Gamu, Isabela

Gamu
Municipality
Municipality of Gamu
Santa Rosa de Lima Church
Seal
Nicknames:  Gateway to Mallig Plains Mother Town of the 2nd District Oldest Town of Mallig Plains
Map of Isabela with Gamu highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Gamu Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 17°03′N121°50′E / 17.05°N 121.83°E / 17.05; 121.83 Coordinates: 17°03′N121°50′E / 17.05°N 121.83°E / 17.05; 121.83
Country	Philippines
Region	Cagayan Valley (Region II)
Province	Isabela
District	2nd District of Isabela
Barangays	16 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Nestor M. Uy
•  Vice Mayor	Nestor R. Lacerna
• Congressman	Ed Christopher S. Go
• Electorate	19,382 voters (2019)
Area   [2]
• Total	129.40 km2 (49.96 sq mi)
Population  (2015 census) [3]
• Total	29,904
• Density	230/km2 (600/sq mi)
• Households	6,666
Economy
•  Income class	4th municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	13.29% (2015) [4]
• Revenue (₱)	92,008,460.47 (2016)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3301
PSGC	023113000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)78
Climate type	tropical rainforest climate
Native languages	Ilocano Tagalog
Website	www.gamu-isabela.gov.ph

Gamu, officially the Municipality of Gamu (Ilocano : Ili ti Gamu; Tagalog : Bayan ng Gamu), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 29,904 people. ^[3]

While not a commercially thriving town, it lies near Ilagan City and Cauayan, communities with banks, hospitals, and places of entertainment.

The municipality is the site of the 5th Infantry Division of Philippine Army as its infantry unit in Northern Luzon. The Infantry is located in Barangay Upi.

The town itself is famous for its baroque church, which has pointed towers at its facade.

Geography

Gamu is located in the central part of the province of Isabela. It is approximately 10 kilometers away from the provincial capitol of Isabela and about 387 kilometers from the country's capital, Manila.

It is bounded on the north by the city of Ilagan, or the north-west by the municipality of Quirino, on the south by the municipality of Reina Mercedes and on the south-west by the municipality of Burgos, and on the Southeast by the municipality of Naguilian.

Gamu has a total land area of 129.40 square kilometers with 16 barangays, 3 of which are classified as urban barangays, District I, II and III, and the rests are considered rural barangays. ^[5]

Barangays

Gamu is politically subdivided into 16 barangays.  ^[2] District I, II, and III are considered as urban barangays while the rest are rural. ^[5]

Barangay	Population (as of August 1, 2015)	Economic Class	Punong Barangay (Term 2013-2016)
Barcolan	940	Rural	Ireneo S. Calumpit
Buenavista	999	Rural	Ferdinand A. Jacob
Dammao	623	Rural	Rosalinda S. Dabo
District I (Poblacion)	969	Urban	Manuel M. Lampero
District II (Poblacion)	1,984	Urban	Alfredo P. Burkley
District III (Poblacion)	2,704	Urban	Jesus V. Villareal
Furao	2,522	Rural	Timoteo M. Galanza
Guibang	2,802	Rural	Manuel A. Calega
Lenzon	1,001	Rural	Roderick P. Lora
Linglingay	1,345	Rural	Roger G. Lumilan
Mabini	4,608	Rural	Glimerson L. Laverinto
Pintor	1,366	Rural	Norberto T. Labayog
RIzal	366	Rural	Roy B. Amigo
Songsong	1,514	Rural	Marcelino C. Tumacder
Union	1,065	Rural	Renato A. Agcaoili
Upi	5,096	Rural	George E. Gatering

Climate

Climate data for Gamu, Isabela
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	29 (84)	30 (86)	32 (90)	35 (95)	35 (95)	35 (95)	34 (93)	33 (91)	32 (90)	31 (88)	30 (86)	28 (82)	32 (90)
Average low °C (°F)	19 (66)	20 (68)	21 (70)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	20 (68)	22 (71)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	31.2 (1.23)	23 (0.9)	27.7 (1.09)	28.1 (1.11)	113.5 (4.47)	141.4 (5.57)	176.4 (6.94)	236.6 (9.31)	224.9 (8.85)	247.7 (9.75)	222.9 (8.78)	178 (7.0)	1,651.4 (65)
Average rainy days	10	6	5	5	13	12	15	15	15	17	16	15	144
Source: World Weather Online [6]

Demographics

Population census of Gamu

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 3,581 —     1918 6,096 +3.61% 1939 18,201 +5.35% 1948 11,744 −4.75% 1960 18,762 +3.98% 1970 12,586 −3.91% 1975 13,635 +1.62%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1980 16,922 +4.41% 1990 19,141 +1.24% 1995 22,765 +3.30% 2000 25,901 +2.81% 2007 27,479 +0.82% 2015 29,904 +1.06%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [3] [7] [8] [9]

In the 2015 census, the population of Gamu, Isabela, was 29,904 people, ^[3] with a density of 230 inhabitants per square kilometre or 600 inhabitants per square mile.

Festival

The town celebrated the Kuliglig Festival on August 23, 2013 following an executive order issued by the municipal government to officially proclaim it as the official festivity of the town.

Tourism

The town of Gamu is notable for having the most number of Roman Catholic churches in the entire province of Isabela. These churches are often visited by pilgrims and frequented by travellers all over the country to pay homage to each of the respective Roman Catholic icons to whom each of the churches were dedicated and named after.

• The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang was elevated into a National Shrine in 1986 by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) through the initiative of the late Most Rev. Miguel Purugganan, then Bishop of the Diocese of Ilagan. It is where the Marian image of the Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang is enshrined.
• The Cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel is located along the National Highway in Barangay Upi. It is where the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan is located since 2013, when it was transferred from Saint Ferdinand Cathedral in Ilagan City, Isabela.
• The Poor Clare Monastery in Barangay Guibang is a church and monastery that was built and dedicated to Saint Clare of Assisi . It was established in 1991 by the Poor Clare nuns from Cabuyao in the province of Laguna through the assistance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan and help from civic-minded benefactors.
• The Saint Rose of Lima Church is a Baroque-style 18th century structure dedicated to the town's patron saint, Saint Rose of Lima. It is notably the oldest church in the town and one of the only remaining churches of its kind in the province of Isabela.

Local government

Mayor

Nestor M. Uy

Vice Mayor

Nestor Lacerna

Municipal Councilors

Noel Laverinto Abaya

Estela Burkley

Dante Martinez

Narciso Jr. Ordo Vercida

Jesus Ramirez Lora

Joey Paulo Dela Cruz

Jose Dimagiba Lora

Flordeliza Caro

Gil Daggao Molano

—Commission on Elections ^[10]

References

1. "Municipality". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
2. "Province: Isabela". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 12 November 2016.
3. Census of Population (2015). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. PSA . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
4. "PSA releases the 2015 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Quezon City, Philippines. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
5. "Facts and Figures of Gamu, Isabela" . Retrieved 11 July 2014.
6. "Gamu, Isabela: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". World Weather Online. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
7. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. NSO . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
8. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. NSO.
9. "Province of Isabela". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
10. Commission on Elections "Gamu, Isabela - Election Results 2013" Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 11 July 2014.

External links

• Gamu Profile at PhilAtlas.com
• Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines
• Gamu at the Isabela Government Website
• Local Governance Performance Management System
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Municipality of Gamu