Dominicans. The population of the town was natively Paranan, then subsequently augmented by local Negritos, migrants from Baler who are Tagalogs, and outlaws from Cagayan Valley, with the lingua franca of the settlement being Tagalog as opposed to Ilocano or Ibanag.

General Emilio Aguinaldo became President of the First Philippine Republic in 1900. He was captured on March 23 when Col. Frederick Funston led the Americans in 1901. It was in Palanan that one of the final chapters of the Philippine–American War was written on March 23, 1901, when General Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by American forces led by General Frederick Funston, who had gained access to Aguinaldo's camp by pretending to surrender to the Filipinos.

In 1978, the area around Palanan was proclaimed by President Ferdinand Marcos to be part of the Palanan Wilderness Area, a protected nature conservation area that was later expanded by President Fidel V. Ramos to become the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in 1997.

In the May 9, 2016 elections, Angelito A. Bernardo won a three-way mayoral campaign. However, due to his unexpected death shortly after the polls, Rodolfo M. Bernardo, the Municipal Vice Mayor-elect and first-elected Sangguniang Bayan member, and Elizabeth B. Ochoa took the oath of office as Municipal Mayor. On July 1, 2016, the Municipal Vice Mayor and other winning candidates attended the ceremony in Ilagan City, which serves as the provincial capital. Mayor Rodolfo M. Bernardo served as the local chief executive for five months and fifteen days before passing away in a car accident. According to the rules of succession, Vice Mayor Elizabeth B. Ochoa took the oath of office as Municipal Mayor and has remained in charge as the local Chief Executive ever since.

Geography

Palanan is one of the four remote and isolated coastal towns of Isabela facing the Philippine Sea on the east and separated from the rest of the province by the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Barangays

Palanan is politically subdivided into 17 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

* Alomanay
* Bisag
* Centro East (Poblacion)
* Centro West (Poblacion)
* Culasi
* Dialaoyao
* Dibewan
* Dicadyuan
* Dicotkotan
* Diddadungan
* Didyan
* Dimalicu-licu
* Dimasari
* Dimatican
* Ditambali
* Maligaya
* Marikit

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Palanan, Isabela, was 17,684 people, with a density of .

Economy

Government

Local government

As a municipality in the Province of Isabela, government officials at the provincial and municipal levels are voted by the town. The provincial government has political jurisdiction over most local transactions of the municipal government.

The Municipality of Palanan is governed by a mayor, designated as its Local Chief Executive, and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the municipal councilors are elected directly in elections held every three years.

Barangays are also headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain, Barangay Council, whose members are called Barangay Councilors. The barangays have SK federation which represents the barangay, headed by SK chairperson and whose members are called SK councilors. All officials are also elected every three years.

Elected officials

Congress representation

Palanan, belonging to the second legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon. Ed Christopher S. Go.

Education

The Schools Division of Isabela governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region. The Palanan Schools District Office governs the public elementary and high schools throughout the municipality including schools located in Dinapigue, Divilacan, and Maconacon.

Primary and elementary schools

Although some elementary schools are located outside Palanan, these are being managed by Palanan School District Office.
* Alomanay Elementary School
* Bicobian Elementary School (located in Divilacan)
* Bisag Elementary School
* Bucal Sur Elementary School (located in Dinapigue)
* Centro West Primary School
* Culasi Elementary School
* Dialawyao Elementary School
* Dibungko Primary School
* Dibutarek Elementary School
* Diddadungan Elementary School
* Didiyan Elementary School
* Dikadyuan Elementary School
* Dikaruyan Primary School (located in Divilacan)
* Dimalicu-licu Primary School
* Dimasalansan Elementary School (located in Divilacan)
* Dimasari Elementary School
* Dimatican Elementary School
* Dinapigue Central School (located in Dinapigue)
* Dipadsanjan Primary School
* Disukad Elementary School
* Ditambali Elementary School
* Divilacan Central School (located in Divilacan)
* Maconacon Central School (located in Maconacon)
* Marikit Elementary School
* Palanan Central School
* San Isidro Elementary School
* Sapinit Primary School (located in Divilacan)
* Taknalan Primary School

Secondary schools

Although some secondary schools are located outside Palanan, these are being managed by Palanan School District Office.
* Ayod Integrated School (located in Dinapigue)
* Dibewan Integrated School (located in Dinapigue)
* Dibulo Integrated School (located in Dinapigue)
* Dinapigue National High School (located in Dinapigue)
* Divilacan National High School (located in Divilacan)
* Isabela School of Fisheries
* Maconacon National High School (located in Maconacon)
* Palanan National High School
* Palanan School of Agriculture and Trades
* Reina Mercedes Integrated School (located in Maconacon)

Infrastructure

The most common forms of transportation in Palanan are by horses, motorcycles, tricycles, or an improvised motorcycles called '' kuligligs''.Christian (2011-06-13)
"Palanan and Maconacon"
Off the Beaten Track in the Philippines. Retrieved on 2023-03-16. Due to its isolation, the town can be reached quickest by a 23-30 minute flight in a six-seater, single-engine ''Cyclone Air'' Cessna commuter plane from Cauayan. Palanan is served by Palanan Airport.

By water, a boat ride from the neighboring town of Divilacan or in the towns of Dingalan and Baler in Aurora province in the south usually takes about two to three hours and six to seven hours, respectively.Jay (2013-01-09)
"Palanan - Isabela's Best Kept Secrets"
Lets Go Philippines. Retrieved on 2014-09-28.

There are no roads that connect Palanan to the rest of province as the town can only be reached by a plane or boat ride, or a multi-day hike over the Sierra Madres from the neighboring town of San Mariano, which could take about three to five days. However, there is a 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. The project will improve an old logging road used by a defunct logging company until the 1990s. It will start in Barangay Sindon Bayabo in Ilagan City and will end in Barangay Dicatian in Divilacan. The project is started in March 2016 and is expected to be completed in 2024.

References

External links

Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the PhilippinesPalanan at the Isabela Government WebsiteLocal Governance Performance Management System
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationMunicipality of Palanan

{{Authority control

Municipalities of Isabela (province)