Santa Praxedes

Santa Praxedes, officially the Municipality of Santa Praxedes (Ibanag: Ili nat Santa Praxedes; Ilocano: Ili ti Santa Praxedes; Tagalog: Bayan ng Santa Praxedes), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 4,154 people.[3]

Santa Praxedes
Municipality
Municipality of Santa Praxedes
Seal
Map of Cagayan with Santa Praxedes highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Santa Praxedes
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 18°34′N 121°00′E
Country Philippines
RegionCagayan Valley (Region II)
ProvinceCagayan
District2nd District
Barangays10 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorEsterlina A. Aguinaldo
 • Vice MayorRene D. Estabillo
 • CongressmanSamantha Louise V. Alfonso
 • Electorate3,728 voters (2019)
Area
 [2]
 • Total109.97 km2 (42.46 sq mi)
Population
 (2015 census)[3]
 • Total4,154
 • Density38/km2 (98/sq mi)
 • Households
980
Economy
 • Income class5th municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence9.79% (2015)[4]
 • Revenue (₱)47,111,782.63 (2016)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
3521
PSGC
021524000
IDD : area code +63 (0)78
Climate typetropical monsoon climate
Native languagesIlocano
Ibanag
Isnag
Tagalog

The poblacion of the municipality consists of two barangays, Centro-Uno and Centro-Dos, which are situated in the valley surrounded by the northern tip of the Caraballo Mountains.

Geography

It borders the Ilocos Norte municipality of Pagudpud to the west; Calanasan, Apayao, to the south-west; Claveria, Cagayan, to the east. It also shares a third of the area of the Calvario National Park along with the municipality of Pagudpud. Taiwan directly to the north of Luzon Island via Luzon Strait to Bashi Channel.

The central plain is situated in a valley enveloped by the Caraballo Mountains. It is also one of the coastal towns of Cagayan that does not have direct road access to its seacoast due to the high mountains surrounding it.

Climate

As in the other part of the country, the municipality has two seasons: the wet and dry seasons. It has a longer wet season, unlike most parts of the country that enjoy almost equal periods of wet and dry seasons. The wet season normally starts in the last week of May and lasts up to the end of January. It is during the later months of this season that the famous "gamet" or "nori" grows along its rocky seacoast. The dry season starts by the end of January till the end of May.

Barangays

Santa Praxedes is politically subdivided into 10 barangays.

  • Cadongdongan
  • Capacuan
  • Centro I (Poblacion)
  • Centro II (Poblacion)
  • Macatel
  • Portabaga
  • San Juan
  • San Miguel
  • Salungsong
  • Sicul

History

The town's original name was Langangan, then changed to Santa Praxedes, after the second-century martyr of the same name, by virtue of Republic Act No. 4149 in 1964. The first settlers were known to be the emigrants from the neighboring provinces of Ilocos Sur (from the municipalities of Sinait and Magsingal) and Ilocos Norte (from the municipalities of Pasuquin, Badoc and Pinili).

There has also been past and present moves by the municipal council to regain political control of some barangays of the neighboring municipality of Claveria, particularly the barangays of Cadcadir, Lablabig, Mabnang, Union, Kilkiling and Siam-Siam. These barangays were once part of Santa Praxedes but lost political control when the municipality was transferred to Ilocos Norte province jurisdiction.

Early Settlers

Early settlers in this municipality are the Agamanos, Agnir, Aguinaldo, Aguirre, Agullana, Bumanglag, Estabillo, Madamba, Pagdilao, Ragsac, Rivera, Sanchez families.

Demographics
Population census of Santa Praxedes
YearPop.±% p.a.
1918 1,191—    
1939 812−1.81%
1948 1,095+3.38%
1960 1,530+2.83%
1970 1,921+2.30%
1975 2,206+2.81%
1980 2,211+0.05%
1990 2,514+1.29%
1995 2,709+1.41%
2000 2,952+1.86%
2007 3,379+1.88%
2015 4,154+2.61%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[3][5][6][7]

In the 2015 census, the population of Santa Praxedes was 4,154 people,[3] with a density of 38 inhabitants per square kilometre or 98 inhabitants per square mile.

Language

Ilokano is the main language but a portion of the population also speaks Isneg (locally known as Yapayao) as part of the population hailed from the Calanasan, Apayao, when the municipality was a part of the former Kalinga-Apayao province.

Climate
Climate data for Santa Praxedes, Cagayan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 25
(77)		 26
(79)		 28
(82)		 30
(86)		 30
(86)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 28
(82)		 28
(82)		 27
(81)		 26
(79)		 25
(77)		 28
(81)
Average low °C (°F) 18
(64)		 18
(64)		 20
(68)		 21
(70)		 23
(73)		 24
(75)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 23
(73)		 21
(70)		 21
(70)		 19
(66)		 21
(70)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 55
(2.2)		 41
(1.6)		 37
(1.5)		 41
(1.6)		 184
(7.2)		 215
(8.5)		 261
(10.3)		 256
(10.1)		 245
(9.6)		 216
(8.5)		 142
(5.6)		 129
(5.1)		 1,822
(71.8)
Average rainy days 14.1 11.1 11.8 12.5 21.8 25.2 25.5 24.9 23.8 18.2 16.4 17.0 222.3
Source: Meteoblue [8]

Economy and tourism

Economic activity consists mainly of fishing, farming and tourism. Currently, the local government is further developing both Portabaga Falls and Mingay Beach Resorts. There is a lot of potential of the town in ecotourism but due to poor infrastracture, tourism spots such as Sicul Falls and Hotsprings as well as Macatel Falls were seldomly visited.

  • Portabaga Falls Resort - a 25-meter single-drop waterfall having four downstream catch pools
  • Mingay Beach and Resorts
  • Sicul Falls and Hotspring
  • Macatel Falls

Transportation and communication

The municipality is 595 kilometres (370 mi) north of Manila via Laoag and 191 kilometres (119 mi) northwest of Tuguegarao, the province's capital. Bus companies serving the town are RCJ Lines and GV Florida Transport (Manila–Sanchez Mira v/v via Laoag), GMW Trans (Laoag–Tuguegarao/Santiago) and L. Pascua Liner (Flora–Baguio) on a daily regular basis.

Although it has a small population, it enjoys full coverage of Smart and Globe cellular networks which residents use to connect to the Internet.

Local government

Elected municipal officials 2016-2019:

  • Mayor: Danilo Aguinaldo
  • Vice Mayor: Esterlina Aguinaldo

Schools

Elementary:

  • Santa Praxedes Central School
  • Cadongdongan Elementary School
  • Capacuan Elementary School

Secondary:

  • Santa Praxedes National High School and Senior High School

Controversies & Politics

Being a small town and the fact that its inhabitants are related by ancestry, recent political development created friction among political clans. Among other factor is that politicians are mainly late-comer emigrants from neighboring municipalities and provinces thus in the 2016 national election, claims of illegal voters or "flying voters" were uncovered by the local election office. Such controversy was resolved before election.

References
  1. "Municipality". Quezon City, Philippines: Department of the Interior and Local Government. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. "Province: Cagayan". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. Census of Population (2015). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. PSA. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  4. "PSA releases the 2015 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Quezon City, Philippines. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  5. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. NSO. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  6. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region II (Cagayan Valley)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. NSO.
  7. "Province of Cagayan". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  8. "Santa Praxedes, Cagayan: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
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