Mountain Province | |
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Coordinates: 17°05′N121°10′E / 17.08°N 121.17°E | |
Country | Philippines |
Region | Cordillera Administrative Region |
Founded | 1908 |
Capital | Bontoc |
Largest Municipality | Bauko |
Government | |
• Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan |
• Governor | Bonifacio C. Lacwasan Jr. (PDP-Laban) |
• Vice Governor | Francis O. Taulif (PDP-Laban) |
• Representative | Maximo Y. Dalug Jr. (NP) |
• Legislature | Mountain Province Provincial Board |
Area | |
• Total | 2,157.38 km2 (832.97 sq mi) |
• Rank | 58th out of 81 |
Highest elevation | 2,702 m (8,865 ft) |
Population (2020 census) [2] | |
• Total | 158,200 |
• Rank | 76th out of 81 |
• Density | 73/km2 (190/sq mi) |
• Rank | 75th out of 81 |
Divisions | |
• Independent cities | 0 |
• Component cities | 0 |
• Municipalities | |
• Barangays | 144 |
• Districts | Legislative district of Mountain Province |
Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
ZIP code | 2616–2625 |
IDD : area code | +63 (0)74 |
ISO 3166 code | PH-MOU |
Spoken languages | |
Website | mountainprovince |
Mountain Province (Filipino : Lalawigang Bulubundukin) is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as Mountain in some foreign references. The name is usually shortened by locals to Mt. Province.
The province was named so for being in the Cordillera Central mountain range found in the upper realms of Luzon island.
Mountain Province was also the name of the historical province that included most of the current Cordillera provinces. This old province was established by the Philippine Commission in 1908, [3] [4] [5] and was later split in 1966 into Mountain Province, Benguet, Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao. [6] [7] [8]
The province is also known for its mummy caves, which contain naturally mummified bodies, and for its hanging coffins. [6]
The area of the Cordillera mountains proved difficult to control by the Spaniards. During the long Spanish rule, not much was done to bring the province under control. From 1566 to 1665, they sent expeditions to conquer the land but the rugged terrain and hostile indigenous population at the time were major obstacles to complete subjugation. [9] The first serious effort to subjugate them was made in 1785 when soldiers were sent from Cagayan to put down a revolt of the Kalingas. A famous Spanish explorer, Guillermo Galvez, conducted more than 40 forays to the mountainous region. [10]
Formerly called La Montañosa by the Spanish colonizers due to its mountainous terrain, [6] [11] the area was subdivided into 6 comandancias politico-militar. [12]
Comandancia | Year established | Comandancia | Year established |
---|---|---|---|
Benguet | 1846 | Amburayan | 1889 |
Lepanto | 1852 | Kayapa | 1891 |
Bontoc | 1859 | Cabugaoan | 1891 |
Mountain Province | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Former province of the Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||
1908-1966 | |||||||||||||||||||||
The province in 1918 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Capital | Baguio | ||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||
• Established | June 18, 1908 | ||||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | April 7, 1967 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | Cordillera Administrative Region |
On August 19, 1908, during the American rule, the Philippine Commission enacted Act No. 1876, which organized the entire area of the Cordilleras into one large province, named Mountain Province. [3] [5] [6] [13]
The first governor was Samuel Kane, and the town of Bontoc was made the capital. It was originally composed of the sub-provinces of Amburayan, Apayao, Benguet, Lepanto-Bontoc, Ifugao and Kalinga. [5] [11]
Amburayan was later abolished in 1920 and its corresponding territories were transferred to the provinces of Ilocos Sur and La Union. Lepanto was also reduced in size and its towns were integrated into the sub-provinces of Bontoc and Benguet, and to the province of Ilocos Sur. [9] [14] [15]
Sub-province | Abolished? | Notes |
---|---|---|
Amburayan | Yes, in 1920 | Territories annexed to Ilocos Sur and La Union [5] [15] |
Apayao | No | |
Benguet | No | Eastern towns annexed to Ilocos Sur and La Union in 1920 [15] |
Ifugao | No | |
Kalinga | No | |
Lepanto-Bontoc | Yes, in 1920 | Territories annexed to Ilocos Sur, Bontoc and Benguet [5] [15] |
Effective on April 7, 1967, Republic Act No. 4695 abolished the old Mountain Province, converting its sub-provinces into 4 independent provinces: Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga-Apayao and Mountain Province (corresponding to the former Bontoc sub-province). [6] [8] [11]
Mountain Province would have been significantly affected by the Chico River Dam Project during the Marcos administration, as the Marcos regime's project would have flooded the municipalities of Sabangan, Sagada, Sadanga, Bontoc, Bauko, and parts of Barlig. [16] However, the indigenous peoples of Kalinga Province and Mountain Province resisted the project and when hostilities resulted in the murder of Macli-ing Dulag, the project became unpopular and was abandoned before Marcos was ousted by the 1986 People Power Revolution. [17]
On June 15, 1987, the Cordillera Administrative Region was established upon the issuance of Executive Order 220 by then-President Corazon Aquino, and Mountain Province was made one of its provinces. [9] [18] [19]
Mountain Province covers a total area of 2,157.38 square kilometres (832.97 sq mi) [20] occupying the central section of the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. The province is bordered on the north by Kalinga, east by Isabela, south by Ifugao, southwest by Benguet, west by Ilocos Sur, and northwest by Abra.
Situated within the Cordillera Central, Mountain Province is 83% mountainous while 17% make up hills and levels. The province has many rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and caves. The central and western areas of the province are characterized by rugged mountains and steep cliffs, while the eastern portion has generally sloping terrain. [6] [11]
Mountain Province comprises ten municipalities, all encompassed by a lone legislative district. [20]
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Mountain Province has 144 barangays comprising its 10 municipalities. [22]
As of 2010, the most populous barangay in the province is Poblacion in the municipality of Paracelis, with a total of 5,687 inhabitants. Balintaugan in the municipality of Bauko has the least population with only 144. [22]
The population of Mountain Province in the 2020 census was 158,200 people, [2] with a density of 73 inhabitants per square kilometre or 190 inhabitants per square mile.
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Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [21] [22] [23] |
Based on the 2000 census survey, Kankana-ey comprised 51.8% (72,694) of the total provincial population of 140,339. Balangao/Baliwon came in second at 13.46% (18,886), and Bontoc at 12.28% (17,234). Other ethnicities were the Ilocano at 4.97% (6,968), Applai at 2.1% (2,947), Binontok at 1.79% (2,510), and Kalinga at 1.76% (2,468). [24]
Anglicanism predominates in the province with approximately 60% adherence with the other religions such as Roman Catholicism, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Iglesia Filipina Indepiendente, Iglesia ni Cristo and Free Believers in Christ Fellowship Members Church of God International (MCGI)[ citation needed ]
Mountain Province is the only predominantly Protestant province in the Philippines.
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
The province has several rice terraces in seven of its different towns: [11]
The mountainous province also offers excellent mountain climbing experiences with two of its mountains among the top 10 highest points in the Philippines:
Benguet, officially the Province of Benguet, is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region in the island of Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad.
Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao, is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela to the east, and Nueva Vizcaya to the south.
Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao, is a landlocked province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao serves as its capital. The provincial capitol and its associated offices are located at the New Government Center in Luna.
Kalinga, officially the Province of Kalinga, is a landlocked province in the Philippines situated within the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north. Kalinga and Apayao are the result of the 1995 partitioning of the former province of Kalinga-Apayao which was seen to better service the respective needs of the various indigenous peoples in the area.
The Cordillera Administrative Region, also known as the Cordillera Region and Cordillera, is an administrative region in the Philippines, situated within the island of Luzon. It is the only landlocked region in the insular country, bordered by the Ilocos Region to the west and southwest, and by the Cagayan Valley Region to the north, east, and southeast. It is the least populous region in the Philippines, with a population less than that of the city of Manila.
The Cordillera Central or Cordillera Range is a massive mountain range 320 kilometres (200 mi) long north-south and 118 kilometres (73 mi) east-west situated in the north-central part of the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. The mountain range encompasses all provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region, as well as portions of eastern Ilocos Norte, eastern Ilocos Sur, eastern La Union, northeastern Pangasinan, western Nueva Vizcaya, and western Cagayan.
The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera in northern Luzon, Philippines, often referred to by the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples, are an ethnic group composed of nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains are in the Cordillera Mountain Range, altogether numbering about 1.8 million people in the early 21st century.
Bauko, officially the Municipality of Bauko is a 4th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,021 people.
Barlig, officially the Municipality of Barlig is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4,796 people.
Bontoc, officially the Municipality of Bontoc, is a 2nd class municipality and capital of the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,104 people.
Natonin, officially the Municipality of Natonin, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 10,339 people.
Sabangan, officially the Municipality of Sabangan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 9,621 people.
Sadanga, officially the Municipality of Sadanga is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,427 people.
Sagada, officially the Municipality of Sagada is a 5th class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 11,510 people.
Bokod, officially the Municipality of Bokod,, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,435 people.
Buguias, officially the Municipality of Buguias,, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,877 people. The municipality is home to the mummy of Apo Anno, one of the most revered and important folk hero in Benguet prior to Spanish arrival.
Abra, officially the Province of Abra, is a province in the Cordillera Administrative Region of the Philippines. Its capital is the municipality of Bangued. It is bordered by Ilocos Norte on the northwest, Apayao on the northeast, Kalinga on the mid-east, Mountain Province on the southeast, and Ilocos Sur on the southwest.
The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are a World Heritage Site consisting of a complex of rice terraces on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, the first-ever property to be included in the cultural landscape category of the World Heritage List. This inscription has five sites: the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces, Mayoyao Rice Terraces, Hungduan Rice Terraces and Nagacadan Rice Terraces, all in Ifugao Province. The Ifugao Rice Terraces reach a higher altitude and were built on steeper slopes than many other terraces. The Ifugao complex of stone or mud walls and the careful carving of the natural contours of hills and mountains combine to make terraced pond fields, coupled with the development of intricate irrigation systems, harvesting water from the forests of the mountain tops, and an elaborate farming system.
The legislative districts of Mountain Province are the representations of Mountain Province in the various national legislatures of the Philippines. The province is currently represented in the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines through its lone congressional district.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Cordillera Administrative Region is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus reached the Cordillera Administrative Region on March 20, 2020, when the first case of the disease was confirmed to involve a resident of Manabo, Abra. All provinces, as well as the independent city of Baguio has recorded at least one confirmed COVID-19 case.
Benguet was once part of Mountain Province.