Isabela city, Basilan
Isabela, officially the City of Isabela (Chavacano: Ciudad de Isabela; Tausūg: Dāira sin Isabela; Yakan: Suidad Isabelahin; Sama: Siti Isabela) or simply known as Isabela City, is a 4th class city in Basilan, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 112,788 people.
It is also colloquially known as Isabela de Basilan to differentiate the city's name from the province of Isabela in Luzon.
While administratively the island province of Basilan is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Isabela City, where it served as its capital since the province's creation, itself is not part of this region, being instead placed under the Zamboanga Peninsula region. Isabela is still being regulated by the Basilan provincial government and provincial services are provided by Basilan but regional services are being provided by Zamboanga Peninsula. The Philippine Statistics Authority lists Isabela as statistically independent from Basilan. This prompted the provincial government to transfer the capital to Lamitan City.
Institutionally, the military has played a major part in Isabela City's and Basilan's volatile history, due to the ongoing conflicts borne out of the Moro Secessionist wars of the 1970s, and more recently, by Al Qaeda backed Islamic fundamentalist groups fomenting a running gun-battle with the Philippines' armed forces for more than a decade.
Also exerting great influence in everyday life is the Roman Catholic Church and the Islamic mufti and imams, religious scholars and leaders who exercise a moral ascendancy over their respective groups.
Trading and commerce are still predominantly in the hands of the East Asian (Hokkien Chinese), aided more so by a recent influx of immigrants from Taiwan and by Koreans as well.
It is also colloquially known as Isabela de Basilan to differentiate the city's name from the province of Isabela in Luzon.
While administratively the island province of Basilan is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Isabela City, where it served as its capital since the province's creation, itself is not part of this region, being instead placed under the Zamboanga Peninsula region. Isabela is still being regulated by the Basilan provincial government and provincial services are provided by Basilan but regional services are being provided by Zamboanga Peninsula. The Philippine Statistics Authority lists Isabela as statistically independent from Basilan. This prompted the provincial government to transfer the capital to Lamitan City.
Institutionally, the military has played a major part in Isabela City's and Basilan's volatile history, due to the ongoing conflicts borne out of the Moro Secessionist wars of the 1970s, and more recently, by Al Qaeda backed Islamic fundamentalist groups fomenting a running gun-battle with the Philippines' armed forces for more than a decade.
Also exerting great influence in everyday life is the Roman Catholic Church and the Islamic mufti and imams, religious scholars and leaders who exercise a moral ascendancy over their respective groups.
Trading and commerce are still predominantly in the hands of the East Asian (Hokkien Chinese), aided more so by a recent influx of immigrants from Taiwan and by Koreans as well.
