Gonzaga, Cagayan

Gonzaga
Municipality
Municipality of Gonzaga
Flag Seal
Map of Cagayan with Gonzaga highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Gonzaga Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 18°15′41″N121°59′49″E / 18.2614°N 121.9969°E / 18.2614; 121.9969
Country	Philippines
Region	Cagayan Valley
Province	Cagayan
District	1st district
Barangays	25 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Marilyn S. Pentecostes
•  Vice Mayor	Jessie G. Gaspar
•  Representative	Ramon C. Nolasco Jr.
•  Electorate	26,810 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	567.43 km2 (219.09 sq mi)
Elevation	42 m (138 ft)
Highest elevation	249 m (817 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	41,680
• Density	73/km2 (190/sq mi)
•  Households	9,685
Economy
•  Income class	1st municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	10.58 % (2021) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 241.2 million (2020)
•  Assets	₱ 609.6 million (2020)
•  Expenditure	₱ 194.3 million (2020)
•  Liabilities	₱ 91.22 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Cagayan 2 Electric Cooperative (CAGELCO 2)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3513
PSGC	021514000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)78
Native languages	Ibanag Ilocano Dupaningan Agta Tagalog
Website	www.sbgonzaga.ph

Gonzaga, officially the Municipality of Gonzaga (Ilocano : Ili ti Gonzaga; Tagalog : Bayan ng Gonzaga) , is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,680 people. ^[3]

The 2012 film The Mistress , starring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, was partly shot in the town.

History

Pre-Colonial Period and Etymology

The original inhabitants of Gonzaga were Negritos, especially members of Aeta tribes. The first recorded name of the area was Gampao, an Aeta word meaning 'mountainous,' later changed to Wangag ('river').

Spanish Era

In the eighteenth century, groups of Ilocano-speaking immigrants arrived in several waves by sea and land, gradually displacing the Aeta in the lowland areas.

Wangag was given ecclesiastical recognition on February 23, 1869, as a barrio of the Municipality of Buguey. In 1917 it was renamed Rumang-ay (Ilocano for 'to be progressive'). The following year, it was renamed after the first Filipino Governor of Cagayan, Gracio P. Gonzaga. The town was officially partitioned from Buguey on January 1, 1918, via Executive Order of Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison. ^[5]

World War II

Japanese troops of the Tanaka Detachment from Formosa, as a main invasion force, lands on several locations in Northern Luzon, one of which, is the town of Gonzaga on December 10, 1941.

Geography

Gonzaga is located at the north-eastern tip of the province of Cagayan, bordered by the municipality of Santa Ana to the north-east, the municipality of Santa Teresita to the west, and the municipality of Lal-lo to the south. Gonzaga is 123 kilometres (76 mi) from Tuguegarao and 604 kilometres (375 mi) from Manila.

It has a total land area of 56,743 hectares (140,220 acres), the majority of which remains undeveloped. It has large stretches of virgin forests, especially throughout the mountainous areas of the Sierra Madre mountain range. The highest elevation in the municipality is 1,130 metres (3,710 ft) above sea level, located at Mount Cagua in Barangay Magrafil.

The majority of the municipality's 40 kilometres (25 mi) coastline is mostly along the Babuyan Channel to the north, although it is also bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the southeast. The eleven coastal barangays contain a total of 139 hectares (340 acres) of beaches, 69 hectares (170 acres) of mangrove forests, and 348 hectares (860 acres) of coral reefs. ^[6]

Barangays

Gonzaga is politically subdivided into 25 Barangays, including four urban barangays which constitute the Poblacion area. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

• Amunitan
• Batangan
• Baua
• Cabanbanan Norte
• Cabanbanan Sur
• Cabiraoan
• Callao
• Calayan
• Caroan
• Casitan
• Flourishing (Poblacion)
• Ipil
• Isca
• Magrafil
• Minanga
• Rebecca (Nagbabacalan)
• Paradise (Poblacion)
• Pateng
• Progressive (Poblacion)
• San Jose
• Santa Clara
• Santa Cruz
• Santa Maria
• Smart (Poblacion)
• Tapel

Climate

Climate data for Gonzaga, Cagayan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	24 (75)	25 (77)	28 (82)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	28 (82)	26 (79)	24 (75)	28 (83)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	20 (68)	20 (68)	21 (70)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	21 (70)	23 (73)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	150 (5.9)	106 (4.2)	84 (3.3)	48 (1.9)	103 (4.1)	115 (4.5)	134 (5.3)	156 (6.1)	136 (5.4)	240 (9.4)	246 (9.7)	300 (11.8)	1,818 (71.6)
Average rainy days	19	14.3	12.8	10.8	17.7	18.9	21.5	23.3	22.1	20.4	20.3	22.2	223.3
Source: Meteoblue [7]

Demographics

Population census of Gonzaga

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1918	3,339	—
1939	8,682	+4.66%
1948	10,811	+2.47%
1960	12,519	+1.23%
1970	17,686	+3.51%
1975	19,316	+1.78%
1980	22,467	+3.07%
1990	26,536	+1.68%
1995	27,997	+1.01%
2000	32,079	+2.96%
2007	35,424	+1.38%
2010	36,303	+0.90%
2015	38,892	+1.32%
2020	41,680	+1.37%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [8] [9] [10] [11]

In the 2020 census, the population of Gonzaga, Cagayan, was 41,680 people, ^[3] with a density of 73 inhabitants per square kilometre or 190 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Gonzaga

5 10 15 20 2006 19.90 2009 16.61 2012 13.37 2015 13.10 2018 12.19 2021 10.58 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

Gonzaga is primarily an agricultural municipality, with more than half of the workforce employed primarily as either farmers or fishers. Approximately 5,500 hectares (14,000 acres) of agricultural land are currently under production, the majority of which are dedicated to rice farming. ^[20]

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Gonzaga, belonging to the first legislative district of the province of Cagayan, 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

Members of the Municipal Council
(2022–2025)

Position	Name
Congressman	Ramon C. Nolasco Jr.
Mayor	Marilyn S. Pentecostes
Vice-Mayor	Jessie G. Gaspar
Councilors	Sherryl Anne C. Gaspar
	Eliseo C.Alibania Jr.
	Rafael E.Sumajit Jr.
	Ferdinand L.Baclig
	Oscar G.Idmilao
	Cecilia G.Morales
	Orlando B.Rasos
	Quirino S.Jara

Local chief executives

Name	Years
Francis Torres	1918-1921
Leandro Zuniega	1922-1924
Teodoro Castro	1925-1927
Francisco Torres	1928-1931
Cesario Peralta	1932–1940, 1945–1946
Frederico Navarro	1941
Cayatano de la Cruz	1942–1945, 1948–1951, 1960–1967
Delfin Baltazar	1952-1955
Claro P. Nuñez	1956-1959
Romarico Salvanera	1967-1968
Francisco T. Baclig	1968-1986
Hermogenes T. Baclig	1986-1987
Juan B. Naval	1987
Ricardo M. Paddayuman	1988-1990
Atty. Arsenio P. Gonzales	1990-1998
Epifanio G. Gaspar	1998-2007
Rosendo P. Abad	2007-2010
Engr. Carlito F. Pentecostes, Jr.	2010–2014
Rene Salvanera	2014-2016
Marilyn S. Pentecostes	2016–present

Education

The Schools Division of Cagayan, a division office and field office of DepEd in the Cagayan Valley region, is responsible for the implementation of the town's education system, ensuring adherence to educational standards set by the government in order to provide quality education for all students. In both public and private elementary schools, including high schools within the municipality.

The Cagayan State University Gonzaga Campus is also the key educational institution in the municipality of Gonzaga and in the nearby towns. Offers a wide range of academic degree programs and contributes to tertiary education opportunities for the local community by providing quality and relevant education.

Notable personalities

• Juan Ponce Enrile, cabinet secretary under two presidents, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. (finance, justice, and defense) and Corazon Aquino (defense), also became a senator and later became President of the Senate of the Philippines (2008–2013). And currently, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel is under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is native of Gonzaga.
• Lilia Cuntapay, a Filipino actress, was dubbed the "Queen of Philippine Horror Movies" was born in the Cabiraoan village of Gonzaga, Cagayan, on September 16, 1935.

References

1.   Municipality of Gonzaga | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. Census of Population (2020). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved July 8, 2021.
4. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
5. Physico-Socio-Economic and Political Profile 2007
6. Municipal Coastal Environmental Profile 2005
7. "Gonzaga, Cagayan: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
8. Census of Population (2015). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved June 20, 2016.
9. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved June 29, 2016.
10. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
11. "Province of Cagayan". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
12. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
13. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. November 29, 2005.
14. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. March 23, 2009.
15. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. August 3, 2012.
16. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. May 31, 2016.
17. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. July 10, 2019.
18. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
19. "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
20. Physico-Socio-Economic and Political Profile

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Official Sangunian Bayan ng Gonzaga Website