Difference between revisions of "Apayao Province, Philippines"

Despite being one of the first areas reached by the Spaniards in the Cordilleras, Apayao, inhabited by the Isneg tribe, remained mostly beyond Spanish control until the late 19th century. The Dominican friars established a mission in the present-day town of Pudtol as early as 1610. In 1684, they made unsuccessful attempts to convert the locals and built a church in what is now Kabugao. The remnants of these early churches in Pudtol and Kabugao still stand as silent reminders of the unsuccessful Spanish occupation of Apayao.

In 1891, the Spanish authorities established the comandancias of Apayao and Cabugaoan, which covered the western and eastern parts of present-day Apayao. However, these comandancias did not exert complete control, and the Spanish government maintained only loose authority over the area.

On August 13, 1908, the Americans created the Mountain Province through the enactment of Act No. 1876. Apayao, along with Amburayan, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto, became sub-provinces of this newly formed province. Prior to this, Apayao had been part of the Cagayan province.

During World War II, Japanese Imperial forces occupied Apayao starting in 1942, and the province remained under their control for three years. In 1945, Philippine Commonwealth Army troops, along with the military forces of the USAFIP-NL 11th and 66th Infantry Regiment supported by Cordilleran guerrillas, liberated Apayao from the Japanese occupation.

After almost six decades, on June 18, 1966, the vast Mountain Province was divided into four provinces under Republic Act No. 4695. The four provinces were Benguet, Bontoc (renamed Mountain Province), Kalinga-Apayao, and Ifugao. In 1972, Kalinga-Apayao, together with Ifugao, became part of the provinces comprising the Cagayan Valley region.

On July 15, 1987, the Cordillera Administrative Region was established, and Kalinga-Apayao became one of its provinces. Finally, on February 14, 1995, with the enactment of Republic Act No. 7878, Kalinga-Apayao was divided into two separate provinces.

The combined outlines of Apayao and Kalinga resemble a bust resembling the likeness of former President Ferdinand Marcos, known as the "Great Profile" during the Marcos Era, gazing towards his home province of Ilocos Norte, as described by the media.