Филиппин қаласы Рохас: тарихы мен географиясы

Municipality in Isabela, Philippines

Roxas, officially the Municipality of Roxas (; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,839 people. The municipality is the center of business and commerce in the Mallig Plains Region. In 1839, two new provinces were created by the Spanish conquistadors dividing the La Provincia del Valle de Cagayan into two. One retained the name Cagayan, while a new province of Nueva Vizcaya was created. Bindang was dissolved as Barrio Vira under the municipality of Gamu, Isabela.

The place used to be called Bindang (Bayani), and was part of the La Provincia del Valle de Cagayan (present day area of Cagayan to Nueva Vizcaya).

Early settlers were the Kalingas who originated from adjacent places in Mountain Province and parts of Kalinga. Despite occasional clashes with Kalingas, Ilocano people settled in the area, and increased their number with an influx from Ilocanos from Central Plains of Luzon and Ilocos. In 1839, two new provinces were created by the Spanish conquistadors dividing the La Provincia del Valle de Cagayan into two. One retained the name Cagayan, while a new province of Nueva Vizcaya was created. Bindang was dissolved as Barrio Vira under the municipality of Gamu, Isabela. In 1957, the barrios of Callang, Eden, Babanuang, Cabaritan, Santa Cruz, Malalinta, Mararigue, Calaocan, and Caraniogan were separated to form the municipality of Callang, now San Manuel. In the same year, the barrio of Basilio was renamed to San Jose.

The municipality of Roxas is one of the 34 municipalities comprising the wide province of Isabela. It is exactly located on the central western part of the province, bounded in the north by the municipality of Mallig, on the north east by the municipality of Quirino, on the east by the municipality of Burgos, on the south by the municipality of San Manuel all within the province of Isabela and on the west by the municipality of Paracelis in the province of Mountain Province. The road traversing the municipality of Roxas is the Maharlika Highway or better known as Cagayan Valley Road, connecting to other towns in Isabela particularly the adjacent towns of Gamu, Quirino, Mallig, and San Manuel. Roxas is from Ilagan and from Manila. Roxas lie on a flat fertile land between the two valleys of Cagayan. It occupies an area of or 2.01% of the total land area of Isabela. The town is partly urban, and partly rural. The urban area is expanding rapidly throughout the years making it a future city. The rural part of the town compose mainly of rice fields.

The landscape of Roxas is relatively compose of flatlands with minimal rise at certain point with base mountain elevations on the eastern part, on the parts of Sinamar, Simimbaan and San Placido. It is approximately 90% of the land area comprising the town can be described as low lying hills with rolling terrain and an elevation of 200 feet or 61 meters above sea level. The town is dissected by creeks, river and waterways acting as natural drainage from waters coming from the uplands. The Siffu River, a connection from Ilog ng Cagayan(Cagayan River) traverse west ward from its diversion from Paracelis to Tuguegarao City supplying the rice fields with irrigation. The center of the town is relatively low relief of flatlands, while the south western and north western part having moderately sloping areas comprising the foothills of Mountain Province.

Using the corona classification scheme, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) classified Roxas' climatic type as to Type III category. Type III Climate is characterized by no pronounced seasons, but often drier from November to April and wet season from May to October like any other parts of the country. Roxas is described as Cloudy especially during summer time with an average wind of 1 mph to 3 mph. The temperature of Roxas is very rare to change but it varies minimally with an average temperature ranging from 23.4 °C to 23.9 °C. The hottest months of the year are April and May with an average of 27 °C, but it can reach as low as 17 °C in January. People can describe the temperature as hot weather, due to its close proximity to the hottest points of the Philippines, like Quezon in Isabela and Tuguegarao City in Cagayan. The data was gathered using weather station RPLC, 310 feet (94 m) above Roxas, Isabela.

In the 2020 census, the population of Roxas, Isabela, was 65,839 people, with a density of .

The existence of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) System in the municipality that provides water supply services in irrigating farmlands makes the locality a prime agricultural community. The presence of these services makes the agricultural workers the highest in number. The agricultural productivity of Roxas is high, reaching as much as 95 percent cultivation rates in rice and corn. Surplus production of rice and corn are being exported to other places. Other crops are vegetables, tobacco and root crops in which production is just sufficient for local consumption. Likewise, the production of meat including pork and poultry is just sufficient but the supply of fish of other kinds aside from the harvest of inland fishpond owners within the locality is dependent on the arrival of supply coming from other places. In the area, rice is the predominant crop, planted twice a year. The livelihood opportunity is very limited thus,a year round planting of vegetables is practiced to sustain additional income for the settlers. Farm labor is highly utilized and low productivity was experienced because of manual farming. As such, during peak of drying, farmers are compelled to sell their produce freshly threshed which commands lower price. In 2009, the government provided P3 million financial assistance for the Mestizo 1 hybrid seeds planting and for the establishment of needed agricultural components for Farming improvements. With the Local Government Unit's strong support, cooperative members embarked on hybrid rice production starting as early as 2007 2008 wet season cropping and followed through the next dry season using 40 percent organic fertilizer. Roxas municipality prides itself as the "pioneer" in hybrid rice production in the province of Isabela with the farmers now producing their own M1 hybrid seeds. The farmers who belong to three irrigators associations in barangays Simimbaan, Casilbagan and Tanap Progreso, have organized themselves into a cooperative called Simca Model Cluster MPC under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture. The rice cluster operation is an extension strategy in reaching farmers and extending assistance to achieve increased productivity, food sufficiency and job generation. This is initiated in support to the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Aside from hybrid rice enterprise, they also venture on fishery. Through the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the cluster coop had dispersed fingerlings to initial 23 fishery cooperators who have backyard fishpond and rice fish integrated farming.

Since 2007, Roxas is notable for being most progressive town in Mallig Plains Region. It has the most number of banks such as BDO, Metrobank, Landbank, BPI, PNB, Chinabank, EastWest Bank, Producers Bank, FICO Bank, Rural Bank of Cauayan, Banco Agricola, Inc., Mallig Plains Rural Bank and other non major banks. Roxas has the largest market in the Mallig Plains Region due to its continuous expansion after its 1987 construction. The market place is an organized area by which dry goods, wet market, toy stores and commercial stores are separated from each other. It offers a variety of products that is enough to provide the needs of the residents. Also, settlers from nearby municipalities of San Manuel, Quirino, Burgos, Mallig, Quezon and as far as Paracelis in Mountain Province are able to purchase their commodities from Roxas. Multinational retail companies like Puregold and Savemore Market have opened in the recent years. There are also notable homegrown investors like XentroMall that houses fast food chain like Mang Inasal and stores like Pandayan Bookshop, Handyman, and Robinsons Appliances. Fast food chains like Jollibee, Chowking and Chic Boy have opened their respective stand alone stores in the town.

A yearly celebration of Pagay Festival(Palay Festival) held every July 4. The Festival was popularly known as the Araw ng Roxas Celebration but it was declared formally as Pagay Festival during the reign of Mayor Benedict Calderon. It is celebrated because of the rich agricultural bounty of Roxas, being one of the town that produces large stocks of rice. The festival features a Parade comprises mostly by Politicians and participating schools from different parts of Roxas, kuliglig contest and cooking of the biggest rice cake that was also featured in the national television. Major events include a Street Dance Competition from different schools and Palarong Bayan. Due to a conflict in the name of the festival, by which the town of Alicia, Isabela, celebrates the same. It was changed to Binnadangan Festival by former Mayor Harry Soller. The Binnadangan comes from an Ilocano word meaning Bayanihan and was also derived from the former name of the town during the 1600s. The festival ends with a long Pyromusical.

Destination Location Year of Completion DescriptionRoxas Freedom ParkCentro, Roxas, Isabela2010Memorial Park of Manuel A. Roxas, Freedom Stage, Pasalubong Center and FountainChildren's ParkVira, Roxas, Isabela2000Themed ParkBorubor FallsSinamar, Roxas, IsabelaNatureFallsOur Lady of La Salette ChurchVira, Roxas, Isabela1970(Renovated 2011)ChurchHadassah ResortMunoz, Roxas, Isabela2001ResortLado Del Rio ResortRiverside, San Placido, Roxas, Isabela2011ResortBambusa FarmSimimbaan, Roxas, Isabela2011Bamboo FarmMountain Province Isabela BoundarySimimbaan, Roxas, Isabela2017Shared viewdeck in Simmacbot, part of Paracelis, Mountain Province

As a municipality in the Province of Isabela, government officials in the provincial level are voted by the electorates of the town. The provincial government have political jurisdiction over local transactions of the municipal government. The municipality of Roxas 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. Barangays are also headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain, Barangay Council, whose members are called Barangay Councilors. The barangays have SK federation which represents the barangay, headed by SK chairperson and whose members are called SK councilors. All officials are also elected every three years.

The seal, a symbolic devise in the form of circle which symbolizes cohesive interactions of the town's people. United as one group professing common tie and pursuing a common goal. This circular figure is circumscribed by a gear like figure in bright green with black shadings which symbolizes the twenty six (26) barangays and the unprecedented economic advancement of the municipality; a vital factor in the attainment of its economic status as the trading center of the Mallig Plains Region. Inscribed on the upper half of the narrow space formed by the outer and the inner circles in red are words "BAYAN NG ROXAS" punctuated by a period on the left and other period on the right; and the lower portion of the narrow space are inscribed the words "LALAWIGAN NG ISABELA" all in words red, this narrow space has a green as background. Inscribed in the smaller circle is the shield derived from the provincial seal of Isabela, where the municipality is located and in the middle of the shield is a bold letter "R" in white with black shadings for Roxas, the name of the municipality. Other inscriptions are on the upper most portions and on halfway below represents the irrigation canal, which are represented by a bold wave lines in sky blue. On the left side of the bold letter "R" is rice plant and on the right is a tobacco plant bold in green, the primary product of the municipality; and on the lower portion, a Vira plant in green after which the former barrio of the municipality of Gamu, now "ROXAS" got its name.

Roxas, belonging to the fifth legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon. Faustino Michael Carlos T. Dy III.