Palanan | |
|---|---|
| Municipality of Palanan | |
 Aerial view of Palanan afterSuper Typhoon Megi (PAGASA name:Juan) | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Map of Isabela with Palanan highlighted | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
.svg)  Palanan Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:17°03′32″N122°25′48″E / 17.0589°N 122.43°E /17.0589; 122.43 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Cagayan Valley |
| Province | Isabela |
| District | 2nd district |
| Founded | 1823 |
| Barangays | 17 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Bayan |
| • Mayor | Angelo A. Bernardo |
| • Vice Mayor | Elizabeth B. Ochoa |
| • Representative | Ed Christopher S. Go |
| • Electorate | 12,460 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 880.24 km2 (339.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 52 m (171 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 273 m (896 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 18,091 |
| • Density | 20.552/km2 (53.230/sq mi) |
| • Households | 4,537 |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st municipal income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 29.55 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 342.7 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 457.8 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 266.3 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 11.73 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Isabela 2 Electric Cooperative (ISELCO 2) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 3334 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)78 |
| Native languages | Paranan Ibanag Ilocano Paranan Agta Tagalog |
| Website | www |
Palanan[pɐˈlanan], officially theMunicipality of Palanan (Ibanag:Ili nat Palanan;Ilocano:Ili ti Palanan;Tagalog:Bayan ng Palanan), is amunicipality in theprovince ofIsabela,Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 18,091 people.[5]
It also served as the final capital of theFirst Philippine Republic from 1900 until the capture of PresidentEmilio Aguinaldo by the Americans during thePhilippine-American War in 1901.
Since the location was surrounded by Aetas, the Ibanags from the lowland Isabela would warn their close friends with the term "Palanammu" which indicates uneasiness or caution. Similarly, some vagabond Tagalogs who arrived there either as a sanctuary during difficult sailing or pure adventure, dubbed the site "Palatanan" which is suggestive of the character of the residents. Eventually, the word transformed into its modern name "Palanan".[6]
Unlike other towns in the Cagayan Valley, Palanan was established in 1625 by Spanish forces who arrived by boat from the Pacific coastal town ofBaler in Tayabas province (now part ofAurora). As such, Palanan was initially a part ofPampanga[7] before being transferred toLaguna, Tayabas (nowQuezon Province; Tayabas became independent from Laguna),Nueva Ecija,Nueva Vizcaya and finally Isabela. Also, unlike the rest of Cagayan Valley, it was served by Franciscan missionaries rather than the Dominicans. The population of the town was natively Paranan, then subsequently augmented by local Negritos, migrants from Baler who areTagalogs, and outlaws from Cagayan Valley, with the lingua franca of the settlement being Tagalog as opposed to Ilocano or Ibanag.[8][6][9]
General Emilio Aguinaldo became President of the First Philippine Republic in 1900. He was captured on March 23 when Col. Frederick Funston led the Americans in 1901. It was in Palanan that one of the final chapters of thePhilippine–American War was written on March 23, 1901, whenGeneral Emilio Aguinaldo was captured byAmerican forces led by GeneralFrederick Funston, who had gained access to Aguinaldo's camp by pretending to surrender to the Filipinos.[6]
In 1978, the area around Palanan was proclaimed by PresidentFerdinand Marcos to be part of the Palanan Wilderness Area, a protected nature conservation area that was later expanded by PresidentFidel V. Ramos to become the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in 1997.
In the May 9, 2016 elections, Angelito A. Bernardo won a three-way mayoral campaign. However, due to his unexpected death shortly after the polls, Rodolfo M. Bernardo, the Municipal Vice Mayor-elect and first-elected Sangguniang Bayan member, and Elizabeth B. Ochoa took the oath of office as Municipal Mayor. On July 1, 2016, the Municipal Vice Mayor and other winning candidates attended the ceremony in Ilagan City, which serves as the provincial capital. Mayor Rodolfo M. Bernardo served as the local chief executive for five months and fifteen days before dying in a car accident. According to the rules of succession, Vice Mayor Elizabeth B. Ochoa took the oath of office as Municipal Mayor and has remained in charge as the local Chief Executive ever since.[6]
Palanan is one of the fourremote and isolated coastal towns of Isabela facing thePhilippine Sea on the east and separated from the rest of the province by theSierra Madre Mountains.
Palanan is politically subdivided into 17barangays. [10] Each barangay consists ofpuroks while some havesitios.
| Climate data for Palanan, Isabela | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 25 (77) | 26 (79) | 27 (81) | 31 (88) | 29 (84) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20 (68) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 21 (70) | 21 (70) | 21 (70) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 162 (6.4) | 156 (6.1) | 90 (3.5) | 60 (2.4) | 144 (5.7) | 201 (7.9) | 159 (6.3) | 108 (4.3) | 111 (4.4) | 237 (9.3) | 276 (10.9) | 171 (6.7) | 1,875 (73.9) |
| Average rainy days | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 180 |
| Source: World Weather Online(modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[11] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 1,080 | — |
| 1918 | 2,410 | +5.50% |
| 1939 | 3,109 | +1.22% |
| 1948 | 4,045 | +2.97% |
| 1960 | 5,599 | +2.75% |
| 1970 | 7,518 | +2.99% |
| 1975 | 8,930 | +3.51% |
| 1980 | 10,295 | +2.88% |
| 1990 | 11,431 | +1.05% |
| 1995 | 13,220 | +2.76% |
| 2000 | 15,317 | +3.21% |
| 2007 | 16,254 | +0.82% |
| 2010 | 16,094 | −0.36% |
| 2015 | 17,260 | +1.34% |
| 2020 | 17,684 | +0.51% |
| 2024 | 18,091 | +0.55% |
| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][14][15][16] | ||
In the 2020 census, the population of Palanan, Isabela, was 17,684 people,[17] with a density of 20 inhabitants per square kilometre or 52 inhabitants per square mile.
Poverty incidence of Palanan
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 2000 61.04 2003 48.20 2006 21.30 2009 19.75 2012 48.60 2015 27.20 2018 31.30 2021 29.55 Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] |
As a municipality in the Province of Isabela, government officials at the provincial and municipal levels are voted by the town. The provincial government has political jurisdiction over most local transactions of the municipal government.
The Municipality of Palanan 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 municipal councilors are elected directly in elections held every three years.
Barangays are also headed by elected officials:Barangay Captain,Barangay Council, whose members are calledBarangay Councilors. The barangays have SK federation which represents the barangay, headed by SK chairperson and whose members are called SK councilors. All officials are also elected every three years.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| District Representative | Ed Christopher S. Go |
| Municipal Mayor | Angelo A. Bernardo |
| Municipal Vice-Mayor | Elizabeth B. Ochoa |
| Municipal Councilors | Theo Angelo A. Garcia |
| Justin Kerby S. Bernardo | |
| Eden S. Bernardo | |
| Pacita Q. Atanacio | |
| Ronnie A. Atienza | |
| Michael John D. Bernardo | |
| Ronaldo M. Bernardo | |
| Rhoena O. Corpuz |
Palanan, belonging to thesecond legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon. Ed Christopher S. Go.[27]
The Schools Division of Isabela governs the town's public education system.[28] The division office is a field office of theDepEd inCagayan Valley region.[29] The Palanan Schools District Office governs the public elementary and high schools throughout the municipality including schools located inDinapigue,Divilacan, andMaconacon.[30]
The most common forms of transportation in Palanan are by horses, motorcycles,tricycles, or an improvised motorcycles calledkuligligs.[31][32] Due to its isolation, the town can be reached quickest by a 23-30 minute flight in a six-seater, single-engineCyclone AirCessna commuter plane fromCauayan. Palanan is served byPalanan Airport.[31][32]
By water, a boat ride from the neighboring town ofDivilacan or in the towns ofDingalan andBaler inAurora in the south usually takes about two to three hours and six to seven hours, respectively.[32]
There are no roads that connect Palanan to the rest of province as the town can only be reached by a plane or boat ride, or a multi-day hike over the Sierra Madre from the neighboring town ofSan Mariano, which could take about three to five days.[33] However, there is a construction of the 82-kilometerIlagan–Divilacan Road through the protected Sierra Madre is on-going to open access to the coastal towns of Divilacan, Palanan and Maconacon. The approved budget contract of the project amounting to P1.5B, will pass through the foothills of the 359,486-hectare Northern Sierra Madre mountain ranges. The project will improve an old logging road used by a defunct logging company until the 1990s. It will start in Barangay Sindon Bayabo inIlagan and will end in Barangay Dicatian inDivilacan. The project was started in March 2016 and was expected to be completed in 2024.[34]
Places adjacent to Palanan | |
|---|---|
 Province ofIsabela | |
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Ilagan (capital and largest city) | |
| Municipalities | |
| Component Cities | |
| Independent Component City |
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| Barangays | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
