Santa Fe, officially the Municipality of Santa Fe (; ; ), 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 ...

Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya (; ; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital and largest town is Bayo ...

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 18,276. It is the municipality in which the notable Battle of Balete Pass where Brigadier General James Dalton II was killed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Etymology

According to the official website of Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, the town's former name ''"Imugan"'' derives from the combination of ''"imug"'', a Kalanguya word and "gone", an English term, both of which have the same meaning, while the current name was derived from the town's patron saint San Jose de Santa Fe.

History

The town's original inhabitants were the Kalanguya, an ethnic minority belonging to the

Igorot people The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera in northern Luzon, Philippines, often referred to by the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples, are an ethnic group composed of nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ...

then later on followed by the

Ilocanos The Ilocano people (), also referred to as Ilokáno, Iloko, Iloco, Iluku, or Samtoy, are an Austronesian ethnolinguistic group native to the Philippines. Originally from the Ilocos Region, located on the northwestern coast of Luzon, they hav ...

, Pangasinenses and the

Tagalogs The Tagalog people are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Philippines, particularly the Metro Manila and Calabarzon regions and Marinduque province of southern Luzon, and comprise the majority in the provinces of Bulacan, Bataan, N ...

Spanish era

Santa Fe was formerly an Igorot settlement during the

Spanish era The Spanish era (), sometimes called the era of Caesar, was a calendar era (year numbering system) commonly used in the states of the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th century until the 15th, when it was phased out in favour of the ''Anno Domini'' (A ...

called Imugan. It was one of the settlements discovered during the mission of Ituy, which later became part of the jurisdiction of the Commandancia of Kayapa. It became part of Aritao before it finally stood independently as a town.

American era

The Municipal district of Imugan was founded by

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Francis Burton Harrison Francis Burton Harrison (December 18, 1873 – November 21, 1957) was an American-Filipino Politics of the United States, statesman who served in the United States House of Representatives and was appointed Governor-General of the Philippines ...

in 1917 by virtue of Executive Order No. 39. The first appointed municipal president was a certain Kalanguya chief named ''Licodan'' who served until 1910. On November 7, 1923, the Route 5 also known as San Jose–Santa Fe Road (Now part of the

Maharlika Highway The Pan-Philippine Highway, also known as the Maharlika Highway (; ), is a network of roads, expressways, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao in the Philippines, serving as the country's ...

) was informally opened allowing easy access from

Central Luzon Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...

to the

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: ...

Japanese occupation

During the

, the

Japanese Imperial Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

established a

puppet government A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government is a State (polity), state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside Power (international relations), power and subject to its ord ...

in the country. Two strategic locations,

Dalton Pass Dalton Pass, also called Balete Pass, is a zigzag road and mountain pass that joins the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya, in central Luzon island of the Philippines. It is part of Cagayan Valley Road segment of Pan-Philippine Highway ( ...

in Tactac and Salacsac Pass in Malico, witnessed significant combat between the retreating Japanese Army and the pursuing Allied Forces. Brigadier General James Dalton II of the

United States Army Forces in the Far East United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Estados Unidos sa Malayong Silangan''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Fuerzas del Ejército de los Estados Unidos en el Lejano Oriente'') was a m ...

(USAFFE) lost his life in the battle of Balete Pass on May 16, 1945, which is now known as "Dalton Pass" in his memory. Similarly, a shrine was built in Salacsac Pass to honor the unknown soldiers who displayed heroism during the war. Battle of Balete Pass historical marker

Post-war era

On 9 November 1950, Executive Order No. 368, signed by President

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...

, abolished the municipal district structure in government and attached Imugan to Aritao and Kayapa. The place gradually developed to become a progressive municipal district. Republic Act. No. 2179 was enacted on May 6, 1959, recreating the Municipal district of Imugan and changing its name to Santa Fe in honor of the Patron Saint San Jose de Santa Fe. By virtue of Executive Order No., 77 dated July 18, 1967 it was converted from a municipal district to a regular municipality by President

Ferdinand E. Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the country under ...

Contemporary period

In December 2000, around 50 NPA rebels raided the town's police station located at the municipal town hall. They ransacked and occupied the town hall for nearly two hours and leaving six policemen dead.

Geography

Santa Fe is located in the southwest part of Nueva Vizcaya and is borders the municipalities of Aritao in the northwest, Kayapa in the northeast,

Carranglan Carranglan, officially the Municipality of Carranglan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,420 people. The municipality is home to the Pantabangan–Carran ...

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( ; ; ; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Palayan, while Cabanatuan, its former capital, is the largest Local gove ...

in the south, Itogon,

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; ; ; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region in the island of Luzon. Its capital cit ...

in the east, San Nicolas, and Natividad,

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...

in the southwest. It is the only town in Nueva Vizcaya that borders Pangasinan and is a typical

bus stop A bus stop is a place where Public transport bus service, buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelter (building), shelters ...

for commuters going to the provinces of Isabela and

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...

. This town is the end point of the

, a zig zag road from San Jose and

. Santa Fe is situated from the provincial capital

Bayombong Bayombong, officially the Municipality of Bayombong (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

, and from the country's capital city of

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 ...

Barangays

Santa Fe is politically subdivided into 16

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 and 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 ...

. * Atbu * Bacneng * Balete * Baliling * Bantinan * Baracbac * Buyasyas * Canabuan * Imugan * Malico *

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 ...

* Santa Rosa * Sinapaoan * Tactac * Unib * Villaflores

Boundary dispute

Santa Fe currently has a boundary dispute with

San Nicolas, Pangasinan San Nicolas, officially the Municipality of San Nicolas (; ; ), is a landlocked, municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 39,778 people. History Spanish Period At the beginning ...

, in which Santa Fe claims the territory of barangay Malico. The Nueva Vizcaya provincial board passed a resolution on September 21, 2022, urging San Nicolas officials to respect a memorandum of agreement between the

National Mapping and Resource Information Authority The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA; ) is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that is responsible for providing the public with mapmaking services ...

(NAMRIA),

, and Nueva Vizcaya about twenty years ago. On the same day, the Nueva Vizcaya provincial board held a special session in Barangay Malico and issued a resolution requesting San Nicolas officials to refrain from building infrastructure projects within the barangay's boundaries. Said resolution also instructed San Nicolas officials to "respect the boundary" of Santa Fe as well as "the rights of the Kalanguya tribe and their ancestral domain rights." In July 2024, the Pangasinan provincial government has allocated for projects and services in Malico. Governor Ramon Guico III asserted Malico's affiliation with Pangasinan, emphasizing the province's commitment to enhancing local infrastructure and services regardless of the territorial dispute. Nueva Vizcaya Governor Jose Gambito warns of potential legal repercussions for Pangasinan's investments in the area. He also said that the two government agreed to pay for every NAMRIA survey but Pangasinan allegedly did not fulfill its promises.

Climate

Demographics

According to the 2020 census, Santa Fe has a population of 18,276 in 4,496 households, the 13th most populated and 3rd least populated in the province of Nueva Vizcaya just higher than Ambaguio and slightly lower than

Diadi Diadi, officially the Municipality of Diadi (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 19,236 people. History Diadi was formerly a barangay of Bagabag named Picat ...

. The population has grown by 2.42% compare to 2015. The population density of the municipality is 46 people per square kilometer (120/sq mi).

Ethnicity

Kalanguya (Ikalahan)

The municipality is one of the contiguous areas where the Kalanguya people, part of the

currently living. They are noted for production of basketry and brooms. In 1972, they founded the Kalahan Educational Fundation (KEF) to secure their ancestral lands. As of 2015, Kalanguya is the largest ethnic group in the municipality amounting to 14,500.

Iwak

Iwak (or I'kaw) people was one of the tribes present in the municipality, mostly found in Barangay Buyasyas. They are noted for making ''"Kabang"'', an all purpose basket which they sold in shops across the town. As of 2000, there were 368 Iwak in the town.

Ilocanos

Nueva Vizcaya as a whole was one of the place where the

migrated into during early 20th century and Santa Fe is one of this places. Ilocanos mostly settled in the lower territory of town specifically along the rivers and roads. As of 2000, Ilocanos are the second largest ethnic group in Santa with 3,207.

Tagalogs

migrated to Santa Fe at the same time as the Ilocanos. As of 2000, there are 1,772 Tagalogs in the municipality making it the 3rd largest ethnic group in the town.

Religion

According to the 2000 census by the National Statistics Office (NSO), majority of the people of Santa Fe adhere to some form of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. There were 62 people adhering to folk/tribal religion.

Roman Catholic

Santa Fe has one Roman Catholic Parish Church named "Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help". The church is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Bayombong. As of 2000, there were 4,296 people adhering to Roman Catholicism.

''Iglesia Ni Cristo''

Iglesia ni Cristo The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...

'' in the municipality is under the church district of Nueva Vizcaya. There were 2 church in the municipality namely, "Local of Santa Fe" located in Barangay Villaflores and "Local of Baliling" located in Barangay Baliling. As of 2000, 622 people adhering to ''Iglesia ni Cristo''.

Language

Ilocano and Tagalog are widely spoken across the municipality of Santa Fe. Kalanguya language is also widely spoken in the municipality most commonly by the Kalanguya people.

Culture

Kalanguya Festival

Kalanguya Festival is a town '' fiesta'' held every March to promote Kalanguya culture. It features activities such as dance competition by various ethnic groups in the municipalities, float completion, beauty pageants, and various traditional Kalanguya games such as

arm wrestling Arm wrestling (also spelled "armwrestling") is a sport in which two participants, facing each other with their bent elbows placed on a flat surface (usually a table) and hands firmly gripped, each attempt to "pin" their opponent's hand by forcing ...

or ''hanggol'' and ''dapapnikillum'' or pig catching.

Economy

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, as of 2021, 16.18% of the population of Santa Fe have is living in

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

. It decrease by 1.47% since 2018. It is the 4th highest poverty incidence in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, slightly higher than Alfonso Castañeda and lower than Kasibu. Local products include

broom A broom (also known as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool, consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a ...

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

, strawberry

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

peanut butter Peanut butter is a food Paste (food), paste or Spread (food), spread made from Grinding (abrasive cutting), ground, dry roasting, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s and

quilt A quilt is a multi-layered textile, traditionally composed of two or more layers of fabric or fiber. Commonly three layers are used with a filler material. These layers traditionally include a woven cloth top, a layer of padding, batting or w ...

Government

Local government

Santa Fe is part of the lone congressional district of the province of

. It 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.

Elected officials

Education

The Schools Division of Nueva Vizcaya governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in

region. The Santa Fe Schools District Office governs all public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality. There are the schools in Santa Fe are:

Primary and elementary schools

* Agape Kiddie Center * Atbu Elementary School * Bacneng Elementary School * Baliling Elementary School * Bantinan Elementary School * Baracbac Elementary School * Buyasyas Elementary School * Cauco Elementary School * Genato Elementary School * Imugan Elementary School * Lawed Elementary School * Sinapaoan Elementary School * Sta. Fe Central School * Tactac Elementary School * Tan Yan Kee Elementary School * Unib Primary School

Secondary schools

* Canabuan National High School * Kalahan Academy * Santa Fe National High School

Tourism

Imugan Falls

Imugan Falls is a two level

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

located from the barangay proper of Imugan.

Balete Pass National Park

Balete Pass National Park also known as Dalton Pass is a national park where the famous Battle of Balete Pass between the US army and the Japanese Imperial Army happen in 1945. It features the white cross in the Japanese memorial site with the text "Peace Forever."

Gallery

File:SantaFe,NuevaVizcayajf6739 03.JPG, Municipal hall File:SantaFe,NuevaVizcayajf6658 06.JPG, Public market File:Sta. Fe Nueva Vizcaya.JPG, Municipal hall complex File:SantaFe,Nueva VizcayaBirdgejf6762 26.JPG, Town proper File:Santa Fe Forest Park (National Road, Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya; 01-26-2020).jpg, Forest Park

Notes

References

External links

* *

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Nueva Vizcaya