Ibanag, according to Blust (1971), is a Philippine language under the Cordilleran subgroup. As of the 1990 tally of SIL (Ethnologue, 2017), there are around 500,000 recorded number of speakers of Ibanag all over the Philippines. The origin of the term Ibanag is yet unknown, but is gestured towards the nature, people, or the interactions between the two elements.

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        Ibanag, if unbeknownst of it, is usually referred to as Ilokano to those who do not speak the language. Native speakers, however, distinguish Ibanag clearly from this lingua franca of the North. Varieties of Ibanag exist all around the country, with minor differences if spoken, for example, in Tuguegarao when compared to the variety in San Pablo, Isabela.

 

           Divided into three main areas, Western, Eastern, and Coastal, Isabela is located in the northeastern coastline of Luzon and is the second largest province in  the Philippines. It is also the largest province in the island of Luzon. Isabela hosts the Sierra Madre mountain range along the three areas and is also home to one of the remaining rainforests in the world: the Northern Sierra Madre National Park.

 

        San Pablo, according to their official website, is a “3rd class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines,” located specifically on the northwestern portion of Isabela (The Official Website of the Province of Isabela, 2015). In one of the 17 barangays in Isabela, which is San Pablo, Ibanag is the only language present. However, Ibanag speakers in that area are also familiar with Ilokano, for, as the informant mentioned, “Ilokano is the regional language in Region II.”

 

        The Ibanag people, due to a small population, have developed a sort of familial relationship among each other, where everyone in the community knows each other. No certain group within the barangay is dominant over the other. This is evident in the usual day-to- day activities of the Ibanag people, where farming and fishing are the main sources of livelihood. During the moments a member is not working, he settles with the other members of the community, joining in their activities or simply exchanging stories to interact and also pass the time.

 

           There is, unfortunately, an existing stigma against the Ibanag when they are heard by outsiders using the language, wherein they are being laughed at when they speak in Ibanag. They then tend to switch to Tagalog or English out of shame. Also, according to the researchers’ informant, there is a mindset present that “people who can’t speak Tagalog or English tend to call themselves dumb.” Nonetheless, there is good pride in speaking Ibanag is present, especially if spoken alongside bigger groups of Ibanag natives.