Apayao


Apayao is a landlocked province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital town is Kabugao.
The province 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 comprised a single province named Kalinga-Apayao, which was partitioned to better service the needs of individual ethnic groups.
With a population of covering an area of, Apayao is the least densely-populated province in the Philippines.

History

Spanish period

Although Apayao which was then part of Cagayan, was among the earliest areas penetrated by the Spaniards in the Cordilleras, the region, inhabited by the Isneg tribe, remained largely outside Spanish control until late in the 19th century. As early as 1610, the Dominican friars established a mission in what is now the town of Pudtol. In 1684, the friars again made attempts to convert the people and established a church in what is now Kabugao.
The Spanish authorities were then able to establish in Cagayan the comandancias of Apayao and Cabugaoan in 1891, which covered the western and eastern portions of what is now Apayao. The comandancias, however, failed to bring total control and the Spanish government only maintained a loose hold over the area.

American period

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.

World War II

In 1942, Japanese Imperial forces entered Apayao, starting a three-year occupation of the province during the Second World War. Local Filipino troops of the 1st, 2nd, 12th, 15th, and 16th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the military forces of the USAFIP-NL 11th and 66th Infantry Regiment, supported by the Cordilleran guerrillas, drove out the Japanese in 1945.

Kalinga-Apayao creation and splitting

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, Bontoc, Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao. Kalinga-Apayao, along with Ifugao, became one of the provinces of the Cagayan Valley region in 1972.
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 independent provinces with the passage of Republic Act No. 7878.

Biodiversity and biosphere reserve

Apayao is biologically diverse. The province is sanctuary to 139 bird species, 61 of which are endemic and 4 threatened. It also has 43 species of wild food plants eaten by the indigenous people and 50 species of medicinal plants. The province is home to critically endangered rufous hornbills, lawaan or dipterocarp trees, Raflesia flowers, and the white-winged flying fox.
The Philippine Eagle Foundation began its search of eagles in Apayao in 2011 after reports of huge eagles were roaming the area for centuries. On March 22, 2013, scientists discovered the stronghold of critically endangered Philippine eagles, the country's national bird, in Luzon island within the vicinity of the Calanasan Lowland Forest. In January 2015, the town of Calanasan initiated a program which protected 3,000 hectares of forests under its jurisdiction. Additionally, the province of Apayao is one of the very few in the country that has an approved forest land use plan. The first active Philippine eagle nest in Apayao was discovered in July 2015.
On 9 July 2018, the provincial government of Apayao announced their intent for the province to be a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The province, which possesses more than 286,000 hectares of virgin forests, also noted that they have sent four of their personnel to train in the United States under the US Foreign Service to hasten the declaration of the site. On January 16, 2019, the provincial government announced that they were doing "legwork for the inscription."

Geography

Apayao is basically situated within the Cordillera Central mountains, traversed by many rivers. The province covers an area of forming the northern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region, and is bounded on the north and east by Cagayan, west by Ilocos Norte, southwest by Abra and south by Kalinga.
Plains and valleys are used for farming. Apayao is basically composed of farmlands.

Climate

The prevailing climate in the province falls under Corona's Type III Classification. It is characterized by relatively dry and wet seasons, from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year. Heaviest rain during December to February while the month of May is the warmest.

Administrative divisions

Apayao comprises 7 municipalities, all encompassed by a lone legislative district.

Barangays

The 7 municipalities of the province comprise a total of 133 barangays, with Barangay Malama in Conner as the most populous in 2015, and Eleazar in Calanasan as the least.

Demographics

The population of Apayao in the was people, with a density of.
were the first inhabitants of Apayao. Their numbers were eventually overtaken by the Ilokano people who migrated under the orders of then president Marcos, making the Isnag a minority in their ancestral lands.
Based on the 2000 census survey, Ilocanos comprised of the total provincial population of 97,058, while almost 1/3 of the population were Isnag at. Other ethnic groups in the province were the Malaueg at, Isneg at, Kalinga at, Kankanaey at, Bontoc at, and Ibaloi at.
Two major sub-groups among the Isnag people are known: the Ymandaya, mostly concentrated in the municipality of Calanasan; and the Imallod, with populations distributed among the other towns of the province. Some Isnag populations can also be found in the eastern part of the adjacent Provinces of Ilocos Norte and Cagayan, due to previous displacements from Ilokano migrations.
Isnag, also called Isneg, kinship is bilateral, meaning children are equally related to both the mother and the father. Households consist of interrelated families living close to each other, and extended families of three generations living together in their balay. The family is the key element in society, the larger the better, headed by the husband. No other society structure exists, though brave men, mengals, lead in hunting and fishing. The bravest, Kamenglan, is the overall leader. A young man entered their ranks after the first headhunting expedition during the old days. A mengal carries a red kerchief on the head and has tattoos on his arms and shoulders. They are animistic and practice polygamy. However, an influx of Christian religions have destroyed many of Isnag culture. Approximately 9% of Isnag people were converted to Christianity, usually by forced assimilation, during the colonial era up to the present era.

Economy

Apayao is devoted to agricultural production, particularly food and industrial crops such as palay, corn, coffee, root crops and vegetables. Fruits produced include lanzones, citrus, bananas and pineapples, durian, santol, rambutan, coconut and mangosteen. Rice production totaled 98,489 metric tons in 2011. Parts of Apayao are home to rice terraces.
Economic activity is also based on livestock and poultry breeding such as swine, carabao, cattle, goat and sheep. Other additional investment includes manufacturing, food processing, furniture, crafts and house wares making.
Updated records of the Department of Trade and Industry Provincial Office reveal that existing industries in the province are furniture, garment craft, food processing, gifts and house wares, and agricultural support.
The people of Apayao also have a rich tradition of basket, handicraft, and textile weaving.