Calanasan, officially the Municipality of Calanasan, ( ilo, Ili ti Calanasan; tl, Bayan ng Calanasan), (formerly known as Bayag, meaning "slow") is a 1st class

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Apayao; fil, Lalawigan ng Apayao), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao, Apayao, Kabuga ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,550 people. Its land area is , making it the largest municipality in the province. Calanasan is the source of the

Apayao River The Apayao River is a river on the island of Luzon in the Apayao province of the Philippines. It flows from an extensive watershed in the western slopes of the province, flows past the town of Kabugao and runs into the Pacific Ocean at the coasta ...

which empties into the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

and is the only navigable river in Apayao.

Geography

According to the

Philippine Statistics Authority The Philippine Statistics Authority (Filipino: ''Pangasiwaan ng Estadistika ng Pilipinas''), abbreviated as PSA, is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that ''collects, compiles, analyzes and publishes statistical inf ...

, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Apayao. Calanasan is north from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and located in the north-western section of

bordering Santa Praxedes and Claveria in the north, Adams and Carasi in the west, Solsona in the south-west,

Kabugao Kabugao, officially the Municipality of Kabugao, ( ilo, Ili ti Kabugao; tl, Bayan ng Kabugao), is a 1st class municipality and ''de jure'' capital of the province of Apayao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 16,2 ...

on the south, and

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...

and some parts of Kabugao on the east. The town's topography or slope is predominantly rugged and mountainous with sporadic flood plains and plateaus. The municipality cradles the larger part of the Apayao-Abulog watershed area as the main source of streams that fills the mighty river which originates from the municipality. Calanasan has two pronounced seasons, the dry and the wet seasons. The dry season starts in the latest part of December and ends in the middle part of June. The wet season starts in July and ends in the middle part of December. The hottest month is May and rainfall is heaviest in August while strong typhoons usually occur within the period of August to October and the December used to be the coolest month.

Barangays

Calanasan is politically subdivided into 20

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

s. These barangays are headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain,

Barangay Council The Sangguniang Barangay, also known as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest form of government in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Tag ...

, whose members are called Barangay Councilors. All are elected every three years.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Calanasan had a population of 12,550. The population density was . Calanasan is dominated by the

Isnag people The Isnag people (also referred to as the Isneg and Apayao) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to Apayao Province in the Philippines' Cordillera Administrative Region. Their native language is Isneg language, Isneg (also called Isnag), a ...

, living with them are the

Ilocanos The Ilocanos ( ilo, Tattao nga Iloko/), Ilokanos, or Iloko people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group and mostly reside within the Ilocos Region in the northwestern seaboard of Luzon, Philippines. The native language of the Ilo ...

Igorot The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range of northern Luzon, Philippines are often referred to using the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples. There are nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ar ...

s and

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

s. The main languages spoken are the

Isnag The Isnag people (also referred to as the Isneg and Apayao) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to Apayao Province in the Philippines' Cordillera Administrative Region. Their native language is Isneg language, Isneg (also called Isnag), ...

and the Ilocano.

Economy

Economic activity in the municipality is based on agricultural production like farming and fishing and livelihood activities like basketry, soft broom making and furniture making. The municipality has no level lands for extensive rice production except in the northern part of the municipality. The total land area devoted to agriculture is in which total land area irrigated is . Its produce include coffee, corn, root crops, peanuts and other legumes, banana, pineapple and some vegetables.

Government

Calanasan, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of

, 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

Tourism

The town has vast variety of wild flora and fauna which contributes to its eco-tourism potential. The town is surrounded with virgin forests, cascading waterfalls, and clear rivers. Potential tourist attractions include: *

— Poblacion * Girgirra’ Falls — Ninoy Aquino * Ziwanan River — Cadaclan * Maxibab Falls — Santa Filomena * Carmella Falls — Eva * Pisong Lake * Danao Lake — Sitio Danao, Poblacion * Purit Cave * Bantay Malingudu — Poblacion * Agamata National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary — near the Ilocos Norte boundary, was established in the remote area of sharp peaks and plateaus. This undeveloped area, with pine stands, lush vegetation and mossy forest, affords a panoramic view of Ilocos Norte and

Laoag Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Norte, Philip ...

City on the west. It is ideal for hiking, camping, nature tripping and bird watching. * Blue Haven * Mount Kilang

Festivals

* ''Sinandila/Sinursor Festival'' and ''Pippiru' Festival'' (Boat Racing) — celebrated every third week of March * ''Calanasan Town Fiesta'' — celebrated every March which is coming together of the people of Calanasan, The month-long activities highlights the Agro-Industrial and trade fair which showcase the different products of Calanasan and Highlights also the Sports fest, Calanasan got Talent and the Street Dance Competition together with most awaited part the "Search for Miss Dam-ag naya Calanasan". * ''Say-Am Festival'' — is a feast featuring and ushering the traditional way of Isnag's thanksgiving to the Higher Supreme unseen being called "Alawagan" executed and commence through rituals spiced with pep songs, native chants and dances called the "Talip" and "Tad-do". The holding and celebration of Say-am in the older days connotes status - that the family is respectable and well-to-do. It is Celebrated every third week of March.

Philippine Eagle Sanctuary

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 eagle The Philippine eagle (''Pithecophaga jefferyi''), also known as the monkey-eating eagle or great Philippine eagle, is a critically endangered species of eagle of the family Accipitridae which is endemic to forests in the Philippines. It has br ...

s, 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 which has an approved forest land use plan (FLUP). The first active Philippine eagle nest in Apayao was discovered in July 2015. On 9 July 2018, the provincial government of

announced their intent for the province to be a UNESCO

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

. 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 are at the 'legwork for the inscription'.

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Code {{Authority control Municipalities of Apayao