# Ballesteros, Cagayan

Ballesteros (Ibanag: Ili nat Ballesteros; Ilocano: Ili ti Ballesteros; Tagalog: Bayan ng Ballesteros), officially the Municipality of Ballesteros, is a municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,488 people. It is generally populated by Ilocano people.

## History

Ballesteros was formerly a barrio of Abulug named Santa Cruz, which was made an independent municipality in 1911. It was named after Gregorio Ballesteros, a Filipino priest who spearheaded the development of the community.

## Geography
### Barangays

Ballesteros is politically subdivided into 19 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
* Ammubuan
* Baran
* Cabaritan East
* Cabaritan West
* Cabayu
* Cabuluan East
* Cabuluan West
* Centro East (Poblacion)
* Centro West (Poblacion)
* Fugu
* Mabuttal East
* Mabuttal West
* Nararagan
* Palloc
* Payagan East
* Payagan West
* San Juan
* Santa Cruz
* Zitanga

### Climate

Climate data for Ballesteros, Cagayan :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25 (77) | 26 (79) | 29 (84) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 25 (77) | 29 (84) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20 (68) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 120 (4.7) | 77 (3.0) | 62 (2.4) | 40 (1.6) | 118 (4.6) | 138 (5.4) | 162 (6.4) | 173 (6.8) | 143 (5.6) | 198 (7.8) | 185 (7.3) | 248 (9.8) | 1,664 (65.4) |
| Average rainy days | 16.9 | 12.2 | 11.5 | 10.6 | 18.7 | 20.1 | 21.2 | 23.3 | 20.8 | 16.9 | 16.5 | 20.0 | 208.7 |
| Source: Meteoblue ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Ballesteros, Cagayan, was 34,488 people, with a density of 290 inhabitants per square kilometre or 750 inhabitants per square mile.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Ballesteros
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 50
* 2000 41.34
* 2003 25.75
* 2006 16.70
* 2009 22.70
* 2012 17.91
* 2015 12.46
* 2018 13.03
* 2021 9.73
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Government
### Local government

Ballesteros is part of the second legislative district of the province of Cagayan. It 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.

### Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Baby Aline Vargas-Alfonso |
| Mayor | Vincent G. Unite |
| Vice-Mayor | Violeta V. Unite |
| Councilors | Loren O. Bonifacio |
| Councilors | Donald C. Sonido Sr. |
| Councilors | Dario D. Lacuanan |
| Councilors | Jane D. Chua |
| Councilors | Floren C. Pinzon |
| Councilors | Catalino B. Acosta |
| Councilors | Amber Joy E. Guadiz |
| Councilors | Albert U. Collado |

## Education

The Schools Division of Cagayan 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.