# Cordon, Isabela

Cordon, officially the Municipality of Cordon (Ilocano: Ili ti Cordon; Tagalog: Bayan ng Cordon), is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,477 people.
Being a town bordered by Santiago City, it became a favored destination for local businessmen. It houses resorts and hotels such as Punta Amelita and Villa Diana.

## History

Cordon was originally founded in 1878 as a settlement under the jurisdiction of Carig (now Santiago). It was established as a rest stop for travelers and a military outpost as it lies on the edge of the mountain pass that separates the provinces of Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya. In 1896, it was converted into a town by a Spanish Royal Decree. The origin of the name is unclear, with the first mention of the name dating from 1837 when a Spanish military expedition mentioned the existence of a warehouse called Cordon in the area. Other accounts mention that the place was a quarantine stop for travelers to and from the Cagayan Valley.

### After Independence

On July 18, 1972, a military raid on a New People's Army hideout in Barrio Taringsing led to the discovery of the so-called Taringsing Documents, outlining plans by the CPP-NPA to overthrow the Philippine government by 1973. This became one of the reasons used by President Ferdinand Marcos in declaring Martial Law later in September 1972.

## Geography

It is bordered by Santiago City to the north and east, Diffun, Quirino to the south, and Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya to the west.
Cordon is 82 kilometres (51 mi) from Ilagan, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Santiago City, and 316 kilometres (196 mi) from Manila.
The present area of Cordon is totally different from its previous area as defined in its charter, the law creating this town, much of the previous Carig town (Modern day Santiago City) territories were annexed to Modern Cordon including the Magat Reservoir Territories (Barangay Taliktik and Barangay Dallao) and the diadi region barangays (San Juan, Aguinaldo, Villamarzo, Camarao, and Rizaluna).
The map of Modern Isabela Province and Modern Municipality of Cordon has been changed showing the new boundaries of each towns and cities.

### Barangays

Cordon is politically subdivided into 26 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
* Anonang (Balitoc)
* Aguinaldo (Rizaluna Este)
* Calimaturod
* Capirpiriwan
* Caquilingan (Ilut) (San Luis)
* Dallao
* Gayong
* Laurel (Centro Norte)
* Magsaysay (Centro Sur Oeste)
* Malapat
* Osmeña (Centro Sur Este)
* Quezon (Centro Norte Este)
* Quirino (Manasin)
* Rizaluna (Rizaluna Oeste)
* Roxas Pob. (Centro Sur)
* Sagat
* San Juan (San Juan Este)
* Taliktik
* Tanggal
* Taringsing
* Turod Norte
* Turod Sur (Turod Sur Este)
* Villamiemban
* Villamarzo
* Camarao
* Wigan

### Climate

Climate data for Cordon, Isabela :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 32 (90) | 34 (93) | 35 (95) | 34 (93) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 32 (90) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 23 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 13.6 (0.54) | 10.4 (0.41) | 18.2 (0.72) | 15.7 (0.62) | 178.4 (7.02) | 227.9 (8.97) | 368 (14.5) | 306.6 (12.07) | 310.6 (12.23) | 215.7 (8.49) | 70.3 (2.77) | 31.1 (1.22) | 1,766.5 (69.56) |
| Average rainy days | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 140 |
| Source: World Weather Online (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1948 | 5,686 | — |
| 1960 | 9,097 | +3.99% |
| 1970 | 12,972 | +3.61% |
| 1975 | 15,059 | +3.04% |
| 1980 | 20,994 | +6.87% |
| 1990 | 27,544 | +2.75% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1995 | 30,461 | +1.90% |
| 2000 | 35,519 | +3.35% |
| 2007 | 38,139 | +0.99% |
| 2010 | 40,877 | +2.56% |
| 2015 | 42,926 | +0.94% |
| 2020 | 46,477 | +1.58% |
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority :
In the 2020 census, the population of Cordon, Isabela, was 46,477 people, with a density of 320 inhabitants per square kilometre or 830 inhabitants per square mile.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Cordon
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 2000 32.62
* 2003 23.76
* 2006 20.40
* 2009 16.30
* 2012 18.59
* 2015 13.71
* 2018 18.92
* 2021 13.61
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
As a suburb of first class city Santiago, Cordon benefits from rapid growth of commercial demand in the district. Toyota Isabela, the first branch of Japan-based car company in the province, has opened an outlet in Cordon. Some hotels and "stop overs" are also located in Cordon. Recently, the Primark Town Center in Cordon has opened its doors to the public. This new mall houses Savemore Market, McDonald's, and many more.

## Government
### Local government

As a municipality in the province of Isabela, government officials at the provincial and municipal levels are voted by the town. The provincial government has political jurisdiction over most local transactions of the municipal government.
The Municipality of Cordon 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 municipal councilors are elected directly by the people through an election 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.

### Elected officials

Members of the Cordon Municipal Council (2022-2025) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Joseph S. Tan |
| Mayor | Lynn M. Zuniega |
| Vice-Mayor | Abegail V. Sable |
| Councilors | Florenz M. Zuniega |
| Councilors | Jaime R. Queddeng |
| Councilors | Rene I. Galeng |
| Councilors | Efren P. Malupeng |
| Councilors | Rosendo S. Cayaban |
| Councilors | Ayson J. Villador |
| Councilors | Charlita J. Mariano |
| Councilors | Menardo C. Vallejo |

### Congress representation

Cordon, belonging to the fourth legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon. Joseph S. Tan.

## Education

The Schools Division of Isabela 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.