Gattaran

Gattaran is a municipality in the province of Cagayan, in the Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines. Although the supplied subject is labeled as a brand, the authoritative Wikipedia entity is a local government municipality rather than a commercial brand. The town lies approximately 66 kilometres from Tuguegarao, the provincial capital, and about 552 kilometres from Manila. It is politically divided into 50 barangays and is part of Cagayan's first legislative district. The municipality has a layered history that brings together several former ecclesiastical settlements. Nassiping, traditionally associated with the present-day barangay of Nassiping, was established in 1596. Dummun followed in 1598, while Gattaran proper was founded in 1623. Because the three settlements had relatively small populations and limited access to clergy, they were consolidated for ecclesiastical administration in 1877 through an order of the Bishop of Nueva Segovia at Lal-lo. Fray Francisco Suejos, a Dominican, is identified as the first gobernadorcillo of the consolidated municipality. Gattaran's administrative form changed during the American period. Nassiping was annexed to Gattaran in 1906 and became a barrio. During the Commonwealth period, municipal officials began constructing a municipal building; it was completed and inaugurated in September 1941. The building's opening was followed soon afterward by the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Municipal records, cadastral titles, and related documents were taken or lost during the occupation, and the population was heavily displaced in 1944 as residents sought refuge in the Sierra Madre and in the Zinundungan Valley. After the province was liberated by American and Filipino Commonwealth forces, Delfino Liban became mayor following the first postwar Republic election in 1947. In 1950, the portions of Gattaran west of the Cagayan River were separated to create the municipality of Lasam. The municipality is notable for its archaeological and natural heritage. Gattaran and neighboring Lal-lo contain extensive shell-midden sites created by prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities that collected mollusks. The accumulation of discarded shells produced one of the Philippines' largest concentrations of shell-midden sites. The Lal-lo and Gattaran Shell Middens were placed on the UNESCO Tentative List in 2006, and local authorities have undertaken conservation efforts intended to prevent looting and protect the sites' archaeological value. Other attractions include the Magapit Protected Landscape, Maduppaper Caves, Mapaso Hot Spring, Tanglagan Falls, and Bolos Point wildlife sanctuary. Tanglagan is associated with warm and cold waters that converge and continue as the Dummun River. The town's name is commonly linked to the Ibanag word gattad, meaning a mountainside, reflecting the municipality's position beside the Sierra Madre. Older historical references also use forms such as Gatara and Najjiping. In the 2024 census, Gattaran recorded a population of 59,704 people. Its local government consists of an elected mayor, vice mayor, and municipal council, while public education is administered through the Cagayan Schools Division and the Gattaran East and West school districts.

The area now known as Gattaran contains the sites of three former ecclesiastical settlements: Nassiping, Dummun, and Gattaran proper. Nassiping was founded on June 15, 1596, under the patronage of Santa Catalina. Dummun was founded on May 24, 1598, and Gattaran proper on May 20, 1623. Their early histories were shaped by the limited number of inhabitants and the availability of only one priest to serve their religious needs. For administrative and ecclesiastical convenience, the settlements were combined into one municipality in 1877 through a diocesan order issued by the Bishop of Nueva Segovia, whose seat was at Lal-lo. Fray Francisco Suejos, O.P., became the first gobernadorcillo of the consolidated community. The historical name of the area also reflects its geography. The settlement traditionally called Najiping or Najjiping is associated with the meeting of the Cagayan River and the Itawis tributary. An Ibanag dictionary tradition explains the name as referring to something conjoined or twin-like. Eighteenth-century cartography recorded forms including Gatara and Nasipin. The modern name Gattaran is commonly connected with gattad, an Ibanag term for a mountainside, consistent with the municipality's location near the Sierra Madre range. During Spanish rule, the community developed around Catholic ecclesiastical administration. Under American rule, residents gained broader access to formal education and adopted institutional and social practices associated with the new colonial administration. Nassiping was annexed to Gattaran in 1906 and was subsequently treated as a barrio. During the Commonwealth period, Melencio Adviento served as the first municipal mayor and initiated construction of the municipal building. His successor, Attorney Hipolito Mandac, completed the structure, which was inaugurated in September 1941. The Second World War interrupted the municipality's civic development. Japanese forces occupied Gattaran soon after the building's inauguration, and municipal records, cadastral titles, and other documents were confiscated or otherwise lost. As fighting intensified in 1944, residents left the town for safer areas in the Sierra Madre and the Zinundungan Valley, the latter now associated with Lasam. Liberation came through the combined actions of American forces and Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary. In the first election of the postwar Republic in 1947, Delfino Liban became mayor. His administration focused on rebuilding transportation links, improving barrio roads, and repairing or upgrading streets and other public infrastructure. A major territorial change occurred in 1950, when the portions of Gattaran located west of the Cagayan River were separated to establish the municipality of Lasam. Gattaran thereafter continued as a municipality governed through an elected mayor, vice mayor, and municipal council. It now forms part of Cagayan's first legislative district and is administratively divided into 50 barangays. Gattaran also has an important prehistoric and archaeological record. Hunter-gatherer communities of the classical era specialized in collecting mollusks. Their discarded shells accumulated in substantial deposits across Gattaran and neighboring Lal-lo, creating a concentration of shell-midden sites regarded as among the largest in the Philippines. The Lal-lo and Gattaran Shell Middens were added to UNESCO's Tentative List in 2006. Conservation work by local authorities has sought to protect the sites from looting and preserve their potential outstanding universal value. The municipality's present identity combines local government, agriculture and community life with archaeological and ecological attractions. Sites associated with Gattaran include the Magapit Protected Landscape, Maduppaper Caves, Mapaso Hot Spring, Tanglagan Falls, the Dummun River, and Bolos Point wildlife sanctuary. Public education is administered through the Cagayan Schools Division, with Gattaran East and Gattaran West district offices serving local schools. The 2024 census reported a population of 59,704.

• 2024

  Population recorded in census

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  The 2024 census recorded 59,704 residents in Gattaran.

• 2006

  Shell middens added to UNESCO Tentative List

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  The Lal-lo and Gattaran Shell Middens were included on UNESCO's Tentative List for possible World Heritage inscription.

• 1950

  Creation of Lasam

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  Gattaran territory west of the Cagayan River was separated to form the municipality of Lasam.

• 1947

  First postwar Republic election

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  Delfino Liban became mayor following the first election of the Philippine Republic after the war.

• 1941

  Municipal building inaugurated

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  The municipal building was completed and inaugurated in September 1941, shortly before the Japanese occupation.

• 1906

  Annexation of Nassiping

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  Nassiping was annexed to Gattaran and reduced to the status of a barrio during the American period.

• 1877

  Ecclesiastical consolidation

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  Nassiping, Dummun, and Gattaran proper were combined into one municipality for ecclesiastical and administrative convenience.

• 1623

  Founding of Gattaran proper

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  Gattaran proper was founded on May 20, 1623.

• 1598

  Founding of Dummun

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  Dummun was established on May 24, 1598, becoming one of the three settlements later associated with the municipality.

• 1596

  Founding of Nassiping

  [1]Gattaranen.wikipedia.org

  Nassiping, one of the historic settlements within present-day Gattaran, was founded on June 15, 1596.

A Cagayan municipality positioned around local governance, archaeological heritage, river and mountain landscapes, and nature-oriented tourism.

1. 1Gattaranen.wikipedia.org