Bagabag

Bagabag, officially the Municipality of Bagabag, is a municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 39,138 people. The town is situated in the northeastern part of Nueva Vizcaya, about 20.07 kilometres from the provincial capital Bayombong and 312.47 kilometres from Manila. It is politically subdivided into 17 barangays. The Magat River runs parallel to the Pan-Philippine Highway in the eastern part of the town proper, and Bagabag Airport, the only airport in Nueva Vizcaya, is located in the northern part. The main crops produced in Bagabag are rice, corn, coconut, mango, and pineapple. It is considered the main pineapple producer of Nueva Vizcaya and is famous for its buko pie (coconut pie) in the Cagayan Valley region. The town also has the largest tilapia farming in the region. Main resources include agriculture, livestock, and fruit-bearing tree plantations. Main industries include furniture, hollow block factory, tilapia farming, buko pie, pineapple vinegar, and meat processing. The natives of Bagabag are the Gaddangs, whose ancestors originally came from Cagayan and Isabela provinces. Many Ilocanos and Tagalogs have migrated and live in Bagabag. The town is governed by a mayor, vice mayor, and municipal councilors elected every three years. It is part of the lone congressional district of Nueva Vizcaya. The Schools Division of Nueva Vizcaya governs the town's public education system. Bagabag serves as a gateway to the Banaue Rice Terraces. Its economy is primarily agricultural, with tilapia production being a significant industry. In 2008, the Cagayan Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources stated that tilapia fish production grew and Cagayan Valley is now the Philippines' tilapia capital. Bagabag is also known for its buko pie, which is famous in the Cagayan Valley region.

The natives of Bagabag are the Gaddangs, whose ancestors originally came from Cagayan and Isabela provinces. At the coming of the Spaniards, the natives were mostly settled along the Magat River where they had small farms of vegetables and root crops as well as rice fields. Most of them, however, depended on fishing and hunting for their livelihood. The Spaniards found the Igorots along the Lanog and Lamut Rivers and in the hills east of the Magat River, they found the Bugkalots. The town was formed on October 7, 1741 by a Dominican friar, Antonio del Campo, at sitio "Nagcumventuan", a place now located between Pogonsino, Bagabag, and Bangar, Solano. The present name of the sitio bears proof to the fact that the Spanish priest constructed a church in the original town site. Frs. Luis Sierra and Alejandro Vidal were among the first priests to settle in 1743. They organized the town in 1754. Due to the continuous erosion and flood from the Magat River and its increasing population, Fr. Vidal later transferred the town site to "Nassa", which is located between Barangays Lantap and Santa Lucia. The "Nassa" location was open and muddy throughout the year. Thus for the third time, Fr. Vidal transferred the town site to its present site where numerous buri palms were then growing. It was from this buri palm plant that the name of Bagabag originated, the same being called by the natives as "bagbag". In 1753, the Spanish established a fortress at Bagabag to serve as a base of operations for conquering the Ifugaos and to defend the mountain pass leading to Isabela. Bagabag, when it was once part of Cagayan, was also home to 10,808 native families and 25 Spanish-Filipino Mestizo families, before the province was transferred to the region of Nueva Vizcaya. During World War II, Bagabag Airport was built for the use of American soldiers. In 1945, the combined United States and the Philippine Commonwealth troops together with guerrillas attacked the Japanese Imperial forces in the Battle of Bagabag during World War II. Following the Japanese surrender in September 1945, General Tomoyuki Yamashita and his entourage, following their capitulation in Ifugao, were transported by car to Bagabag Airport, where they were transported by plane to La Union on their way to Baguio.

• Town formed by Dominican friar Antonio del Campo at sitio Nagcumventuan.

• Frs. Luis Sierra and Alejandro Vidal among first priests to settle.

• Spanish established a fortress at Bagabag.

• Town organized by Fr. Vidal.

• Bagabag Airport built for American soldiers during World War II.

• Battle of Bagabag during World War II.

• General Tomoyuki Yamashita transported through Bagabag Airport after Japanese surrender.

Agricultural municipality and gateway to the Banaue Rice Terraces, known for buko pie and tilapia farming.

• Buko pie

  Coconut pie famous in the Cagayan Valley region.

• Pineapple

  Bagabag is the main pineapple producer of Nueva Vizcaya.

• Tilapia

  Bagabag has the largest tilapia farming in the region.

• Pineapple vinegar

  A local product.

• Furniture

  A main industry.

• Hollow blocks

  A main industry.

• Meat processing

  A main industry.

1. 1Bagabag - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org