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Isabela

Mammangi Festival

Mammangi Festival, also spelled Mammangui Festival, is a cultural festival and founding anniversary of Ilagan City, Isabela, Philippines every first week of May. The founding anniversary is called Aggaw na Ilagan or Ilagan Day.

The city celebrates cityhood anniversary every August 11.

History of Mammangi Festival

In the past, the city celebrates the Binallay Festival. The fest comes from the local delicacy called binallay, a rice cake with sweet coconut-based latik. A binallay is made from a water and glutinous rice flour. It is then scooped to a banana leaf and steamed until cooked. When served, it is coated with latik (made of sugar, coconut milk, and coconut meat).

It was launched during the time of Delfinito Albano and became the city’s official festival. When Josemarie L. Diaz became mayor, it was replaced with Mamangi Festival.

Mammangi Festival comes from Ybanag word that refers to the harvest or cultivation of corn. The festival was conceptualized as a thanksgiving celebration and used to be held in conjunction with the patronal feast every last week of May.

A municipal ordinance was passed in 2018 that instituted its scheduled every May 4 to May 8, on the account that such timing falls before the start of the rainy season.

History of Ilagan City, Isabela

Ilagan City is a component city of Isabela, a province that is part of the Cagayan Valley Region that also includes Batanes, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino.

Early in its history it was called Bolo among its Gaddang people. Its present name may have come from nagali, which means transferred and refers to the transfer of the town center from Naguilian-Baculod. Or it may be originated from laga which refers to smallpox, an outbreak of which might have occurred upon its founding.

After Juan de Salcedo explored northern Luzon in 1587, Christianity spread in Cagayan Valley and missionaries erected churches in areas with substantial presence of settlers. Dominican friars put up a church in Naguilian-Baculod with the patron, St. Ferdinand of Castille, in 1619.

However, it was razed when an uprising broke out in 1622. Its people rose in opposition to the Spanish influence particularly on strictures on their way of life and trade that they abandoned their homes. In 1678, Pedro Jimenez organized Ilagan in Barangay Bagumbayan and it was called San Fernando de Ilagan after its patron.

Interestingly, the city commemorates May 4, 1686 as the founding date. It was the day that missionaries performed the sacrament of baptism and converted the people to become Christians. This is the date that Aggaw na Ilagan remembers every year.

Another uprising took place in the 18th century. Its people opposed the imposition of tributes and monopoly on tobacco in 1763.

In the colonial era, Ilagan was the capital of the Capital Valley Region. Then it became the capital of Isabela when it was created on May 1, 1856. Its status was reaffirmed with the passage of Act No. 210 during the American occupation that established the provincial Government of Isabela on August 4, 1901.

Finally, Ilagan became a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 10169 signed by President Benigno Aquino III on June 21, 2012.

How to reach Ilagan City, Isabela

Buses are available from Metro Manila. Or you can book a flight to Cauayan, Isabela.

References

Mammangi Festival Summary

NameMammangi Festival
Celebration
CountryPhilippines
DateMay 4
Emailinfo@cityofilagan.gov.ph
Facebookwww.facebook.com
LocationIlagan City, Isabela
OrganizerCity Government of Ilagan
Websitecityofilagan.gov.ph