My own place is a hidden Paradise! We do not experience a lot of calamities because we have rich natural resources being the rice granery of the Philippines. When other places in the Philippines experience famine due to typhoon, earthquake or any calamities caused by artificial matters, the province still remain to stand by its own natural resources because the people plant vegetables and fruits in their backyard. People are industrious and they value hard work and virtues of being Isabelinos. The rule of best politicians in this province and its towns created 3 towns to become industrial cities besides maintaining the natural resources. Isabela is the second largest province in the Philippines and the largest in Luzon in land area. Its capital is Ilagan
and the major languages spoken here are Ilocano, Ibannag, and Gaddang. The first town that you will see when you come from Manila to our province is Cordon, a foggy mountenous place but there are a lot of banana plantation here aside from fruit bearing trees like mangoes, suha, guyabano, jack fruit and more. That is why I always love going home to my place in Santiago although my own hometown has no good places to visit, we have the tallest mural in the Philippines here,
we have 5 big private schools with college level enrollment with 2 big colleges and university with graduate school enrollment. We can also consider one tourist attraction in Santiago City, a museum called “Balay na Santiago”.
The building project was started by a strong man from Miranda clan, a political heritage in Santiago City then continued and improved by others like the Navarros, and now the existing roboustness is due to our present administration who introduced more added projects in this first independent city of Isabela. Going to Cagayan, you can take two routes. When you decide to take the Ilagan road, you will see along the way as they say “these are the many miraculous Catholic churches”: Our Lady of Atocha in Alicia,
Our Lady of Pillar Parish in Cauayan,
the Ilagan Santuary.
Then, if you decide to take the route in Oscariz, you will see the beauty of Ramon which is the biggest dam in the Philippines.
Formerly it was said that it was the biggest in Asia but now, there was a newly constructed dam that outcasted our place. But this is not the issue for dams. We got plenty of useful considerations in having this dam. Electricity is sufficient in this province producing good business venture and incoming industralization of the place besides the fact that good irrigation system for farmers provide them with sufficient water for most of our food and the big producers of ketchup and vinegars. Fishcages are also plenty and our fish like Tilapia and Catfish are being raised from our rich rivers along the irrigated areas in Ramon. Our fish here are raised from naturally inhabitat with our running rivers going to Cagayan River. While Isabela is sorrounded by mountains, Sierra Madre and Cordillera mountains had protected much of our fruit bearing trees and vegetables located in Cordon especially when typhoons strike us. Although our prayer brigade helped in our protection. Our place has many good sides because of our missionaries as well as our clergies who supported spiritual uplift of our depressed areas. We also have a hidden paradise. It was said as “hidden” because there was no existing roads going to Palanan before. We only reach this place through small airplane because of the green forest. But the Aquinos thought of opening this place in road projects that still continue now to be almost finished so that others would see also our beautiful place. Palanan is the only place in Isabela with a beach and you will see its virginity until the roads are completely constructed.
Since there are no available hotels now within these beaches yet, you can bring your own tents in order to enjoy the white sand and eat lobster and fish there which you can buy from the natives and cook by your own if you try to become like boy scouts. You can bring your own utencils to bring you full satisfaction for having a serene and very romantic place. Come on. See our place.
Isabela Province is a Paradise 