Pamplona, Cagayan

Municipality in Cagayan, Philippines

Municipality in Cagayan Valley, Philippines

Pamplona

Municipality

Municipality of Pamplona

St. Peter the Martyr Parish Church of Pamplona, Cagayan

Flag

Seal

Map of Cagayan with Pamplona highlighted

OpenStreetMap

Pamplona

Location within the Philippines

Coordinates: 18°27′58″N 121°20′33″E﻿ / ﻿18.4661°N 121.3425°E﻿ / 18.4661; 121.3425
Country| Philippines
Region| Cagayan Valley
Province| Cagayan
District|  2nd district
Founded| 1842
Named after| Pamplona, Spain
Barangays| 18 (see Barangays)
Government

[1]

• Type| Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor| Digna G. Puzon-Antonio
• Vice Mayor| Arnie Angelica Sampaga - Fernandez
• Representative| Baby Aline V. Alfonso
• Electorate| 16,231 voters (2025)
Area

[2]

• Total

| 173.30 km2 (66.91 sq mi)
Elevation

| 50 m (160 ft)
Highest elevation

| 783 m (2,569 ft)
Lowest elevation

| 0 m (0 ft)
Population

(2024 census)[3]

• Total

| 25,182
• Density| 150/km2 (380/sq mi)
• Households

| 5,850
Economy

• Income class| 4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence|

11.96

% (2021)[4]
• Revenue| ₱ 175.1 million (2022)
• Assets| ₱ 421.5 million (2022)
• Expenditure| ₱ 133.5 million (2022)
• Liabilities| ₱ 54.33 million (2022)
Service provider

• Electricity| Cagayan 2 Electric Cooperative (CAGELCO 2)
Time zone| UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code|

3522

PSGC|

0201518000

IDD : area code | +63 (0)78
Native languages| Ilocano
Ibanag
Atta
Tagalog
Website| www.pamplona-cagayan.gov.ph

Pamplona, officially the Municipality of Pamplona (Ibanag: Ili nat Pamplona; Ilocano: Ili ti Pamplona; Tagalog: Bayan ng Pamplona), is a municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,781 people.[5]

## History

[edit]

Pamplona is the result of the merging of two villages during the Spanish era \- Abulacan (now barrio San Juan) and Masi. Abulacan was founded by the ecclesiastical authorities on April 30, 1757, with San Juan Nepomuceno as the patron saint. Sometime in 1842, Vicar Pedro Montenegro, O.P. convinced the people to unite the two towns. The vicar named it "Pamplona" in memory of his hometown Pamplona in Spain.

An agreement was also made that there would be two patron saints of Pamplona: San Juan Nepomuceno and San Pedro de Martir. This is the reason why the town fiesta is celebrated for two days and the images of the two patron saints are carried during religious processions. The town fiesta is celebrated every April 29.

In 1919, some of the prominent people of Pamplona recommended the transfer of the same to Bidduang, a barrio of Pamplona. The transfer was made on November 16, 1919, during the administration of municipal president Esteban Meneses by order of General Wood. In 1928, on the sixth year of the administration of municipal president Paulino Ifurung, one of his last acts was the transfer of the municipal government back to its old site, Pamplona, by then called "Albano."

Most interesting spot is the mouth of the Pamplona River. It saw history in the making for it was the starting point of Salcedo and his conquistadores when they explored Cagayan in 1572. Because of the river's strong current and unpredictable floods, Mayor Nicolas B. Aquino built in 1955 a concrete levee along Barangay Masi. He also built an irrigation system. It was the first of its kind in Cagayan.[citation needed]

In the late 1960s, Special Forces Regiment head Orlando Dulay allegedly ordered then-trainee Victor Corpus to assassinate mayor Anselmo Galano, but Corpus decided not to follow through with the order.[6]

On August 5, 2016, Vice Mayor Aaron Sampaga was assassinated in his friend's compound in Barangay Masi by motorcycle-riding gunmen. Sampaga had previously served three terms as mayor of Pamplona, during which his then-vice mayor Edwin Ifurung accused him of being involved in the 2014 murder of his brother, barangay councilor Edmund Ifurung.[7][8]

## Geography

[edit]

Pamplona is situated 140.67 kilometres (87.41 mi) from the provincial capital Tuguegarao, and 647.67 kilometres (402.44 mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.

### Barangays

[edit]

Pamplona is politically subdivided into 18 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

* Abbangkeruan
* Allasitan
* Bagu
* Balingit
* Bidduang
* Cabaggan
* Capalalian
* Casitan
* Centro
* Curva
* Gattu
* Masi (formerly Zimigui-Ziuanan[9])
* Nagattatan
* Nagtupacan
* San Juan
* Santa Cruz (Pimpila)
* Tabba
* Tupanna

### Climate

[edit]

Climate data for Pamplona, Cagayan

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 25
(77)  | 26
(79)  | 29
(84)  | 31
(88)  | 31
(88)  | 31
(88)  | 30
(86)  | 30
(86)  | 30
(86)  | 28
(82)  | 27
(81)  | 25
(77)  | 29
(84)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 20
(68)  | 20
(68)  | 21
(70)  | 23
(73)  | 24
(75)  | 25
(77)  | 25
(77)  | 25
(77)  | 24
(75)  | 23
(73)  | 23
(73)  | 21
(70)  | 23
(73)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 120
(4.7)  | 77
(3.0)  | 62
(2.4)  | 40
(1.6)  | 118
(4.6)  | 138
(5.4)  | 162
(6.4)  | 173
(6.8)  | 143
(5.6)  | 198
(7.8)  | 185
(7.3)  | 248
(9.8)  | 1,664
(65.4)
Average rainy days  | 16.9  | 12.2  | 11.5  | 10.6  | 18.7  | 20.1  | 21.2  | 23.3  | 20.8  | 16.9  | 16.5  | 20.0  | 208.7
Source: Meteoblue[10]

## Demographics

[edit]

Population census of PamplonaYear| Pop.| ±% p.a.

|
|

1903 | 3,089| —
1918 | 3,672| +1.16%
1939 | 7,650| +3.56%
1948 | 8,029| +0.54%
1960 | 10,026| +1.87%
1970 | 13,568| +3.07%
1975 | 14,965| +1.98%
1980 | 17,603| +3.30%
1990 | 16,775| −0.48%
1995 | 18,107| +1.44%
2000 | 20,142| +2.31%
2007 | 21,889| +1.15%
2010 | 23,236| +2.20%
2015 | 23,596| +0.29%
2020 | 24,781| +1.04%
2024 | 25,182| +0.39%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[11][12][13][14][15]

In the 2020 census, the population of Pamplona, Cagayan, was 24,781 people,[16] with a density of 140 inhabitants per square kilometre or 360 inhabitants per square mile.

## Economy

[edit]

Poverty incidence of Pamplona

2000
41.65

2003
30.61

2006
19.70

2009
20.66

2012
26.71

2015
14.97

2018
16.40

2021
11.96

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

## Government

[edit]

### Local government

[edit]

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Pamplona is part of the second 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 municipal councilors are elected directly by the people through an election held every three years.

### Elected officials

[edit]

Members of the Municipal Council
(2019–2022)[25] Position  | Name

|

Congressman  | Samantha Louise V. Alfonso
Mayor  | Digna G. Puzon-Antonio
Vice-Mayor  | Arnie Angelica Sampaga-Fernandez
Councilors  | Ria Angela G. Sampaga
Marlon R. Yamongan
John Fritz Herbert S. Roque
Alicia L. Banham
Laurence E. Daguna
Leticia F. Echenique
Felix M. Zimara
Aristotle Y. Maquiraya

### List of mayors

[edit]

* Nicolas B. Aquino (1955 – 1963)
* Anselmo N. Galano (1963 – 1976)
* Antonio R. Ifurung (1992 – 1998)[26]
* Aaron Sampaga (2007 – 2016)
* Arnie Angelica Sampaga (2016 – 2019)
* Digna Puzon-Antonio (2019 – present)

## Education

[edit]

The Schools Division of Cagayan governs the town's public education system.[27] The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region.[28] The Pamplona Schools District Office governs the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality.[29]

### Primary and elementary schools

[edit]

* Abbangkeruan Elementary School
* Allasitan Elementary School
* Bagu Elementary School
* Balingit Elementary School
* Bidduang Elementary School
* Cabaggan Elementary School
* Capalalian Elementary School
* Casitan Elementary School
* Curva Elementary School
* Masi Primary School
* Nagattatan Elementary School
* Pamplona Cenral School
* Pimpila Elementary School
* San Juan Elementary School
* Tabba Elementary School
* Tupanna Elementary School

### Secondary schools

[edit]

* Bidduang National High School
* David M. Puzon Memorial National High School
* Pamplona National School of Fisheries
* Pamplona Institute

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Municipality of Pamplona |  (DILG)
2. ^ "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
4. ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
5. ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
6. ^ "An insider's exposure of the Philippine military: Interview with Victor Corpus, an officer and a rebel". Ampo: Japan-Asia Quarterly Review. 18 (1). Tokyo, Japan: Pacific-Asia Resource Center: 19. 1986. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
7. ^ Visaya Jr., Villamor (August 21, 2016). "P500,000 reward for clue to Cagayan vice mayor's killer". Inquirer News. Tuguegarao City, Philippines: INQUIRER.net. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
8. ^ Visaya Jr., Villamor (August 6, 2016). "Pamplona vice mayor shot dead in Cagayan". Inquirer News. Tuguegarao City: INQUIRER.net. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
9. ^ "An Act Changing the Name of Barrio Zimigui-ziuanan, Municipality of Pamplona, Province of Cagayan, to Masi". LawPH.com. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
10. ^ "Pamplona, Cagayan: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
11. ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
12. ^ Census of Population (2015). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
13. ^ Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
14. ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
15. ^ "Province of". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
16. ^ "2024 Census of Population (POPCEN) Population Counts Declared Official by the President". Philippine Statistics Authority. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
17. ^ "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
18. ^ "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
19. ^ "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
20. ^ "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
21. ^ "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
22. ^ "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
23. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
24. ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
25. ^ "2019 National and Local Elections" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
26. ^ "The Winners". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. June 14, 1992. p. 7. Retrieved November 7, 2024. "Pamplona -- Antonio R. Ifurung, Maximillian Galano."
27. ^ "History of DepED SDO Cagayan". DepED SDO Cagayan | Official Website of DepED SDO Cagayan. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
28. ^ "DEPED REGIONAL OFFICE NO. 02". DepED RO2 | The official website of DepED Regional Office No. 02. Archived from the original on 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
29. ^ "Masterlist of Schools" (PDF). Department of Education. January 15, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Philippine Standard Geographic Code
* Philippine Census Information

Places adjacent to Pamplona, Cagayan

|  | Aparri (Fuga Island)
Babuyan Channel (Luzon Strait) |

|
|

|  |
Sanchez-Mira |

Pamplona

| Abulug
|  |
| Luna, Apayao |

* v
* t
* e

Province of Cagayan

Tuguegarao (capital and largest city)

Municipalities|

* Abulug
* Alcala
* Allacapan
* Amulung
* Aparri
* Baggao
* Ballesteros
* Buguey
* Calayan
* Camalaniugan
* Claveria
* Enrile
* Gattaran
* Gonzaga
* Iguig
* Lal-lo
* Lasam
* Pamplona
* Peñablanca
* Piat
* Rizal
* Sanchez Mira
* Santa Ana
* Santa Praxedes
* Santa Teresita
* Santo Niño
* Solana
* Tuao

Component city|

* Tuguegarao

Barangays|

See: List of barangays in Cagayan
*[PSGC]: Philippine Standard Geographic Code
*[Pop.]: Population
*[±% p.a.]: Per annum growth rate. Executive Order 135 §6 states that for "census years" (years divisible by 10) the reference date would be May 1st, but for all other years, the reference date is to be the "middle of the year". This means that growth rates, although correct, are not necessarily simple year-on-year comparisons.
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template