house and museum Carig was initially established in 1743 at the foothills of mount Dalayag between present-day Isabela and
Nueva Vizcaya. A few years later, it was moved to its present location 15 kilometers away. Carig was also the site of a military garrison established by the Spaniards as a base for expeditions against unconquered tribes in present-day
Ifugao and Quirino and to guard the mountain pass to Nueva Vizcaya. The early inhabitants of Santiago were the
Gaddangs and the
Ibanags. Santiago was originally a part of the province of
Cagayan (comprising the whole
Cagayan Valley region), which was reorganized as a political subdivision in 1583 with Nueva Segovia (now
Lal-lo) as its capital. When the province of Nueva Vizcaya was created in 1839, Santiago became part of the new province. On May 1, 1856, when the province of Isabela was carved out by a Royal Decree, Santiago was among the towns relinquished to the newly created province. The first five barrios after the Cadastral survey in 1927 were Patul, Batal, Nabbuan, Buenavista and Dubinan. It was said that there were only about three Filipino-owned sari-sari stores in Santiago in 1917. The settlers acquired most of their merchandise and other provisions from Chinese traders in
Echague, the landing zone for products intended for Santiago and other towns, owing to its proximity to the
Cagayan River. It was when the Villaverde Trail was opened when things were set in motion. It facilitated the entry of immigrants from various provinces in
Luzon to the Cagayan Valley and Santiago absorbed a sizable share of these travelers. The new route served as an impetus for growth and introduced new technologies and business opportunities, and made Santiago a melting pot of different cultures. In 1942, during
World War II, Japanese forces occupied Santiago. In 1945, the town was liberated by the Filipino soldiers of the 1st, 2nd, 12th, 13th and 15th Infantry Division and the USAFIP-NL 11th Infantry Regiment of the
Philippine Commonwealth Army, the 1st Constabulary Regiment of the
Philippine Constabulary and the recognized guerrilla fighter units. Santiago survived through the war, although badly damaged, and from then on developed to become the leading trading and commercial city in Cagayan Valley.
Cityhood On December 17, 1993, the bill converting Santiago into an independent component city was approved by the House of Representatives spearheaded by the then Mayor Jose "Pempe" Miranda. In the following year, the Senate Committee on Local Government approved another public hearing dated February 23, 1994. On May 5, 1994, President
Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act 7720. The plebiscite was held on July 6, 1994, showed that voters approved this conversion, making Santiago the first city in
Cagayan Valley and 5th independent component city, after
Cotabato City,
Dagupan,
Naga, and
Ormoc. On February 14, 1998, Republic Act 8528 repealed this statute transforming it to a component city. On December 29, 1999, the
Supreme Court struck down the law and restored Santiago's independent cityhood.
Reversal attempts During the 13th Congress, House Bill No. 3709, which sought to amend certain sections of Republic Act No. 7720, was filed by
Isabela's 4th District Representative Anthony C. Miranda, but did not pass. ==Geography==