REGION 2
The Region II, or Cagayan Valley Region, is the second largest in the Philippines, with a
land area of 2,826,520 ha. It is comprised of 5 provinces namely: Batanes, Cagayan
(including Babuyan Islands), Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya. It has four cities
namely: Cauayan City (the industrial center), Tuguegarao (its regional center), City of
Ilagan (its investment hub) and Santiago City (its Premier City).
Located at the most northeastern part of the Philippines, between the Pacific Ocean and
the Cordilleras, 540,812 ha. (almost 20%) of the land of Cagayan Valley is used for
agricultural purposes (in 2013). With its Type III Climate (relatively dry from November
to April, and wet during the rest of the year), and the rich soil in the region, it is no
wonder the 2nd top producer of rice and the top producer of corn in the country. Aside
from these crops, Cagayan Valley is also known to be one of the top producers of
Sugarcane, Banana, Hog, and Chicken. In 2013, 846,000 out of the 1,475,000
employed people in the region are working in the agriculture sector wherein around
596,000 are male and 250,000 are female.
Major Cultural Groups
There are four major cultural groups in the Cagayan Region. These are the Ivatan,
Ibanag, Itawes, and Ilocano.
One of the remarkably unique Ivatan material culture are the stone houses adopted
from the Spaniards and made of limestone; the walls are as thick as one meter and are
able to withstand the terminal passage of typhoons in the Philippines. The roof, on the
other hand, retained the traditional thick-fabrication of cogon grass (
Imperata cylindrica
)
designed to weather the buffeting winds. The “vakul”, a traditional headgear designed
to shield the wearer from the sun and rain (Figure 1), is another cultural feature unique
to the Ivatan (Ethnic Groups of the Philippines, 2017). It is made out of “vuyavuy”
One of the remarkably unique Ivatan material culture are the stone houses adopted
from the Spaniards and made of limestone; the walls are as thick as one meter and are
able to withstand the terminal passage of typhoons in the Philippines. The roof, on the
other hand, retained the traditional thick-fabrication of cogon grass (
Imperata cylindrica
)
designed to weather the buffeting winds. The “vakul”, a traditional headgear designed
to shield the wearer from the sun and rain (Figure 1), is another cultural feature unique
to the Ivatan (Ethnic Groups of the Philippines, 2017). It is made out of “vuyavuy”
One of the remarkably unique Ivatan material culture are the stone houses adopted
from the Spaniards and made of limestone; the walls are as thick as one meter and are
able to withstand the terminal passage of typhoons in the Philippines. The roof, on the
other hand, retained the traditional thick-fabrication of cogon grass (
Imperata cylindrica
)
designed to weather the buffeting winds. The “vakul”, a traditional headgear designed
to shield the wearer from the sun and rain (Figure 1), is another cultural feature unique
to the Ivatan (Ethnic Groups of the Philippines, 2017). It is made out of “vuyavuy”
The Itawes, Itawis, Hitawit or Itawit (endonym) are a group of people living in the
Philippines. Their name is derived from the Itawes prefix i- meaning "people of" and
tawid or "across the river".
The Itawes are among the earliest inhabitants of the Cagayan Valley in northern Luzon.
Other than their mother tongue (categorized as closely related to Gaddang ), they speak
Ibanag and Ilocano.
The Ivatans possessed unique skills to be resilient with weather conditions of typhoon
and drought in Batanes. They have built walls made of thick limestone and thick cogon
roof for their houses. They also have acquired the skill of predicting the weather through
the behavior of animals. The gear in their head is called “vakul” a traditional headgear
design to protect or shield the wearer from the sun and rain.
The Ibanag literally means "people of the river," as they are the people who settled
along the banks of the Cagayan River and the northern coasts of Luzon. The Ibanag are
concentrated within the towns of Tuguegarao, Solana, Cabagan, and Iligan. They
originally inhabited the areas by the mouth of the Cagayan River but have moved up
and gradually influenced culture of older ethnicities like the Itawit, Isinay, and Ga'dang.
The Ibanag language became the lingua franca for commerce. The culture was also
heavily influenced by the migration of the Ilocanos (Peralta 2000)
The Ilocanos make up the 3rd largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines and is the
most prominent ethnic group in the Philippines. Ilocano or Iluko is a Western
Austronesian language spoken in Northern Luzon, in various parts of Philippines and
around the world. It comprises its own branch in the Philippine Cordilleran family of
languages.
House of Dakay
House of Dakay is said to be the oldest stone house existing in Batanes and considered
as a UNESCO Heritage Building. Located in the town of San Jose de Ivana in Batan
Island, the structure has remained intact over the years.
The edifice was built similar to the other houses in the old villages of the province. The
walls are thick and are made up of stone and lime. Its roof is composed of cogon grass
which is approximately 1/3 of a meter thick and lasts for 25 to 30 years. The roof is
replaced every 30 years since 1917.
The Ivatans call the house as Vahay ni Dakay which was named after the family who
once resided there. As the caretaker, Lola Idan. is the most photographed personality in
Batanes and has appeared together with the home in magazines including Reader's
Digest. In January 2014, she passed away.