Divilacan, officially the Municipality of Divilacan (Ibanag: Ili nat Divilacan; ; Tagalog/Kasiguranin: Bayan ng Divilacan), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 5,827 people.

Etymology

Divilacan was derived from the native Casiguran Dumagat Agta compound word vilacan, meaning "fish and shell." The word di implies origin. Therefore, Divilacan literally means “where fish and shells abound.”

History

Divilacan was a former barrio of Tumauini. It became a separate municipality on June 21, 1969, by virtue of Republic Act No. 5776. On April 12, 2024, the town is declared an insurgency-free municipality from the influence of CPP, NPA, and NDF, along with Maconacon.

Geography

Divilacan is one of the four coastal municipalities of the province of Isabela facing the Philippine Sea to the east. The town is bounded to the north by Maconacon, Tumauini to the west, Ilagan to the southwest, Palanan to the south and the Philippine Sea to the east.

Barangays

Divilacan is politically subdivided into 12 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Divilacan was 5,827 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Economy

Government

Local government

As a municipality in the Province of Isabela, government officials in the provincial level are voted by the electorates of the town. The provincial government have political jurisdiction over local transactions of the municipal government. The municipality of Divilacan 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 councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being 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

Congress representation

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

Infrastructure

Divilacan is accessible via sea and air. The town is served by the Maconacon Airport in the neighboring town of Maconacon which connects this isolated town to Cauayan Airport, in Cauayan. The construction of an 82-kilometer Ilagan–Divilacan Road through the protected Sierra Madre mountains is on-going to open access to the coastal towns of Divilacan, Palanan, and Maconacon. The approved budget contract of the project amounting to P1.5B, will pass through the foothills of the 359,486-hectare Northern Sierra Madre mountain ranges. The project will improve an old logging road used by a defunct logging company until the 1990s. It will start in Barangay Sindon Bayabo in Ilagan City and will end in Barangay Dicatian in this town. The project is started in March 2016 and is expected to be completed in 2024.