San Mateo (pronounced locally as /sænˈmäCHō/ not /sæn mə-tay-oh/ , Spanish for St. Matthew), officially the Municipality of San Mateo (Ilocano: Ili ti San Mateo; Tagalog: Bayan ng San Mateo), is a municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 67,433 people.[5]
The town 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".[6]
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.[7]
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 FinanceOrder No. 23–08 dated July 29, 2008, the municipality was reclassified from a second class municipality to first class municipality.[7]
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, Agriculture SecretaryProceso 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.'[8]
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 the Interior and Local Government's highest accreditation for performing local governments.[7]
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 situated 54.67 kilometres (33.97mi) from the provincial capital Ilagan, and 382.79 kilometres (237.85mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.
Barangays
San Mateo is politically subdivided into 33 barangays.[9] Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
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.
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.
In the 2024 census, the population of San Mateo was 67,433 people,[16] with a density of 560 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,500 inhabitants per square mile.
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.
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
The San Mateo Town Fiesta is an annual cultural and civic celebration held every March 17 in the municipality of San Mateo. The event commemorates the town's founding anniversary and serves as a major highlight in the local calendar, attracting residents, visitors, and dignitaries from neighboring areas.
The Munggo Festival, also locally known as the Balatong Festival, is an annual cultural celebration held in the first week of May in the town. The festival is dedicated to honoring and giving thanks to God for the abundance and blessings of the munggo (mung bean) harvest—one of the municipality's primary agricultural products.
As a municipality in the Province of Isabela, government officials at the provincial and municipal levels are voted by the town. The provincial government has political jurisdiction over most 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 municipal councilors are elected directly in polls 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
Members of the San Mateo Municipal Council (2025–2028)[25]
San Mateo also produced provincial leaders which include Governor Gabriel Visaya, Third District Board Members which include Severo Lachica and Dr. Venancio O. Villarta, and appointed Agricultural Representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Napoleon Hernandez II.
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.[30] The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region.[31] There are two schools district offices that govern the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality, namely: San Mateo North District, and San Mateo South District.[32]
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