Дупакс-дель-Норте: Филиппин қаласының тарихы мен географиясы

Municipality in Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines

Dupax del Norte, officially the Municipality of Dupax del Norte (; ; ), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,295 people. Dupax del Norte, situated on the south eastern part of Nueva Vizcaya, has a total land area of 396 square kilometers. It is bounded by the town of Kasibu in the north, Alfonso Castañeda in the east, Dupax del Sur in the south, and Bambang in the west. It has wide tracts of virgin forests, rich, fertile plains and valleys with mineral deposits and has a climate suitable for agriculture.

The origin of the name Dupax stems from the Isinay term "dopaj," denoting "to recline in utter relaxation and repose", expressing the desire of the locals to unwind fully after refurbishing their camp, enjoying their harvest, and concluding their forest hunts before returning home.

Dupax del Norte is located 190.41 kilometers north of Manila and 20.08 kilometers south of Bayombong.

Mabasa (Iloko for "wet") is a barangay of Dupax del Norte. It was one of the oldest barrio of Dupax (when the town was not yet divided into two). Mabasa was originally called San Roque, named by the parish priest of Dupax after the saint of hunters because the place then was a thick forest where game was abundant such as deer and wild pigs. The first settlers of San Roque were Ilokano migrants from the town of Paoay in Ilocos Norte and from Alcala and San Nicolas towns in Pangasinan. They travelled by foot and by horses and carabaos through San Nicolas, passing through Imugan, Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya. The migrants settled at Sitio Poonan (later called Puongan). The family of Apolonio Vadil was the first settler in Poungan. Old records from the Roman Catholic Church in Dupax del Sur showed that the daughter of Apolonio Vadil, Tomasa, was baptized on October 10, 1887. More migrants came and settled along the Apean (Apayan) River from Puongan upstream and occupied the western part of the barrio now called Riverside East and Riverside West. The settlers found the place always flowing with abundant water coming from a spring in the eastern part of the barrio, and so they called the place "Nabasa" which means "wet" in Iloko language. It was later officially called "Mabasa" changing from the old name of "San Roque."

The name came from the Iloko word Inabaan which means a place where there are plenty of gabi (taro) plants, locally known as “ABA”. In the early days, giant gabi plants with leaves as big as umbrellas thrived in the vicinity of this barangay. A story goes that many years ago when the place was still thickly covered with flora and fauna, and was a favorite hunting ground, a hunter once hit a big male deer with his spear. However, the deer was not mortally wounded and it decided to attack the hunter. The man and the deer fought for about an hour but in the end, the man triumphed over the animal but the hunter was seriously wounded. Alone, he tried to find his way home. But then it began to rain, he sought shelter under the big leaves of the gabi plants. Unfortunately, the hunter died because of his wounds and days after, his remains were found under the gabi plants. During World War II, American soldiers pronounced the word Inabaan into Inaban. Inaban was formally created in 1963 as a barangay of Dupax (now Dupax del Norte) by virtue of Republic Act No. 3590.

In the 2020 census, Dupax del Norte had a population of 33,295. The population density was .

Dupax del Norte, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Nueva Vizcaya, 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 councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

+ Members of the Municipal Council(2022–2025) Position Name Congressman Luisa L. Cuaresma Mayor Timothy Joseph E. CaytonVice Mayor Victorino V. Prado Councilors Juan Paolo E. Cayton Jimmy Balisi Ric Ronelson D. Asuncion Arnel A. Herrera Joey Oldico Agie Arsenio Penly Apasao Roland Mabitasan

The Schools Division of Nueva Vizcaya governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region. The office governs the public and private elementary and public and private high schools throughout the municipality.

Carlos Padilla (September 19, 1944 – May 5, 2023), a Filipino politician who serves as governor of Nueva Vizcaya from 2016 up until his death on 2023.