Alicia, officially the Municipality of Alicia (Ilocano: Ili ti Alicia; Tagalog: Bayan ng Alicia; formerly known as Angadanan Viejo), is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,874 people.[3]
Alicia, the old town of Angadanan, is known for the Pagay Festival Balitok Ti Alicia and its famous historical landmark, the Our Lady of Atocha Church completed and inaugurated in 1849 which was officially declared by the Philippine Department of Tourism as a national religious tourist destination in the Philippines.
Etymology
When PresidentElpidio Quirino signed Executive Order No. 268 on 28 September 1949, Old Angadanan was formally created and renamed Alicia after his late wife, Doña Alicia Syquía Quirino. Along with three of their children (except Tomás, a soldier, and Victoria, who later became First Lady for her father), Doña Alicia was one of many civilians massacred by Japanese occupiers on 9 February 1945 during the Battle of Manila.[5]
History
Alicia was the second site of the town of Angadanan, which was initially founded in the mid-18th century as a settlement in present-day Nueva Vizcaya, between the towns of Bagabag and Bayombong. The town took its name from the nearby Angaranan Creek. In 1776, the Spaniards decided to move the settlement further north to Alicia's present location along the Ganano river, a tributary of the Cagayan River. In the 19th century, the Spaniards decided to move Angadanan again six kilometers further east along the Cagayan River to facilitate better transportation links and to secure the town from repeated raids by the Igorots and Gaddangs. The second site was subsequently known as Angadanan Viejo (Old Angadanan) to distinguish it from its third site called Angadanan Nuevo (New Angadanan), to which the former was a part of until Angadanan Viejo was converted into the separate municipality of Alicia in 1949. Part of the reason for the separation was that Alicia lay alongside the national highway network, which led to a more flourishing economy than its mother settlement.[6]
Both the second and third Angadanans were part of the Cagayan Valley province. The entire Cagayan Valley was one large province which the Spaniards called La Provincia del Valle de Cagayan, but divided into two new provinces in 1839 by the Spanish conquistadors. One retained the old name Cagayan which comprised all towns from Aparri to Tumauini; while a new province of Nueva Vizcaya was created composed of all towns from Ilagan to the Caraballo del Sur.[7]
A Royal Decree was created on 1 May 1856 creating Isabela de Luzon to distinguish it from other Isabelas in the Philippines, to which both Angadanans were added. It was placed under the jurisdiction of a governor with the capital seat at Ilagan City, where it remains at the present.[7]
Geography
Alicia has a total land area of 15,410 hectares. 71% of the total land area is an agricultural land which makes Alicia primarily an agricultural municipality best suited for the intensive production of rice and corn. Farming is its major livelihood and rice its major product and resource.
In the 2020 census, the population of Alicia, Isabela, was 73,874 people,[3] with a density of 480 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,200 inhabitants per square mile.
Language
The population is a combination of different ethnic group dominated by Ilocano speaking people which make Ilocano the common language used in the municipality. English, being one of the official languages is used primarily in communication for government publications, local newsprints, road signs, commercial signs and in doing official business transactions. Tagalog, another official language and is also considered the national language is used as verbal communication channel between residents.
The structure of the church was original built by the Spaniards in the 18th century, but not finished. Passing by Angadanan town on 12 February 1805, Fr. Manuel Mora, OP wrote that "Angadanan has a convent of bricks, though not totally finished. Its church is timber, wood, and bamboo. The number of inhabitants is 791." The church and convent as seen today in the town of Alicia, beautiful and antique, was built by Fr. Tomas Calderon, OP and inaugurated in 1849, with Fr. Francisco Gainza, OP, then vicar of Carig (now Santiago City). The church was dedicated to the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, more popularly known today as Our Lady of Atocha. The church is known for its antique Castilian architectural design and can be found along the Maharlika Highway and is accessible by land transport.[7][26][27]
The Catholic churches in Alicia, Gamu, and Cauayan, are examples of what is called as the "Cagayan Style" of Spanish churches that was inspired by the Tuguegarao church.
As a municipality in the Province of Isabela, government officials in the provincial level are voted by the electorates of the town. The provincial government have political jurisdiction over local transactions of the municipal government.
The municipality of Alicia 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 councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.
Barangays are also headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain, Barangay Council, whose members are called Barangay 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.
Elected officials
The first municipal mayor of the town was Glicerio Acosta who was appointed to office by the President of the Philippines upon the creation of Alicia as a municipality in 1949. The mayor and other elective officials are restricted to three consecutive terms, totaling nine years, although a mayor can be elected again after an interruption of one term.
Members of the Alicia Municipal Council (2022-2025)[28]
Position
Name
District Representative (3rd Legislative District of the Province of Isabela)
Ian Paul L. Dy
Chief Executive of the Municipality of Alicia
Mayor Joel Amos P. Alejandro
Presiding Officer of the Municipal Council of Alicia
Vice Mayor Andy Bonn B. Velasco
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia
Miko Go
Mila L. Paguila
Gayzle Reyes
Dandrige Jayson Co
Christian Hezron Mendoza
Joel Felipe P. Alejandro
Victon G. Bumatay
Maxell Mapili
Congress representation
Alicia, belonging to the third legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon. Ian Paul L. Dy.[29]
Education
The Schools Division of Isabela governs the town's public education system.[30] The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region.[31] The office governs the public and private elementary and public and private high schools throughout the municipality.
Alicia has two universities that cater to the people of the municipality and other neighboring municipalities and provinces. Alicia is also noted for having the most high-tech school in the region.
^Salgado, Pedro. "Formation of Christian Towns in Diffun (Southern Isabela)". Cagayan Valley and Easter Cordillera: 1581-1898, Volume I. Rex Publishing. pp. 551–557.
^"Municipality of Alicia - Code:023101000". Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) | Philippine Statistics Authority. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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