Bangued, Abra

Bangued
Municipality
Seal
Map of Abra showing the location of Bangued
Bangued Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 17°36′N 120°37′E / 17.600°N 120.617°ECoordinates: 17°36′N 120°37′E / 17.600°N 120.617°E
Country	Philippines
Region	Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
Province	Abra
District	Lone District of Abra
Barangays	31
Government[1]
• Mayor	Junior Go OIC
Area[2]
• Total	105.70 km^2 (40.81 sq mi)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	43,936
• Density	420/km^2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	2800
Dialing code	74
Income class	1st class municipality

Bangued is a first class municipality in and capital of the province of Abra in the Cordillera Administrative Region of the Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 43,936 people.^[3]

History

The name of Bangued means "roadblock". It was established as a regular town in 1598 and was made the seat of the provincial government of Abra on July 25, 1861. The inauguration coincided with the feast day of Saint James the Great.

Bangued Cathedral

The early settlers were the Tingguians belonging to the Bago, Itneg, Masadiit, lbanao, and Indayas tribes, who latter intermarried with the immigrants from Ilocos Sur. The Tingguians opposed the Christianization introduced by the Spanish friars who penetrated the eastern settlements. The Tingguian residents prevented the Spaniards from penetrating their area of which they placed roadblocks on all roads leading to the place. They also cut large logs and threw them to the Abra River to prevent the incoming colonizers from entering the area with the use of their boats and bamboo rafts. These logs were made as obstacles and big rocks were placed along the roads which the natives called "banggen", meaning obstacles.

When the conquistadores, led by Juan de Salcedo, decided to penetrate the area, they proceeded eastward and saw for themselves the logs along the Abra River, and the stones placed there to block all roads leading to the community. Salcedo's subaltern happened to meet one of the natives and asked what was the name of the place. Thinking that the Spaniards were inquiring about the roadblocks, he answered "banggen" and the subaltern jotted down on his notebook about the word.

The Spaniards were successful in their attempt to penetrate the inner communities in the east by removing the obstacles, saying in Spanish "Abra esos obstáculos" and it was in that happening when they developed the area and established the towns and barangays. The place where they found many obstacles, they named it "Bangen" and the province they called it "Abra".

When the Americans colonized the country and established the civil government, the town's name was modified to "Bangued".

In 1692, Augustinians under Fray Columbo made Bangued an independent mission territory. Earlier in 1615, Juan Pareja organized Bangued as a mission center and baptized 3,000 Tingguians with the help of their chief, Manuel Dumawal.

Modern-day Bangued was formally organized in 1704 until it was decided to become the capital town of Abra in 1863. It has 31 barangays, seven of them in the town proper.

Conversion to Cityhood

Cityhood for Bangued is being given a push in the 16th Congress. Councilor Avelino Bello filed a resolution seeking congressional nod for the capital town’s cityhood.^[4]

Geography

Bangued is a landlocked municipality. It is elongated in shape towards the north and south, and bisected through the center by the large Abra River. 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, Tayum and Peñarrubia in the east; San Isidro in the south, and Langiden and Pidigan in the west.

Bangued has a total land area of about 105.70 square kilometres (40.81 sq mi), accounting for 2.83% of the total area of the province. It is generally mountainous from north to south; however, it is flat and rolling at the midsection. From here it has an elevation of 30 metres (98 ft) above mean sea level. In the north, which consists mostly of mountains, elevation ranges from 60 to 1,036 metres (197 to 3,399 ft). In the south, which is interspersed with mountain and hills, elevation ranges from 45 to 300 metres (148 to 984 ft). One such hill is Cassamata Hill which was declared a national park.

Bangued 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. It is 408 kilometres (254 mi) from Manila, 197 kilometres (122 mi) from Baguio City and 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Vigan City.

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 barangays with 77 sitios,^[2] listed here with 2010 population.^[3]

• Agtangao — 2,164
• Angad — 2,298
• Bangbangar — 1,749
• Bañacao — 1,190
• Cabuloan — 1,131
• Calaba — 2,890
• Cosili East (Proper) — 957
• Cosili West (Buaya) — 1,175
• Dangdangla — 1,623
• Lingtan — 862
• Lipcan — 1,676
• Lubong — 690
• Macarcarmay — 695
• Macray — 755
• Malita — 373
• Maoay — 736
• Palao — 1,676
• Patucannay — 1,411
• Sagap — 775
• San Antonio — 913
• Santa Rosa — 1,784
• Sao-atan — 976
• Sappaac — 1,238
• Tablac (Calot) — 1,408
• Zone 1 Poblacion (Linasin) — 2,017
• Zone 2 Poblacion (Consiliman) — 1,325
• Zone 3 Poblacion (Lalaud) — 1,622
• Zone 4 Poblacion (Town Proper) — 1,040
• Zone 5 Poblacion (Barikir) — 2,277
• Zone 6 Poblacion (Sinapangan) — 1,789
• Zone 7 Poblacion (Baliling) — 2,721

Demographics

Population census of Bangued
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	34,184	—
1995	35,450	+0.68%
2000	38,965	+2.05%
2007	46,179	+2.37%
2010	43,936	−1.80%
Source: National Statistics Office[3]

Economy

The economy of the municipality is heavily dependent on agriculture particularly palay and corn, followed by trade and industry. Chinese businessmen dominate trade and manufacturing 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 products manufacturing with gravel and sand readily available at the Abra River bank. Wood and bamboo craft are also promising business enterprises with raw materials available in the vicinity and in the hinterlands for narra and other species of hardwood, rattan, 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.

Health Services

Health services delivery is vital in the promotion of a healthy and productive citizenry. due to limited funds of the municipal government, priorities were concentrated on the preventive health care programs.

With the Expanded Program on Immunization, the Office of the Municipal Health Officer immunized a total 1,100 children, on National Tuberculosis Program there were 11 sputum examinations conducted where only 3 were positive cases and subjected for treatment. On the Control of Diarrheal Diseases, there were 264 cases given oresol while on Nutrition Program, a total of 6,439 children (0-6 yrs.) were weighed per Operation Timbang, finding 52 cases of severely malnourished children and 253 moderate. Under the same program, a total of 9,565 cases from all age categories were given Vitamin A, Iodine and Iron supplement. Moreover, on Family Planning, a total of 1,999 current users of various family planning methods were maintained, while adding a total of 225 clients or new acceptors. In addition, on Environment Sanitation, a total of 1,451 level I water system were chlorinated while 11 additional sanitary toilets were constructed during the year.

Hospitals & Clinics

• Bangued Christian Hospital, Lorben's Hill, Torrijos St., Zone 5 - Private
• Abra Provincial Hospital, Barangay Calaba - Public
• Seares Memorial Clinic, Zone 4 - Private
• Saint James Clinic, Zone 7 - Private
• Saint Jude Clinic, Zone 7 - Private
• Bobila Clinic, Zone 7 - Private

Education

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.

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.

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.

Colleges

• Divine Word College of Bangued, Zone 6 - Private
• Abra Valley Colleges, Zone 4 - SemiPrivate
• Data Center College of the Phils., Zone 5 - Private
• Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology, Zone 3 - Public

High schools

• Divine Word College of Bangued, Zone 6 - Private
• Abra Valley Colleges, Zone 4 - Private
• Holy Spirit Academy of Bangued, Zone 5 - Private;
• Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology, Zone 3 - Public
• Abra High School, Zone 3 - Public
• Saint Joseph Seminary
• Sacred Heart School of Bangued,Zone 6 -Private

Media

TV Stations

• DWBG-TV 7 - GMA Network (Via Ilocos)
• DZAB-TV 9 - CNN Philippines
• DWAR-TV 11 - ABS-CBN Corporation (Via Laoag)
• DZZQ-TV 12 - TV5 Network, Inc.
• DWGN-TV 27 - GMA News TV
• DWCR-TV 30 - ABS-CBN Sports+Action
• DWFQ-TV 46 - Sonshine Media Network International
• DWBA-TV 66 - Myx

CABLE Stations

• Star Trek Cable Network Channel32 - UNTV-37

AM Stations

• DZPA: Radyo Totoo 873 (Catholic Media Network)
• DZRK: Radyo ng Bayan 1323 (Philippine Broadcasting Service)

FM Stations

• DWWM: Spirit FM 96.9 (Catholic Media Network)
• DWWB: Radyo Natin 101.5 (Manila Broadcasting Company)
• DWBA: GO Radio 88.7 FM (9Media Corporation)

Transportation

Passenger buses, mini-buses, jeepneys and tricycles 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 Pidigan, Tayum and Peñarrubia on a chartered ride basis.

Buses going to Manila have their own permanent station/terminal, while all the rest are accommodated and parked along various open lots, gasoline stations, etc.

There are jeeps that ply from Bangued to Narvacan.Road networks improved the transportation system of the province.They have started constructing the road connecting Abra to Ilocos Norte,exiting Abra from Danglas and entering Ilocos Norte in Nueva Era.

List of Cultural Properties of Bangued

Cultural Property wmph identifier	Site name	Description	Province	City/Municipality	Address/Location	Coordinates	Image
	Bangued West Elementary School	Built in 1917.	Abra	Bangued, Abra	Zone 3, Bangued, Abra	17°36′02″N 120°36′57″E / 17.600578°N 120.615774°E
	Crisologo Old Residence		Abra	Bangued, Abra	10 Magallenes St.	17°35′45″N 120°37′09″E / 17.595811°N 120.619297°E
	Francisco T. Valera Residence	Ruins of an old brick structure within the Valera residence.	Abra	Bangued, Abra	Zamora St.	17°35′40″N 120°37′03″E / 17.594451°N 120.617448°E
	Unknown Old Residence	An old brick structure now used as a commercial building.	Abra	Bangued, Abra	Rizal St.	17°35′50″N 120°37′09″E / 17.597234°N 120.61924°E
	Holy Spirit Academy	This was an old convent adjoining St. James the Elder Cathedral Church.	Abra	Bangued, Abra	Taft Street, Zone 5, Bangued	17°35′45″N 120°37′01″E / 17.595968°N 120.616893°E
	Jose Purugganan Residence		Abra	Bangued, Abra	Zamora St.	17°35′41″N 120°37′02″E / 17.594734°N 120.617243°E
	Lizardo Ancestral House	A former Bishop's house.	Abra	Bangued, Abra		17°35′46″N 120°37′01″E / 17.596033°N 120.61684°E
	Old Abra High School	A Gabaldon style school built in 1919.	Abra	Bangued, Abra		17°36′05″N 120°36′52″E / 17.601341°N 120.614379°E
	Pamil Ancestral House		Abra	Bangued, Abra	66 corner McKinley St., Santiago St.	17°35′54″N 120°37′05″E / 17.598289°N 120.618088°E
	Purugganan Old House		Abra	Bangued, Abra	322 Rizal St. Zone 5	17°35′49″N 120°37′08″E / 17.597033°N 120.618936°E
	Quintin Paredes Ancestral House		Abra	Bangued, Abra		17°35′51″N 120°37′08″E / 17.597432°N 120.618924°E
	San Lorenzo Ruiz Shrine		Abra	Bangued, Abra	Brgy. Zone 3	17°36′08″N 120°36′46″E / 17.602304°N 120.612795°E
	Bangued Municipal Hall		Abra	Bangued, Abra		17°35′47″N 120°37′06″E / 17.596503°N 120.618439°E
	Abra Capitol Building		Abra	Bangued, Abra		17°35′46″N 120°37′03″E / 17.59621°N 120.617387°E
	Second Regional House in Bangued (Now St. James The Elder Cathedral Parish Rectory)		Abra	Bangued, Abra		17°35′44″N 120°37′02″E / 17.595430°N 120.617139°E

Sister cities

• Vigan City, Philippines

References

1. "Official City/Municipal 2013 Election Results". Intramuros, Manila, Philippines: Commission on Elections (COMELEC). 11 September 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
2. "Province: ABRA". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
3. "Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay: as of May 1, 2010" (PDF). 2010 Census of Population and Housing. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
4. http://www.philstar.com/nation/2013/07/13/964742/bangued-cityhood-pushed-congress

External links

• Municipality of Bangued official website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Local Elections
• Sisterhood Tie Up