Itogon, Benguet

Itogon
Municipality

Itogon Municipal Hall

Seal

Location in the province of Benguet
Itogon

Location within the Philippines

Coordinates: 16°22′N 120°41′E / 16.367°N 120.683°E / 16.367; 120.683Coordinates: 16°22′N 120°41′E / 16.367°N 120.683°E / 16.367; 120.683
Country Philippines
Region Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
Province Benguet
District Lone District of Benguet
Founded 1951
Barangays 9
Government
 • Mayor Victorio Tongalog Palangdan
Area[1]
 • Total 449.73 km2 (173.64 sq mi)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 55,960
 • Density 120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code 2604
Dialing code 74
Income class 1st class

Itogon is a first class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 55,960 people.[2]

The largest municipality in the province of Benguet by land area, it is known as a mining town, being the site of the first large-scale mining operations in the country.[3][4][5]

Itogon is the site of Binga Dam.[6]

History

Spanish period

During the Spanish Regime, a native of the historic pueblo of Itogon (or Itokhon), named "Codeng", was appointed by the Spanish authorities as capitan of another nearby village, Balingway (currently Itogon Central/Proper[7]).[4][5] Balingway was later established as a town site and renamed after Codeng's native place.[4]

American period

During the American rule, Itogon was established as one of the 19 townships of the province of Benguet, upon the issuance of Act No. 48 by the Philippine Commission on November 22, 1900.[4][8][9]

Mining operations started in Itogon in 1903, after Benguet Corporation, the Philippines' first mining firm, was established in the town under the name, Benguet Consolidated Mining Company (BCMC), by Americans Nelson Peterson and Harry Clyde.[3][10]

On August 13, 1908, Benguet was established as a sub-province of the newly created Mountain Province with the enactment of Act No. 1876. As a result, six townships of Benguet were abolished, but Itogon remained a constituent town of Benguet sub-province.[9]

Post-war era

In 1948, plans by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) for a second dam construction along the Agno River in the province of Benguet started, after the Ambuklao Dam construction commenced in Bokod. Bulldozers started clearing the forested area of the Guissit Mountains in 1954 for the Binga Dam. Construction of the dam took 3 years and 9 months, from August 1956 until its formal operations opening in May 1960.[5][6]

On May 15, 1951, the town was converted into a regular municipality from the former municipal district of the same name, with the enactment of Republic Act No. 616.[11]

On June 18, 1966, the sub-province of Benguet was separated from the old Mountain Province and was converted into a regular province. Itogon remained to be a component municipality of the newly established province.[9][12]

Geography

Itogon is located at the southeast end of the Benguet province, forming a border with the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya (on the west) and Pangasinan (on the south). The town is bounded by Baguio City and the municipality of Tuba on the west, La Trinidad and Tublay on the north-west, Bokod on the north-east, Kayapa and Santa Fe on the southeast, San Manuel and San Nicolas on the south, and Sison on the south-west.

The Agno River traverses the municipality and is impounded at Binga (19 kilometres or 12 miles from the Ambuklao Dam in Bokod) forming the Binga Dam.[13]

Barangays

Itogon comprises 9 barangays.

Demographics

Population census of Itogon
YearPop.±% p.a.
1990 61,773—    
1995 47,781−4.70%
2000 46,705−0.49%
2007 48,778+0.60%
2010 55,960+5.13%
Source: National Statistics Office[2][15]

Generally inhabited by 60 percent Ibalois and 40 percent Kankanaey, Itogon was the most populous municipality in the province, with a population of 61,773 in the 1990 census. Its population abruptly declined five years after as illustrated in the census of 1995.[15]

Economy

Itogon’s main source of livelihood is mining.[3] Secondary to mining is agriculture. Major mining companies which operate in the town include Benguet Corporation, Philex Mining Corporation, Atok Big Wedge Mining Company (now called Atok Gold Mining Company) and Itogon Suyoc Mines.[16]

Tourism

Known tourist destination areas in Itogon include the Binga Dam in Tinongdan and Balatoc Mines Tours in Balatoc, Virac. Other tourist spots include the open pit mines in Loacan, hot spring in Dalupirip, Mt. Ugo in Tinongdan, Level 1300 swimming pools in Poblacion with hot steams and bath and the mummies in Domolpos also in Tinongdan. [17][18]

Education

Public schools

As of 2014, Itogon has 39 public elementary schools and 7 public secondary schools.[19][20][21]

Private schools

Highways

References

  1. ↑ "Province: Benguet". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 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 12 August 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Cabreza, Vincent (20 October 2012). "Country’s first mine town should have been richest in PH". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Municipality of Itogon, Benguet". Department of Interior and Local Government - Cordillera Administrative Region. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Pungayan, Morr Tadeo. "History of Itogon: Chronology of Itogon History". Official Website of the Municipality of Itogon. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Binga Dam". National Power Corporation. NAPOCOR. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Gimenez, Lulu A. (1996). On the Basis of Custom and History: Land Resource Ownership and Access Rights Among the Igorot of the Itogon Mining Area. Mining Communities Development Center. p. 49. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Facts & Figures: Benguet Province". Philippine Statistics Authority - National Statistical Coordination Board - Cordillera Administrative Region. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "History: Benguet Province". Province of Benguet (official website). Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Weighing the cost of gold rush in Benguet". ABS-CBN News. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "R.A. No. 616: An Act to Convert the Municipal District of Itogon, Sub-province of Benguet, Mountain Province, into a Regular Municipality to be Known as the Municipality of Itogon". LawPH.com. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Republic Act No. 4695: An Act Creating the Provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao and Kalinga-Apayao". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Binga Dam". National Power Corporation. Retrieved 8 April 2016. Binga Dam forms an impoundment on the Agno River, approximately 19 km downstream of the Ambuklao dam, in Benguet province, northern Luzon.
  14. ↑ "2010 Census of Population and Housing: Population Counts - Cordillera Administrative Region" (PDF). National Statistics Office (Philippines), 4 April 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Province of Benguet". Municipality Population Data. LWUA Research Division. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Brief Profile of the Municipality of Itogon". Official Website of the Municipality of Itogon. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Tourism". Municipality of Itogon, Official Website. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  18. ↑ "Local Attractions: Itogon". Province of Benguet website. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  19. ↑ "Masterlist of Public Elementary Schools for the School year 2012- 2013" (XLSX). Department of Education (Philippines), July 15, 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  20. 1 2 "Masterlist of Secondary Schools (School Year 2013- 2014)" (XLSX). Department of Education (Philippines), 4 July 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  21. 1 2 "Masterlist of Public Schools SY 2013-2014" (XLSX). Department of Education (Philippines), 22 October 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.

External links

 La Trinidad
Baguio		 Tublay
Tuba Bokod
   Itogon  
Sison, Pangasinan San Manuel / San Nicolas Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya
Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya
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