Tayum, Abra, Philippines

About the Municipality of Tayum, Abra

Location and Access

Tayum is a landlocked municipality situated near the center of the province of Abra in the Cordillera Administrative Region. It lies just east of the provincial capital, Bangued, with the town center located on the banks of the Abra River. The municipality is reached primarily by land via provincial and national roads that connect Tayum to Bangued and onward to other municipalities of Abra and the neighboring Ilocos Region.

Public transport to and from Tayum typically involves jeepneys, vans, and buses that pass through or originate in nearby Bangued, which serves as the main transport hub for the province. For sea travel, residents usually go by road to coastal cities in the Ilocos Region, where seaports and fish ports are located. For air travel, the nearest commercial airports are in larger cities such as Laoag (Ilocos Norte) and Baguio (Benguet), accessed by overland travel from Tayum.

Location of Municipality Hall

The municipal hall of Tayum is located in the urban center of Poblacion, which functions as the administrative and commercial core of the municipality. From this barangay, municipal services are coordinated for all of Tayum’s barangays.

Economy of Tayum

The economy of Tayum is predominantly agriculture-based. Large portions of the municipality’s lowland areas are devoted to the cultivation of rice, corn, and other staple crops, supported by irrigation from the Abra River and related systems. Farmers also plant vegetables, root crops, and fruit trees, and many households raise small livestock and poultry for home consumption and local sale.

Beyond farming, residents engage in small-scale trade and services concentrated in Poblacion and other roadside barangays. Sari-sari stores, small eateries, workshops, and market stalls provide everyday goods and basic services. Many residents also travel to Bangued for employment, trading, and access to a wider range of commercial establishments, making the provincial capital an important economic partner for Tayum.

Natural Resources and Rivers

The Abra River is Tayum’s most prominent natural feature. Flowing near the municipal center, it provides water that is diverted for irrigation, helping sustain the rice fields and other crops in barangays such as Bumagcat and Deet, among others. The river’s alluvial plains provide relatively fertile soils that support the municipality’s agricultural activities.

The municipality includes a mix of cultivated lands, grasslands, and patches of secondary vegetation on rolling terrain. These areas are used for farming, pasture, and small woodlots that supply timber and fuelwood for local use. As in many interior towns of Abra, riverbanks and upland portions of Tayum are important for both livelihoods and environmental protection.

Power, Water, and Utilities

Electric power in Tayum is distributed through the Abra Electric Cooperative (ABRECO), which serves most of the province. Electricity reaches the poblacion and the majority of the barangays, although service quality in some remote areas may vary due to terrain and distance from main distribution lines.

Potable water in the town center and selected barangays is provided by the Tayum Water District and other level III water supply systems. In many outlying barangays, residents rely mainly on community-managed systems, such as communal faucets, spring development projects, and individual deep wells or hand pumps. Basic telecommunications and mobile network services are available, though signal strength may be weaker in more remote or mountainous sitios.

Banking, Commerce, and Health Services

Commercial activity is concentrated in Poblacion, where the municipal market area, small groceries, sari-sari stores, and service shops (such as vulcanizing, motor repair, and basic retail) are located. Some barangays along the main road, including Patucannay and Pias, also host neighborhood stores and trading points for farm produce.

Basic banking needs are met either through microfinance outlets and small bank branches within Tayum or, more commonly, by traveling to Bangued, where larger commercial and rural banks operate. Residents typically go to the provincial capital for more complex financial services, such as loans, deposits, and remittance transactions.

Health services in Tayum are anchored by the Rural Health Unit located in Poblacion, which provides primary care, maternal and child health services, and immunization programs. Several barangays have barangay health stations or health posts staffed by midwives and barangay health workers who support preventive and basic curative care. For hospital-level treatment, emergency services, surgery, and specialist consultations, residents generally travel to government and private hospitals in Bangued and other larger urban centers in the region.

Education in Tayum

Most barangays in Tayum have access to elementary education through a network of public schools. These include the main central school in the town proper as well as elementary schools in barangays such as Bagalay, Basbasa, Budac, Bumagcat, and Velasco. These schools serve children from the host barangays and nearby communities.

For secondary education, Tayum is served by public and private high schools. Gaddani National High School, located in Gaddani, is a key public secondary school that caters to learners from Tayum and surrounding municipalities. Another public high school, Tayum National High School, and a private Catholic-run high school in the town proper offer additional secondary education options.

There are no colleges or universities based in Tayum. Students seeking tertiary education typically enroll in institutions located in Bangued, such as state and private colleges, or in larger cities in the Ilocos Region and the Cordillera, including Baguio and Laoag. Many students commute or board in these urban centers during the school week.

Local Transportation

Within the municipality, motorized tricycles are the most common form of public transport, especially in and around Poblacion and other roadside barangays. In some interior areas and shorter routes, residents also use motorcycles, tricycles, or occasional pedicabs for neighborhood trips.

Jeepneys and vans provide regular services between Tayum, Bangued, and adjacent municipalities along the main provincial roads. These vehicles are the typical means of travel for residents going to markets, schools, and government offices. There are no regular taxicab services operating within Tayum; for longer-distance travel to major cities, residents usually board provincial buses or vans from terminals in Bangued or along the main highway.

January 7, 2026

1️⃣ Andas for Traslación 2026 now ready, with upgrades

The Andas carrying the Black Nazarene for January 9 Traslación features new steering wheel and reinforced underchassis to handle massive devotee crowds safely.

2️⃣ Over 3,500 affected by Mayon volcano unrest

NDRRMC reports 3,515 people from 964 families evacuated in Albay due to recent magmatic eruptions, ashfall, and pyroclastic flows; all in permanent danger zone.

3️⃣ Magnitude 6.4 quake hits off southern Philippines

USGS detects 6.4 quake off Davao Oriental coast—no tsunami threat reported, but locals feel shaking; no immediate damage confirmed.