Cabatuan, Isabela

BRIEF HISTORY OF CABATUAN, ISABELA

The early inhabitants of the vast forested land were the Kalinga who are indigenous to the Mountain provinces. These settlers lived on tree houses which they built along the banks of the bountiful and mighty Magat River. These sturdy, dark complexioned, G-stringed, soldier-like people depended on hunting, fishing and a little of agriculture and poultry. The Ilocanos settled far away from the river but the Kalingas considered it an intrusion which later led to encounters where the Ilocanos used piles of stones to drive away the ferocious Kalingas. The act of stone throwing was called “Ambatuan” which later became Cabatuan. The warring groups eventually became friends thru a peace-pact led by their respective leaders. In 1914, Cabatuan was incorporated with the Municipality of Cauayan. Many leaders emerged from the Cabatuan settlers and seeing that they are a political threat to the Cauayan leadership, the Municipal Council of Cauayan in 1948 agreed and endorsed the segregation of Cabatuan from the mother town. Thru the initiative of the delegation formed by leaders who hailed from Barrio Cabatuan, Executive Order 293 creating the Municipality of Cabatuan was finally signed by President Elpidio Quirino in Malacañang on November 5,1949. On November 30,1949 the set of Municipal Officials appointed by President Quirino took their oath of office signaling the independence of Cabatuan from its mother town.