Santo Tomas, officially the Municipality of Santo Tomas ( ibg, Ili nat Santo Tomas; ilo, Ili ti Santo Tomas; tl, Bayan ng Santo Tomas), is a 4th class

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 almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,528 people. In 1952, Santo Tomas lost two barrios when the barrios of Abut and Minagbag were transferred to the newly created town of

Mallig Mallig, officially the Municipality of Mallig ( ilo, Ili ti Mallig; tl, Bayan ng Mallig), is a landlocked 4th class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. The municipality has a land area of 133.40 square kilometers or 51.51 s ...

. In 1961, those barrios were transferred to the newly created municipality of

Quezon Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province. It was later renamed Tayabas. In honor of the ...

Geography

Santo Tomas is a landlocked municipality situated in the northern portion of the province of Isabela. It is bounded to the west by

, to the south by Delfin Albano, to the southeast by Tumauini, to the north and northeast by Cabagan and the Cagayan River.

Barangays

Santo Tomas is politically subdivided into 27

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolit ...

s. These barangays are headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain, Barangay Council, whose members are called

Barangay Councilors A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

. All are elected every three years.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Santo Tomas, Isabela, was 24,528 people, with a density of .

Economy

Farming is its primary source of income. The most widespread plantations were

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

, corn and tobacco farms. Locals also raise livestock for extra income.

Government

Local government

The municipality 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 councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

Elected officials

Congress representation

Santo Tomas, 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 ( ilo, Tanap ti Cagayan; fil, Lambak ng Cagayan), is an administrative region in the Philippines, located in the northeastern section of Luzon Island. It is composed of five Philippine provinces: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, ...

region. The office governs the public and private elementary and public and private high schools throughout the municipality.

References

External links

Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the PhilippinesSanto Tomas at the Isabela Government WebsiteLocal Governance Performance Management System
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

br>Philippine Census InformationMunicipality of Santo Tomas
Municipalities of Isabela (province) Populated places on the Rio Grande de Cagayan {{CagayanValley-geo-stub