Sanchez Mira, officially the Municipality of Sanchez Mira (Ibanag: Ili nat Sanchez Mira; Ilocano: Ili ti Sanchez Mira; Tagalog: Bayan ng Sanchez Mira), is a municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 26,292 people.
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History
Formerly called Malukkit or Naluqui, meaning "a place of conflict/destruction", the name "Sanchez Mira" was given in honor of Manuel Sanchez Mira, a Spanish Brigadier General assigned in the Cagayan Valley who served as the alcalde mayor of Cagayan. It was formally established as a town in 1894, with majority of its first inhabitants being Ilocanos from Paoay, Ilocos Norte. They came from notable families such as the Negre, Mackay, Cacatian, Marzan, and Paclibon.
Third Republic
On November 15, 1967, Vice Mayor P. Frafcon was assassinated by unidentified men.
Geography
Lying on a latitude of 18 degrees, 34 minutes north and a longitude of 121 degrees, 14 minutes east, the municipality is bounded on the north by the Babuyan Channel; on the south by the municipality of Luna; on the east by the municipality of Pamplona; and on the west by the municipality of Claveria.
Sanchez Mira is 158.38 kilometres (98.41 mi) from the provincial capital Tuguegarao, and 629.86 kilometres (391.38 mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.
Barangays
Sanchez Mira is politically subdivided into 18 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios.
Demographics
In the 2024 census, the population of Sanchez Mira was 26,292 people, with a density of 130 inhabitants per square kilometre or 340 inhabitants per square mile.
Economy
Poverty incidence of Sanchez Mira (%)
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
Government
Local government
Sanchez Mira is part of the second legislative district of the province of Cagayan. It is governed by a mayor, designated as its local chief executive, and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the municipal councilors are elected directly by the people through an election held every three years.
Town hall
The current Sanchez Mira Municipal Hall was built during the tenure of Mayor Napoleon Cabuyadao Sacramed.
Education
The Schools Division of Cagayan governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Cagayan Valley region. The Sanchez Mira Schools District Office oversees both public and private elementary and high schools across the municipality.
The first Methodist high school in the Philippines, Thoburn Memorial Academy, was established in 1945, right after World War II, by Juan Agcaoili Aragones and his wife, Serapia Perdido Negre.