Gamu, Isabela, Cagayan Valley Region, Philippines

🇵🇭 Gamu, officially the Municipality of Gamu (Ili ti Gamu; Bayan ng Gamu), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines.

Etymology Gamu was originally called 'Gamut', likely from a local plant whose roots were made into a type of medicine ('gamot'). From Fr. Jose Bugarin's Ibanag dictionary "Gamu-t, root or stump [name] a town whose patroness is St. Rosa de Lima, under of the province of Cagayan until the year 1839, when the province of Nueva Vizcaya was established, and was added to it".

History Gamu was founded in December 5, 1741 as a result of the merging of the towns of Batavag (near present-day Lullutan in Ilagan) and Itugod (now barangay Lenzon). The town was established on its present site as a compromise for residents of the two towns and also the fact that both towns were too few in population to survive on their own. The population problem was later partially resolved through the forced settlement of conquered tribes into the town by the Spanish.

Geography Gamu is located in the central part of the province of Isabela. It is 7 km (4.3 mi) away from the provincial capital, Ilagan, and 391 km (243 mi) from the country's capital, Manila.

It is bounded on the north by the city of Ilagan, or the north-west by the municipality of Quirino, on the south by the municipality of Reina Mercedes and on the south-west by the municipality of Burgos, and on the Southeast by the municipality of Naguilian.

Gamu has a total land area of 129.40 square km with 16 barangays, 3 of which are classified as urban barangays, District I, II, and III, and the rests are considered rural barangays.

Geography: Barangays Gamu is politically subdivided into 16 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Barangays District I, II, and III are considered as urban (highlighted in bold) while the rest are rural. • Barcolan • Buenavista • Dammao • District I (Poblacion) • District II (Poblacion) • District III (Poblacion) • Furao • Guibang • Lenzon • Linglingay • Mabini • Pintor • Rizal • Songsong • Union • Upi.

Military Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz, the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, is located in barangay Upi. It was one of four strategic military bases in the Philippines that were opened to the US military in 2023 as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, citing the base's proximity to Taiwan.

Culture The town celebrated the Kuliglig Festival on August 23, 2013, following an executive order issued by the municipal government to officially proclaim it as the official festivity of the town.

Economy: Tourist Industry The town of Gamu is notable for having the most number of Roman Catholic churches in the entire province of Isabela. These churches are often visited by pilgrims and frequented by travellers all over the country to pay homage to each of the respective Roman Catholic icons to whom each of the churches were dedicated and named after. • The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang was elevated into a National Shrine in 1986 by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) through the initiative of the late Most Rev. Miguel Purugganan, then Bishop of the Diocese of Ilagan. It is where the Marian image of the Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang is enshrined. • The Cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel is located along the National Highway in Barangay Upi. It is where the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan is located since 2013, when it was transferred from Saint Ferdinand Cathedral in Ilagan City, Isabela. • The Poor Clare Monastery in Barangay Guibang is a church and monastery that was built and dedicated to Saint Clare of Assisi. It was established in 1991 by the Poor Clare nuns from Cabuyao in the province of Laguna through the assistance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan and help from civic-minded benefactors. • The Saint Rose of Lima Church is a Baroque-style 18th century structure dedicated to the town's patron saint, Saint Rose of Lima. It is notably the oldest church in the town and one of the only remaining churches of its kind in the province of Isabela. On June 27, 2019, the National Museum of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recognised the Saint Rose of Lima Church and its surrounding complex as an Important Cultural Property of the Philippines. The unveiling of the historical marker was done on May 12, 2023.

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 office governs the public and private elementary and public and private high schools throughout the municipality.