Allacapan, officially the Municipality of Allacapan ( Ibanag: ''Ili nat Allacapan''; ; ), is a

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

in the

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

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 35,234 people.

Etymology

It is said that the municipality's name came to be when Francisco Umengan, an ex-municipal president from Aparri, was annoyed by the skittering of dried leaves heaped within the vicinity. On his inquiry about the significance of the noise, his Negrito guide told him "''alla-appan''" meaning "trap." Umengan then named the place "Allacapan" and the name has remained to the present.

History

Allacapan has its beginning as a small village in the jungle, inhabited by Negritoes, also known as Aetas. Ilocanos mainly from Ilocos Sur, among them future mayor Santos Martinez, discovered it in their quest for better land and eventually dominated the area. In 1926, Allacapan was founded as a municipal district of Tauit, sub-province of

Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao (; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Apayao''; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao, Apayao, Kab ...

Mountain Province Mountain Province (; ; ; ; ; ) is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc while Bauko is the largest municipality. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as Mountain ...

. On June 30, 1927, acting Governor General Eugene A. Gilmore issued ''Executive Order No. 68'', separating Allacapan from Tauit and organizing it into an independent municipal district under the same name, effective the following day. It was ceded to

in 1928 and became a regular municipality in 1945 by virtue of ''Commonwealth Act No. 590'' authored by Rep. Miguel Pio. During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese forces established a garrison in the town which was the site of abuses against prisoners of war and civilians. Later on, the Japanese burned the municipal hall, including the school building in the old site of Daan-Ili. The incident aggravated the fear of the residents, many of whom fled to the mountains. After liberation, disgruntled former guerrillas who were not satisfied with their backpay and aggrieved by land reform issues took to the hills with their rifles and joined the underground movement. Allacapan then became a hotbed of the Huks (HMB or Hukbong Mapagpalaya sa Bayan). This resulted in the kidnapping of then Mayor Agustin Gorospe in September 1951, the burning of the newly constructed town hall, and the looting of the local treasury. The construction of the highway from Magapit, Lallo to Bangag, Aparri traversing Allacapan and the opening of the Magapit Bridge to traffic, facilitated mobility of trade and commerce. Allacapan suddenly became a local point. It is now accessible from all points and is fast becoming an urban community. On 23 September 2006, Mayor Nathaniel Onia was assassinated outside his residence in Barangay Centro East by two unidentified gunmen.

Geography

Allacapan is situated in the north-western periphery of Cagayan, bordering

. It is located from the provincial capital

Tuguegarao Tuguegarao ( or ), officially the City of Tuguegarao (; ; ; ), is a 2nd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 ...

, and from the country's capital cityh of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Barangays

Allacapan is politically subdivided into 27

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s while some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. * Bessang * Binubungan * Bulo * Burot * Capagaran (Brigida) * Capalutan * Capanickian Norte * Capanickian Sur * Cataratan * Centro East (

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

) * Centro West (

) * Daan-Ili * Dagupan * Dalayap * Gagaddangan * Iringan * Labben * Maluyo * Mapurao * Matucay * Nagattatan * Pacac * San Juan (Maguininango) * Silagan * Tamboli * Tubel * Utan

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Allacapan was 35,234 people, with a density of .

Economy

Allacapan is the headquarters of GV Florida Transport.

Government

Local government

Allacapan is part of the second legislative district of the province of Cagayan. It 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

Education

The Schools Division of Cagayan governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley (; ), designated as Region II, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces: ...

region. The Allacapan Schools District Office governs the public and private elementary and high schools throughout the municipality.

Primary and elementary schools

* Allacapan Central School * Allacapan Methodist Christian School * Bulo Elementary School * Cataratan SDA Multigrade School * Daan-ili Elementary School * Dalayap Elementary School * Kapanickian Norte Elementary School * Matucay Elementary School * Our Lady of Fatima Learning Center * Pacac Elementary School * San Juan Elementary School * Silagan Elementary School * Tamboli Elementary School * Tubel Elementary School

Secondary schools

* Allacapan Institute * Allacapan Vocational High School * Cataratan Integrated School * Matucay National High School

References

External links

* Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationAllacapan, Cagayan NorthAllacapan Online Social Group
{{Authority control Municipalities of Cagayan