(Redirected from Apayao Province):''For other uses, see
Apayao (disambiguation).''
'Apayao' is a landlocked
province of the
Philippines in the
Cordillera Administrative Region in
Luzon. Its capital is
Kabugao and borders
Cagayan to the north and east,
Abra and
Ilocos Norte to the west, and
Kalinga to the south. Prior to
1995, Kalinga and Apayao used to be a single province named ''
Kalinga-Apayao'', until they were split into two to better service the needs of individual native tribes in the provinces.
People and culture
Economy
Geography
Political
Apayao is subdivided into 7
municipalities.
Municipalities
Physical
History
Apayao was among the earliest areas penetrated by the Spaniards in the Cordilleras, but the region, inhabited by the
Isneg tribe, remained largely outside Spanish control until late in the 1800s. As early as 1610, the Dominican friars established a mission in what is now the town of
Pudtol. In 1684, the friars again made vain attempts to convert the people and established a church in what is now
Cabugao. The ruins of the early churches in Pudtol and Cabugao still stand as mute testimony to the failed attempts to occupy Apayao.
The Spanish authorities were then able to establish the ''comandancia''s of Apayao and Cabugaoan in 1891, which covered the western and eastern portions of what is now Apayao. The ''comandancia''s, however, failed to bring total control and the Spanish government only maintained a loose hold over the area.
The Americans established the
Mountain Province on
August 13,
1908, with the enactment of
Act No. 1876. Apayao, along with Amburayan,
Benguet, Bontoc,
Ifugao,
Kalinga, and Lepanto, became sub-provinces of this new province. Before this, Apayao had been a part of
Cagayan province.
After being a sub-province for almost 60 years, on June 18, 1966, the huge Mountain Province was split into four provinces with the enactment of
Republic Act No. 4695. The four provinces were Benguet, Mountain Province,
Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao. Kalinga-Apayao became one of the provinces of the
Cagayan Valley region.
On
July 15,
1987, the
Cordillera Administrative Region was established and Kalinga-Apayao was made one of its provinces. Finally, on
February 14,
1995, Kalinga-Apayao was split into two distinct provinces with the passage of Republic Act No. 7878.
It may be no coincidence that the outline of Apayao (and the former Kalinga-Apayao) resembles a bust of a man akin to former dictator
Ferdinand Marcos (looking toward his home province,
Ilocos Norte) whom they called as the "Great Profile" during the Marcos Era.
External links
★
The Official Website of the Provincial Government of Apayao
★
Famous Ilocano Website by Apayao-Born Writer Andel Barroga, Bannawag Magazine Contributor
★
Popular Philippine Trivia Online Site by Apayao-Born Author R. Barroga-Balboa, Former Luna Municipal High School Graduating Class Valedictorian