San Mateo, Isabela

San Mateo  (pronounced locally as /sænˈmäCHō/ not /sæn mə-tay-oh/, Spanish for St. Matthew), officially the Municipality of San Mateo (Ili ti San Mateo; Bayan ng San Mateo), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,663 people.

San Mateo is one of the cleanest town in the region. The administrators encourage the people of the municipality to use paper bags instead of plastic bags in line with its claim as an "Agro-Ecological Town".

Etymology
The town was first named as Marasat. It was a former barangay of Cauayan, then Santiago. It was called the Municipality of Yoshisawa under the government of the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. After the liberation, it was finally created and named San Mateo by virtue of Presidential Executive Order No. 97 on March 17, 1946, by then President Sergio Osmeña. It was named for its founder, the late Don Mateo A. Cadeliña.

History
On March 17, 1946, President Sergio Osmeña issued Executive Order No. 97, which established San Mateo as a formal municipality. According to the provisions of Executive Order No. 249 of the Office of the President of the Philippines, and based on the municipality's annual average income for CY 2004–2007 as certified by the Commission on Audit, and as implemented by Department of Finance Order No. 23–08 dated July 29, 2008, the municipality was reclassified from a second class municipality to first class municipality.

On December 1, 2008, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo designated the Municipality as an Agro-Ecological Destination in Cagayan Valley Region as recommended by the Department of Agriculture due to its vast ecological and agricultural production areas, as well as being the recipient of the Galing Pook Award 2007 for the best local governance programs. On January 27, 2012, Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala designated the municipality as the Munggo Capital of the Philippines. This is in acknowledgment of local leaders' valuable efforts to promote munggo production, which is a high-value commercial commodity.'

According to Republic Act No. 7160, also known as the Local Government Code of 1991, the municipality is responsible for coordinating and providing basic, regular, and direct services to its residents in order to promote social and economic development. As proof, the municipality of San Mateo received the Seal of Good Local Governance from 2015 to 2019 and again in 2022, the Department of Interior and Local Government's highest accreditation for performing local governments.

Geography
San Mateo is situated in the southwestern part of Isabela. It is bounded on the north by Aurora, on the northeast by Cabatuan, on the east by Cauayan, on the east-southeast by Alicia, on the south by Ramon and on the west Alfonso Lista in the Province of Ifugao.

San Mateo is 54 km from Ilagan and 350 km from Manila.

Barangays
San Mateo is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.


 * Bacarreña
 * Bagong Sikat
 * Bella Luz
 * Dagupan
 * Daramuangan Norte
 * Daramuangan Sur
 * Estrella
 * Gaddanan
 * Malasin
 * Mapuroc
 * Marasat Grande
 * Marasat Pequeño
 * Old Centro I
 * Old Centro Proper
 * Barangay I (Poblacion)
 * Barangay II (Poblacion)
 * Barangay III (Poblacion)
 * Barangay IV (Poblacion)
 * Salinungan East
 * Salinungan West
 * San Andres
 * San Antonio
 * San Ignacio
 * San Manuel
 * San Marcos
 * San Roque
 * Sinamar Norte
 * Sinamar Sur
 * Victoria
 * Villafuerte
 * Villa Cruz
 * Villa Magat
 * Villa Gamiao (Buyon)

Climate
The climate of San Mateo falls under third type. This type of climate is characterized by no pronounced maximum rain period with a short dry season lasting from one to three months. Rainfall starts in July and continues through December with either October or November as the peak of the rainy season.

As per data gathered from the ISU PAG-ASA PCARRD AGROMET Station, Echague, Isabela, the average monthly rainfall for 2011 was 238.20mm with the highest recorded at 558.20mm in September and at least in March with 32.6mm. The highest recorded temperature was its peak in May at 34.40C during the summer season and the lowest at 26.10C in January. However the average temperature for the same period was 30.70C.

Land Classification and Uses
The soil type of San Mateo is 49.89% Santa Rita Clay Loam which is suited for lowland crops like rice, tobacco and mungo. Other soil types are Bago Series (26.04%), San Manuel Series (9.87%), Peñaranda (2.31%), Agustin Series (7.95%) and River Wash Gravel (3.95%).

The existing land uses of the municipality are as follows:

The long and mighty Magat River, the biggest tributary of the Cagayan River lies in the vast plains devoted to agriculture in the area.

The Tao-Tao River and the four (4) creeks found in the municipality named Porvida, Gaddanan, Macañao and Balaobao are likewise tapped to supply water to elevated portions of agricultural lands through the use of water pumps.

Topography
The terrain of the municipality is basically plain with 98% of the total land area under 0-2 percent slope category and only 2% of the total area is under the 2.3-5 percent slope category. The excellent topography of the municipality has made irrigation by gravity method applicable in flooding of rice paddies.

Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of San Mateo, Isabela, was 66,663 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Language
The population is a combination of different ethnic group dominated by Ilocano speaking people which make Ilocano the common language used in the municipality.

Economy
According to the 2020 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index conducted by the National Competitiveness Council, San Mateo took the 141st spot among the first class and second class municipalities in the Philippines.
 * 2015 44th
 * 2016 99th
 * 2017 123rd
 * 2018 92nd
 * 2019 72nd
 * 2020 141st
 * 2021 292nd
 * 2022 242nd
 * 2023 160th

Culture

 * March 17 - Town Fiesta
 * 1st week of May - Munggo Festival

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 San Mateo 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.

Congress representation
San Mateo, belonging to the third legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon. Ian Paul L. Dy.

List of mayors
MAYORS OF SAN MATEO, ISABELA

1942 Doroteo Barbero

1943 Estanislao Bueno

1946 Don Mateo Cadeliña

1946 - 1951 Cornelio Alipio

1951 - 1955 Don Mateo Cadeliña

1955 - 1960 Marcelo Santiago

1960 - 1962 Hermogenes Ramil

1962 - 1963 Braulio Lucas

1963 - 1986 Severo Lachica

1986 - 1998 Dr. Venancio Villarta

1998 - 2001 Feliciano Palomares

2001 - 2010 Roberto Agcaoili

2010 - 2019 Dra. Crispina Agcaoili

Healthcare

 * BBCSS Pediatric Medical And Surgical Clinic
 * Bumagat Maternity and Medical Clinic
 * Juvelo Family Clinic
 * New Samaritan Medical And Pediatric Clinic
 * Piedad Medical Clinic
 * Ricafort's Medical and Surgical Clinic
 * San Mateo Integrated Community Hospital
 * San Mateo Kidney Care and Dialysis Center
 * San Mateo Multicare Hospital
 * San Mateo Rural Health Unit
 * Sevilleja Medical Clinic

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.

Colleges and Universities

 * Isabela State University (San Mateo Campus)
 * Cagayan Valley Automotive and Technical School Inc.

High school

 * Eveland Christian College
 * La Salette Of San Mateo, Inc.
 * Salinungan National High School
 * Salinungan Stand Alone Senior High School
 * San Mateo General Comprehensive High School
 * San Mateo National High School
 * San Mateo Vocational Industrial High School

Elementary
• Bagong Sikat Elementary School

• Bacarreña Adventis Elementary School

• Dagupan Elementary School

• Daramuangan Norte Elementary School

• Daramuangan Sur Elementary School

• Diamond Christian School

• Estrella-Bella Luz Elementary School

• Estrella Elemenatry School

• Eveland Christian College

• Gaddanan Elementary School

• Grace Christian School

• La Salette of San Mateo, Inc.

• Malasin Elementary School

• Mapuroc Elementary School

• Marasat Pequeño Elementary School

• Mary Shine of Saint Matthew

• Salinungan East Elementary School

• San Antonio Elementary School

• San Ignacio Elementary School

• San Manuel Elementary School

• San Marcos Elementary School

• San Mateo East Central School

• San Mateo North Central School

• San Mateo West Central School

• San Roque Elementary School

• Sinamar Norte Elementary School

• Sinamar Sur Dumag Elementary School

• The Rainbow Learning Center

• Victoria Elementary School

• Villa Cruz Elementary School

• Villa Fuerte Elementary School

• Villa Gamiao Elementary School

• Villa Magat Elementary School