Historical Background

“Small but Terrible”, is just one of the best phrases that can describe the land of Batanes along with its many famous catchphrases, dubs, or taglines. Batanes as the northernmost and smallest province in the Philippines, is located approximately 300 kms north of Cagayan Valley, about 860 kms from the National Capital Region and is surrounded by bodies of water on the west convergence is the West Philippine Sea, on the east is the Pacific Ocean, on the north are the Bashi Channel and country of Taiwan, and on the south is the Balintang Channel. The island of Batanes is a Philippine National Protected Landscape and Seascape declared by the National Integrated Protected Area System of 1994 or the NIPAS Act of 1994 that was renowned and is famous for its majestic eco-tourism sites, undulating attractions, exceptional flora and fauna, diverse marine life, limestone cliffs, and all-encompassing sceneries. The island also rejoices the extends of white- and cream-colored sandy shorelines and clear water that also became one of its many attractions to visit. However, because of its geographical locations, Batanes frequently experience typhoons, which compelled them to build most of their houses with stones that can stand during strong typhoons and strong winds. That is why, the “House of Dakay” is considered to be the heritage treasure of Batanes which up until today, is well-preserved and remained.

Batanes is indeed a land rich in culture and heritage, preserved and protected by the Ivatan people. Although their culture and traditions were oldened by time and have influenced by several significant events, they remained golden and unparalleled.

The island of Batanes consists of eleven islands namely Batan, Itbayat and Sabtang which are all inhabited and are economically significant. But among the 11 islands, Itbayat is the largest while the islets of Dinem, Siayan, Ditarem, Misanga, Mavudis, Duquey, Vuhus, A’li are uninhabited but are still included under the protection of national laws. The province has a total population of 18,830 that has a total of 29 barangays being dominated by most Ivatan people. Nevertheless, the island is a lone congressional district.

The time during the pre- and photo-historic was when English freebooters witnessed the island of Batanes. The voyage happened way back 1678 and was headed by Captain William Dampier when the crews are searching for tobacco grow. The voyagers stayed for almost three months but not claimed it as their own. Captain William Dampier saw early native Ivatans and described them based on how they lived their lives and have identified that Ivatans are farmers, fishermen, and indulged their lives in boat making and seafaring. The early settlements of the tribe were on the top of steep hills which what they called as “Idjangs” or a home or hometown. They also lived in small tribal communities wherein they supported themselves through fishing, hunting and horticulture, and raising taro as well as other root crops. They have left abundant evidence of their Neolithic tools and their pottery which some are used as their primary burial jar, woven, fishing nets, cotton fabrics, etc. During this era, each of the pre-colonial Ivatan tribal community was headed by a chieftain called “Mangpus” and was assisted by a “Mapolon”. Each of whom was responsible to the “Mangpus” for a subdivision of the Idi or “Kavahayan” (town). In the year 1782, when the Spanish Governor General Jose Basco y Vargas, whom the capital town of Batanes, Basco, was named after, sent an expedition to undertake the formalities of getting the consent of the Ivatans to become subjects of the King of Spain. Joseph Huelva y Melgarej was the first governor of Batanes together with Dominican Fathers Bartholome Artiguez and Baltazar Calderon. While the military escorts and functionaries met the representatives of the Ivatans on the plains of what is now the town of Basco to perform the rites of formal annexation of Batanes to the empire of Spain.

During the American Colonization, Batanes became a province again by the provision of Act of 1952 and was enacted on the 20th of May of 1909 with Otto Scheerer being appointed as the first governor of the province. A wireless telegraph was erected to maintain distant communication before 1920. Another notable year during this time was during the year of 1917, a provincial high school in Basco was established graduating its first six graduates in 1928. Because of the sudden conquest of the Japanese Occupation, in Batanes on December 8, 1941, the telegraph tower was bombed thus isolating the province. The Japanese occupation then occupied the towns without resistance and took control of the small island. During the conquest of the Japanese, the Ivatans’ resentment increased and turned into an aggressive resistance wherein it caused hardships to the local people. Because of this aggressive resistance that the Ivatans were experiencing, the Ivatan guerillas attacked a Japanese garrison in Sabtang resulting to the death of some of the Japanese soldiers, and the Commanding General of the Japanese forces ordered to arrest the perpetrators on the said killing and brought them to Basco then sentenced them to death.

With the influence of the different colonization that brought many teachings to the Ivatans, the installation of electricity in 1989, business establishments have mushroomed, support services became available, schools have increased, literacy rate became higher, infrastructure became evident, and communication and transportation improved thus making Batanes a phone call away from the rest of the world and became known in the entire country.

As the gem that it is, Batanes is not like any ordinary island because it is under the protection of three vital laws, which are highly implemented and strictly followed by the locals. These vital laws are Republic Act of 8991 in 2000 which explains “an Act to establish the Batanes group of islands and Islets as a protected area, and its peripheral waters as buffer zones”; Proclamation No. 335 Series of 1994, “a law that declares the Batanes group of islands, islets and its surrounding waters in the province of Batanes as protected landscapes and seascapes” and lastly, The Republic Act of 7586, NIPAS ACT of 1992, as defined by Republic Act (RA) 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) “an act of 1992, wherein the protected areas are recognized portions of land and water set aside by reason of their interesting physical and biological centrality, overseen to improve biological diversity and secured against damaging human abuse”.