Bangued, Abra
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Bangued, officially the Municipality of Bangued (; ), 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' ...
and capital of 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 ...
of Abra,
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 50,382 people making it the most populous in the province.


Etymology

The name Bangued evolved from the Ilocano word "Bangan," which means roadblock or blockade. The Tinguians prevented the Spanish forces from penetrating their area and they placed roadblocks on all roads leading to the place. They also cut large logs and threw them to the
Abra River The Abra River, also called Lagben River, is the seventh largest river system in the Philippines in terms of watershed size. It has an estimated drainage area of and a length of from its source near Mount Data in Benguet province. History I ...
to prevent the incoming Spanish colonist and Ilocano settlers from entering the area with the use of their boats and bamboo rafts. When the logs reached Nagtalabungan the strength of the currents allowed many of these trees to be left behind for the strong current gets narrower as it bends westwards on its course to the South China Sea across a gap in the Ilocos range, better known as "Banaoang." These logs were also made as obstacles and big rocks were placed along the roads which the natives called "bangan".


History


Early history

The early settlers were the Tinguians belonging to the Bago, Masadiit, lbanao, and Indayas tribes who later intermarried with the immigrants from
Ilocos The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Cagayan Valley to the northe ...
. The Tingguians opposed the Christianization introduced by the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...
s who, along with their Ilocano subordinates, penetrated the eastern settlements.


Spanish period

In 1598, Augustinian fathers Martin and Minon were able to penetrate the valley and found a "mission" in Bangued. A Spanish military garrison was also established to protect the inhabitants from the attacks of the headhunters. In November 1601, Fray Esteban Marín in the company of an expedition under Captain Mateo de Aranda arrived in Abra but was killed, with his body tied up to a tree, shot by arrows, before being dismembered. In 1614, Fr. Juan de Pareja, "Conquistador Espiritual" of Abra, arrived with the protection of the Spanish garrison and advanced further to the interior. In 1615, Fr. Juan Pareja organized Bangued as a mission center and baptized 3,000 Tingguians with the help of their chief, Manuel Dumawal. On April 5, 1617, Bangued was created into a ministry by the Augustinians and Fr. Pedro Columbo was the first minister. Bangued was made an independent mission territory in 1692. The construction of the big church in Bangued began in 1722 and was completed in 1807. It was about 73 meters long. A spacious convento was built adjoining it. It later became the Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy, which is now the Holy Spirit Academy, a convent for sisters and a school for girls and boys. At July 25, 1861, the Feast of St. James the Great (Apo Senor Santiago), the town was formally inaugurated. In August 1898, Fr. Inocencio Vega was the last Spanish missionary to work in Bangued.


American period

When the
Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...
colonized 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
the country and established the civil government.


World War II and Japanese occupation period

On March 10, 1945, at 3:00 P.M., American planes guided by Filipinos dropped incendiary bombs on the capitol, the Catholic Church and adjoining buildings. On subsequent days the whole town was bombed. Whoever the bombers saw, they shot with machine-guns and the whole town was in flames and ruins. Many were burned and whoever could escape fled to the barrios.


Geography

Bangued is a landlocked municipality, located at . It is elongated in shape towards the north and south, and bisected through the center by the large
Abra River The Abra River, also called Lagben River, is the seventh largest river system in the Philippines in terms of watershed size. It has an estimated drainage area of and a length of from its source near Mount Data in Benguet province. History I ...
. It is situated in the western portion of the province with boundaries defined by the Province of Ilocos Norte and the Municipality of Danglas in the north;
La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...
,
Tayum Tayum, officially the Municipality of Tayum (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,869 people. Every 25 November, Tayum celebrates its town fiesta. Roman Catholicis ...
and Peñarrubia in the east; San Isidro in the south, and Langiden and
Pidigan Pidigan, officially the Municipality of Pidigan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,475 people. Geography The Municipality of Pidigan is located at . According ...
in the west. According to the
Philippine Statistics Authority The Philippine Statistics Authority (; PSA) is the central statistical authority of the Philippine government that collects, compiles, analyzes, and publishes statistical information on economic, social, demographic, political affairs, and gene ...
, the municipality has a land area of constituting of the total area of Abra. The town is generally mountainous from north to south; however, it is flat and rolling at the midsection. From here it has an elevation of above mean
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
. In the north, which consists mostly of mountains, elevation ranges from . In the south, which is interspersed with mountain and hills, elevation ranges from . One such hill is Cassamata Hill which was declared a
national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
. Bangued is situated from the country's capital city 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 ...
. It is accessible through the Abra-Ilocos Sur National Road from the west, Abra-Kalinga Road from the north-east, and Abra-Ilocos Norte Road from the North.


Climate

The climate falls under the first type of tropical climate, which is characterized by two pronounced seasons, dry from November to April and wet during the remaining months of the year. Prevailing wind blowing in the area is mostly in the direction from north-west to southeast. However, during summer in the absence of weather disturbance, wind blows from north to south or east to west.


Barangays

Bangued is politically subdivided into 31
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 with 77
sitio A ''sitio'' ( 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 barangay if its popu ...
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 and 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 ...
.


Demographics

In the 2020 census, Bangued had a population of 50,382. The population density was .


Language

Ilocano and Itneg are the main dialects of Bangued.


Economy

The economy of the municipality is heavily dependent on
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
particularly ''
palay Rice is a cereal grain and in its domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much less commonly, ...
'' and corn, followed by trade and industry. Chinese businessmen dominate
trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
and
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
as a common preoccupation of the populace. The commercial activity of Bangued is confined in the urban core establishing a linear pattern of development along major thoroughfares. This is evident from Torrijos Street to Taft Street of Zone 5, McKinley Street to Santiago Street and Partelo Street of Zone 4, and Capitulacion Street of Zone 1 and Zone 2. For the year 2000 there were 1,539 commercial/business enterprises classified as wholesale and retail trade, dry and wet markets, banking and finance, service and others. There were 9 large suppliers of lumber, hardware and other construction supplies and materials. Likewise there were also about 3 large contractors with undetermined number of small to medium scale. On the other hand, there were also a number of large to medium scale suppliers of general merchandise, groceries and various types of prime commodities. As the economic center of Abra, small scale or cottage industries abound. The most common are hollow blocks and other
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
products manufacturing with gravel and sand readily available at the Abra River bank. Wood and
bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
craft are also promising business enterprises with raw materials available in the vicinity and in the hinterlands for narra and other species of
hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...
,
rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...
, and bamboos. Metalcraft, tinsmithing, jewelry making is also expanding while a lot of households are now in the small scale processing or value adding activities appertaining to various food items.


Government


Local government

Bangued, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Abra, 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


Healthcare

* Valera Medical Hospital (formerly known as Saint James Clinic), Zone 7 — Private * Bangued Christian Hospital, Lorben's Hill, Torrijos St., Zone 5 — Private * Assumpta Hospital, Zone 7 - Private * Abra Provincial Hospital, Barangay Calaba — Public * Seares Memorial Clinic, Zone 4 — Private * Saint Jude Clinic, Zone 7 — Private * Bobila Clinic, Zone 7 — Private


Education

There are two schools district offices which govern all educational institutions within the municipality. They oversee the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools. Theses are Bangued East, and Bangued West. The municipality has a total of 24 Educational Institutions at all levels. 21 belong to the government while the rest are private. Of the total public schools, 19 belongs to the elementary levels. Most of the educational institutions of higher levels secondary and tertiary are concentrated in the urban core, while elementary schools are strategically located in different barangays forming their own catchment areas. The total number of elementary school teachers in the public sector is 218 giving a gross teacher pupil ratio of 1:30 (SY 1999-2000 DepEd), in the private there are 193 with a ratio of 1:28 in the same period. Two public libraries complement existing facilities, the Provincial Library located al Santiago St. Zone 3 and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Library located at the Municipal Trial Court. Aside from these institutions there are at least 15 daycare centers located in different barangays, and 5 private institutions for pre-schoolers complementing that from the government.


Primary and elementary schools

* Abra District Adventist Multigrade School * Abra Special Education Center * Agtangao Elementary School * Anaraar Ken Namnama Learning Angels Center * Ave Maria Academy of Abra * Bacsil Elementary School * Bangbangar Elementary School * Bangued East Central School * Bangued North Elementary School * Bangued West Central School * Bañacao Elementary School * Basic Clues Creative Learning Center * Calaba Elementary School * Calot Elementary School * Cosili Elementary School * Cosili West Primary School * Dangdangla Elementary School * Holy Cross School * Holy Spirit Academy of Bangued * Living Faith Academy * Luba - Tubo Catholic School * Lubong Primary School * Macarcarmay Elementary School * Malita Elementary School * Maoay Elementary School * Our Lady of Fatima School * Our Lady of Guadalupe School * Patucannay Elementary School * Sacred Heart Academy * Sagap Elementary School * San Antonio Elementary School * Santa Teresita School * Sappaac Elementary School * Sinalang Pilot Elementary School * Sinapangan Elementary School * St. Ignatius de Loyola School of Bangued * Sta. Rosa Primary School * UCCP Child Care Center


Secondary schools

* Abra High School * Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology (High school) * Abra Valley Colleges (High school) * Divine Word College of Bangued * Holy Spirit Academy of Bangued * Saint Joseph Seminary * Sacred Heart School of Bangued


Higher educational institutions

* Abra Valley Colleges * Data Center College of the Philippines *
Divine Word College of Bangued The Divine Word College of Bangued is a private, Roman Catholic Church, Catholic higher education institution run by the Philippine Northern Province of the Society of the Divine Word in Bangued, Abra, Philippines. It was founded by a Divine ...
* University of Abra (formerly ''Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology'')


Transportation

Passenger buses, mini-buses,
jeepney A jeepney (), or simply a jeep (), is a type of Public transport, public utility vehicle (PUV) that serves as the most popular means of Transportation in the Philippines, public transportation in the Philippines. Known for its crowded seating ...
s and
tricycle A tricycle, sometimes abbreviated to trike, is a Human-powered transport, human-powered (or gasoline or electric motor powered or assisted, or gravity powered) Three-wheeler, three-wheeled vehicle. Some tricycles, such as cycle rickshaws (for pa ...
s including cargo are the major means of transportation in the town. Buses, mini-buses and jeepneys ply the longer routes covering the entire province of Abra and out, while tricycles serve only the inner arteries of the municipality's barangays including the adjacent towns of La Paz, Peñarrubia,
Pidigan Pidigan, officially the Municipality of Pidigan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,475 people. Geography The Municipality of Pidigan is located at . According ...
, and
Tayum Tayum, officially the Municipality of Tayum (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,869 people. Every 25 November, Tayum celebrates its town fiesta. Roman Catholicis ...
on a chartered ride basis. Buses going in and out of the province have their own permanent station/terminal, while all the rest are accommodated and parked along various open lots, gasoline stations, etc. Some of the transportation companies that have their own terminal include Partas, Dominion, and the GMW Trans. There are jeeps that ply from Bangued to
Narvacan Narvacan, officially the Municipality of Narvacan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,234 people. History A Spanish expeditionary force sent from Vigan by ...
. GMW trans have daily trips to Tuguegarao and Santiago City; while Partas have trips to Baguio and Metro Manila on a daily basis.


Notable Personalities

* Ignacio Villamor y Borbón - lawyer, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; first Filipino President of the University of the Philippines * Jesus A. Villamor - decorated World War 2 pilot, spy, and Medal of Valor Awardee *
Juan Villamor Juan Villamor y Borbón (November 24, 1864 – unknown) was a Filipino writer, revolutionary and politician. Early life Juan Villamor was born on November 24, 1864, in Bangued, Abra, to Florencio Villamor y García and Wenceslawa Borbón. He ...
- revolutionary writer, politician * Kurt Barbosa
SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with su ...
gold medallist,
Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
proud waving carry the Filipino flag *
Pura Sumangil Puraperla dela Cruz Sumangil (born 1941), better known as Pura Sumangil, is a Filipino Catholic nun, educator, and social activist. She is a co-founder of Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance, a non-governmental organization focused on p ...
– community activist *
Quintin Paredes Quintin (; ) is a commune in the Cotes-d'Armor department (Brittany (administrative region), Brittany region) in the northwest of France from Saint-Brieuc, the department capital. History The area around Quintin has been occupied since the Neo ...
- lawyer, statesman, senator; 5th President of the Senate


Sister cities

*
Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...


References


External links

* *
Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...
{{Authority control Municipalities of Abra (province) Provincial capitals of the Philippines Populated places on the Abra River