Alicia, Isabela
', officially the ' is a of the Philippines| in the province of,. According to the, it has a population of people.
The municipality is located in an area of predominantly flat and fertile land in the Cagayan Valley that surrounded by the Caraballo Mountains to the south, the Great Sierra Madre to the east and the Cordillera Mountain Range to the west. It is the largest rice producer in the entire Cagayan Valley and has the largest irrigated rice field in the whole Region II of the Philippines.
Alicia, the old town of Angadanan, is known for the Pagay Festival 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.
Barangays
Alicia has a total land area of 15, 410 hectares and 64, 339 total population as of 2009.71% 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.
Alicia is politically subdivided into 34 barangays:
History
Alicia was once called "Angadanan Viejo" jonald big name when the new Angadanan was relocated in 1776 to its current location near the Angadanan Creek.The old Angadanan town was 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 City to the Caraballo del Sur including Catalangan, Angadanan, and Palanan, with Camarag as its capital.
A Royal Decree was created on 1 May 1856 creating Isabela de Luzon to distinguish it from other Isabelas in the Philippines. It comprised the town of Carig, Camarag, Angadanan, Cauayan, Calanusian, Gamu, and Ilagan City, all detached from Nueva Vizcaya; while Tumauini and Cabagan were taken from the Cagayan province. It was placed under the jurisdiction of a governor with the capital seat at Ilagan City, where it remains at the present.
When then Philippine President Elpidio Quirino signed Executive Order No. 268 on 28 September 1949, the Old Angadanan was renamed and created the municipality of Alicia in honor of then Quirino's wife, Dona Alicia Syquia Quirino, who was murdered by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation.
Demographics
In the, the population of Alicia, Isabela, was people, with a density of.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.Climate
Economy
Alicia, as a suburb of a progressive city, Cauayan, Isabela, is also showing signs of progress. Various banking institutions like Landbank of the Philippines, Security Bank, etc. are already present in Alicia. In 2013, popular fast food chain Jollibee has opened its first branch in Alicia which includes Drive Thru service.Attractions
Our Lady of Atocha Church
The Our Lady of Atocha Church in Alicia is known for having an old Spanish church architecture. It is one of the best churches to visit for a pilgrimage in the Philippines during the Holy Week. The church was declared by the Philippine Department of Tourism as one of the national religious tourist attractions in the Philippines.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. 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.
The Catholic churches in Alicia, Gamu, and Cauayan City, are examples of what is called as the "Cagayan Style" of Spanish churches that was inspired by the Tuguegarao church.
Local government
The municipality of Alicia belonging to the Third Legislative District of the province of Isabela is governed by a municipal mayor and a municipal council.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.
Position | Name |
District Representative | Ian Paul L. Dy |
Chief Executive of the Municipality of Alicia | Mayor Joel Amos Alejandro |
Presiding Officer of the Municipal Council of Alicia | Vice Mayor Andy Bonn Velasco |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Mila L. Paguila |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Jason Manuel Alejandro |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Rom Mikhail Go |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Gayzle Reyes |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Jonathan B. Valiente |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Christian Hezron A. Mendoza |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Victon Bumatay |
Councilors of the Municipality of Alicia | Dandrige Jason Co |
Educational institutions
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.College and University
- Northeast Luzon Adventist College
- Philippine Normal University- Northern Luzon Campus
High schools
- Odizee School of Achievershttps://www.facebook.com/OdizeeSchoolOfAchieversOfficial/
- School of Our Lady of Atocha
- Dalton Academy
- Northeast Luzon Adventist College
- Top Achievers Private School
- Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
- Alicia National High School
- Alicia Vocational School
- Palayan Region High School
- Rizal Region National High School, Alicia, Isabela
Elementary schools
- Alicia Adventist Multigrade School
- Faith Christian Academy
- Northeast Luzon Adventist College
- Odizee School of Achievers
- School of Our Lady of Atocha
- St. Francis School Foundation
- St. John Adaptive Montessori School
- Top Achievers Private School
- Ay Kun School