Abra province
Encyclopedia
Abra is a landlocked province
of the Philippines
in the Cordillera Administrative Region
in Luzon
. Its capital is Bangued
, and it borders Ilocos Norte
and Apayao on the north, Ilocos Sur
and Mountain Province
on the south, Ilocos Norte
and Ilocos Sur
on the west, and Kalinga, and Apayao on the east.
settlers and members of the Tingguian tribe. As of 2007, the population of the province is 230,953.
The predominant languages are Ilocano and Itneg. Based on the 2000 census survey, the majority of the province population is Ilocano
71.9%. Other ethnic groups living in the province are the Tinguian
18.7%, Ibanag
4.5%, Isneg
3.2% and Tagalog
0.4%.
In 1598 a Spanish garrison was established in Bangued to protect the Ilocanos who converted to Christianity from Tingguian raids. During the British Occupation of the Philippines
, Gabriela Silang
and her army fled to Abra from Ilocos and continued the revolt begun by her slain husband, Diego Silang
. She was captured and hung by the Spanish in 1763.
In 1818 the Ilocos region, including Abra, was divided into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. In 1846 Abra was created as a political-military province with Lepanto
as a sub-province. It remained so until the arrival of the Americans in 1899.
In 1908 the Philippine Commission
once again in annexed Abra to Ilocos Sur in an attempt to resolve Abra's financial difficulties. But on March 9, 1917, the Philippine Assembly
re-established Abra as a province.
In 1942, the Japanese forces occupied the Philippines and entered Abra.
In 1945, the liberation in Abra in Northern Luzon by the Philippine Commonwealth forces and the local Cordilleran guerrillas against the Japanese during the Battle of Abra at the end the Second World War.
The revolutionary Marxist priest, Conrado Balweg, who fought for the rights of the Cordillera tribes, began his crusade in Abra. After successfully negotiating a peace accord with Balweg's group in 1987, the Philippine government created the Cordillera Administrative Region
, which includes Abra.
, which flows northward from Mt. Data in the Mountain Province
.
. 59% are engaged in bamboo and rattan craft making, both leading industries in the area.
In 1992, the natural dye
industry, together with loom
weaving
and embroidery
, was revived by former Governor Ma. Zita Claustro-Valera, the first woman governor of Abra.
Abra's economy is agriculture-based. Its major crops are rice, corn, and root crops; and commercial produce are coffee, tobacco, and coconut. Extensive grassland and pasture areas are used for livestock production.
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in the Cordillera Administrative Region
Cordillera Administrative Region
The Cordillera Administrative Region is a region in the Philippines composed of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, as well as Baguio City, the regional center. The Cordillera Administrative Region encompasses most of the areas within the Cordillera...
in Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. Its capital is Bangued
Bangued, Abra
Bangued is a first class municipality in the province of Abra in the Cordillera Administrative Region of the Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 46,179 in 8,071 households.-History:...
, and it borders Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon Island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south...
and Apayao on the north, Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Vigan City, located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the provincial capital...
and Mountain Province
Mountain Province
Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc and borders, clockwise from the south, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, and Isabela.Mountain Province is sometimes incorrectly named Mountain in some...
on the south, Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte
Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon Island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south...
and Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Vigan City, located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the provincial capital...
on the west, and Kalinga, and Apayao on the east.
Demographics
Abra's inhabitants are mostly descendants of IlocanoIlocano people
The Ilocano or Ilokano people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Aside from being referred to as Ilocanos, from "i"-from, and "looc"-bay, they also refer to themselves as Samtoy, from the Ilocano phrase "sao mi ditoy", meaning 'our language here.' The word "Ilocano" came from...
settlers and members of the Tingguian tribe. As of 2007, the population of the province is 230,953.
The predominant languages are Ilocano and Itneg. Based on the 2000 census survey, the majority of the province population is Ilocano
Ilocano people
The Ilocano or Ilokano people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Aside from being referred to as Ilocanos, from "i"-from, and "looc"-bay, they also refer to themselves as Samtoy, from the Ilocano phrase "sao mi ditoy", meaning 'our language here.' The word "Ilocano" came from...
71.9%. Other ethnic groups living in the province are the Tinguian
Tinguian
The Tinguian are an indigenous people from the mountain province of Abra in northwestern Luzon, in the Philippines.-External links:**...
18.7%, Ibanag
Ibanag
The Ibanags are an ethnolinguistic minority numbering a little more than half a million people, who inhabit the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya. They are one of the largest ethnolinguistic minorities in the Philippines. Ibanags speak the same language under the same name...
4.5%, Isneg
Isneg
The Isneg are a tribe living in Luzon, the Philippines. The Isneg and other ethnic groups of the Cordillera Administrative Region are collectively known as Cordillerans. They speak the Isnag language....
3.2% and Tagalog
Tagalog people
The Tagalog people are an ethnic group in the Philippines. The name Tagalog comes from either the native term tagá-ilog, meaning 'people living along the river', or another native term, tagá-alog, meaning 'people living along the ford', a ford being a shallow part of a river or stream where people,...
0.4%.
History
The first inhabitants of Abra were the ancestors of the Bontocs and the Ifugaos. These inhabitants eventually left to settle in the old Mountain Province. Other early inhabitants were the Tingguians, or Itnegs, as they are also known. The Ilocos came to trade with the tinguians but eventually they saw the province to be very good so they invaded and the tinguians were forced to go to the mountains.In 1598 a Spanish garrison was established in Bangued to protect the Ilocanos who converted to Christianity from Tingguian raids. During the British Occupation of the Philippines
British occupation of the Philippines
The British occupation of Manila occurred between 1762 and 1764, when a British force occupied Manila, the Spanish colonial capital of the Philippines, and the nearby principal port, Cavite, both on Manila Bay....
, Gabriela Silang
Gabriela Silang
María Josefa Gabriela Cariño Silang was the wife of the Ilocano insurgent leader, Diego Silang. Following Diego's assassination in 1763, she led the group for four months before she was captured and executed....
and her army fled to Abra from Ilocos and continued the revolt begun by her slain husband, Diego Silang
Diego Silang
Diego Silang y Andaya was a revolutionary leader who conspired with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano nation...
. She was captured and hung by the Spanish in 1763.
In 1818 the Ilocos region, including Abra, was divided into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. In 1846 Abra was created as a political-military province with Lepanto
Lepanto
- Places :*The Bay of Lepanto or Gulf of Lepanto in Greece, now known as the Gulf of Corinth*The Greek town of Lepanto, now known as Naupactus*Lepanto, Arkansas in the United States*Lepanto - Ships :*The Italian battleship Lepanto...
as a sub-province. It remained so until the arrival of the Americans in 1899.
In 1908 the Philippine Commission
Philippine Commission
The Philippine Commission was a body appointed by the President of the United States to exercise legislative and limited executive powers in the Philippines. It was first appointed by President William McKinley in 1901. Beginning in 1907, it acted as the upper house of a bicameral Philippine...
once again in annexed Abra to Ilocos Sur in an attempt to resolve Abra's financial difficulties. But on March 9, 1917, the Philippine Assembly
Philippine Assembly
The Philippine Assembly was the lower house of the legislative body of the Philippines during the early part of American colonial period. It was created by the Philippine Organic Act, passed in 1902, which also established the Philippine Commission as the upper house of the Philippine Legislature,...
re-established Abra as a province.
In 1942, the Japanese forces occupied the Philippines and entered Abra.
In 1945, the liberation in Abra in Northern Luzon by the Philippine Commonwealth forces and the local Cordilleran guerrillas against the Japanese during the Battle of Abra at the end the Second World War.
The revolutionary Marxist priest, Conrado Balweg, who fought for the rights of the Cordillera tribes, began his crusade in Abra. After successfully negotiating a peace accord with Balweg's group in 1987, the Philippine government created the Cordillera Administrative Region
Cordillera Administrative Region
The Cordillera Administrative Region is a region in the Philippines composed of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province, as well as Baguio City, the regional center. The Cordillera Administrative Region encompasses most of the areas within the Cordillera...
, which includes Abra.
Physical
Abra is hemmed in by the towering mountain ranges of the Ilocos in the west and the Cordillera Central in the east. It has an extremely rugged terrain, with mountains and hills rising along its perimeter and interior. The plains are drained by the Abra RiverAbra River
Abra River is the 6th largest river system in the Philippines in terms of watershed size. It has an estimated drainage area of 5,125 square kilometers and a length of 178 kilometers from its source in the vicinity of Mount Data in the Benguet province....
, which flows northward from Mt. Data in the Mountain Province
Mountain Province
Mountain Province is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc and borders, clockwise from the south, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, and Isabela.Mountain Province is sometimes incorrectly named Mountain in some...
.
Political
Abra is subdivided into 27 municipalities.| Municipality Municipalities of the Philippines A municipality is a local government unit in the Philippines. Municipalities are also called towns . They are distinct from cities, which are a different category of local government unit... |
No. of Barangays |
Area Coordinator | Population (2007) |
Pop. density (per km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boliney Boliney, Abra Boliney is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 3,349 people in 639 households.-Barangays:Boliney is politically subdivided into 8 barangays.-History:... |
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| Bucay Bucay, Abra Bucay is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 16,266 people in 2,944 households.-Geography:Among the twenty seven towns of Abra, Bucay is the most centrally located... |
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| Bucloc Bucloc, Abra Bucloc is a 6th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 2,227 people in 357 households.-Barangays:Bucloc is politically subdivided into 4 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Daguioman Daguioman, Abra Daguioman is a 6th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 1,916 people in 324 households.-Barangays:Daguioman is politically subdivided into 4 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Danglas Danglas, Abra Danglas is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 5,411 people in 749 households.-Barangays:Danglas is politically subdivided into 6 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Dolores Dolores, Abra Dolores is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 10,787 people in 2,106 households.... |
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| La Paz La Paz, Abra La Paz is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 14,658 people in 2,534 households.-Barangays:La Paz is politically subdivided into 12 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Lacub Lacub, Abra Lacub is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 3,050 people in 509 households.-Barangays:Lacub is politically subdivided into 6 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Lagangilang Lagangilang, Abra Lagangilang is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 13,490 people in 2,354 households.-Barangays:Lagangilang is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Lagayan Lagayan, Abra Lagayan is a 6th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 4,134 people in 796 households.-Barangays:Lagayan is politically subdivided into 5 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Langiden Langiden, Abra Langiden is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 3,242 people in 589 households.-Barangays:Langiden is politically subdivided into 6 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Licuan-Baay Licuan-Baay, Abra Licuan-Baay is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 3,990 people in 723 households.-Barangays:Licuan-Baay is politically subdivided into 11 barangays.... |
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| Luba Luba, Abra Luba is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 6,363 people in 1,138 households.-Geography:... |
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| Malibcong Malibcong, Abra Malibcong is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 3,354 people in 707 households.-Barangays:Malibcong is politically subdivided into 12 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| Manabo Manabo, Abra Manabo is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 10,538 people in 1,871 households.-Barangays:Manabo is politically subdivided into 11 barangays.... |
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| Peñarrubia Peñarrubia, Abra Peñarrubia is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. The present municipal mayor is Honorable Geraldine Mamsaang-Balbuena. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 6,443 people in 1,063 households.-Barangays:... |
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| Pidigan Pidigan, Abra Pidigan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 11,280 people in 1,875 households.-Barangays:Pidigan is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.-External links:***... |
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| Pilar Pilar, Abra Pilar is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 9,792 people in 1,775 households. Pilar celebrates their fiesta on March 13 to 15.-Barangays:... |
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| Sallapadan Sallapadan, Abra Sallapadan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 6,370 people in 1,075 households.-Barangays:Sallapadan is politically subdivided into 9 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| San Isidro San Isidro, Abra San Isidro is a 6th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 4,647 people in 820 households.-Barangays:San Isidro is politically subdivided into 9 barangays.-External links:**... |
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| San Juan San Juan, Abra San Juan is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census,it has a population of 9,714 people in 1,787 households.... |
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| San Quintin San Quintin, Abra San Quintin is a fifth class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 5,341 people in 946 households.-Barangays:San Quintin is politically subdivided into 6 barangays.-External links:***... |
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| Tayum Tayum, Abra Tayum is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 13,360 people in 2,688 households.-Barangays:Tayum is politically subdivided into 11 barangays.-External links:***... |
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| Tineg Tineg, Abra Tineg is a 4th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 4,317 people in 787 households.... |
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| Tubo Tubo, Abra Tubo is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. It is bounded by Mt. Province in the north east, Ilocos sur in the South east and the municipalities of Luba and Boliney on the west... |
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| Villaviciosa Villaviciosa, Abra Villaviciosa is a 5th class municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 5,147 people in 930 households.-Geography:... |
Economy
As of 1990, there were 743 cottage industries in Abra, of which 208 are registered with the Department of Trade and IndustryDepartment of Trade and Industry (Philippines)
The Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry , abbreviated as DTI is the executive department of the Philippine Government tasked to expand Philippine trade, industries and investments as the means to generate jobs and raise incomes for Filipinos...
. 59% are engaged in bamboo and rattan craft making, both leading industries in the area.
In 1992, the natural dye
Natural dye
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources – roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood — and other organic sources such as fungi and lichens....
industry, together with loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
and embroidery
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
, was revived by former Governor Ma. Zita Claustro-Valera, the first woman governor of Abra.
Abra's economy is agriculture-based. Its major crops are rice, corn, and root crops; and commercial produce are coffee, tobacco, and coconut. Extensive grassland and pasture areas are used for livestock production.