03/06/2024
DUPAX DEL NORTE HISTORY
Dupax del Norte, officially the Municipality of Dupax del Norte (Gaddang: Ili na Dupax del Norte; Ilocano: Ili ti Dupax del Norte; Tagalog: Bayan ng Hilagang Dupax), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,295 people. [3]
Dupax del Norte, situated on the south-eastern part of Nueva Vizcaya, has a total land area of 396 square kilometers. Consists of 15 Barangays. It is bounded by the town of Kasibu in the North, Alfonso Castañeda in the east, Dupax del Sur in the South, and Bambang in the West. It has wide tracts of virgin forests, rich, fertile plains and valleys with mineral deposits and is blessed with a climate suitable for agriculture.
The name "Dupax" comes from the Isinay word "dopaj". By "dopaj" the Isinays, who are the first inhabitants of Dupax, meant "to lay down in complete relaxation."
In time, the town's name metamorphosed into Dupax, after the arrival of the Spaniards who, for convenience, substituted the letter "x" in lieu of letter "j" for easy pronunciation.
The original town of Dupax is the largest municipality of the province of Nueva Vizcaya in terms of land area. But in 1971, the Congress passed into law Republic Act 6372 otherwise known as "An Act Creating the Municipality of Dupax del Sur from the Municipality of Dupax in the province of Nueva Vizcaya", sponsored by Congressman Benjamin B. Perez in the Philippine House of Representatives and Senator Leonardo B. Perez in the Philippine Senate. president Ferdinand Marcos amended some sections and signed it into law with the promulgation of Presidential Decree 586 on November 26, 1974, which paved the way for the division of Dupax into two municipalities: Dupax del Norte and Dupax del Sur.
As early as 1928, during the term of Municipal President Inocencio Suzon, there were already attempts to transfer the town hall to Barangay Malasin (poblacion of the present Dupax del Norte) from the poblacion (the present poblacion of Dupax del Sur). On November 28, 1931, during the incumbency of Municipal President Tranquilino Orden, the Municipal Council has approved Resolution No. 94 sponsored by Councilor Victoriano Barroga proposing the transfer of the seat of the municipal government from the old poblacion to Malasin. However, it was only in 1956 that the move has succeeded when Congress approved Republic Act 1181 sponsored by Congressman Leonardo B. Perez.
