Isabela (Filipinas)

"Isabela es una ciudad filipina y la capital de la provincia de Basilán. La ciudad está al noroeste de Basilan. Y cruza Esterecho de Basilán ( Basilan Strait) quedando al norte la Ciudad de Zamboanga. Según el censo del año 2000 la ciudad de Isabela tiene una población de 73.032 personas. La ciudad tiene el nombre de Isabel por Isabel II de España reina de España."

"Isabela, officially the City of Isabela (Zamboangueño: Ciudad de Isabela; Filipino: Lungsod ng Isabela), and often referred to as Isabela City, is a 4th class city and the capital of the province of Basilan, Philippines. It is also colloquially known as Isabela de Basilan to differentiate the city's name from the province of Isabela on Luzon island. While administratively the island province of Basilan is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Isabela City itself is in not part of this region and is placed under the Zamboanga Peninsula region. Institutionally, the military has played a major part in Isabela City's and Basilan's volatile history, due to the ongoing conflicts borne out of the Moro Secessionist wars of the 1970s, and more recently, by Al Qaeda backed Islamic fundamentalist groups fomenting a running gun-battle with the Philippines' armed forces for more than a decade. Also exerting great influence in everyday life is the Roman Catholic Church and the Islamic mufti and imams, religious scholars and leaders who exercise a moral ascendancy over their respective groups. Trading and commerce are still predominantly East Asian (Hokkien Chinese), aided more so by a recent influx of immigrants from Taiwan and by Koreans as well."