Batanes
Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest
province of the
Philippines, both in terms of population and land area. The province lies on a group of islands (called the
Batanes Islands) in the
Luzon Strait and is part of the
Cagayan Valley region in
Luzon. Its capital is
Basco and is separated from the
Babuyan Islands of
Cagayan Province by the
Balintang Channel and from
Taiwan by the
Bashi Channel. The northenmost island is
Mavudis Island. The other islands are
Misanga,
Ditarem,
Siayan,
Itbayat,
Dinem,
Batan,
Sabtang,
Ivuhos, and
Diadekey. Only Itbayat, Batan, and Sabtang are inhabited. Batanes is about 190 kilometers south of Taiwan.
The indigenous people in Batanes are called Ivatan, who are linguistically, racially, physically, and culturally closer to the
Taiwanese aborigines than to the other Filipinos. The main languages spoken in Batanes are
Ivatan and Itbayaten (which appears as a dialect of the preceding of which the latter is of Formosan origin. This accounts for their cultural dissimilarities with other Filipinos.
Political
Batanes is subdivided into 6
municipalities.
Municipalities
Physical
Batanes lies on a group of islands collectively called
Batanes Islands and they are the northernmost islands of the
Philippines. They are located between the
Babuyan Islands (belonging to
Cagayan Province) and
Taiwan. The islands are sparsely populated and subject to frequent
typhoons.
The three largest islands are
Itbayat,
Batan, and
Sabtang. The northernmost is
Mavudis Island.
Climate
The climate is similar to that to
Taiwan. Sometimes the island experience below the normal low of 55 degrees
Fahrenheit.
The ancestors of today's Ivatans are descended from Austronesians who migrated to the Batanes Islands 4000 years ago during the Neolithic period. They lived in fortified mountain areas called
idjangs and drank sugar-cane wine, or
palek. They also used gold as currency and produced a thriving agriculture-based industry. They were also seafarers and boat-builders.
In
1687, a crew of English freebooters headed by William Dampier came with a crew of Hollanders and named the islands in honor of their country's monarchs. Itbayat was named "Orange Isle" in honor of William of Orange, and Batan was named "Grafton Isle". Sabtang Isle was named "Monmouth Isle" after the Duke of Monmouth. Capt. Dampier stayed for less than three months, and did not claim the islands for the British crown.
In
1783, the Spanish claimed Batanes as part of the Philippines under the auspices of Governor-General Jose Basco y Vargas. However, the Ivatans remained on their idjangs, or mountain fortresses. In
1790, Governor Guerrero decreed that Ivatans were to leave their idjangs and to live in the lowlands, thereby giving them more people to tax. Basco and Ivana were the first towns. Mahatao was then administered by Basco, while Uyugan and Sabtang, by Ivana. Itbayat was not organized until the
1850s, its coast being a ridge. Ivatans were then ordered to dresslike the other Filipinos, and it didn't take them long to adapt. Soon, Ilocanos were being put in the islands, so as to control the native population there. Limestone technology used by the Spanish were also being spread to the islands, so that their bridges became strong and fortified. Some of these bridges still remain at both Ivana and Mahatao. By
1890, many Ivatans were in Manila, and became
ilustrados, who then brought with them home the revolutinary ideas of the
Katipunan. These Ivatans, who were then discontented with Spanish rule, killed the ruling General Fortea and declared the end of Spanish rule.
During the American colonial period, public schools suddenly boomed, and more Ivatan became more aware of their place in the Philippines. One of the first School Superintendents was
Victor De Padua, an Ilocano, who in 1942-45 during the Japanese occupation was made Provincial Governor. In
1920, the first wireless telegraph was installed, followed by an airfield in
1930. Roads were constructed and the Batanes High School was instituted.
During the
Second World War, the Japanese massacred many Ivatan men, and raped and molested Ivatan women. When the
United States regained the country, Batanes regained its provincehood.
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Northern Luzon cultures*
Brief Overview of Batanes Islands
