Tuguegarao City

Tuguegarao City is a second class city situated along the banks of Cagayan River in Cagayan Valley, secluded by the Cordillera, Sierra Madre, and Caraballo mountains, in its west, east and south, respectively.

It is located at 17°37'N 121°43'E, which is approximately 215 miles or 346 kilometers away from Manila. This city on a peninsula is the capital of Cagayan province and the regional capital of Region 2.

It is quite uncertain where exactly Tuguegarao got its name, but there are many possibilities. It could be from the word "garrao", which means "swift current", possibly referring to Pinacanauan River which runs beside the city's location. It could also be from "tarrao", one of the palm species abundant in the area. One of the most possible basis of the town's name, however, was the daytime fire that occurred in the area long ago. The Ybanag words "tuggui" (fire), "aggao" (day), and the phrase "tuggui gari yao" (this was cleared by fire), all contribute to this idea. History also has it that the town used to be known as "Twerao" by the natives of northern towns.

In 1600, the Spaniards arrived in Tuguegarao. At first, the natives feared that they came to govern them. Gradually, the Dominican friars were able to evangelize and educate the natives. In 1604, a "mission-pueblo" was established and encomenderos made the people pay taxes. The people revolted in 1605, killing the encomendero. Another revolution took place in 1718. In 1761, a leader named Rivera led the people in another revolution. Eventually, the provincial capital was tranferred to Tuguegarao from Lallo. Then in 1975, it became the regional capital of Cagayan Valley. The rapid progress of Tuguegarao was attributed to the presence of schools, the completion of the Maharlika Highway, the improvement of infrastructure facilities and social services, and the peace and order concerns in other towns.

Today, Tuguegarao city holds several awards for being a healthy and green city and continues to implement programs to maintain care for the environment. It is a major investment area in Cagayan Valley, which results to its rapid modernization, with focus on tourism, agricultural, and industrial development. Of its 11,395 hectares of land, it devotes 120 hectares for commercial development, 170 hectares for institutions, 1,320 hectares for residential areas, 4,520 hectares for agriculture, and the rest for different industries. Its commercial areas has extended to Caritan, Ugac and Atulayan in the previous years. Transportation in the city is not much of a problem, unlike in other municipalities in the region. Motor tricycles and kalesas or horse-drawn buggies,which generally charge cheaper rates compared to motor vehicles, are available within the city, while public utility jeepneys and buses are available for long distance travelling. Though the residents of Tuguegarao mostly use either of the native dialects (Ilokano, Ybanag, and Itawes), they are generally conversant in Tagalog and English.

Tuguegarao City tourist attractions start at its entry point from Enrile, with its Buntun Bridge. At 1.098km long, this bridge is the second longest in the whole Philippines, and provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the resplendent Cagayan River. Further towards the heart of the Tuguegarao city is the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, which is the largest Spanish built church in the whole region. Another Catholic church, the San Jacinto Ermita Church, is an archaic elevated chapel built in 1604. For the adventure-seekers, the famous Callao Caves boasts of its 7 chambers and showcases a mammoth formation of limestones, skylights and a chapel within. 187 concrete steps provide access to the cave's entry point.