Nueva Vizcaya turns 165 today

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — This landlocked province, the threshold to the Cagayan Valley region, marks today its 165th founding anniversary, the highlight of a week-long cultural, agriculture and tourism Panagyaman (Thanksgiving) Festival.

About 270 kilometers north of Metro Manila, Nueva Vizcaya, the second oldest of the five provinces in Cagayan Valley, boasts of various tourism destinations, including the world-class Alayan Caves in mountainous Kasibu town and the Salinas Salt Spring in Bambang town.

The province is home to more than 300,000 inhabitants of diverse cultures, such as the Ilocanos, Igorots, Ifugaos and other indigenous tribes like the once-feared Bugkalots, known for head-hunting in the early days, and the Gaddangs, said to be the first settlers of the province.

Nueva Vizcaya is a known producer of export-quality vegetables and oranges, among other agricultural products. — Charlie Lagasca