Kiangan


Kiangan, officially the Municipality of Kiangan is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 17,849 people.
It is the oldest town in the province. Kiangan was the former capital of Ifugao until the topology was deemed unfit and moved to neighboring Lagawe.
The Nagacadan Rice Terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras World Heritage Site.

Etymology

The town derives its name from Kiyyangan, an ancient village near the bank of the Ibulao River across the Lagawe valley. The name Kiyyangan is enshrined in Ifugao mythology and is believed to be the dwelling of Wigan and Bugan, the mythological ancestors of the Ifugao.

Geography

Kiangan is situated from the provincial capital Lagawe, and from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Kiangan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
  • Ambabag
  • Baguinge
  • Bolog
  • Bokiawan
  • Dalligan
  • Duit
  • Hucab
  • Julongan
  • Lingay
  • Mungayang
  • Nagacadan
  • Pindongan
  • Poblacion
  • Tuplac

    Climate

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Kiangan was 17,849 people, with a density of.

Languages

Dialects spoken in Kiangan include Ifugao, Tuwali, Ayangan, Ilocano, Tagalog, and English.

Economy

Agriculture and tourism are the main sources of local economic activities which supports commerce and trade among townsfolk. Its terraced rice fields do not only provide produce for the farmers but attract tourists as well.

Government

Local government

Kiangan, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Ifugao, 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

PositionName
CongressmanAttorney Solomon Ramirez Chungalao
MayorRaldis Andrei A. Bulayungan
Vice-MayorMichelle Alice B. Baguilat
CouncilorsClarence B. Buyuccan
CouncilorsAntonio M. Pad-eh
CouncilorsManuel T. Buhong Sr.
CouncilorsMarcial D. Allaga
CouncilorsLawrence A. Dulnuan Jr.
CouncilorsJames I. TaliB
CouncilorsMagdalena D. Piggangay
CouncilorsHonorio M. Pumihic

Culture

  • Nagacadan Rice Terraces
The Nagacadan Rice Terraces is a UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the many rice terraces in the province of Ifugao. The rice terraces cluster manifest a distinct feature - the fields are in ascending rows of terraces bisected by a river.
Located in Kiangan is the Kiangan Central School old home economics building, which marks the spot where the highest Commander of the Japanese Imperial Army, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, surrendered to the Filipino & American Forces on 2 September 1945.

Education

The Kiangan 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.

Primary and elementary schools

  • Alimit Elementary School
  • Baguinge Elementary School
  • Bokiawan Elementary School
  • Bolog Elementary School
  • Dalligan Elementary School
  • Duit Elementary School
  • Hucab Elementary School
  • Julongan Elementary School
  • Kiangan Central School
  • Mappit Elementary School
  • Mungayang Elementary School
  • Nagacadan Elementary School
  • Nungkigadan Elementary School
  • Pindongan Elementary School
  • Tuplac Elementary School

    Secondary schools

  • Kiangan National High School
  • Mungayang National High School
  • St. Joseph's School
  • The Ifugao Academy
  • Riverview Polytechnic and Academic School, Inc