Baggao

Baggao, officially the Municipality of Baggao, is a municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the, it has a population of people.

Etymology

The name Baggao is derived from the Ibanag word which means washing in the English language. Old folks recount that the Ibanags who frequently hunted in the locality, used to wash their catch before taking them home in a big mud hole which they called Abbagaoan, an Ibanag word which refers to a place to wash. Eventually, the area became a noted landmark for hunters from which the name of the municipality was derived.

History

Long before the issuance of the Royal Decree which officially detached Baggao as a barrio of Amulung on November 27, 1896, the place has already became famous as a hunting ground. It was detached from Amulung to become a separate Spanish mission.
With the formal creation of Baggao as a separate municipality, Rev. Fr. Pedro Vicandi, O.P. who was then the Parish Priest of the area, was designated officer-in-charge of the town. His chapel, and at the same time, the town hall consisted of a shack made of bamboo and cogon built atop of a hill one kilometer southeast of the present municipal building.
On April 18, 1899 Fr. Vicandi fled the area when Col. Daniel Tirona, under Gen. E. Aguinaldo, visited the Town and put to flame the friar’s shanty. However, in September 1899, when civil order was finally restored, Don Rafael Catolico took over as the first mayor of the New “Pueblo Civil”.
For more than 85 years since it was separated from its mother town of Amulung, the seat of the Municipal Government of Baggao has been seated at the Centro or Poblacion. In 1899, when Don Rafael Catolico took over as the first mayor of the new “Pueblo Civil” there were 5,051 inhabitants living in sparse settlements. The communities given the official status as a barrio were those immediately surrounding the Poblacion. Most of the barangays, now established upstream were merely patches of forest clearings barely making the requirements of becoming a full-fledge barrio.
However, with the continuous influx of immigrants from other towns and provinces, new communities sprouted continuously moving further northeastward to the more fertile expanse of this virgin municipality. As of today there are already 48 barangays settled by 85% of the more than 82,302 inhabitants along the north-eastern portion of Baggao, the nearest of which is no less than 16 kilometers to the Poblacion, while the farthest of the 12 barangays immediately surrounding the Centro is no more than 10 kilometers away.
The Poblacion founded a century ago became a dead center today. Basing on the context of “ripple effect” approach of development, the site of the municipal government of Baggao became misplaced and unstrategically located as its pivotal role of development. The townsite, in fact, has caused an upsurge of factionalism and a desire of the people to split the municipality into two. In so doing, the Municipal Development Council arrived at a general consensus of selecting San Jose, the most progressive barangay of the town, as the next seat of the municipal government of Baggao. Hence in 1985, public hearings led by then the late Mayor Virgilio G. Herrero were conducted throughout the different barangays of Baggao where 85% of the population expressed their support to the move. So, in a session conducted by the Sangguniang Bayan of Baggao, the members passed a resolution transferring the site of the seat of municipal government of Baggao from the old site in Poblacion to its new location in barangay San Jose.

Geography

Baggao is situated from the provincial capital Tuguegarao, and from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Baggao is politically subdivided into 48 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Adaoag
Agaman
Agaman Norte
Agaman Sur
Alba
Annayatan
Asassi
Asinga-Via
Awallan
Bacagan
Bagunot
Barsat East
Barsat West
Bitag Grande
Bitag Pequeño
Bunugan
C. Verzosa
Canagatan
Carupian
Catugay
Dabbac Grande
Dalin
Dalla
Hacienda Intal
Ibulo
Immurung
J. Pallagao
Lasilat
Mabini
Masical
Mocag
Nangalinan
Remus
Poblacion
San Antonio
San Francisco
San Isidro
San Jose
San Miguel
San Vicente
Santa Margarita
Santor
Taguing
Taguntungan
Tallang
Taytay
Temblique
Tungel

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Baggao was 90,723 people, with a density of.

Government

Local government

Baggao is part of the first legislative district of the province of Cagayan. It 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.
The current seat of the municipal government is situated in barangay San Jose.

Elected officials

Position	Name
Congressman	Ramon C. Nolasco Sr.
Mayor	Leonardo C. Pattung
Vice-Mayor	Rowel B. Gazmen
Councilors	Arnold A. Alonzo
Councilors	Edmundo B. Delos Santos Jr.
Councilors	Ron Paolo J. Pattung
Councilors	Johny R. Bacud
Councilors	Roy D. Tumaneng
Councilors	Engr. Roy F. Dumayag
Councilors	Alexander M. Gaspar
Councilors	Mariano L. Miguel

Roster of Local Chief Executives since November 27, 1896

Fray Pedro Vicandi, O.P. - 1896 - 1899
Don Rafael Catolico - 1899 - 1904
Juan Canillas - 1904 - 1908
Benito Reboredo - 1908 - 1912
Cipriano - 1912 - 1916
Vicente Garcia - 1916 - 1920
Jose Pallagao - 1920 - 1921
Roman Canillas - 1921 - 1924
Francisco Mendoza - 1924 - 1928
Alejo Siazon - 1928 - 1932
Isabelo Tobias - 1932 - 1940
Don Domingo G. Herrero - 1940 - 1944
Pastor Lorenzo - 1944 - 1945
Walfrido Pallagao - 1945 - 1946
Custavo Cruz Sr. - 1946 - 1947
Angel Canillas - 1947 - 1956
Felix Villanueva - 1956 - 1960
Walfrido Pallagao - 1960 - 1978
Virgilio Gasa Herrero - 1978 - Marso 1987
Dante S. Ramirez, M.D. - Marso 1987 to Nobyembre 30, 1987
Virgilio H. Navarro - Disyembre 01, 1987 to Pebrero 02, 1988
Virgilio Gasa Herrero - Pebrero 03, 1988 to Marso 27, 1998
Emely D. Carmona. - Marso 28, 1998 to Hunyo 30, 1998
Leonardo C. Pattung, M.D. - Hulyo 1, 1998 to Hunyo 30,2007
Rolando T. Uanang - Hulyo 1, 2007 to date Hunyo 30,2010
Leonardo C. Pattung, M.D. - Hulyo 1, 2010 to Hunyo 30, 2019
Joan C. Dunuan, MPA, LLB - Hulyo 1, 2019 to Hunyo 30, 2022
Leonardo C. Pattung, M.D. - Hulyo 1, 2022 to Present

Education

The Schools Division of Cagayan governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region. There are two schools district offices that govern both the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality. These are Baggao North District, and Baggo West District.

Primary and elementary schools

Adaoag Elementary School
Agaman Norte Elementary School
Agaman Proper Elementary School
Agaman Sur Elementary School
Alba Elementary School
Asassi Elementary School
Baggao North Central School
Baggao West Central School
Bagunot Elementary School
Bitag Grande Elementary School
Bunugan Elementary School
C. Verzosa Elementary School
Callao Elementary School
Camunayan Elementary School
Canagatan Elementary School
Carupian Elementary School
Catugay Elementary School
Daligadig Elementary School
Dalin Elementary School
Ibulo Primary School
Linawan Elementary School
Malisi Primary School
Mansarong Elementary School
Masical Elementary School
Masisit Elementary School
Pallagao Elementary School
Remus Elementary School
San Vicente Elementary School
Sta. Margarita East Elementary School
Sta. Margarita West Elementary School
Tabugan Elementary School
Taguntungan Elementary School
Temblique Elementary School
Tueg Elementary School
United Methodist Christian School

Secondary schools

Agaman National High School
Baggao National Agricultural School
Sta. Margarita National High School
Baggao National High School
Taguing Integrated School
San Isidro Integrated School
Awallan Integrated School
Valley Cove Integrated Schoo

Media

90.1 MHz DWVY Radyo Cagayano