CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

Capital: Baguio City

Languages: Ilokano, Kalinga, Kankanaey, Ifugao, Itneg, Isneg, Pangasinense, others
Geographic Location: The region is situated at the northern portion and reaching yntil the
central part of Luzon. The Cagayan and Isabela are on its northern and southern border,
Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya on the south and southwest, and the Ilocos provinces
and La Union on the west. This region has rugged mountain ranges, forests, deep gorges
and ravines, wide pastureslands and river basins.
Name of Cities and Provinces: It is subdivided into one city and six provinces, namely:
Baguio City, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Provine, Ifugao and Benguet.
Profile of CAR
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was established on July 15, 1987 through
executive Order No. 220 issued by President Corazon Aquino. It is the only land-locked
region of the Philippines. The region consists of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet,
Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain Province and Apayao. The regional center is the Chartered City
of Baguio, officially known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Its rugged terrain
and breath-taking topography have been home to the sturdy and industrious indigenous
tribes collectively called the Igorot, while its climate has bred an equally unique culture
distinct from that of the country’s lowland colonized regions. It is located in the North-
Central part of Luzon and encompasses most of the areas within the Cordillera Central
mountain range of Luzon. It is bounded by Ilocos Norte and Cagayan in the North,
Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya in the South, Cagayan Valley in the East, and the Ilocos
Region in the West. It is the country’s only land-locked region. It has a mountainous
topography and dubbed as the “Watershed Cradle of North Luzon” as it hosts nine major
rivers that provide continuous water for irrigation and energy for Northern Luzon.
Physical

Cordillera is one of the prime tourist destinations in the Philippines. It has many
spectacular scenic views and enchantingly cool places. The world-famous Banaue Rice
Terraces in the province of Ifugao is considered as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. This
structure of about 2000 to 6000 years old is a United Nations Organization for Education,
Science and Culture (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. Other tourist attractions of the
region include the Sumaguing Cave in Sagada and the mummy caves in Benguet and
Mt. Province. There are four National Parks in the region: Cassamata Hill; Mount Pulag,
which is the highest mountain in Luzon; Mount Data; and Balbalasang-Balbalan.

The Cordillera covers an area of approximately 18,294 square kilometers. It is composed

of 73 municipalities, two cities, seven congressional districts, and 1,176 barangays.
Demographics
Cordillera Administrative Region, officially designated as CAR, is an administrative
region in the Philippines occupying the northern-central section of Luzon. It covers
6 provinces, namely, Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province,
as well as 1 highly urbanized city. The regional center is the City of Baguio.

Its population as determined by the 2020 Census was 1,797,660. This represented 2.89%
of the overall population of the Luzon island group, or 1.65% of the entire population of
the Philippines. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at
91 inhabitants per square kilometer or 235 inhabitants per square mile.

Abra
The cultural heritage of the people of Abra is clearly in their customs and practices,
especially those of the populace in the mountainous areas. Their collection of antique
porcelains, jars, and gongs speaks of trade with the oriental countries. The indigenous
nature of their cultural practices can be substantiated by their ethnic music, especially
that of the mountain people. It is also the place where Joan of Arc of the Philippines,
Gabriella Silang, took refuge from the pursuing Spanish forces during the Ilocano Revolt.
Abra today is a promising province when it comes to development. Backed by a number
of government-led growth programs, it is soon expected to emerge as a self-reliant
province.
Apayao

Apayao is a landlocked province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region

in Luzon. It borders Cagayan to the north and east, Abra and Ilocos Norte to the west,
and Kalinga to the south. The province of Apayao comprises 7 municipalities, subdivided
into 133 barangays (barrios), all encompassed by a lone legislative district. The capital is
the municipality of Kabugao.

The sequence of events which contributed to the creation of the Province of Apayao:

• The Americans established the Mountain Province on August 13, 1908.

Apayao (part of Cagayan province since the Spanish Period), along with
Amburayan, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto, became sub-
provinces of this new province.
• On June 18, 1966, the huge Mountain Province was split into four provinces:
Benguet, Bontoc (renamed "Mountain Province"), Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao.
• Kalinga-Apayao, along with Ifugao, became one of the provinces of the
Cagayan Valley Region in 1972.
 • On July 15, 1987, the Cordillera Administrative Region was established and
Kalinga-Apayao was made one of its provinces.
• Finally, on February 14, 1995, Kalinga-Apayao was split into two independent
provinces to better service the needs of individual ethnic groups.
Benguet
Early in the 19th century after the Spanish explorer Guillermo Galley's report of his
expedition, the Spanish Government organized the mountain region into six
(6) commandancias politico-militar namely:

• Benguet in 1846
• Lepanto in 1852
• Bonico in 1859
• Amburayan in 1889
• and Kayapa and Kabugao in 1891

The province of Benguet, as now constituted, have portion of which were parts of the
Districts of Lepanto, Bonico and Amburayan. Early commandancias were divided
into rancherias. The commandancia of Benguet was consisted of 41 rancherias with La
Trinidad, named after Galley's wife, as capital.

In 1899, the Katipunan came to Benguet and united the Igorots and established Benguet
under the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Ora Juan Cariño of Tublay was
appointed Governor of Benguet and Chairman of the Board. In La Trinidad, Miguel Picarte
was appointed as president but their terms were short lived for the American colonizers
came in the early 1900's.

Under the American rule, civil government was established under Act No. 48 local civil
government of Benguet was established composed of the townships of La Trinidad,
Galiano, Itogon, Tublay, Atok, Kapangan, Balakbak, Palina, Ampusongan, Loo,
Kabayan, Buguias, Adaoay, Bokod, Daclan, Sablan, Kibungan and Ambuklao.

Ifugao

• During the brief occupation of the Spaniards in the province, they established
“pueblos” (towns) headed by the “Alcalde Municipal” and barangays (barrios)
headed by the “Cabeza de Barangay”.
• The Spaniards mainly confined their activities in Kiangan, Ifugao. The Spanish
government ended with the explosion of the Philippine Revolution.
• In 1905, Ifugao, along with Amburayan, Apayao, Benguet, Bontoc, Kalinga, and
Lepanto, was annexed to the newly created Mountain Province. The sub-province
was administered by a Lt. Governor Hon. Luis Pawid of Kiangan became the first
Deputy Governor during the American regime. Captain Pedro Bulan was the last
official to assume the office of Deputy Governor.
 • Ifugao became the center of warfare during the last stages of World War II. It was
at Mt. Napulawan in Ifugao that Gen. Yamashita, the “Tiger of Malaya”, set up his
last stand against the Filipino and American forces.
• He originally surrendered to Capt. Grisham of the US Army based in Kiangan
before he was flown to Camp John Hay, Baguio City, where he formally
surrendered.
• At the beginning of World War II, there were five (5) municipalities in Ifugao: Burnay
(later changed to Lagawe by virtue of Republic Act 3380), Kiangan, Banaue,
Hungduan, and Mayoyao.
• Ifugao was converted into a province on June 18, 1966, by virtue of Republic Act
4695 with the municipality of Lagawe as the capital town. The other municipalities
include Asipulo, Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Banaue, Hingyon, Hungduan, Kiangan,
Lamut, Mayoyao, and Tinoc.

Kalinga

Kalinga as a political domain was non-existent during the 300 years of Spanish colonial
rule. Spanish writers towards the 18th century merely noted that there were inhabitants
of the mountain region at the central dorsal expanse of what the Spaniards called the
Gran Cordillera (mountains) of Luzon. The name “Kalinga” apparently is not indigenous
to the present Kalinga constituency since the word is traced to “Gaddang” dialect.

The name referred to the mountaineers on the eastern side of Gran Cordillera who,
during those years of Spanish occupation of the Cagayan Valley, pestered lowlanders
with their head-hunting raids. Kalinga as name stuck with those mountain dwellers
occupying now the territory of Kalinga Province.

Kalinga was first organized as a political realm under the American political rule when
Mountain Province was created by the Philippine Commission Act 1876 on August 18,
1912. It was one of the five sub-provinces then of Mountain Province when it was divided
into several, sub-provincial units along ethnic lines.

By an act of Congress, Kalinga was lumped with Apayao as one separate province
by RA 5695 which divided Mountain Province into four subprovinces on June 18, 1966.
Kalinga became a separate province by virtue of RA 7878 which divided the Kalinga-
Apayao provinces into two in 1992.

The province is constituted by eight municipalities namely, Balbalan, Pasil Lubugan,

Pinukpuk, Rizal, Tabuk, Tanudan and Tinglayan. Tabuk is the capital town.

Mountain Province

Act No. 1876 was enacted by the Philippine Commission on August 19, 1908 creating a
big province called Mountain Province to cover the whole mountainous region of central
northern Luzon. Samuel Cane was appointed first governor and the town of Bontoc was
made the capital.
On April 7, 1967, the old Mountain Province was abolished by virtue of Republic Act No.
4695. The sub-provinces were converted into 4 independent provinces: Benguet, Ifugao,
Kalinga-Apayao and Mountain Province (corresponding to the former Bontoc sub-
province). After Mountain Province became independent, Alfredo G. Lamen was elected
in 1969 as the representative of the province in the 7th Congress.

During the Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, the province was part of Region I or the
Ilocos Region. However, On July 15, 1987, President Corazon Aquino signed Executive
Order No. 220 creating the Cordillera Autonomous Region with Mountain Province
together with Abra, Benguet, Ifugao and Kalinga Apayao as the component provinces.

Baguio City

The places surrounding Baguio were first settled primarily by the Ibalois and the
Kankanaeys. In the nearby town of La Trinidad, Benguet, Spaniards established a zeus or
military garrison, but the Kafagway, Baguio City’s former name, was barely touched.
When the American took possession of the Philippines, Baguio started to be known. Much
of this American soldiers, from General to the lowest clerk would took their summer
vacation at Baguio to escape the heat of summer. They then named the place as the
Summer Capital of the Philippines. In year 1903 Filipino, Japanese and Chinese workers
were hired to build the first road directly connecting Baguio with the lowlands of
Pangasinan, the Kennon Road.

The American architect and urban planner Daniel H. Burnham designed the city. The city
got its name, however, from bag-iw meaning “moss” in Ibaloi – the native tongue of the
Benguet province. On September 1, 1909 Baguio was declared a chartered city, the
second after the city of Manila. They further developed Baguio, building parks and public
structures such as Wright Park in honor of Governor General Luke E. Wright, Burnham
Park in honor of Baguio city planner Daniel Burnham, Governor Pack Road, and Session
Road.

People

• The population of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) as of 01 May

2020 is 1,797,660 based on the 2020 Census of Population and Housing
(2020 CPH). This accounts for about 1.65 percent of the Philippine population
in 2020.

• The 2020 population of the region is higher by 75,654 from the population of
1.72 million in 2015, and 180,793 more than the population of 1.62 million in
2010. Moreover, it is higher by 432,248 compared with the population of 1.37
million in 2000.

https://psa.gov.ph/content/highlights-cordillera-administrative-region-car-population-
2020-census-population-and
As in the rest of the country, the great majority of the region's population are peasants
engaged in farming and other small-scale production and side occupations. The next
biggest sector is composed of formal wage workers and informal odd-job workers in non-
farm occupations. There is also a sizeable number of students, salaried employees, and
professionals in the few urban and town centers.

A big bulk of the Cordillera population is composed of closely-related indigenous peoples.

Collectively, our peoples are popularly known as Igorot. Often we are also grouped into
a number of ethnic or ethno-linguistic identities, such as Apayao or Isneg, Tinggian,
Kalinga, Bontoc, Kankanaey, Ibaloy, Ifugao, and Bago.

Bigger and more diverse populations are found in Cordillera's melting pot areas, such as
those in urban (or rapidly urbanizing) Baguio-Benguet and in the foothills and valleys
adjoining the great lowlands of Luzon. In these areas, the original indigenous
communities have given way to hybrid communities composed of varied mixtures of
indigenous and migrant peoples.

Religion
Majority (65.75 percent) of the population of Cordillera Administrative Region were
Roman Catholics. Evangelicals (8.85 percent) and United Church of Christ in the
Philippines (2.86 percent), followed, while 22.31 percent belonged to other religious
affiliations.

Festivals
1. Say-am Festival of Apayao – February
The province’s way of celebrating their anniversary as a separate province. The
celebration features street dancing, cultural performances, agri-tourism exhibits
and trade fairs.
2. Bodong Festival, Kalinga – February
The festival features music, chants, arts, Kalinga’s songs, and cultural shows,
agri-tourism exhibits and trade fairs.
3. Panagbenga Festival – February
A parade of the flower that abounds in Baguio and Benguet.
4. Panagbenga Street Dance Parade, Baguio City – February/March
Floats, processions, local music and competitions.
5. Arya! Abrenian Kawayan Festival, Bangued – March
 Bamboo is a major product in Abra, thus the name of the festival. The celebration
features, parades, fashion shows, balikbayan (visiting overseas Filipinos) night
and cultural shows, celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the province.
6. Mangan Taku Food Fair, Baguio City – April
A showcase for indigenous food from the region’s six provinces.
7. Lang-ay Festival of Mountain Province – April
Cultural festival highlighting the Foundation Anniversary of Mountain Province,
with street dances, theatrical performances, sports competitions and agri-trade
fairs.
8. Gotad Ad Ifugao – June
A cultural festival showcasing cultural presentations, craftsmanship, chants,
songs and rituals.
9. Adivay Festival of Benguet – November
A month-long celebration of agri-tourism through the culture, arts and industries
of Benguet. It culminates in the Grand Cañao and cultural presentations by the
13 municipalities.

LITERACY RATE IN CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

Education 2013 2008 2003

Basic literacy rate (10 years old and
over)4/
94.9 94.8 91.6
Functional literacy rate (10 to 64
years old) 5/
91.2 89.2 85.4
https://psa.gov.ph/content/quickstat-cordillera-administrative-region-june-2018

CUISINE AND DELICACIES OF CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

The Ifugao people are known for their chants and their unique musical instruments, which
include the nose flute, buzzer and bamboo zither. You may be able to see these in action
and watch dances and rituals at one of the region’s colourful festivals. The Ifugao are
especially known for their organic heirloom tinawon rice, planted on their rice terraces
and harvested once a year.
Other mountain produces and dishes not to be missed include Benguet coffee, gipah
herbal tea, miki abra (a breakfast noodle soup), abra masa podrida (shortbread cookies),
goloria (doughnuts), inladit (sweet crackers), pinalatan (chicken with pomelo leaves and
chili), pinaltit (a ground-pork appetiser), abraw (vegetables stewed in fish paste),
kiniing/etag (smoked meat) and pinunnog (smoked sausage).

Etag

Etag is pork meat preserved by

covering it with salt then drying
it under the sun or smoking it in
dirty kitchens. Etag is usually
added to pinikpikan and legume
dishes.

Pinikpikan
The preparation of this well-loved dish
is not rocket science. You just need a
chicken prepped through beating the
chicken's wing and neck through a stick
(thus pinikpikan, from the local term
pikpik which means beat) and then
torching. Now some prefer to just slit the
throat instead of beating it. The torching
part is important because you don't get
a similar taste if you use dressed
chicken.

The chicken then gets boiled to

tenderness, flavored with onions,
ginger, and salt. Etag (salted, dried
pork) and sayote fruit are also added.
 Tapey or tapuy (Igorot rice
wine) Ygolote Ack
Tapey or tapuy is also called Igorot rice
wine. It is traditionally served to visitors
or used for cooking. It is also feasted
upon during special occasions.

The only ingredients in making the

tapey are rice yeast "bubod" and red
glutinous rice. The glutinous rice is
cooked with lesser water and removed
from the fire when it is half cooked. The
rice is spread evenly over clean
banana leaves or bigao (flat woven
basket) to cool off. The yeast is ground finely and mixed evenly with the rice. After that,
the mixture is placed in a tightly sealed jar and opened after 1 week.

Pinuneg

This is the Cordilleran's version of

sausage; except that the contents and
covering are different. Pinuneg is a
mixture of pig blood and spices
wrapped in a clean and empty pig's
large intestines. It is then boiled for 30-
35 minutes.

Strawberry Taho

Strawberry Taho is a famous delicacy in Baguio

City. It's a soybean curd with strawberry
sauce and pieces.
 Strawberry jam

Made with whole, preserved

strawberries and a kick of sugar to give
you a taste of Baguio. Perfect when
spread on toast for breakfast or
merienda, or even as a topping for
other desserts! Enjoy it with cookies,
crepes, oatmeal and more. A well-loved
classic favorite!

INANDILA
a native delicacy of Kalinga, made
of pound malagkit/ sticky
rice,Ladok(the brown precipitate left
in coconut oil extraction) plus brown
sugar/muscovado
Inandila is short for "SINANDILA"
which means "just like a tongue".this
is served in all occassions like
Bodong, weddings, etc.
if you want to eat unlimited Inandila,
visit barangay Naneng, Tabuk City
during the "Inandila Festival" every
March 23.
One of the famous delicacies in Kalinga.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Mt Pulag National park

 Burnham Park

Diplomat Hotel

Mines View Park

Strawberry Farm

Banaue Rice Terraces

Camp John Hay

http://car.da.gov.ph/regional-profile/
https://guides.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/c.php?g=105238&p=687381

https://psa.gov.ph/content/cordillera-administrative-region-least-populous-
region-philippines
http://www.ethnicgroupsphilippines.com/2020/12/08/cultural-practices-and-rituals-of-the-cordillera/

http://www.gobaguio.com/cordillera-cuisine.html#.YWTsYxpByUk
https://www.destimap.com/index.php?act=place&p=Cordillera-Region,-
Philippines&atype=Landmark
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/phl-ocha-car_profile-
a3_jan2017_1.pdf