Northeast Luzon
consists principally of a wide, fertile valley between the Cordilleras
in the west and the Sierra Madre in the east. The valley is named
after its main river, the Cagayan. The economy of the region is
dominated by rice and tobacco growing.
As the region
does not have any major attractions to offer, tourism is practically
non-existent. What abounds is politically motivated violence,
and that also does not exactly help in making the area a destina-tion
for travelers.
Whereas NPA
operations on Mindanao somehow have calmed down a little since
Cory Aquino came to power, they have up-surged not only in the
Bicol region of Luzon but also in the northeast corner of the
is-land.
The former
constabulary Colonel Rodolfo Aguinaldo is partially responsible
for this development in the northeast. He has undertaken a fierce
anti-communist drive in the region since 1986. Aguinaldo thereby
gained so much popularity that he was elected governor of Cagayan
province January 18, 1988 in spite of having actively participated
in the Honasan coup attempt of August 28, 1987, and in spite of
having been discharged from military service. Even as governor,
Aguinaldo personally participates in anti-communist operations
of the military and the strong vigilante groups of Cagayan.
Among the
encounters between the military and the NPA since 1986, many may
be directly called battles. In a ten hour gun battle near Aparri,
23 soldiers, 17 rebels and 1 civilian were killed. On April 24,
1986, the NPA ambushed a military convoy near Gatarran and killed
11 soldiers and the famous Filipino photographer Willie Vicoy.
May 1, 1986, the NPA raided the towns of Alcapan and Lasam, killing
14 soldiers and wounding several others. May 27, 1986, 40 NPA
rebels were killed in a major offensive of the military near the
towns of Abulog and Sta. Marcela. February 12, 1987, Abulog town
was raided by the NPA; 5 soldiers and 3 rebels died. March 17,
1987, more than 100 NPA's raided Alcapan town and looted the government
warehouse; 15 rebels and 8 people on the government side were
killed in that incident. In 1988, on March 10, the NPA raided
the town of Sanches Mira, kill-ing 6 people.
Foreigners
who after this news still have an appetite to travel this particular
region will find beaches along the northern coast that are beautiful
and untouched, and which they do not have to share with other
foreign visitors. The populace will generally also be rather distant.
