Kibungan, officially the Municipality of Kibungan (Ilocano: Ili ti Kibungan; Tagalog: Bayan ng Kibungan), is a municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,051 people.[5]
Kibungan is at the northwestern section of Benguet. It is bounded by Bakun on the north, Buguias on the mid-east, Kabayan on the southeast, Atok and Kapangan on the south, and Sugpon on the mid-west.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 254.86 square kilometres (98.40sqmi)[6] constituting 9.20% of the 2,769.08-square-kilometre- (1,069.15sqmi) total area of Benguet.
Kibungan has seven barangays namely; Sagpat, Poblacion, Palina, Tacadang, Madaymen, Badeo, and Lubo. Barangay Sagpat and Lubo produces sayote as their main crop, sayote was tagged the "hanging gold". Barangay Madaymen and Palina also produces varieties of vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and more. Barangay Tacadang and Badeo is not accessible by vehicle because of the rocky mountains and its hard to construct road.
Kibungan is known in the province of Benguet as the town with unique mountains often mistaken to resemble those of Switzerland. Deep ravines and cliffs separate and isolate many sitios and some barangays. Although some plateaus, hills and small valleys can be seen in the locality, Kibungan is dominantly mountainous.
The municipality is within a cool highland mountainous zone with elevations at more than 2,500 metres (8,200ft) above sea level. During its coolest months of December to January, Barangay Madaymen experiences chilling temperature of 0°C (32°F), causing the famous Frost of Madaymen.
Kibungan is situated 55.71 kilometres (34.62mi) from the provincial capital La Trinidad, and 308.65 kilometres (191.79mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.
Barangays
Kibungan is politically subdivided into 7 barangays.[7] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Kibungan, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Benguet, 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.
Cattles with a view of the Cordillera Mountain Range
Les-eng Rice Terraces: These terraces can be reached after 6-hour hike through lush pine forests in Barangay Tacadang.
Mayos River: located at the north-eastern part of Barangay Poblacion. It is approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6mi) in length and is about 3 kilometres (1.9mi) away from Poblacion Proper. The river originates from ridges of nearby Barangays Madaymen, Palina and Tacadang; and supplies water to rice paddies and vegetable farms along the vicinity.
Palina Rice Terraces: In Barangay Palina at the foot of Mount Kilkili, believed to be a former volcano because of its conical shape. It was constructed following a century-old system of rice terraces built with stone walls and neatly arranged one after the other. The rice terraces are at their best in December and June when the rice paddies turn golden yellow, near harvest time. The Palina rice terraces is known as the municipality's rice granary.
Lubo Lake: It was an open pit abandoned by the BONENG MINES operated by the WMC due to bankruptcy. The pit was filled with water in the early 2001 due to rains and typhoons and accumulated due to the absence of an outlet.
Tacadang Hiking Circuit
Scenery at Kibugan
In order to promote the uniqueness of the municipality's ecotourism, the people want the tag "Switzerland of Benguet" removed as of 2007. The tag was created in good faith as the municipality is a mountainous region and has a cool climate that is associated with Switzerland. However, this gives the wrong impression that the municipality has snow-covered peaks for skiing.[27]
Education
The Kibungan Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.[28]
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