Besao

Besao
Municipality
Municipality of Besao
Flag Seal
Map of Mountain Province with Besao highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Besao Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 17°05′43″N120°51′22″E / 17.0953°N 120.8561°E / 17.0953; 120.8561
Country	Philippines
Region	Cordillera Administrative Region
Province	Mountain Province
District	Lone district
Founded	1904
Barangays	14 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Bryne O. Bacwaden
•  Vice Mayor	Elizabeth A. Buyagan
•  Representative	Maximo Y. Dalog Jr.
•  Municipal Council	Members Johnny D. Ambucay Arleigh L. Pekas Raphael V. Clemente Joel D. Lacsigen Marcos I. Mangallay Benny S. Ballang Henry D. Bosigen Alfredo S. Beyden
•  Electorate	6,152 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	173.62 km2 (67.04 sq mi)
Elevation	1,405 m (4,610 ft)
Highest elevation	2,059 m (6,755 ft)
Lowest elevation	721 m (2,365 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [3]
• Total	6,873
• Density	40/km2 (100/sq mi)
•  Households	1,738
Economy
•  Income class	5th municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	16.63 % (2018) [4]
•  Revenue	₱ 84.37 million (2020)
•  Assets	₱ 228 million (2020)
•  Expenditure	₱ 65.53 million (2020)
•  Liabilities	₱ 25.75 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	Mountain Province Electric Cooperative (MOPRECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2618
PSGC	144403000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)74
Native languages	Kankanaey Balangao Bontoc Ilocano Tagalog
Website	besao.gov.ph

Besao, officially the Municipality of Besao is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 6,873 people. ^[3] .

Besao is 27 kilometres (17 mi) from Bontoc and 403 kilometres (250 mi) from Manila.

The town is known for the Agawa people's Agricultural Stone Calendar of Gueday. The stone calendar is one of the most enigmatic artifact in the Cordillera mountains. It is a testimony to the accurate scientific outlook of the ancient Agawa people in the cycle of weathers, agriculture, and heavenly bodies. ^[5]

Geography

Cordillera Central mountains in Besao

Barangays

Besao is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Agawa
• Ambagiw
• Banguitan
• Besao East
• Besao West
• Catengan
• Gueday
• Lacmaan
• Laylaya
• Padangaan
• Payeo
• Suquib
• Tamboan
• Kin-iway (Poblacion)

Climate

Climate data for Besao, Mountain Province
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	19 (66)	20 (68)	21 (70)	23 (73)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	21 (70)	21 (70)	21 (70)	20 (68)	19 (66)	21 (70)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	12 (54)	12 (54)	13 (55)	15 (59)	16 (61)	17 (63)	17 (63)	17 (63)	16 (61)	15 (59)	14 (57)	13 (55)	15 (59)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	35 (1.4)	46 (1.8)	63 (2.5)	117 (4.6)	402 (15.8)	400 (15.7)	441 (17.4)	471 (18.5)	440 (17.3)	258 (10.2)	94 (3.7)	68 (2.7)	2,835 (111.6)
Average rainy days	9.9	19.5	13.9	18.9	26.0	27.3	28.9	28.5	26.1	19.7	14.5	12.8	246
Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally) [6]

Demographics

Population census of Besao

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1918 4,642 —     1939 5,144 +0.49% 1948 5,799 +1.34% 1960 8,174 +2.90% 1970 9,286 +1.28%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1975 7,051 −5.37% 1980 9,093 +5.22% 1990 8,473 −0.70% 1995 9,147 +1.44% 2000 9,875 +1.66%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2007 7,295 −4.09% 2010 7,818 +2.55% 2015 7,040 −1.98% 2020 6,873 −0.47%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [7] [8] [9] [10]

The population of the town has been decreasing due to younger generations migrating to cities seeking for work.

Religion

Besao's main religion is animism.^{[ citation needed ]} The town is one of the few animist towns in the southern Cordillera mountains. Much of its ancestral worship intangible heritage has been preserved by the older generations. However, the younger generations have been migrating to cities, making the animist religions of Besao in great danger in the long-term. Christian groups have been surfacing in the town since the younger generations have been moving into cities.

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Besao, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Mountain Province, 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.

Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022): ^[18]

• Congressman: Maximo Y. Dalog Jr.
• Mayor: Johnson D. Bantog II
• Vice-Mayor: June T. Lopsoten
• Councilors:
  • Bryne O. Bacwaden
  • Joel D. Lacsigen
  • Elizabeth A. Buyagan
  • John M. Antiyag
  • Dennis L. Bing-il
  • Edna S. Kidangen
  • James B. Badongen Sr.
  • William S. Beswilan

References

1.   Municipality of Besao | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. Census of Population (2020). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 8 July 2021.
4. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
5. "Secrets of the Calendar Stone of Besao in the Philippines Revealed". 4 June 2009.
6. "Besao: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
7. Census of Population (2015). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
8. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
9. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
10. "Province of Mountain Province". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
11. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
12. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
13. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
14. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
15. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
16. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
17. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
18. "2019 National and Local Elections" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved March 13, 2022.

External links

• Official Website of Besao, Mountain Province
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information