History
Tabuk became the Cordillera’s second city after Baguio on June 23, 2007, when 17,060 voters ratified Republic Act No. 9404, An Act Converting the Municipality of Tabuk into a Component City of the Province of Kalinga to be Known as the City of Tabuk. In November 2008, the full bench of the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared Republic Act 9404 unconstitutional, reverting Tabuk to the status of a municipality.
On December 10, 2008, Tabuk and the other 15 cities affected, informally known as the League of 16, filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court. More than a year later, on December 22, 2009, acting on said appeal, the Court reversed its earlier ruling as it ruled that “at the end of the day, the passage of the amendatory law (regarding the criteria for cityhood as set by Congress) is no different from the enactment of a law, i.e., the cityhood laws specifically exempting a particular political subdivision from the criteria earlier mentioned. Congress, in enacting the exempting law/s, effectively decreased the already codified indicators.” As such, the cityhood status of Tabuk is effectively restored.
But on August 24, 2010, in a 16-page resolution, the Supreme Court reinstated its November 18, 2008 decision striking down the Cityhood laws making Tabuk a municipality again.
Voting 7-6, with two justices not taking part, the SC reinstated its Nov. 18, 2008 decision declaring as unconstitutional the Republic Acts (RAs) converting 16 municipalities into cities again.
On February 15, 2011, the supreme court upheld for the 3rd time the cityhood of Tabuk and 15 other towns in the Philippines.
Population/ Language/ Area
It borders with the town of Pinukpuk in the north and the town of Rizal in the northeast. On its westernmost section it shares border with the towns of Pasil and Lubuagan. On the southwest it borders with the town of Tanudan. Tabuk City is a border city of Kalinga with the provinces of Isabela and Mountain Province. In the east, it is bordered by the town of Quezon, Isabela which is about 20 kilometers from the city center and the town of Paracelis, Mountain Province on the south.
Products and Services
Agriculture is the main economic activity in the city. Chief product is rice. In fact, Tabuk is considered the rice granary of the province. Other farm products are corn, coffee, livestock and poultry. Fishing is done on its rivers. Manufacturing is limited to rice milling and food processing. Cottage industries include furniture making, wood crafts, weaving and other handicrafts-making.
Business Opportunity
Eco-tourism in the city is a good way to invest in. There are also lots of production and processing of organic crops especially cacao and coffee. These products can be exposed to the surrounding towns of Tabuk. Making of furniture is also a bright prospect in this city.
Tourist Spots
- Chico River – good for swimming, fishing, and white water rafting