Cagayan Province, Philippines

By James Barcelona

Tourist Attractions

Duba Cave

Duba Cave (Baggao) is a wet river cave and a swimming cave. Almost all passages with water, which is about 70% of the way to the Skylight Falls, have large breakdowns or walls without handholds along the side so the only way through is to swim. Because of this, it is highly recommended that personal floatation devices (PFDs) are used by all entering the cave. This will ensure a safe return trip especially after the long swims in. 

Rio Grande de Cagayan

Rio Grande de Cagayan (Cagayan River) — the Philippines’ mightiest watercourse — is the longest and widest river in the country. Small streams originating form Balete Pass, Cordillera, Caraballo and the Sierra Madre Mountains meet other streams. It passes from Aparri traversing Isabela as far as Aurora Province.

Callao Cave

Callao Cave (Penablanca) has seven chambers. It is one of the best known tourist attractions of the province. It is in Barangays Parabba and Quibal, Peñablanca, near Tuguegarao, the capital city of the Province of Cagayan. Callao Cave has a natural cathedral at the first chamber, which was turned into achapel by the local people. The conditions inside the cave cause stalactites and stalagmites, particularly in the deeper chambers. Every chamber has natural crevices, which let light get in, serving as illumination for the otherwise dark areas.

Magapit Suspension Bridge (Lal-lo) is known as "the Golden Gate of Cagayan." It is Asia's first suspension bridge, built in 1978. It spans the Cagayan River at Lallo and is 0.76 kilometers long. The hanging bridge links the first and second districts of Cagayan going towards the Ilocos Region by the scenic Patapat Road.

Calvary Hills

Calvary Hills (Iguig) consist of 11 hectares of rolling hills. It features larger-than-life concrete statues in tableau settings of the 14 Stations of the Cross, depictingJesus Christ’s suffering and death on Mount Calvary.

Bukal ng Buhay (Piat) ("Spring of Life") is said to be a miraculous water that can heal diseases of any kind. It is below the hill where the Basilica of Our Lady of Piat stood.

Portabaga Falls

Portabaga Falls (Santa Praxedes) A well developed Resorts and Inn managed by the local government of Santa Praxedes. It has a total of 5 pools catering the needs of different age levels. It is widely visited by both local and foreign tourist due to its natural beauty.

Sta. Ana Beaches — from pristine blue waters and fine sand, to rolling hills and enchanting colonial structures, to mystical caves and endearing people — are dubbed as “Untouched Paradise”, “Gateway to the Pacific”, “Game Fishing Mecca”, “Luzon’s Last Frontier” and “Marine Sanctuary”.

Kalesa

Kalesa (horse-drawn carrier): In Cagayan, kalesas are common, especially in Tuao and many other municipalities. In Tuguegarao City, they are mixed in traffic with private cars, motorcycles, sidecar motorcycles, jeepneys, trucks, and bicycles.

Calayan Island (Calayan): The island town is a two-hour boat ride from Aparri. It is rich in natural attractions like excellent beaches, archeological sites, endemic flora and fauna, virgin forest, crystal clear blue waters, plus hospitable and gentle people with colorful history.

Ar-Aro Cave

Ar-Aro Cave (Gattaran): Nobody from among the old-timers of Barangay Naddungan, with a population of not more than 800, remembers how this cave got its name. Only a few locals, particularly fishermen, know the place. It was discovered by some of their old folks as a fishing ground for eels and araro, a freshwater fish.

Cagayan (/kɑːɡəˈjɑːn/ kah-gə-yahn) is a province of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley region in the northeast of Luzon Island, and includes the Babuyan Islands to the north. The province borders Ilocos Norte and Apayao to the west, and Kalinga and Isabela to the south. Its capital is Tuguegarao.

Etymology

Present-day chroniclers hold that the name was originally derived from the tagay, a plant that grows abundantly in the northern part of the province. The term "Catagayan”, "the place where the tagay grows" was shortened to "Cagayan". Perhaps more conventionally, etymological scholars hold that "cagayan comes from an ancient word that means "river". Variations of this word -- karayan, kayayan, and kalayan -- all mean river.

Geography

The province is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east; on the south by Isabela province; on the west by the Cordillera Mountains; and on the north by the Balintang Channel and the Babuyan Group of Islands. About two kilometers from the northeastern tip of the province is the island of Palaui; a few kilometers to the west is Fuga Island. The Babuyan Group of Islands, which includes Calayan, Dalupiri, Camiguin, and Babuyan Claro, is about 60 nautical miles (110 km) north of Luzon mainland.

The province comprises an aggregate land area of 9,002.70 square kilometers, which constitutes three percent of the total land area of the country, making it the second largest province in the region.

Cagayan has 28 municipalities and one city divided into three congressional districts. It has 820 barangays. Tuguegarao City (as of December 18, 1999) is the provincial capital, regional seat, and center of business, trade, and education. It has a land area of 144.80 square kilometers and a population of 120,645 as of 2000.

Demographics

The majority of people living in Cagayan are of Ilocano descent, mostly from migrants coming from the Ilocos Region. Originally, the more numerous group were the Ibanags, who were first sighted by the Spanish explorers and converted to Christianity by missionaries. This is why the Ibanag language spread throughout the area prior to the arrival of Ilocanos.

Aside from Ilocanos and Ibanags, Malauegs, Itawits, Gaddangs, groups of nomadic Aetas, as well as families of Ibatans who have assimilated into the Ibanag-Ilocano culture make Cagayan their home. More recently, a new group from the south, the Muslim Filipinos, have migrated to this province and have made a community for them. In addition to this, Tagalog-speaking people from the Southern Luzon have also settled in the area. Because of this influence from other majority groups like the Ilocano from the west and the Tagalog from the south, the smaller ethnic groups living in the valley could potentially go extinct.