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Santiago City, with a growing population of 126,244 people, is situated in the province of Isabela, about 79 kilometers south of the provincial capital Ilagan and 326 kilometers north of Metro Manila. It sits on a vast area of predominantly flat and fertile land in the Cagayan Valley surrounded by mountain ranges that include the Caraballo Mountains in the south, the Great Sierra Madre in the east and the Cordillera Mountain Range in the west. Its economic importance in the region is very much linked to its central geographic location in Region 2.
The origin of Santiago City can be drawn from the first native settlement discovered by the early Spanish missionaries at the bank of the old Carig River (now Diadi River) from which its original name, Carig, was derived. In January, 1910, Carig was made into a municipality and given a new name—Santiago Apostol de Carig— after Saint James the Apostle, the town’s patron saint. In the early 1950s, the town’s name was changed to simply Santiago which remained a municipality for the next 84 years. On May 5, 1994, by virtue or Republic Act 7720, Santiago was declared self-governing and autonomous, an Independent Component City, the first in the Cagayan Valley Region which ushered in a new era of progress. It was said that there were only about three Filipino-owned sari-sari stores in Santiago back in 1900s when most of the merchandise and other provisions were acquired from Chinese traders in Echague, then the landing zone for products intended for Santiago and other towns owing to its proximity to the Cagayan River. It was when the Villa-Verde Trail was opened that brisk trading was set in motion, facilitating the entry of immigrants from various provinces in Luzon into Cagayan Valley. Santiago eagerly absorbed a sizable share of these travelers with the new route serving as an impetus for growth. New technologies were introduced that established long-term business opportunities making Isabela as one of the biggest corn and rice producing provinces in the Philippines.
Santiago has indeed grown from a primitive settlement into a booming urban landscape. This is evident by the imposing city hall that houses the local government offices built at the turn of the millennium. The commercial area of the city, located along Maharlika Highway, also manifests rapid growth, the public market, “Bagong Palengke,” offers a busy hodgepodge of local businesses, fast food outlets, groceries and department stores, alongside educational establishments such as the Northeastern College at the Poblacion and the La Salette College at Dubinan. While city landmarks -- the Chapel of Transfiguration located in the Balintocatoc Hills, the 14 Stations of the Cross, the Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, St. James Parish Church, Mabini Circle, Balay na Santiago (House of Santiago), Balay ti Amianan (House of the North), Balay ti Namnama (House of Hope)-- had been developed to boost tourism activity, Santiago’s countryside, abundant rice fields, and scenic watershed areas remain refreshing contrasts to the sizeable share of banking institutions and manufacturing facilities that endow the city its prime status as the leading commercial and industrial city in Cagayan Valley. Malls are set to be built on a five hectare lot in Santiago’s Barangay Malvar, with Camella Isabela’s sprawling community development providing just the right residential setting adjacent to the multi-million peso Santiago City Integrated Terminal. |
