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Nueva Vizcaya | |
|---|---|
.jpg)      (from top: left to right)Santa Fe,Dupax del Sur Church,Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Capitol,Villaverde Municipal Hall,Downtown Bayombong andMount Pulag. | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: Citrus Capital of the Philippines Watershed Haven of Cagayan Valley | |
| Anthem:Vizcaya Hymn | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:16°29′N121°09′E / 16.48°N 121.15°E /16.48; 121.15 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Cagayan Valley |
| Founded | 1839 |
| Named after | Biscay,Spain |
| Capital and largest municipality | Bayombong |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
| • Governor | Jose V. Gambito (PFP) |
| • Vice Governor | Eufemia A. Dacayo (Aksyon) |
| • Representative | Timothy Joseph Cayton (Aksyon) |
| • Legislature | Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,813.88 km2 (1,858.65 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 31st out of 81 |
| Highest elevation | 2,928 m (9,606 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 530,106 |
| • Rank | 59th out of 81 |
| • Density | 110.120/km2 (285.210/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 68th out of 81 |
| Demonyms |
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| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | 0 |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 275 |
| • Districts | Legislative district of Nueva Vizcaya |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)78 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-NUV |
| Spoken languages | |
| Website | www |
Nueva Vizcaya, officially theProvince of Nueva Vizcaya,[a] is a landlockedprovince in thePhilippines located in theCagayan Valleyregion inLuzon. Its capital and largest town isBayombong. It is bordered byBenguet to the west,Ifugao to the north,Isabela to the northeast,Quirino to the east,Aurora to the southeast,Nueva Ecija to the south, andPangasinan to the southwest. Quirino province was created from Nueva Vizcaya in 1966.
The nameNueva Vizcaya is derived from the name of the province ofBiscay (calledVizcaya in Spanish,Bizkaia in Basque) during theSpanish colonial period. This can be seen in the right part of the seal, a representation of the heraldic of Vizcaya in Spain.
The areas of present-day Nueva Vizcaya used to be part of the vastProvincia de Cagayan.[3] Organized religion in Nueva Vizcaya dates back to the year 1607, when theDominican Order arrived in the province. It was not until 1609, however, that the first settlement of a religious order was established in the southern half of the province. In 1702, a convent was erected inBurubur at the foot of theCaraballo Mountains in Santa Clara, which is now a barangay in the town ofAritao. It was on this site that the first mass in Nueva Vizcaya was celebrated and the firstbaptism of a Christian convert was held.
Spanish conquest of Nueva Vizcaya was slow and difficult, and expeditions had to be sent recurrently due to the natives' refusal to accept Spanish sovereignty. In some of these expeditions, services of some local chieftains were used, the most famous of which was that commanded by Mariano Oscariz, in 1847–1848, which carried him clear through the province across to Palanan on the eastern coast of Luzon.[4]
In 1818, Nueva Ecija annexed the towns ofPalanan fromIsabela, as well as Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Baler, Casiguran,Infanta (formerly called Binangonan de Lampon) andPolillo Islands from Tayabas, and part of Rizal.[5][6]
In 1839, upon the advice of thealcalde mayor of Cagayan,[7]Luis Lardizabal, then-Governor General of the Philippines created the politico-military province of Nueva Vizcaya.[3] The order was approved by aRoyal Decree on April 10, 1841. The name Nueva Vizcaya was named after Biscay, Spain, the hometown of Lardizabal. The original province covered the areas of present-day Nueva Vizcaya,Quirino,Ifugao,Apayao,Kalinga, andBenguet,Batanes, a large portion ofIsabela, as well as northAurora.[3] After Nueva Vizcaya was created, it included the present area occupied by the province plus present-dayMountain Province, much of Isabela, Quirino, & north Aurora.[5]
Civil government was established in the province by thePhilippine Commission in 1902 during theAmerican Colonial Period of the Philippines.[7]
The territories of Nueva Vizcaya were greatly reduced when Nueva Vizcaya ceded a big portion of its north-eastern territory, including Camarag, its first capital, nowEchague, to form the province of Isabela in May 1856.[3][7]
In 1908, the northwestern territory of Nueva Vizcaya was annexed to the newly organized sub-province ofIfugao.[3] The survey executed by theBureau of Lands in 1914 further caused the diminution of its area and reduced again upon the enactment of the Administrative Code of 1917.[7] North areas of present-day Aurora (composed of present towns ofDilasag & part ofCasiguran) were annexed toTayabas (now Quezon) in 1905. In 1918, the area of modern Aurora north of Baler (composed ofDinalungan,Dipaculao, &Maria Aurora, besides Casiguran & Dilasag) was transferred to the authority of Nueva Vizcaya, but returned toTayabas in 1946.
The province of Nueva Vizcaya was also included in the 12th district of thePhilippine Senate during the American period. The district included Mountain Province (present-day Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Benguet), Cotabato (undivided), Agusan (undivided), Davao (undivided), Zamboanga (undivided), and Sulu (undivided). The province was included in the district because of its ethnic compatibility with Mountain Province and other indigenous domains in the Cordilleras and Mindanao.
During thePacific War of theSecond World War, the Japanese captured Nueva Vizcaya and established a "comfort station" in the province, where Filipino "comfort women" were enslaved, routinely gang-raped, and murdered under Japanese control.[8][9][10] TheDalton Pass was the scene of a major battle between theEmpire of Japan, theCommonwealth of the Philippines and American forces, with the Allies winning on May 31, 1945.[3][11]: 510, 535
In 1971, with the passage ofRepublic Act No. 6394,Quirino, which was then a sub-province of Nueva Vizcaya, was separated from its mother province and made into aregular province.[3][7][12][13]
Surrounded by North Luzon's three large mountain ranges, Nueva Vizcaya is generally mountainous, varying from steep mountains to rolling hills, with some valleys and plains.[7] It is bordered on the west by theCordillera mountains, on the east by theSierra Madre mountains, and on the south by theCaraballo Mountains.[3] The province (and the entire Cagayan Valley) are separated from the Central Luzon plains by the Caraballo Mountains.
The province has a total land area of 3,975.67 square kilometres (1,535.01 sq mi).[14] The southernmost province in theCagayan Valley region, Nueva Vizcaya lies approximately 268 kilometres (167 mi) north ofMetro Manila and can be reached by land via the Cagayan Valley Road (Maharlika Highway).
Nueva Vizcaya comprises 15municipalities, withBayombong as the provincial capital and major educational center,Bambang (the agricultural hub) andSolano (the financial district) as the major commercial centers, andKayapa as the summer capital and "vegetable bowl" of the province. All municipalities are encompassed by alone legislative district,[14] but are separated into two districts for purposes of representation in its provincial board. The 1st District comprises the municipalities of Ambaguio, Bagabag, Bayombong, Diadi, Quezon, Solano and Villaverde, while the 2nd District is composed of the municipalities of Alfonso Castañeda, Aritao, Bambang, Dupax del Norte, Dupax del Sur, Kayapa, Kasibu and Santa Fe.
Geographically, the western half of Nueva Vizcaya is part of the main Cordilleras, while its eastern half is part of the Caraballos, the meeting point of the Cordilleras and the Sierra Madre. There have been grassroot moves to reunify Nueva Vizcaya with the Cordillera Region due to cultural and geographical harmony, however, none have been introduced in Congress.
The 15 municipalities of the province comprise a total of 275barangays, withRoxas inSolano, Nueva Vizcaya as the most populous in 2010, andSanta Rosa inSanta Fe, Nueva Vizcaya as the least.[16]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 62,541 | — |
| 1918 | 35,838 | −3.64% |
| 1939 | 74,582 | +3.55% |
| 1948 | 80,198 | +0.81% |
| 1960 | 113,824 | +2.96% |
| 1970 | 172,198 | +4.22% |
| 1975 | 213,151 | +4.37% |
| 1980 | 241,690 | +2.54% |
| 1990 | 301,179 | +2.23% |
| 1995 | 334,965 | +2.01% |
| 2000 | 366,962 | +1.98% |
| 2007 | 397,837 | +1.12% |
| 2015 | 452,287 | +1.62% |
| 2020 | 497,432 | +2.02% |
| 2024 | 530,106 | +1.54% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[17][16][16][2] | ||
The population of Nueva Vizcaya in the 2020 census was 497,432 people,[15] with a density of 130 inhabitants per square kilometre or 340 inhabitants per square mile.
Nueva Vizcaya is home to about 18 indigenous peoples, which includes the major tribes of theIfugao(Quezon,Bagabag,Kasibu),Gaddang(Solano andBayombong), Isinai(Dupax del Sur andBambang),Dumagat(Aritao),Kalanguya(Santa Fe), and the Bugkalot(Alfonso Castañeda andDupax del Norte). Indigenous peoples' groups have filed for ancestral domain titles covering parts of the province.[18][19]
The Ilokano population in the province are not indigenous as they were part of the labor force initially needed by the Spanish administration to work on the tobacco plantations beginning in the 1700s, and later immigrants with skills construct churches and other structures needed for development. Indigenous tribes were not cooperative with the Spaniards. After several insurrections by the locals, Spanish officials chose to import trained labor from established settlements in the coastal regions of Pangasinan and Ilocos. So, it was deliberated in the Spanish Congress the need for in migration of labor. After it was voted by a majority and approved by the king, Ilocanos started to migrate and were given homestead. Thus, the start of the migration of Ilocanos in the province.[20]
Every last week of May, these ethnolinguistic groups gather to celebrate theAmmungan festival (formerlyPanagyaman festival), a week-long affair culminating on May 24, the province's foundation day.[20]
Since Nueva Vizcaya's birth as a province, traces of the culture and customs of its early settlers—theIgorots [Ilongots (Bugkalot),Ifugaos, Isinais, Kalanguya],Gaddangs, and thePangasinans—can still be seen.[20][21][22] The influx of civilization and the infusion of modern technology to the life stream of the province induced immigration from adjacent provinces. The province was pushed to be included in the Cordillera Autonomous Region because the province is technically within the Cordillera, however, it did not came to be due to the failure to enact an autonomous Cordillera by the national government. Today, questions linger on the exclusion of Nueva Vizcaya despite the province being culturally and geographically linked to the Cordilleras. The province also has the largest Igorot population outside the Cordillera region.Tagalogs live along the border of Nueva Ecija and in the capital, Bayombong.
Nueva Vizcaya province possesses one of the most diverse array of indigenous languages inLuzon, a testimony to its cultural and geographic linkages with the Cordillera mountain range. The indigenous languages of the province listed by theKomisyon ng Wikang Filipino are theBugkalut language,Ibaloy language,Ifugaw language,Iguwak language,Irungdungan language,Isinay language,Kalanguya language, andKankanaey language. During the later part of the Spanish regime, people from Ilocos region migrated to the province through the recommendation of Spanish officials in the province. It was deliberated in the Spanish court in Spain and with a majority vote and approval of the king of Spain, Ilocanos were allowed to migrate to the province. Thus, the importation of theIlocano language and culture started, becoming thelingua franca of the province. Ilocano accents were affected by the native languages of the peoples whom Ilocanos intermingled with. Remarkably, the economy of the province started to grow because of the industry of the Ilocanos as well as through their innate talent in entrepreneurship and in other industries including agriculture. As Nueva Vizcaya was part of Provincia de Cagayan which is the predecessor of Cagayan Valley, a few residents speakIbanag, which was thelingua franca of Provincia de Cagayan before it was replaced by Ilocano.
Roman Catholics are about 63% of the population of the province.[23] Other faiths are divided amongAglipayan Church,Iglesia ni Cristo which form about 5–6% of the province population,[24]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,Jehovah's Witnesses,Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostals,Seventh-day Adventist and otherEvangelical Christians which forms about 17%–20% of the province's population[25][26] as well asMuslims and indigenous Cordilleran religions.
Agriculture is the main industry in the province, together with rice, corn, fruits and vegetables as major crops.[3] Nueva Vizcaya is a major producer of citrus crops in the country, principally pomelo, ponkan and oranges. TheNueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal in Bambang supplies the demand of neighboring provinces and Metro Manila. The province became the leading producer of ginger in the Philippines in 2024 with an output of 7,140 metric tons, leading theDepartment of Agriculture to designate it as the country's ginger capital.[35]
There is a mining industry in the province such as theDidipio mine in the municipality of Kasibu, which added to the provincial income.[36][37] However, mining activities have also been alleged to have dried up water sources, polluted the environment, and endangered livelihoods of farmers and fisherfolk.[38][39][40] According to theMines and Geosciences Bureau, deposits of metallic minerals discovered in the province arecopper,gold,molybdenum andpyrite. Non-metallic deposits include red clay, white clay and limestone, with sand and gravel being the most abundant deposits in the province.[41]
Nueva Vizcaya hasone congressional district, although there has been a longtime proposal to divide the province into two congressional districts.
| Position | Provincial Official |
|---|---|
| Provincial Governor | Atty.Jose V. Gambito |
| Provincial Vice Governor | Eufemia A. Dacayo |
| District Representative (Lone District of Nueva Vizcaya) | Rep. Timothy Joseph Cayton |
| Provincial Board Members | Patricio Dumlao Jr. |
| Byron Sevillena | |
| Delbert Tidang | |
| Eunice Gambol | |
| Atty. Primo Percival Marcos | |
| Roland Carub | |
| Pablo Kindot | |
| Atty. Edgardo C. Balgos | |
| Florante S. Gerdan | |
| Elma Pinao-an Lejao | |
| Eufemia Dacayo | |
| Victor Gines Jr. | |
| Marizel Reyes | |
| Samuel Balinhawang |
Every May, the province holds theAmmungan Festival, a five-day festival in celebration for its founding anniversary. The word "Ammungan" is aGaddang word meaning "gathering" symbolizing the unity of the different ethnolinguistic groups in the province. The festival showcase different shows including cultural showcase, beauty pageant, agri-trade fair, tourism expo, dance competitions and a concerts.[43][44][45]
Nueva Vizcaya has the following education institutions, among others.
Its major tribes include the Ifugao of the towns of Quezon, Bagabag and Kasibu; Gaddang of Solano, Bayombong; Isinai of Dupax del Sur and Bambang; Dumagat of Aritao; Kalanguya of Santa Fe; and the Bugkalot of Alfonso Castañeda and Dupax del Norte. This cultural diversity came to the fore once more as Nueva Vizcaya recently celebrated the Grand Ammungan Festival to mark its 175th founding anniversary.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)OceanaGold (Phils.) Inc., contractor of the Didipio gold-copper project in Northern Luzon, signed a wide-ranging memorandum of agreement with the council leaders of Didipio village in Nueva Vizcaya.
OceanaGold Corp. said Thursday it will spend $10 million to $20 million to connect the Didipio gold-copper mine in Nueva Vizcaya province to the Luzon power grid.
Nueva Viscaya travel guide from Wikivoyage
Media related toNueva Vizcaya at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toNueva Vizcaya atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Nueva Vizcaya | |
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 Province ofNueva Vizcaya | |
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Bayombong (capital and largest municipality) | |
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| Barangays | |
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