APAYAO Additional Info

APAYAO
Location

Apayao is located at the northernmost tip of the Luzon mainland. It is bounded on the east by the
province of Cagayan, on the west by Ilocos Norte and Abra, and on the south by Kalinga.

Creation

Apayao was formerly a part of the old province of Kalinga-Apayao. However, on February 14, 1995,
Republic Act No. 7878 authored by Congressman Elias K. Bulut of the lone district of Kalinga-Apayao,
was passed converting the province of Kalinga-Apayao into two separate and regular provinces:
Kalinga and Apayao.

Physical Profile

The province is almost equally mountainous/hilly (Upper Apayao) and flat (Lower Apayao) with
intermittent patches of valleys and plateaus. The municipalities of Calanasan, Conner and Kabugao
are in Upper Apayao while the municipalities of Flora, Luna, Pudtol and Sta. Marcela are located in
Lower Apayao. The prevailing climate in the province falls under Corona's Type III Classification. It is
characterized by not very pronounced dry and wet seasons, relatively dry from November to April
and wet during the rest of the year. Heaviest rain occurs during December to February while the
month of May is the warmest.

Tourist Attractions

With the province's beautiful and untapped resources, Apayao boasts of a lot of natural as well as
man-made places of interests. Among them are the following: Porag, Banna-ang and Banselan Caves
and Porag Falls in Conner; Dacao Dam in Flora; Madarang Memorial Shrine in Kabugao; Mt.
Ziniladdun in Luna; the old Spanish Church, the Pudtol Dam and the Nagan River in Pudtol; and the
Sta. Marcela Dam.
Kabugao
The climate of Kabugao, like some of its neighbors in the north, tends to be cool. In fact, the
climate is characterized by a long, wet season and a short, dry one. The coolest months are from July
to February while March to May serves as the driest.
The Isnegs are the native inhabitants of Kabugao and they comprise nearly 95% of the total
population. The remaining five percent are Ilocanos, Igorots, Tagalogs and other ethnic groups.
Given the mountainous area, the main source of living in town is upland farming. The
principal product of Kabugao is rice while crops like corn serve as secondary crops. Rattan craft and
bolo making are also industries found in town.
Dupag Rock
The topography of Dupag rock made it a favorable hiding place of the locals and insurgents
during the wars and uprisings. It, therefore, plays a major historical role in the area. To get here, one
needs to hike for some 30-45 minutes. It is now one of the most featured tourist spots in Apayao.
 Location: Luna, Apayao
 Status: Closed
Mt. Kilang
To get to Mt. Kilang’s peak, you need to trail on dense mossy forests. On some parts of the
trails, you can catch sight of amazing rock formations. Some of these are jagged so take extra caution
to avoid wounds or skirmishes.
The trek takes hours from the usual trailheads. However, clear sunny days would reward you
with breathtaking views of the vast forests of Apayao and the mountain ranges of Ilocos. Sea of
cloud formations also frequently appear.
 Location/Jump-Off: Solsolano-Apayao Rd., Calanasan, Apayao

 Height: 1,656 MASL
 Fun Facts About: Apayao
 Population: 119,184 (2015)
Territory: 4,413 km2
Region: CAR Cordillera Administrative Region
Capitol: Kabugao
Local Names: Probinsya ti Apayao, Lalawigan ng Apayaw
 Apayao is a landlocked province in Northern Luzon.
 The word Apayao means fast flowing river or navigable river in reference to the Apayao
River within the Province.
 Apayao is also the name of the ethnic group that lives in the Cordillera Highlands.
 Apayao peoples actually call themselves the Isneg or Isnag. Apayao is an exonym. Isneg
peoples say “i-apayaw” meaning people from the Apayao River.
 Apayao province is Ilocano dominated with half the population from Ilocandia. About 30,000
people are native Isneg with very few Kalinga, Ibaloy, Kankanaey and Bontoc tribe members.
 The Ilocanos are probably Catholics or Aglipayans but the local Isneg are predominantly
animists. Only about 9% ethnic Isneg reported as being Christian.
 Apayao was a Spanish “comandancia” under the Province of Cagayan.
 Since it is relatively close to the coast, missionaries were able to penetrate into Apayao
territory as early as 1608.
 The Spanish-made stone church in Pudtol is one of the oldest in the Philippines and was built
in 1610 by the Dominicans.
 Spanish authorities never had full control of Apayao. The terrain is unforgiving and the Isneg
are fiercely independent. Headhunting was also practiced. Even the stone church in Pudtol
had to be abandoned.
 The Americans created the giant Mountain Province back in 1908 covering all Cordillera
lands including Apayao.
 In 1966, the gigantic Mountain Province was split into Benguet, Bontoc, Kalinga-Apayao and
Ifugao provinces.
 Due to high ethnic tensions between the tribes, more partitions were needed and the CAR
Cordillera Administrative Region was created in 1987.
 In 1995, to ease ethnic tension and better serve the public, the Province of Apayao and the
Province of Kalinga were both created as independent provinces by virtue of Republic Act
7878 signed by President Fidel Valdez Ramos.
 The City of Kabugao is recognized as provincial capital but most of Apayao’s local
government centers are in Luna District.
 There are multiple river valleys in Apayao and the Apayao river is the greatest of these.
 Farming and livestock raising are the main industries in the highland province of Apayao.
 Mount Solo near Pudtol Township is the highest peak in Apayao at 1,336 meters.
 Three decks of natural pools form in Apayao’s Bayugao Falls. The cool mountain waters can
refresh the weary traveller and is only 4 kilometers from Poblacion, Apayao.
 Lussok Cave in Luna, Apayao is a must for tourist visiting the province. The natural wonder
has stacks of stalagmites inside.
 Allabang Cave in Luna is full of bats.
 Manacota Cave boasts an underground river. It is also found in Luna, Apayao.
 Nalvo Cave attracts the widest visitor base as it is easy to get to.
 Apayao River is very clean and picturesque through out its length until it empties into the
Pacific through Cagayan Province.
 Waton Subterranean River can be found in Pudtol, Apayao.
 Agora and Anag-Sicapio Wildlife Sanctuaries are established in Apayao.
 Although the world’s largest eagle is a symbol of the Davao Region, the Philippine Eagle has
been spotted in Apayao’s highland jungles.
 Perhaps the Philippine eagles moved into Apayao because the kalaw or hornbills can be
found in Apayao. Philippine eagles eat hornbills for breakfast.
 The mottled-wing flying fox, an ultra rare bat and also kind of puppy like in cuteness, can be
found in Apayao.
 Multiple sections of Apayao are declared as “lapat” or local indigenous protected areas. No
commercial activities such as logging or mining are allowed. This protects the native’s
traditional way of life and also preserves the environment.
 The practice of “lapat”, because it is indigenous, can only happens once the traditional
owner of the land dies. The land is left alone out of respect for the dead Isneg tribal
member. Once declared as lapat, provincial law further reinforces it.
 Anyone caught fishing, hunting, logging or trespassing in Apayao’s “lapat” areas are fined up
to PhP50,000 plus three months labor.
 Apayao has plenty of old-growth forests and these hide numerous biodiversity gems. It is
said the Philippines is the second worst de-forested country in Asia and only better than
Singapore. By contrast, Apayao is still heavily forested and the locals are pushing for national
legislation to protect the forest.
 Dupag Rock Formations have razor sharp rocks. Only for the bravest. Try not to fall on it.
 The Apayao traditional way of Thanksgiving is the Say-am Festival. It is celebrated on 14
February to coincide with the provincial foundation day.
 There are much more to discover in Apayao .

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APAYAO

 Location/Jump-Off: Solsolano-Apayao Rd., Calanasan, Apayao

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