Lubuagan

Lubuagan, officially the Municipality of Lubuagan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Kalinga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 9,323 people.

Lubuagan is 43 km from Tabuk City and 457 km from Manila.

Lubuagan Municipality, once the seat of the National Government from March 6 to May 17, 1900, during the time of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, was among the eight (8) municipalities of the new province of Kalinga. It is located at 800 m above sea level in the southern part of Kalinga and in the heart of the Cordillera. It has a land area of 23420 ha. Some of its younger generation have migrated either in the lowland plains of Tabuk or in other provinces in search for income and employment opportunities.

History
Spanish Rule was never established in Lubuagan during its 300 year occupation of the Philippines. However, Emilio Aguinaldo, president of the erstwhile First Philippine Republic made Lubuagan the seat of government for 73 days, from 6 March to 18 May 1900, before his escape and eventual capture at Palanan, Isabela, on 23 March 1901. Upon the assumption of the United States of America as colonial power over the Philippines. The Township of Lubuagan was established in 1905 and administered via the sub provincial government of Lepanto-Bontoc sub-province. Lt. Governor E. A. Eckman, an American ex-soldier was the Chief Executive of the sub-province. In 1907, Kalinga was separated and organized as a distinct sub-province from Lepanto-Bontoc. Franklin Walter Hale was appointed the first Lt. Governor to establish a civil government in Kalinga.

Bulanao, a thriving community of Tubog at the time, the site of which is the present homestead of Abe Umao was the target of Hale as the center of his administration in Kalinga. But shortly thereafter, a cholera and malaria epidemic broke out in the latter part of 1907 and continued in 1908 which almost wiped out the populace. Hale himself caught malaria so that he and his family were forced to leave Bulanao.

Hale and his staff came up to Lubuagan in the early part of 1909 and established their quarters and camps where the present multi-purpose hall now stands. Hale whom the people baptized and fondly called Sapao, first organized his police contingent from and among the tribal pangats and headmen from the different villages of Kalinga to help them tame recalcitrant natives.

Hale served Kalinga up to the end of July 1915. He was replaced by Samuel Kane, who served for a brief period and was replaced by Alex Gilfilan in September 1916, who was later on replaced by Deputy Governor Thomas Blanco, a Filipino. In 1924, Nicasio Balinag took over as Deputy Governor.

The colonial government notably beginning with the administration of Hale up to the Commonwealth government was considered the golden years of Lubuagan, which was designated the capital town of the sub-province before Tabuk rose to its present status as the center of learning and government activities.. Lubuagan at that time was the center of education, culture, commerce and trade. The founding of the Kalinga Academy in 1927, a secondary school run by American Missionaries and the St. Teresita's School in 1929, a Catholic Primary and High School managed by the CICM Belgian Missionaries bolstered the luster of Lubuagan. It was also in Lubuagan where the first instruction of higher learning in the old Mountain Province was established.

During World War II, Japanese Imperial Army Japanese forces occupied Lubuagan in May 1942.

In 1945, Lubuagan was bombed by American planes resulting in the destruction of the Lubuagan Central School which was then occupied by the Japanese. St. Peter's church, its convent and two more buildings within its compound were all burned to the ground.

(Source: Souvenir Book: Kalinga 7th Foundation Day)

Barangays
Lubbuagan is politically subdivided into 9 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.


 * Antonio Canao
 * Dangoy
 * Lower Uma
 * Mabilong
 * Mabongtot
 * Poblacion
 * Tanglag
 * Uma del Norte (Western Uma)
 * Upper Uma

Demographics


In the 2020 census, the population of Lubuagan, Kalinga, was 9,323 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2.

Local government
Lubuagan, 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.

Tourism

 * St. Theresita's School, a Roman Catholic school established by the CICM missionaries in 1925, was once the educational center of the Cordillera. It was also used as a military outpost by the Japanese, Filipino and American forces during World War II.
 * Mabilong Weaver's Village, located along the road, is the center of the ethnic weaving industry in the province. It showcases colorful ethnic backstrap weaving. Here, one can see how the intricate ethnic designs are made and how the colors are mixed. Souvenirs can be bought from the weavers.
 * The town has extensive and scenic rice terraces (Pon-e Rice Terraces and Gapis Rice Terraces) cut into the mountains, rising 2,000 ft from the Chico River bed.
 * 5 km north of the town is a turn-off with a once-busy road leading west to Batong Buhay Mines.
 * Aguinaldo Hill, located 7 km from the national road, was Gen. Aguinaldo's command post during his 72-day stay in the town. It has a panoramic view of several barangays in Pinukpuk.
 * Awichon Mesa, a plateau situated at Barangay Upper Uma, 2 km from the town proper and between Pasil and Lubuagan, is an archaeological site where bones of a prehistoric elephant were found. It was also the landing site of American forces during World War II.
 * Cadamayan Falls, at Barangay Western Uma, serves as the natural boundary of Pasil, Lubuagan and Tinglayan and can be viewed from the road.
 * Tiwod Spring, the "Fertility Twin Spring", is believed to be a God-given gift for couples who haven't had children yet. Couples who take a bath on mornings and drink from it will bear children as believed by many locals.
 * Unexplored Tongango Caves, located just above the poblacion, consists of several chambers connecting the mountains of Lubuagan, Sumadel and Tulgao.
 * The Belalao Mabilong View is a stopover for viewing the panorama of the picturesque Lubuagan Village. Visitors who come by night are said to be surprised by a sudden appearance of a lost city in the mountain.
 * Manangol Viewpoint, at the top of Manangol Hill, is where you could see a magnificent, panoramic view of the Chico River (and villages supposed to be submerged by Chico Dam IV), the "Sleeping Beauty" of Tinglayan and the hidden rice terraces seated at the basement of the overlapping mountain.
 * The Poway View Deck, at the boundary of Pasil and Lubuagan, is where you could view the 5 barangays and the winding Pasil River.
 * The Pudpud Chico Viewpoint, at the Lubuagan Central School, is where you could view the long and winding Chico River and the aborted Chico Hydroelectric Dam.
 * The Lubuagan Museum, located in an old American house, showcases a selection of old Chinese pottery as well as other Kalinga products. It is a two-hour jeepney ride from Tabuk.

Culture

 * Laga Festival- From "laga", a Kalinga word which means to weave. Celebrated annually, typically in March. It is a two or three-day celebration which showcases the culture, arts, and history of Lubuagan.

Notable personalities

 * Jean Claude Saclag – Medalist, Kickboxing and Wushu