San Pablo, officially the Municipality of San Pablo (; ; ), is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Isabela,

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,320 people. San Pablo is from

Ilagan Ilagan, officially the City of Ilagan (; ; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 158,218 people making it the most populous city in the province and ...

and from

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

History

Spanish occupation

San Pablo is the oldest pueblo in the Province of Isabela. The town was founded on 1646 as ''Maquila'' by Fr. Pedro de Santo Tomas, making it the oldest town in Isabela and existing before the province's creation. The original name literally means sparkling. It was then renamed to ''Cabagan'', loosely interpreted as the place where people wear "ba-ag" when the Spaniards arrived at the Philippine Islands. Mengal Baladdon and his troops, disturbed by Fray Pedro Jimenez's success in establishing Christian communities in the ''Irraya'', devastated Cabagan in 1683, killing twelve people and forcing the locals to escape to the mountains. The hamlet was on the point of collapse when the alcalde-mayor of Cagayan rescued it by killing some accomplices and capturing seventy. Their property was confiscated and given to the army. In 1709, a fire destroyed the Cabagan Church and the convent.

American occupation

In the 1900s, Cabagan was subdivided into three divisions, namely: Cabagan Viejo, Cabagan Nuevo, and Santa Maria. Cabagan Viejo was then renamed to San Pablo, after its patron saint

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

whose feast day is celebrated every January 15. Meanwhile, Cabagan Nuevo became the modern-day Cabagan, while Santa Maria retained its name.

Japanese occupation

The seat of administration for San Pablo town was moved to Barrio Auitan in 1944, then to Barrio Minanga at the request of the Japanese.

Philippine independence

In 1959, Mayor Calixtro B. Cauan returned the government center to its former location, which is now the current location.

Geography

San Pablo is situated from the provincial capital

, and from the country's capital city of

Barangays

San Pablo is politically subdivided into 17

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s while some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. * Annanuman * Auitan * Ballacayu * Binguang (Baculud) * Bungad * Dalena * Caddangan (Limbauan) * Calamagui * Caralucud * Guminga * Minanga Norte * Minanga Sur * San Jose *

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

* Simanu Norte * Simanu Sur * Tupa (San Vicente)

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of San Pablo, Isabela, was 26,320 people, with a density of .

Economy

Culture

The ''Baka'' (Cow) Festival, inaugurated in 2004, is held annually on January 15.

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 San Pablo 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 polls held every three years. Barangays are also headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain,

Barangay Council The Sangguniang Barangay, known in English as the Barangay Council is the local government of a barangay, the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Each of the 42,004 barangays in the country has its respective Sangguniang Baran ...

, 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

Past chief executives

According to accessible documents, the three Capitan Municipals of San Pablo served in the latter half of Spanish administration when Cabagan Viejo was re-established. These were the Municipal Presidents during the American period. * Don Juan S. Gollayan (1884-1889) * Don Salvador Cauan (1890-1895) * Don Agripino Cammayo (1896-1899) * Don Antonio Pagulayan (1900-1903) * Don Thomas Gollayan (19041907) * Don Ventura Santos Guzman (1908-1910) * Don Salvador Tumaliuan (19111914) * Don Agustin Miro (1915-1918) * Don Angel Cammayo (1919-1922) * Don Valeriano Palattao (1923-1925) * Don Anacleto Pagulayan (1926-1931) * Don Antonio Cauan (1932-1936) * Don Agustin Mesa (1937-1938) San Pablo's municipal mayors during the Commonwealth period, Japanese occupation, and the Third Republic include * Hon. Manuel Masigan (1938–1940) * Hon. Marciano Nolasco Castañeda (1941-1942 and 1945-1946) * Hon. Melecio Antonio (1942–1943 appointed) * Hon. Jose Guzman (1943–1944 appointed) * Hon. Jesus Gollayan (1946–1947 appointed) * Hon. Jose L. Tumaliuan (1948–1950) * Hon. Hon. Aniceto Palattao (born 1951) * Calixtro B. Cauan (1952-1955, 1956-1959 and 1960-1963) * Hon. Cayetano N. Cauan (1964-1967, 1968-1971, 1972-1980, and 1980–1986) These were the municipal mayors during the Fifth Republic, under the 1987 constitution: * Hon. Antonio N. Miro, Jr. (1986-1987 OIC, 2004-2007, 2007-2010, 2010-2013, and 2016–present) * Hon. Roy Umayam (1987–1988) * Hon. Cayetano A. Cauan, Jr. (1988-1992; 1992-1995) * Hon. Edwardson B. Tumaliuan (1995-1998, 1998-2001) * Hon. Celia M. Aragon (2001–2004) * Hon. Antonio Jose T. Miro III (2013–2016).

Congress representation

San Pablo, belonging to the first legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon. Antonio T. Albano.

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 Cagayan Valley (; ), designated as Region II, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces: ...

region. The San Pablo Schools District Office governs the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality.

Primary and elementary schools

* Annanuman Elementary School * Auitan Elementary School * Ballacayu Elementary School * Binguang Elementary School * Bungad Elementary School * Caddangan Primary School * Calamagui Elementary School * Caralucud Primary School * Dalena Elementary School * Limbauan Elementary School * Minanga Elementary School * San Jose Elementary School * San Pablo Central School * San Vicente Elementary School * Simanu Norte Elementary School * Simanu Sur Elementary School

Secondary schools

* Dalena High School * San Pablo National High School * Simanu National High School * Saint MICS Achievers Center * St. Paul Vocational and Industrial High School

References

External links

Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the PhilippinesSan Pablo at the Isabela Government WebsiteLocal Governance Performance Management System
* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationMunicipality of San Pablo
{{Authority control Municipalities of Isabela (province) Populated places on the Rio Grande de Cagayan