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.

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I like to do whatever is possible to look as young as possible (to look older later, I won't have to do much).