Aritao

Aritao, officially the Municipality of Aritao (Gaddang: Ili na Aritao; Ilocano: Ili ti Aritao; Tagalog: Bayan ng Aritao), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,197 people.^[5]

Aritao
Municipality
Municipality of Aritao
Downtown area
Flag Seal
Map of Nueva Vizcaya with Aritao highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Aritao Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°17′50″N 121°02′02″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Cagayan Valley
Province	Nueva Vizcaya
District	Lone district
Barangays	22 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Remelina M. Peros
• Vice Mayor	Jayson Ferrer.
• Representative	Luisa L. Cuaresma
• Electorate	23,707 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	265.60 km2 (102.55 sq mi)
Elevation	476 m (1,562 ft)
Highest elevation	846 m (2,776 ft)
Lowest elevation	346 m (1,135 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	45,000
• Density	170/km2 (440/sq mi)
• Households	10,307
Economy
• Income class	2nd municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	11.15 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 292.2 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 493.8 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 205 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 59.06 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Nueva Vizcaya Electric Cooperative (NUVELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3704
PSGC	0205002000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)78
Native languages	Gaddang Ilocano Isinai Kallahan Tagalog
Website	aritao.gov.ph

The ethnic minority called Isinai (the same term for the local spoken dialect) were the original residents of this town.

Etymology

The name Aritao came from the Isinai phrase Ari Tau "which stands for "Our King" (ari means king and tau means our) which refers to the legendary Isinai Chieftain Mengal, a fierce and brave king who resisted the Spanish conquest of the Isinai territories around Ajanas and Ynordenan (the areas comprising what is now most of Aritao).

History

The town of Aritao was previously called Ajanas or Afanas. It was formerly the site of an Igorot fortress that was overrun by the Spanish in 1745 which was then further fortified by the colonists. Prior to that, the Spaniards had already established their first permanent settlement in Nueva Vizcaya in 1714 in the town of Buhay, now Barangay Santa Clara. Afanas was later renamedto Aritao, after an Isinay word "Ari-Tau". In January 1767, the intrepid Spanish Missionary Manuel Corripio succeeded in persuading an Igorot King called Ari Mengal and his tribe to live in the town. These people were later converted into Christianity by Fr. Tomas Gutierrez. In 1776, there was a merger of Aritao with the settlements of Buhay, Mabatu and Pahipahi into one pueblo under the name of Aritao, which was approved by the colonial authorities, with the town center being confirmed to be in the old Aritao.^[6]

During the American Era on 30 June 1917, through the initiative of Councilor Jose Aleman, the application for township of Aritao to higher authorities was finally approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

During World War II, Japanese troops entered Aritao in 1942 and were pushed out by Allied forces in 1945 after heavy fighting in the village of Kirang, which lays on the foot of the Cordillera mountain trails leading to Baguio.

Geography

Aritao is situated 30.04 kilometres (18.67 mi) from the provincial capital Bayombong, and 263.30 kilometres (163.61 mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Aritao is politically subdivided into 22 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Banganan
• Beti
• Bone North
• Bone South
• Calitlitan
• Comon
• Cutar
• Darapidap
• Kirang
• Nagcuartelan
• Poblacion
• Sta. Clara
• Tabueng
• Tucanon
• Anayo
• Baan
• Balite
• Canabuan
• Canarem
• Latar-Nocnoc-San Francisco
• Ocao-Capiniaan
• Yaway

Climate

Climate data for Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	26 (79)	28 (82)	29 (84)	31 (88)	30 (86)	29 (84)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	28 (82)	27 (81)	28 (83)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	18 (64)	18 (64)	19 (66)	22 (72)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	21 (70)	20 (68)	18 (64)	21 (69)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	21 (0.8)	28 (1.1)	34 (1.3)	58 (2.3)	160 (6.3)	179 (7.0)	226 (8.9)	225 (8.9)	215 (8.5)	168 (6.6)	59 (2.3)	32 (1.3)	1,405 (55.3)
Average rainy days	7.5	8.5	10.9	14.9	23.9	25.7	26.7	25.3	24.9	18.6	11.8	8.9	207.6
Source: Meteoblue[7]

Demographics

Population census of Aritao

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1903 477 —     1918 1,314 +6.99% 1939 6,208 +7.67% 1948 7,322 +1.85% 1960 11,209 +3.61% 1970 18,098 +4.90% 1975 19,075 +1.06% 1980 22,004 +2.90%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1990 25,942 +1.66% 1995 29,151 +2.21% 2000 31,705 +1.82% 2007 34,206 +1.05% 2010 37,115 +3.01% 2015 37,225 +0.06% 2020 42,197 +2.67%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11][12]

Language

Ilocano is the dominant dialect of Aritao.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Aritao

10 20 30 40 2000 30.28 2003 20.64 2006 12.70 2009 16.19 2012 11.92 2015 16.51 2018 15.83 2021 11.15 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Aritao is part of the lone congressional district of the province of Nueva Vizcaya. It 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 municipal councilors are elected directly in polls held every three years.

Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council
(2022–2025)^[21]

Position	Name
Congressman	Luisa L. Cuaresma
Mayor	Remelina M. Peros-Galam
Vice-Mayor	Jayson E. Ferrer
Councilors	Ariel M. Tubiera
	Aura Bless Crisel F. Galindez
	Adonis J. Lejao
	Cyrus Will C. Cardenas
	Domingo B. Doculan Jr.
	Michael M. Villegas
	Bernel A. Prado
	Vincent L. Lopez

Education

The Schools Division of Nueva Vizcaya governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region.^[22] There are two schools district offices that govern all the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality. These are Aritao East District, and Aritao West District.^[23]

Primary and elementary schools

• Anayo Primary School
• Aritao Central School
• Aritao Methodist Christian School
• Baan Elementary School
• Banganan Elementary School
• Baptist Christian Academy Comon Annex
• Baptist Christian Academy of Aritao
• Beti Elementary School
• Bone North Elementary School
• Bone South Elementary School
• Felix Saludo Elementary School
• Calitlitan Elementary School
• Canabuan Elementary School
• Canarem Primary School
• Comon Central School
• Cutar Elementary School
• Darapidap Elementary School
• Cesario M. Tubiera Elementary School
• Immaculate Conception Academy of Bone South (Elementary)
• Balite Elementary School
• Kirang Elementary School
• Kirang Elementary School Annex
• Latar Elementary School
• Nagcuartelan Elementary School
• Sta. Clara Elementary School
• Tabueng Elementary School
• Tucanon Elementary School
• Ukaw Elementary School
• Yaway Elementary School

Secondary schools

• Aritao National High School
• Immaculate Conception Academy of Bone South
• Nueva Vizcaya Institute
• Sta. Clara High School
• Southern Cagayan Valley School of Technology
• St. Teresita's Academy of Aritao

Gallery

• 
  Aritao Townhall and Town Plaza
• 
  Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary Parish Church
• 
  St. Anthony de Padua Chapel
• 
  Nueva Vizcaya Institute
• 
  Twin (Skull and Salakot) mountains (visible from Aritao Townhall)