# Santa Maria, Isabela

Santa Maria (Ibanag: Ili nat Santa Maria; Ilocano: Ili ti Santa Maria; Tagalog: Bayan ng Santa Maria), officially the Municipality of Santa Maria, is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,758 people.

## Etymology

Santa Maria, a former barrio of San Pablo, is named after Doña Maria, the firstborn child of Don Pablo Marasigan, a Spaniard, and Doña Masid, a native.

## History

In 1703, the hamlet of Santa Maria de Luzon was established as a pueblo and detached from Cabagan (now San Pablo town), with Don Martin Masigan serving as governor. The establishment of the town was credited to the influential Masigan family, whose roots were in the place and have served as the town's chief executives for most of its history.
On December 4, 1879, a royal order legally split the historic town of Santa Maria from Cabagan, with Dominican Fray Exequiel Pinilla serving as cura parroco. The Masigan family's influence led to the town's secession.
As it neighbors the Cordillera mountains, the town served as a starting point for Spanish military expeditions to conquer the Kalingas, who nevertheless continued to trade in the town.

## Geography
### Barangays

Santa Maria is politically subdivided into 20 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
* Bangad
* Buenavista
* Calamagui North
* Calamagui East
* Calamagui West
* Divisoria
* Lingaling
* Mozzozzin Sur
* Mozzozzin North
* Naganacan
* Poblacion 1
* Poblacion 2
* Poblacion 3
* Quinagabian
* San Antonio
* San Isidro East
* San Isidro West
* San Rafael West
* San Rafael East
* Villabuena

### Climate

Climate data for Santa Maria, Isabela :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 32 (90) | 35 (95) | 35 (95) | 35 (95) | 34 (93) | 33 (91) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 28 (82) | 32 (90) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19 (66) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 20 (68) | 22 (71) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 31.2 (1.23) | 23 (0.9) | 27.7 (1.09) | 28.1 (1.11) | 113.5 (4.47) | 141.4 (5.57) | 176.4 (6.94) | 236.6 (9.31) | 224.9 (8.85) | 247.7 (9.75) | 222.9 (8.78) | 178 (7.0) | 1,651.4 (65) |
| Average rainy days | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 144 |
| Source: World Weather Online ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Santa Maria, Isabela, was 25,758 people, with a density of 180 inhabitants per square kilometre or 470 inhabitants per square mile.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Santa Maria
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 50
* 60
* 2000 59.14
* 2003 57.71
* 2006 28.30
* 2009 24.40
* 2012 31.31
* 2015 24.84
* 2018 21.82
* 2021 18.36
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## 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 Santa Maria 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 in polls 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 Santa Maria Municipal Council (2022-2025) :
| Position | Name |
| District Representative | Antonio T. Albano |
| Municipal Mayor | Hilario G. Pagauitan |
| Municipal Vice-Mayor | Michael A. Pagauitan |
| Municipal Councilors | Isaac Hilario G. Pagauitan II |
| Municipal Councilors | Federico D. Samus |
| Municipal Councilors | Champagne Irish C. Laggui |
| Municipal Councilors | Ricky M. Gatan |
| Municipal Councilors | Jay Jovito C. Martinez |
| Municipal Councilors | Jeriko Emmanuel Formoso |
| Municipal Councilors | Errol M. Datul |
| Municipal Councilors | Carolyn Masigan |

### Congress representation

Santa Maria, belonging to the first legislative district of the province of Isabela, is currently represented by Antonio T. Albano.

## 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.

## Notable personalities

* Mutya Johanna Datul - Miss Supranational 2013