Kasibu comes from the Ilongot dialect, which denotes a venue where people settle their differences.
History
Long before the opening of the municipal district of Kasibu, there was a school and a constabulary detachment for the Ilongots, which necessitated the establishment of a government in the area. For this reason, the provincial board during Governor Alfonso Castañeda's time requested the Governor-General to authorize the establishment of this place as a provisional municipal district to be supervised and administered by the provincial board through the office of the provincial governor.
By virtue of Executive Order No. 59, signed on January 1, 1926, by Governor General Leonard Wood, Kasibu was established as part of the Municipal District of Bambang. However, by virtue of a Proclamation issued by Governor Leon Cabarroguis in 1933, Kasibu was reorganized as a separate Municipal District. On November 9, 1950, Executive Order No. 368,[5] signed by President Elpidio Quirino, abolished the municipal district structure in government and reattached Kasibu to Bambang. The very low population caused the abolition, as residents started to evacuate and abandon Kasibu due to the presence of dissidents from 1950 to 1955. On January 9, 1956, when peace and order was restored, President Ramon Magsaysay issued Executive Order No. 160[6] creating Kasibu as a separate municipality, but losing territorial jurisdiction over some of its barrios specifically Payupay, Belance, Oyao, Teguep, Manacgoc, Pangancan and Munguia, all on the eastern side in favor of Dupax del Norte.
Geography
Barangays
Kasibu is politically subdivided into 30 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Kasibu is host to the Didipio mine, a gold and copper mine currently managed by OceanaGold. It produces gold and silver as doré bars and copper in concentrate.[12] The mine claim spans 27,000 hectares in total between the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino. It is estimated to hold 1.41 million ounces of gold and 169,400 tons of copper.[13]
Kasibu, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Nueva Vizcaya, 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 councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.
The Schools Division of Nueva Vizcaya governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region.[23] The office governs the public and private elementary and public and private high schools throughout the municipality.