Balbalan

Balbalan, officially the Municipality of Balbalan, is a municipality in the province of Kalinga, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 13,332 people.

History

Spanish colonial era

The Spaniards made at least 10 incursions into the land of the Kalingas from the early 1600s to the late 1800s, four of which were made from the west primarily targeting the regions of Banao and Guinaang. Although they succeeded around the mid-1800s in establishing a telegraph station in Balbalasang and subsequently hacking out an Ilocos-Abra-Kalinga-Cagayan trail, they failed to establish a foothold in Kalinga.
Prior to the establishment of American rule in Kalinga, the ethnic sub-groups covered by the present geopolitical configuration of Balbalan were, like other Kalinga communities at that time, organized according to an indigenous system or concept of local governance operating within a “bilateral kinship group” circumscribed by semi-permanent territorial boundary.
This period saw the rise of several community leaders often mentioned in Balbalan orature: Sagaoc, Balutoc, Masadao, Gaddawan, Dawegoy, Lang-ayan, Bayudang, Gammong, et al.

American colonial era

When the Americans imposed their system of government over the archipelago, the land of the Kalingas became one of the highlights of their so-called “pacification campaign.” On 18 August 1907, Kalinga, then a sub-province of Lepanto-Bontoc, came under the control of Lt. Gov. Walter Franklin Hale who established his seat of government in Lubuagan where he organized the sub-province into four districts: Tinglayan-Tanudan; Balbalan-Pasil; Pinukpuk-Tobog, and Liwan.
A year later, Act 1870 of the Philippine Commission carved the old Mountain Province out of northern Luzon with Kalinga as one of its five sub-provinces. Kalinga was immediately reorganized into five municipal districts — Lubuagan, Balbalan, Tabuk, Tinglayan, and Pinukpuk — each led by presidents. Among these municipal chiefs was Puyao who served in that capacity for close to 24 years under five subprovincial chief executives: Walter F. Hale, Alex F. Gilfilan, Samuel E. Kane, Tomas Blanco, and Nicasio Balinag. Puyao did not run for office during the first local elections in the area in 1934, and was succeeded by Awingan. Three years later, municipal chief executives became known as “Municipal District Mayors.”
In 1942 a Japanese garrison was established in Balbalan.

Geography

Balbalan is situated from the provincial capital Tabuk, and from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Balbalan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Ababa-an
Balantoy
Balbalan Proper
Balbalasang
Buaya
Dao-angan
Gawa-an
Mabaca
Maling
Pantikian
Poswoy
Poblacion
Talalang
Tawang
Climate

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Balbalan was 13,332 people, with a density of.

Economy

Government

Local government

Balbalan, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Kalinga, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

Elected officials

Position	Name
Congressman	Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang
Mayor	Almar P. Malannag
Vice-Mayor	Rowina Alison M. Damian
Councilors	Marc Alvin M. Page
Councilors	Paul B. Bog-acon
Councilors	Clarence D. Tongdo
Councilors	Edwin Bruce B. Astudillo
Councilors	Rex L. Dulansi
Councilors	Bernabe C. Basingan
Councilors	Dennis C. Baggas
Councilors	John Smith S. Gullayan

History of Mayors
President Juan Puyao
Hon. George Awingan, Sr.
Hon. George Bonggawon
Hon. Juan Magayam
Hon. Luciano Cabannag
Hon. Geronimo Manggad
Hon. Semeon Bog-acon
Hon. Marcos Duguiawe
Hon. Isabelo C. Gacuya
Hon. Pedro S. Sagalon
Hon. Fabian Dongui-is
Hon. John Dongui-is
Hon. Agustin Battoyong
Hon. Leonardo Banganan
Hon. Edward Calumnag
Hon. Rosendo S. Dakiwag
Hon. Allen Jesse "Sonny" Capuyan Mangaoang
Hon. Kenneth Dale Capuyan Mangaoang
Hon. Eric Gonayon
Hon. Almar Malannag

Education

The Balbalan Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.

Secondary schools

Balbalan Agricultural and Industrial School
Balbalan National High school
St. Paul's Memorial School of Kalinga
St. Theresita High School of Salegseg
Western Kalinga National High School
Works cited

;Books

Bacdayan, Albert. The Peace Pact System of the Kalingas in the Modern World. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, Inc., 1967.
Barton, Roy F. The Kalingas: Their Institutions and Custom Law. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1949.
De Los Reyes, Angelo J. & Aloma M. De Los Reyes, eds. Igorot: A People Who Daily Touch the Earth and Sky. Vol. II. Baguio City: Cordillera Schools Group, 1986.
DILG-CAR. Cordillera Almanac Vol. 1 : Local Government Units. Baguio City: DILG-CAR, 1999.
Dozier, Edward P. Mountain Arbiters: The Changing Life of a Philippine Hill People. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press, 1966.
The Kalinga of Northern Luzon, Philippines. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967.
Finin Gerard A. The Making of the Igorot: Contours of Cordillera Consciousness. Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2005.
Jenista, Frank Lawrence. The White Apos: American Governors on the Cordillera Central. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1987.
Lawless, Robert. The Social Ecology of the Kalingas of Northern Luzon. Ann Arbor, MI: Xerox University Microfilms, 1975.
Scott, William Henry, ed. German Travelers on the Cordillera. Manila: Filipiniana Book Guild, 1975.
The Discovery of the Igorots: Contacts with the Pagans of Northern Luzon. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1974.
Sugguiyao, Miguel. The Kalinga Hilltribe of the Philippines. Manila: ONCC, 1990.

;Periodicals

Dannang, Noe. “The Rotary Way of Curbing Vindictive Killings.” The Highland Leader. October 1994, 5.
Scott, William Henry. “Notes on the History of the Mountain Provinces – IV.” University of Baguio Journal, IX-1 : 1-4