History

San Pablo is the oldest pueblo in the Province of Isabela, dating back to its founding and continuing to this day. The land that is now the Municipality of San Pablo, Isabela, was historically part of the territory known as La Irraya. The Irraya territory (Addaya and Yrraya in other manuscripts) stretched from Tuguegarao in Cagayan province to the present-day Gamu town in Isabela province. Irraya was also used to refer to the natives' names and dialect. Irraya, an Ibanag word, means "upriver". In the Gaddang language, "dirraya" also means "upriver".

Spanish colonial era

In 1607, the provincial chapter of the Holy Rosary Province (or Dominicans) directed Frays Luis Flores and Francisco Minaio to the Irraya-speaking Pilitan (now a barangay of Tumauini town) and its surrounding communities to make every effort to teach the natives Ibanag and minister to them in that language. In short, Ibanag (Ybanag) was declared the official language of the valley. The separate Irraya territory, its inhabitants, and the dialect eventually became extinct, and the entire area, its occupants, and language are now recognized in the modern world as Ibanag. Only a few people in Cabagan town's barangays Tallag and San Bernardo recall some Irraya phrases.

Following the historic Irraya Revolt on November 8, 1621, Dominican missionary Fray Pedro de Santo Tomas organized a new town called Maquila at the junction of the Cagayan and Pinacanauan Rivers of Tuguegarao, bringing together Irrayas from the former Christian missions of Pilitan, Abbuatan, Bolo, and Batavag. The name Maquila comes from the Ibanag word "quilat," which means "clear," alluding to the clear water of the Pinacanauan River. Due to its proximity to Tuguegarao, the population of Maquila were relocated to a new site upstream southwards at the mouth of the Cagayan and Pinacanauan Rivers of Cabagan, which is now the poblasyon (town center) of San Pablo. The new site was dubbed Cabagan. The name Cabagan is derived from the native word "bag" or "bajaque," which refers to stores that sell g-strings. Another version claimed that the name was derived from the term "cabbagang," which means "pilgrim" or "stranger," because the community was in regular touch with the other tribes in the area.

The town was founded on 1646 as Maquila by Fr. Pedro de Santo Tomas, making it the oldest town in Isabela and existing before the province's creation. The original name literally means sparkling. It was then renamed to Cabagan, loosely interpreted as the place where people wear "ba-ag" or "G-strings" when the Spaniards arrived at the Philippine Islands.

On May 15, 1647, the Dominican Order in Manila recognized "San Pablo Apostol de Cabagan" as an ecclesiastical mission under the patronage of Saint Paul the Apostle. Cabagan's church was built with a six-layer bell tower, containing the tallest adobe round pinnacle in the Cagayan Valley.

Mengal Baladdon and his troops, disturbed by Fray Pedro Jimenez's success in establishing Christian communities in the Irraya, devastated Cabagan in 1683, killing twelve of its Christian inhabitants and forcing the locals to escape to the mountains. The hamlet was on the point of collapse when the alcalde-mayor of Cagayan rescued it by killing some accomplices and capturing seventy. Their property was confiscated and given to the army.

In 1709, a massive fire destroyed the Cabagan Church and the large convent. Don Pablo Orduna defeated a Cabagan revolt in 1718, and many Cabagan and Tuguegarao locals sought refuge in the mountains. In 1738, the military fort of Cabagan (located in what is now San Pablo town), a triangular two-bulwarked stone fortification, was demolished (also by earthquakes) and relocated to Cabicungan (now Claveria town in Cagayan province) because it was no longer required. On March 20, 1758, Dominican missionary Fray Jose Marin of Cabagan reported that a cholera epidemic had broken out, killing around 500 people in Cabagan and 800 in Tuguegarao. He also informed them about the construction of a wine and sugar factory, which would be extremely useful to the town's residents. Dominican Fray Antonio Garcia built Cabagan's Casa Real in 1841. During Spanish administration in the province, the house was an important government hub. It was a two-story stone building of 20 by 30 square meters. The Casa Real was destroyed in 1857 but later reconstructed. The inscription on one of its walls reads, "Esta Casa Tribunal se con Cluio en año de 1846, Siendo Governad d' Juan de Guzman."

By royal order in 1761, a burgeoning village across the Pinacanauan River was formally detached from the mother-town of Cabagan (now San Pablo town) and given the same name. Only in 1861 was a royal order issued to separate the new hamlet of Cabagan (now Cabagan town) from the mothertown of Cabagan (now San Pablo). On January 25, 1877, Dominican Fray Pedro Ricart relocated the old town of Cabagan (now San Pablo) to a new site (the current area of Cabagan town) due to the unhealthiness of the former site, and it appeared that progress was bypassing the town in favor of the towns to the south. The new site was just about three kilometers from the old, and it was located between the current barangays of Ugad and Luquilu.

The Spaniards restored the abandoned site of Cabagan (now San Pablo) in 1888, naming it "Cabagan Viejo" and appointing Fray Segundo Rodriguez as cura parroco. He renovated part of the church and convent and named the Virgin of the Rosary as the town's patroness. Later, the patron was changed to Saint Paul the Apostle. The other Cabagan was dubbed "Cabagan Nuevo" to avoid misunderstanding between the two. In Spanish, "Viejo" means "old" and "Nuevo" means "new". When the Americans arrived, they renamed Cabagan Nuevo simply "Cabagan" and Cabagan Viejo "San Pablo".

American colonial era

In the 1900s, Cabagan was subdivided into three divisions, namely: Cabagan Viejo, Cabagan Nuevo, and Santa Maria. Cabagan Viejo was then renamed to San Pablo, after its patron saint Paul the Apostle whose feast day is celebrated every January 15. Meanwhile, Cabagan Nuevo became the modern-day Cabagan, while Santa Maria retained its name.

During the early stages of the American occupation, the Philippine Commission, led by Governor-General William Howard Taft (later President of the United States and Chief Justice), held a public hearing on province reorganization. The three towns of Cabagan Nuevo, Cabagan Viejo, and Santa Maria attended the hearing in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, and requested that the towns be merged into the newly established province of Cagayan. However, in a public hearing held in Ilagan, Isabela on August 23, 1901, Municipal President Rafael Maramag of Ilagan stated that the exclusion of the three towns would significantly limit the province's size. "The population of Isabela was around 54,000, and these three towns had a total population of roughly 20,000. The proposed adjustment would therefore take away almost a third of the province." The Commission declared the next day that they were not amenable to the move "since it would too substantially lower the population and tax-paying power of the province of Isabela."

The seat of administration for San Pablo town was moved to Barrio Auitan in 1944, then to Barrio Minanga at the request of the Japanese. According to Robern Osterlund, the seat of administration shifted due to factional conflicts between the Centro people (Southern group) and the Auitans (Northern group).

Philippine independence

In 1959, Mayor Calixtro B. Cauan returned the government center to its former location, which is now the current location.

Geography

San Pablo, located at 17°28′N 121°59′E, is bounded by Tuguegarao City to the north, the Municipality of Maconacon to the east, the Municipality of Cabagan to the south, and the Cagayan River and the Municipality of Santa Maria to the west. It is organized into 17 barangays and covers a land area of 637.9 square kilometers, with a population of 25,384 in 2015. The highest peak in the province lies at the boundary with Cagayan, Mount Dos Cuernos, located in San Pablo near the Maconacon border, has an elevation of 1,785 metres (5,856 feet).

Barangays

San Pablo is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of San Pablo, Isabela, was 26,320 people, with a density of 41 inhabitants per square kilometre or 110 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty incidence of San Pablo

Culture

The Baka (Cow) Festival, inaugurated in 2004, under the time of Mayor Antonio N. Miro, is observed yearly on January 15 during the patronal town fiesta to promote the culture and tradition of the town.