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Palanan is a municipality on the Pacific coast of Isabela province in the northern part of the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Cut off from the rest of the country by the Sierra Madre mountains, it is one of the least explored areas of the province, but is being geared as its future beach tourism destination.
Understand
[edit | edit source]Palanan sits on the extensive valley of the Palanan River leading northeast to Palanan Bay, an extension of the Pacific Ocean, from the Sierra Madre, which separates it from the rest of the Cagayan Valley. It was founded during the Spanish era in 1625 by Franciscan missionaries who sailed from Tayabas (now Quezon Province in southern Luzon to convert the indigenous Dumagat tribes and outlaws from the rest of Luzon. As access to the town was easier by boat than overland as it is even today, Palanan was initially administered under Tayabas and then Nueva Ecija provinces before it finally became part of Isabela in 1856.
During the Philippine-American War from 1900 to 1901, the small, quiet town was the last capital of the First Philippine Republic headed by President Emilio Aguinaldo, who directed resistance to the American occupiers for six months until he was captured in a daring raid by American forces and their Filipino auxiliaries under Col. Frederick Funston and brought back to Manila, where he officially surrendered. After this, Palanan creeped back into obscurity, interrupted partially by World War II, the presence of New People's Army insurgents in the 1970s and the entry of commercial logging operations that continues to be an issue despite the area being declared a protected area in 1978 that is now known as the Northern Sierra Madre National Park (NSMNP), encompassing the entirety of the mountain range within Isabela.
Despite its isolation, Palanan is the most populated and economically advanced among the four municipalities of Isabela that are situated on the Pacific coast, although problems remain such as erratic electricity, high fuel prices, limited government and medical services, and the absence of roads connecting it to the rest of the country. The few tourists who visit will be rewarded with hospitable residents, lush mountains and jungles, pristine beaches and some of the best seafood in the country.
The people of Palanan are primarily engaged in farming, fishing and tourism. They speak a variety of languages including Tagalog, Ilocano and Ibanag. There is also an endemic and endangered language called Paranan. The Dumagats also subsist on hunting, fishing and gathering from the forests. It is home to about 18,000 people (census, 1 July 2024) 
Get in
[edit | edit source]Palanan has its own airport, which accommodates commercial flights using light, turboprop aircraft originating from Cauayan and Tuguegarao. Flight time is between 45 minutes to 1 hour. The town center is clustered around the airport.
Another option is to take an eight-hour boat journey from Santa Ana in Cagayan to the north or from the southern town of Dinapigue, which is accessible by road from Aurora province. There are also ferries in the towns of Dilasag, Casiguran and Baler in Aurora. Travel time is roughly six hours coming from these directions. Another boating option is to take a vehicle on the unpaved road connecting the provincial capital Ilagan with the town of Divilacan and then take a boat heading south towards neighboring Palanan, although access to the road is sometimes restricted due to bad weather.
In any case, travel by boat is no leisurely cruise; expect to see a rickety wooden boat and share space with bulky cargo and even livestock. Be sure to take enough safety gear and identification with you in the event of an emergency.
- 1 Palanan Airport, Dicabisagan West (at the western edge of downtown).
Get around
[edit | edit source]Tricycles and motorcycles are the main form of transport in the downtown. Apart from that and some heavy-duty trucks, there are very few vehicles due to its isolation from the rest of Luzon's road network and high fuel costs. Hiring a boat is necessary to reach some beaches.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Aguinaldo Shrine, Dicabisagan East (beside Angel Bernardo Coliseum). A small memorial to Emilio Aguinaldo and Palanan's heyday as the last capital of an independent Philippines fighting against the American occupation. It was built on the site of Aguinaldo's residence, where he was also captured by the Americans on March 23, 1901, a day after his birthday.
- 2 Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church (Palanan Church), Dicabisagan East. Palanan's main Roman Catholic church. It retains three bells from the Spanish era.
- 3 Dicotcotan Beach, San Isidro. A 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) stretch of white-sand beach facing Palanan Bay. Its name derives from the soft sand light enough for human feet to sink through.
- 4 Diago Beach, San Isidro. A less-visited white sand beach directly facing the Pacific Ocean, on the other side of the peninsula on where Dicotcotan Beach is located.
- 5 Palanan Lighthouse, San Isidro. A lighthouse guarding the promontory separating Palanan Bay from the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. It also marks the easternmost point of northern Luzon.
- 6 Blue Lagoon, Villa Robles (take a 20-minute tricycle ride from downtown Palanan). A pristine blue-colored lagoon curiously situated further south from downtown Palanan, at a significant distance inland from the coast. There is no visible outlet, although there are fishes living inside of it apart from a spillway that channels some of its waters towards the Palanan River.
- 7 Diddadungan Beach, Diddadungan. A stretch of white-sand beach facing the Pacific Ocean.
- 8 Digoyo Point, Diddadungan. In July 1972, the ship MV Karagatan, which was carrying weapons destined to the New People's Army from China, ran aground on the reefs surrounding the area and was intercepted by the security forces. This incident later became the reasons Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos cited in his subsequent decision to impose his Martial Law dictatorship two months later. The wreckage of the ship is a highlight of diving activities in the area, alongside the adjacent coral reefs.
- 9 Culasi Beach, Culasi. A stretch of black-sand beach facing Palanan Bay that forms a sandbar at the mouth of the Palanan River.
Do
[edit | edit source]Being in the middle of the NSMNP, expect to see rare marine species on the coast and even rarer plant and animal species such as the pitcher plant while hiking inland.
Buy
[edit | edit source]Prices of most goods tend to be higher as they have to be imported from the mainland, especially fuel. These can skyrocket when bad weather prevents deliveries from the mainland. Due to erratic phone signals and the absence of banks and ATMs, always pay in cash. While there is a market and small-scale stores, make sure to bring enough food, water, batteries and other necessary supplies whenever you travel in the area.
- 1 Palanan Public Market, Cauilan Street, Dicabisagan West.
Eat
[edit | edit source]Freshly-bought seafood can be bought on the beaches. A highlight is the lobsters which, by directly buying from the fishermen, avoid the overcharging that accompanies their transport towards the mainland and its restaurants.
Drink
[edit | edit source]Sleep
[edit | edit source]There are no large-scale hotels to speak of, just some homestays and inns.
Stay safe
[edit | edit source]Crime is minimal in town, as the few residents seem to know each other and there are no escape routes for offenders to escape apart from taking the dangerous hike across the uncharted Sierra Madre or getting on a boat.
There may be a few NPA rebels in the mountains and saltwater crocodiles swimming along the beaches.
- 1 Palanan Municipal Police Station, Dicabisagan East (beside Angel Bernardo Coliseum), ☏ +63 954 436 0780, xanderpalanan@yahoo.com.
Stay healthy
[edit | edit source]Avoid getting into a major medical emergency during your stay at all costs, as facilities and resources at the town's Station Hospital are limited. You will need to take a boat journey back to the mainland, or get on an outbound flight.
- 2 Palanan Station Hospital, Dicabisagan West (west of Palanan Airport).
Respect
[edit | edit source]The indigenous Dumagat communities still adhere to their precolonial customs and belief systems and are widely respected even by the non-Dumagat resident population. As they are the most experienced in dealing with the natural settings of Palanan, you are expected to exercise maximum respect for their traditions and when visiting them.
Connect
[edit | edit source]The town's postal code is 3334.
Cellphone and internet signals are often weak despite the presence of celltowers in the area. Electricity is on a rotational basis, with generators and solar panels being the norm.