Cagayan State University

College of Business, Entrepreneurship and Accountancy

Andrews Campus
Caritan Centro Tuguegarao City 3500

CIUDAD NUEVA SEGOVIA 3509

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A Study Paper Submitted

As a Requirement in

Readings in Philippine History

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I. Introduction

Lal-lo, came from the word "lalloc" which means twisting 2

strands to make a rope or may also refer to the strong river
current as it is located along Cagayan River.
During the early 16th century, Lal-lo was the hub of
religious, trade and commercial activities of Northern Luzon.
As it is created as the seat of Diocese, the poblacion
benefited and enjoyed the gifts from the Papal throne.
Economically, since it was the seat of power in 1595 and
considering its geographical location which is just along the
river, trade and commerce between neighboring places are truly
possible.
The municipality of Lal-lo was originally the home of
hunter-gatherers who were specialized in hunting mollusks.
These hunter-gatherers have stockpiled their leftover mollusk
shells in numerous sites in Lal-lo and neighboring Gattaran,
until eventually, the shells formed into the largest stock of
shell-midden sites in the entire Philippines.
Over the years, the municipality had undergone both downfall
and progress. One manifestation of its progress is the
construction of the Northern Cagayan International Airport.
Today, Lal-lo is continuously developing as the government
of the town aims to rename Lal-lo to its former name, Ciudad
Nueva Segovia and to reclassify the municipality again as a
component city--a step of bringing back to what it was before.

II. History

Lal-lo used to be the home of hunter-gatherers who were

specialized in hunting mollusks. In 1581, when Spaniards set
foot on the place, Don Juan Pablo Carreon established it as a
pueblo and named it Ciudad Nueva Segovia. It is one of the
first cities in the Philippines together with Manila, Cebu and
Naga which were established year 1595, 1571 and 1575
respectively.
It became the seat of Diocese of Nueva Segovia in the year
1595 before it was transferred to Vigan, Ilocos Surin 1755.
Ciudad Nueva Segovia has three parishes back then. The parish
of the Cathedral which was served by secular. Today it is
where St. Dominic Parish Church stands. It is where the
remains of the bishops namely Bishop Miguel de Benavides who
was the first bishop and later of Manila where he founded the
University of Santo Tomas, Bishop Diego de Soria who was the
second bishop of the diocese and Bishop Diego Aduarte who was
 the sixth are interred. Second was the parish of Bagumabayan
and the third was the parish of Tocalana located in the
present site of the Compania Tabacalera. Both were under the
supervision of the Dominicans. La-lo used to be the capital of
Cagayan province until 1839 when the provincial seat of power
was relocated to Tuguegarao City.

III. Geography and Economics

Lal-lo, officially the Municipality of Lal-lo is a first

class municipality in the province of Cagayan.
Lal-lo is a coastal municipality which has a total land area
of 702. 80 square kilometer or 271.35 square miles this
constitutes 7.56% Cagayan’s total area.
The cabibi (shells and shellfish) plays a vital role in the
agro- industrial activity in the town. It is where the three
biggest barangays in the town depend for their livelihood
which can be found in abundance year-round except during
certain months when the river current is strong.
The Northern Cagayan International Airport which was
constructed in 2014 also plays a vital role in the economic
aspect of the town. It is an airport serving the general area
of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone, located in the northern
province of Cagayan, Philippines. It is located between the
Barangays of San Mariano and Dagupan in Lal-lo, Cagayan. The
airport has been built to support the Cagayan Special Economic
Zone in northern Cagayan, in tandem with Port Irene that will
handle seaborne traffic. The airport is currently served by
the charter airline Royal Air.

IV. Demography

As determined by 2015 census, the population was 44,506.

This represented 3.71 of the total population of Cagayan
province or 1.29 of the overall population of the Cagayan
Valley region. The population density is computed at 63
inhabitants per square kilometer or 164 inhabitants per square
mile.
The municipality is politically subdivided into 35
barangays.

V. Politics
 Currently, the municipality of Lal-lo is governed by the
mayor, Hon. Oliver Pascual and vice mayor, Hon. Maria Olive
Pascual.

VI. Festival

The municipality annually commemorates their Cabibi Festival

which falls on the first week of August. The Cabibi festival
is celebrated in honor of the unique shell found only in the
Cagayan River that passes through this town.

The weeklong celebration usually involves the “Pallabbe”

fluvial procession. The yearly Street Dance competition among
secondary schools and the Drum and Lyre competition among
elementary schools are the highlights of the celebration.

Other activities are the Binibing Lal-lo and the Paint A

Boat contest and the like. This year marks the 438th Patronal
Town Fiesta and the 19th Cabibi Festival.