Santa Maria (; ; ), officially the Municipality of Santa Maria, is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of 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 Santa Maria is from the provincial capital Ilagan, from the country's capital city of Manila.
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
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Santa Maria was 25,919 people, with a density of .
Economy
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 Federico D. Samus Champagne Irish C. Laggui Ricky M. Gatan Jay Jovito C. Martinez Jeriko Emmanuel Formoso Errol M. Datul 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 Sta. Maria Schools District Office governs the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality.
Primary and elementary schools
Balagan Elementary School Bangad Elementary School Buenavista Elementary School Calamagui Elementary School Calamagui North Elementary School Dacque Primary School Divisoria Elementary School Mozzozzin Elementary School Naganacan Elementary School Poblacion 03 Primary School San Antonio-Lingaling Elementary School San Isidro East Elementary School San Isidro West Elementary School San Rafael Elementary School Sta. Maria Central School Villabuena Elementary School
Secondary schools Buenaventura G. Masigan National High School Naganacan-Villabuena National High School Santa Maria National High School
Notable personalities Mutya Johanna Datul - Miss Supranational 2013
References
External links Municipal Profile at the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines Santa Maria at the Isabela Government Website Local Governance Performance Management System [ Philippine Standard Geographic Code] Philippine Census Information Municipality of Santa Maria