About Cagayan Valley and the Northern Philippine Islands

Lal-lo-c (the old name of Lallo), now called Lallo, was one of the first four cities in the Philippines (the others being Manila – 1571; Cebu – 1565; and Naga – 1575). It was named Ciudad Nueva Segovia in 1581 by Carreon. It was chosen as the capital of the Cagayan Valley Region because of its favorable location and navigable river. It also served as the seat of the Diocese created by Pope Clement VIII on August 15, 1595, until it was transferred to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, in 1758 due to its distance from Manila. A prominent figure among the missionaries at that time was Bishop Miguel de Benavidez, OP, the first bishop elected to the diocesan seat in Ciudad Nueva Segovia. He later founded the University of Santo Tomas.

From Lallo, authorities governed the province, and it remained the capital of Cagayan until 1839, when the Cagayan Valley Region was subdivided. On May 24, 1839, the province of Isabela was created, comprising the towns from Cordon to Ilagan, including the sitio of Palanan. Nueva Vizcaya included the region from Aritao to Bayombong and later to Diadi. Cagayan covered the area from Tuguegarao to Aparri and the Babuyan Islands. The provincial government was eventually moved from Lallo to Tuguegarao.

Geographically, the valley is located in the northeastern part of mainland Luzon, covering an area of about 26,858.79 square kilometers, making it the second-largest region in the country. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Caraballo Mountains to the west, and the Cordillera Mountains, along with the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Aurora, to the south. Between these mountain ranges lies the valley, where most of the population resides. It is crisscrossed by the mighty Cagayan River—the longest and widest river in the country—and its tributaries, which flow into the Babuyan Channel in the town of Aparri. The Pacific Ocean on the east coast and the Babuyan Channel to the north also border the mainland.

The Batanes group of islands is located at the northernmost tip of the Philippine archipelago. It is surrounded by the Bashi Channel to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Balintang Channel to the south, and the West Philippine Sea to the west.

Claveria, Cagayan has more than 890 kilometers of coastline and rich fishing grounds, particularly around the Babuyan and Balintang Channels to the north and the Palanan and Divilacan Bays to the east, including its territorial seas within the 200-kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The region has four minor volcanoes and several inactive fault lines, including the Digdig Fault. The climate in the valley falls under Type III, characterized by relatively dry seasons from November to June and wet conditions during the rest of the year.

The Cagayan Valley Region is composed of five provinces—Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino—and four cities—Cauayan, Ilagan, Santiago, and Tuguegarao. Based on the 2010 census, the region’s population was 3,229,163.