Roxas, officially the Municipality of Roxas (; ), is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.

The municipality is the center of business and commerce in the Mallig Plains Region. In 1839, two new provinces were created by the Spanish conquistadors, dividing the La Provincia del Valle de Cagayan into two. One retained the name Cagayan, while a new province of Nueva Vizcaya was created. Bindang was dissolved as Barrio Vira under the Municipality of Gamu, Isabela.

Etymology The place used to be called Bindang (Bayani), and was part of La Provincia del Valle de Cagayan (the present-day area of Cagayan to Nueva Vizcaya). On July 1, 1948, President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order 136, which established Barrio Vira as an independent municipality named Roxas in honor of his predecessor, Manuel Roxas.

History Early settlers were the Kalingas who originated from adjacent places in Mountain Province and parts of Kalinga. Despite occasional clashes with Kalingas, Ilocano people settled in the area, and increased their number with an influx from Ilocanos from Central Plains of Luzon and Ilocos.

In 1839, two new provinces were created by the Spanish conquistadors dividing the La Provincia del Valle de Cagayan into two. One retained the name Cagayan, while a new province of Nueva Vizcaya was created. Bindang was dissolved as Barrio Vira under the municipality of Gamu, Isabela.

In 1938, the Mallig Plains was set aside by the National Land Settlement Administration (NLSA) under Settlement No. 2 due to the construction of another National Highway project of President Manuel L. Quezon that passed through the area. But World War II interrupted the implementation of the highway, leaving it uncemented for many years. After the war, provincial leaders saw the potential of Barrio Vira as an independent town.

On July 1, 1948, President Elpidio Quirino established Executive Order 136 creating Barrio Vira as an independent municipality named "Roxas" to honor his predecessor Manuel A. Roxas who just died a few months back. It was then inaugurated on July 4, 1948, and Rafael Lintao became its first mayor.

In 1952, the barrios of Holy Friday, San Jose (East), and San Jose (West) were transferred to the newly created town of Mallig. In 1957, the barrios of Callang, Eden, Babanuang, Cabaritan, Santa Cruz, Malalinta, Mararigue, Calaocan, and Caraniogan were separated to form the municipality of Callang, now San Manuel. In the same year, the barrio of Basilio was renamed to San Jose.

Geography Roxas is one of the 34 municipalities comprising the wide province of Isabela. It is exactly located on the central-western part of the province, bounded in the north by Mallig, on the north-east by Quirino, on the east by Burgos, on the south by San Manuel, and on the west by Paracelis in Mountain Province.

The road traversing Roxas is the Maharlika Highway or better known as Cagayan Valley Road, connecting to other towns in Isabela particularly the adjacent towns of Gamu, Quirino, Mallig, and San Manuel. Roxas lie on a flat fertile land between the two valleys of Cagayan. It occupies an area of or 2.01% of the total land area of Isabela. The town is partly urban, and partly rural. The urban area is expanding rapidly throughout the years making it a future city. The rural part of the town compose mainly of rice fields.

Roxas is situated from the provincial capital Ilagan, from the country's capital city of Manila.

Google map coordinates (17°07'19.2"N 121°36'17.7"E)

Barangays

Roxas is politically subdivided into barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

BarangayPSGCUrban/RuralAnao23126001RuralBantug (Poblacion)23126013UrbanDoña Concha23126031RuralImbiao23126004RuralLanting23126005RuralLucban23126006RuralLuna (Poblacion)23126014UrbanMarcos23126007RuralMasigun23126008RuralMatusalem23126028RuralMuñoz East23126029RuralMuñoz West23126030RuralQuiling23126015RuralRang-ayan23126016RuralRizal (Poblacion)23126011UrbanSan Antonio23126017RuralSan Jose23126018RuralSan Luis23126032RuralSan Pedro23126019RuralSan Placido23126020RuralSan Rafael23126021RuralSimimbaan23126023RuralSinamar23126024RuralSotero Nuesa23126025UrbanVilla Concepcion23126026RuralVira (Poblacion)23126012Urban

Topography The landscape of Roxas is relatively compose of flatlands with minimal rise at certain point with base mountain elevations on the eastern part, on the parts of Sinamar, Simimbaan and San Placido. It is approximately 90% of the land area comprising the town can be described as low-lying hills with rolling terrain and an elevation of 200 feet or 61 meters above sea level. The town is dissected by creeks, river and waterways acting as natural drainage from waters coming from the uplands. The Siffu River, a connection from Ilog ng Cagayan(Cagayan River) traverse west ward from its diversion from Paracelis to Tuguegarao City supplying the rice fields with irrigation.

The center of the town is relatively low relief of flatlands, while the south-western and north-western part having moderately sloping areas comprising the foothills of Mountain Province.

Climate

Using the corona classification scheme, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) classified Roxas' climatic type as to Type III category. Type III Climate is characterized by no pronounced seasons, but often drier from November to April and wet season from May to October like any other parts of the country. Roxas is described as Cloudy especially during summer time with an average wind of 1 mph to 3 mph.

The temperature of Roxas is very rare to change but it varies minimally with an average temperature ranging from 23.4 °C to 23.9 °C. The hottest months of the year are April and May with an average of 27 °C. Weather extremes vary from 16°C nights during January and 38°C during the hot, dry season. People can describe the temperature as hot weather, due to its close proximity to the hottest points of the Philippines, like Quezon in Isabela and Tuguegarao City in Cagayan. The data was gathered using weather station RPLC, above Roxas, Isabela.

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Roxas was 66,593 people, with a density of .

Economy

Agriculture

The existence of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) System in the municipality that provides water supply services in irrigating farmlands makes the locality a prime agricultural community. The presence of these services makes the agricultural workers the highest in number. The agricultural productivity of Roxas is high, reaching as much as 95 percent cultivation rates in rice and corn. Surplus production of rice and corn are being exported to other places. Other crops are vegetables, tobacco and root crops in which production is just sufficient for local consumption. Likewise, the production of meat including pork and poultry is just sufficient but the supply of fish of other kinds aside from the harvest of inland fishpond owners within the locality is dependent on the arrival of supply coming from other places.

In the area, rice is the predominant crop, planted twice a year. The livelihood opportunity is very limited thus,a year-round planting of vegetables is practiced to sustain additional income for the settlers. Farm labor is highly utilized and low productivity was experienced because of manual farming. As such, during peak of drying, farmers are compelled to sell their produce freshly threshed which commands lower price. In 2009, the government provided P3 million financial assistance for the Mestizo 1 hybrid seeds planting and for the establishment of needed agricultural components for Farming improvements. With the Local Government Unit's strong support, cooperative members embarked on hybrid rice production starting as early as 2007-2008 wet season cropping and followed through the next dry season using 40-percent organic fertilizer.

Roxas municipality prides itself as the "pioneer" in hybrid rice production in the province of Isabela with the farmers now producing their own M1 hybrid seeds. The farmers who belong to three irrigators associations in barangays Simimbaan, Casilbagan and Tanap Progreso, have organized themselves into a cooperative called Simca Model Cluster MPC under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture. The rice cluster operation is an extension strategy in reaching farmers and extending assistance to achieve increased productivity, food sufficiency and job generation. This is initiated in support to the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Rice Program of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Aside from hybrid rice enterprise, they also venture on fishery. Through the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the cluster coop had dispersed fingerlings to initial 23 fishery cooperators who have backyard fishpond and rice-fish integrated farming.

Trades and business

Since 2007, Roxas is notable for being most progressive town in Mallig Plains Region.

Roxas has the largest market in the Mallig Plains Region due to its continuous expansion after its 1987 construction. The market place is an organized area by which dry goods, wet market, toy stores and commercial stores are separated from each other. It offers a variety of products that is enough to provide the needs of the residents. Also, settlers from nearby municipalities of San Manuel, Quirino, Burgos, Mallig, Quezon and as far as Paracelis in Mountain Province are able to purchase their commodities from Roxas.

Culture A yearly celebration of Pagay Festival(Palay Festival) held every July 4. The Festival was popularly known as the Araw ng Roxas Celebration but it was declared formally as Pagay Festival during the reign of Mayor Benedict Calderon. It is celebrated because of the rich agricultural bounty of Roxas, being one of the town that produces large stocks of rice. The festival features a Parade comprises mostly by Politicians and participating schools from different parts of Roxas, kuliglig contest and cooking of the biggest rice cake that was also featured in the national television. Major events include a Street Dance Competition from different schools and Palarong Bayan.

Due to a conflict in the name of the festival, by which the town of Alicia, Isabela, celebrates the same. It was changed to Binnadangan Festival by former Mayor Harry Soller. The Binnadangan comes from an Ilocano word meaning Bayanihan and was also derived from the former name of the town during the 1600s. The festival ends with a long Pyromusical.

Tourism

Destination Location Year of Completion DescriptionRoxas Freedom ParkCentro, Roxas, Isabela2010Memorial Park of Manuel A. Roxas, Freedom Stage, Pasalubong Center and FountainChildren's ParkVira, Roxas, Isabela2000Themed ParkBorubor FallsSinamar, Roxas, IsabelaNatureFallsOur Lady of La Salette ChurchVira, Roxas, Isabela1970(Renovated 2011)ChurchHadassah ResortMunoz, Roxas, Isabela2001ResortLado Del Rio ResortRiverside, San Placido, Roxas, Isabela2011ResortBambusa FarmSimimbaan, Roxas, Isabela2011Bamboo FarmMountain Province-Isabela BoundarySimimbaan, Roxas, Isabela2017Shared viewdeck in Simmacbot, part of Paracelis, Mountain Province

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 Roxas 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 elections held every three years.