Tuguegarao

Tuguegarao is the provincial capital of Cagayan, and the regional center of Cagayan Valley, with a reputation for hot weather.

Understand
Lying at a plain surrounding the meandering Cagayan River, Tuguegarao is the most populated and the only city in Cagayan province, and is the transportation hub for the region. The population is around 154,000 in 2015.

Tuguegarao is at the homeland of the Ibanag and the Itawis, both living along the banks of the Cagayan River. Those ethnic groups, along with their native languages, continue to exist today, despite the Ilocano migration from the 1900s displacing them.

History
Tuguegarao's name is shrouded in legend and historical debate, and there is little information about Tuguegarao before the Spaniards arrived, but some land documents specify that it was called Tubigarao, an Ibanag settlement. The most accepted origin of the name "Tuguegarao" is the Ibanag phrase tuggi gari yaw, which means "this was cleared by fire", a reference to slash-and-burn agriculture the Ibanag practiced.

The American colonial era brought changes to Tuguegarao, becoming the provincial capital in 1909 with the construction of a new provincial capitol. It was then a town, with a traditional public market, a high school, and a trade school. The Japanese captured Tuguegarao during an invasion from Aparri in 1941, but the Philippine army and constabulary, and an American are able to secure a foothold on the town and establish a headquarters there. Further changes happened in 1975, when Tuguegarao became the regional capital of the new Cagayan Valley region, and in 1999, gained city status.

Climate
With its inland location, nestled between the Cordilleras to the west and the Philippine Sea to the east, Tuguegarao has a fair reputation for extremes, with a record high of, and a record low of. Tuguegarao is the hottest city in the Philippines, with Cabanatuan far south at second. The climate somewhat combines savanna, rainforest, and subtropical climates, with highs hovering around and lows around, so dry season is brutal, rainy season have hot mornings followed by rainy afternoons or unpredictable rainfall, and the cool season can be as cold as Baguio due to the northeast monsoon.

Cool season runs from December to February, when the northeast monsoon (amihan) is at full blast. The cool, dry wind from Siberia directly hits the city, so the nighttime low can drop below, or even below.

Hot season spans the months of March and April, and is brutal, with the heat index around the 40s or even extreme, the range.

Rainy season covers much of the year from May to November. Rainy weather on the early part is due to moist Pacific air, which gives way to the dry northeast monsoon by November. October is the rainiest month, and typhoons pass through Tuguegarao between August and October.

By bus


Tuguegarao is the destination for most buses from Manila, but some continue north to Aparri and Santa Ana. Onward to Ilocos Norte, a transfer is required at Tuguegarao.



Get around
Many tricycles ply around the city which transports passengers to different points within the city. Fee costs around per person per ride. The calesa (horse-drawn carriage) is also an available mode of transport in the city.

Festivals

 * Pav-vurulun Festival: - week-long, ends in 16 August (annually). Pav-vurulun is an Ibanag word which means get-together or a sense of belonging. It is in this context that the city annually celebrates its patronal fiesta in honor of St. Hyacinth, the patron saint of the city. It gathers Tuguegaraoeños to a week-long festivities culminating with a mass and procession of the patron saint on August 16. The week-long celebration is a festival of activities marked by parades, beauty contests, Pancit Batil-Patung eating contest, street dancing competition, music festival, sports fest, and trade fairs among others.


 * It is now called the Pavvurulun Afi Festival, a fire-themed festival. Afi is an Ibanag word which means fire, signifying the city's etymology. A highlight of the celebration was the lighting of bamboo torches by more than 3,000 college students from Cagayan State University as part of the kick-off activities. The organizers used citronella oil instead of kerosene, as a safety precaution, to ignite the torches.

Go next

 * Pagudpud
 * Laoag
 * Solano (Philippines)