Quirino Province

Q-LiFE

Tourism Office

Quirino, officially the Province of Quirino, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Cabarroguis. It is named after Elpidio Quirino, the sixth President of the Philippines.

Quirino Province acquired its juridical personality as a result of the division of the province of Nueva Vizcaya on June 18, 1966 under Republic Act 4734. It was named in honor of the then President Elpidio A. Quirino. The municipalities of Diffun, Maddela, Saguday and Aglipay compose the newly born sub-province and the first elected Lieutenant Governor in the 1967 general elections was Hon. Jose B. Aquino. The first three (3) municipalities of Aglipay, Diffun and Maddela were created on November 11, 1950 through Executive Order No. 368 followed by Saguday on June 21, 1959 under RA 2519.

On June 21, 1969, three years after its birth as a sub-province, R.A. 5554 was enacted amending R.A. 4734 creating the municipality of Cabarroguis that was taken from portions of the municipalities of Diffun, Saguday and Aglipay. The Act was introduced and sponsored by former Congressman Floro S. Crisologo and Melanio T. Singson. A portion of this province was formerly a part of the province of Isabela, which was recovered and restored to the province of Nueva Vizcaya by the late Congressman Leon Cabarroguis. The provincial capital was named in his honor.

The province of Quirino was formally established on February 10, 1972 upon the assumption to office of the first set of elected provincial and municipal officials. On February 25, 1983, Batas Pambansa Blg. 345 was enacted dividing the municipality of Maddela, giving birth to the youngest municipality of the province, Nagtipunan. Finally, R.A. 6394 was passed on September 10, 1971, further amending R.A. No. 5554 separating the Sub-province of Quirino from its mother province of Nueva Vizcaya and constituting it into a regular province now known as the province of Quirino. Hon. Leonardo B. Perez, former Congressman, Senator, Chairman of the Commission on Elections and concurrently the Political Affairs Minister and Hon. Benjamin B. Perez, former Congressman and Assemblyman for Region II at the Interim Batasang Pambansa (IBP) had worked for the passage of R.A. 6394

The six (6) component municipalities:

Aglipay - A 3rd class municipality. The municipality of Aglipay, Quirino was named in honor of the late Most Reverend Gregorio Labayan Aglipay, the head of the only existing religious sect in the community at that time. It was created through Executive Order No. 368 signed by the then President Elpidio Quirino on 11 November 1950 which reorganized the municipalities and municipal districts of the province of Nueva Vizcaya.
Cabarroguis - Capital town. A 3rd class municipality. The Municipality of Cabarroguis was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 5554 enacted by the Philippine Congress authored by then Honorable Senator Leonardo Perez on June 21, 1969. The newly created municipality was named in honor of the late Congressman of Nueva Vizcaya, Honorable Leon Cabarroguis.
Diffun - A 2nd class municipality. The gateway to the Province of Quirino. Diffun obtained its identity as a municipality in 1950 by virtue of Executive Order No. 446, series of 1950 thru then President of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency, Elpidio Quirino.
Maddela - A 1st class municipality and is the commercial hub of the province. On November 11, 1950, Maddela was officially created as an independent municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 364 signed by President Elpidio Quirino. It was named after former Nueva Vizcaya Governor Tomas Maddela. Jose Ancheta became the first municipal mayor of the newly created town.
Nagtipunan - A 1st class municipality. With the unwavering support of the masses, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Quirino unanimously endorsed the creation of the NAGTIPUNAN, which became a separate and distinct local government unit upon the passage and approval of Batas Pambansa Bilang 345 on February 25, 1983 and after the plebiscite on September 24, 1983 ratifying its creation.
Saguday - A 5th class municipality. The town is accessible to all kinds of land transportation going to and from Stgo. City which is the center of trade and commerce. Saguday is considered as the rice granary of Quirino, and the satellite of Cabarroguis and Santiago City in terms of rice, corn, vegetables, and livestock. Its One Town One Product is the “Fossilized Flower Making.”

PANAGDADAPUN

Panagdadapun Festival is the founding anniversary and a celebration of indigenous people in the province of Quirino, Philippines every September 6 to 10.

Panagdadapun Festival comes from the word panagdadapun, which is a word in Ilocano language that means gathering. The high point of the fest is the Araw ng Quirino Foundation, which translates to Quirino Foundation Day, that celebrates the founding of the province.