Abra | |
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  .jpg) .jpg) .jpg)  (from top: left to right)Bangued,Tayum Church,Flores Ancestral House,Tangadan Tunnel,Saint James the Elder Parish andAbra River. | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
 Interactive map of Abra | |
| Coordinates:17°35′N120°45′E / 17.58°N 120.75°E /17.58; 120.75 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Cordillera Administrative Region |
| Founded | March 10, 1917 |
| Capital and largest municipality | Bangued |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Eustaquio P. Bersamin (PFP) |
| • Vice Governor | Ana Marie A. Bersamin (PFP) |
| • Legislature | Abra Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,165.25 km2 (1,608.21 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 29th out of 82 |
| Highest elevation | 2,467 m (8,094 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 246,948 |
| • Rank | 68th out of 82 |
| • Density | 59.2877/km2 (153.554/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 80th out of 82 |
| Demonyms |
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| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | 0 |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 303 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Abra |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)74 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-ABR |
| Spoken languages | |
| Website | www |
Abra, officially theProvince of Abra (Ilocano:Probinsia ti Abra;Inlaod Itneg:Probinsiya ta Abra;Maeng Itneg:Probinsiya di Abra;Moyadan Itneg:Probinsiya ti Abra;Filipino:Lalawigan ng Abra), is aprovince in theCordillera Administrative Region of thePhilippines. Its capital is the municipality ofBangued, the most populous in the province. It is bordered byIlocos Norte on the northwest,Apayao on the northeast,Kalinga on the mid-east,Mountain Province on the southeast, andIlocos Sur on the southwest.
Abra is from the Spanish wordabre meaning gorge, pass, breach or opening. It was first used by the Spaniards to denote the region above theBanaoang Gap where theAbra River exits into theSouth China Sea, thus the Rio Grande de Abra.[3]
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The first inhabitants of Abra were the ancestors of theBontocs and theIfugaos. These inhabitants eventually left to settle in the old Mountain Province. Other early inhabitants were theTinguians or Itnegs.
In 1585, theTinguians were mentioned for the first time in a letter fromFather Domingo de Salazar to the King of Spain.
In 1598,Bangued was occupied by Spanish-Iloco forces. The Spanish established a garrison to protect their missionaries from headhunters so that they could Christianize theTinguians and locate gold mines. This led to the Ilocano settlement of this area.
Bangued was under the care of the Spanish missions inVigan andBantay. Fr. Esteban Marin and Fr. Agustin Minon established a mission inBangued as early as 1598. On April 5, 1612, Fr. Pedro Columbo became the first minister. It would seem that this actuation of theAugustinians was precipitated by theDominican takeover of the ministry ofNarvacan since the Dominicans wanted to convert Narvacan into a mission center to evangelize the other parts of Abra. To check this Dominican move, the Augustinians elevated Bangued to a ministry.
Fr. Juan ParejaOSA, a former parish priest inBantay, led the conversion of the province. He came to Abra in 1626 and is reported to have converted as many as 3,000 inhabitants, including the chieftain Miguel Dumaoal. He founded the mission of San Diego and later the ministry of Bangued. He established the following towns as visitas of Bangued:Tayum, Sabangan and Bucao (nowDolores). Inspired by Fr. Pareja, these towns battled almost daily against the rancherias of Palang, Talamuy, Bataan, Cabulao, Calaoag, andLangiden.
Fr. Jose PolancoOP also contributed to the conversion of Abra. A man of austere mortification, he died in Abra in 1679 and was considered a saint by the locals.
Fr. Bernardino LagoOSA arrived in the early 19th century. In 1823, Fr. Lago began work inPidigan. After 25 years, the Christians were numbered about a thousand "baptized, living in community, with schools, church and municipal house, tilling the earth to support themselves and their children." Fr. Lago also founded the town ofLa Paz. Fr. Galende enumerates the foundation of the other towns of Abra:
Originally, the area was calledEl Abra de Vigan ("The Opening of Vigan"). During theBritish Occupation of the Philippines,Gabriela Silang and her army fled to Abra fromIlocos and continued the revolt begun by her slain husbandDiego Silang. She was captured and hanged by authorities in 1763.
In 1818, the Ilocos region was divided intoIlocos Norte andIlocos Sur. On October 9, 1846, Abra became an independent province with the capital and residence of the provincial governor located in Bucay. In 1863, the capital was transferred to Bangued, the province's oldest town. It remained so until the arrival of the Americans in 1899.
In 1908, thePhilippine Commission annexed Abra into Ilocos Sur in an attempt to resolve Abra's financial difficulties. On March 9, 1917, thePhilippine Assembly re-established Abra as a province under Act 2683.[4]
During World War II, Japanese forces occupied Abra in 1942. The province was liberated by Filipino soldiers and guerrillas in 1945.[further explanation needed]
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The beginning months of the 1970s marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Abra.[5] During hisbid to be the first Philippine president to be re-elected for a second term, Ferdinand Marcos launched an unprecedented number of public works projects. This caused[6][7] the Philippine economy took a sudden downwards turn known as the1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis, which in turn led to a period of economic difficulty and social unrest.[8][9]: "43" [10][11]
With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines underMartial Law in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years.[12] This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record ofhuman rights abuses,[13][14] particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[15] In Abra, many of the victims were from the indigenousItneg people (known then among most lowlanders as the Tingguian people, which is anexonym). Numerous human rights abuses against Itnegs were documented in the various Amnesty International missions which allowed to conduct investigations in the country after Marcos had to give in to political pressure.[16]
On May 6, 1983, Sitio Beew in theMunicipality of Tubo was the site of several attacks by the 623rd Philippine Constabulary (623rd PC) led by Captain Berido, Lt. Rehaldo Lebua and Lt. Juanito Puyawan, which would collectively come to be known as the "Beew massacre." The 623rd PC burned down four houses and a rice granary, which still contained the remains of three villagers including an unborn baby, and Barangay Councilman Rodolfo Labawig, pregnant mother Josefina Cayandag, and her unborn child.[17] Beew residents, including babies and toddlers, were beaten and their houses looted in response to the residents' alleged support of protests against the logging operations ofHerminio Disini'sCellophil Resources Corporation in their area.[17]
The revolutionary Marxist priestConrado Balweg, who fought for the rights of the Cordillera tribes, began his crusade in Abra. After successfully negotiating a peace accord with Balweg's group in 1987, the Philippine government created theCordillera Administrative Region, which includes Abra.[18]
On July 27, 2022, amagnitude 7.0 earthquake, jolted the province. Eleven people died (at least seven of them were from Abra), and more than 600 were injured.[19] A magnitude 6.4aftershock three months later injured more than 100 people and caused additional damage.[20]
The province is notorious for its election-related crimes, hence earning some nicknames including the title as the "Killing Fields of the North." Through the decades, there have been numerous assassinations of alleged supporters, former politicians, and even incumbent officials. These killings include the gunning incident that took the life of then Vice Governor Rafael Blanco[21]; and the more recent and notorious incident involving Rep. Luis Bersamin in 2006, which earned nationwide attention. These election-related crimes typically occur months before and during both the midterm and general elections. Most especially weeks before the official filing of COCs (Certificate of Candidacy), and during the campaign period. With this, the Commission on Elections along with concerned agencies (e.g. DILG, PNP, etc.), usually identifies several municipalities in the province as "areas of concern," in which they bear the Category Red in terms of election hot spots.
Abra is situated in the mid-western section of theCordillera Administrative Region inLuzon. It is bordered by the provinces ofIlocos Norte on the northwest,Apayao on the northeast,Kalinga on the mid-east,Mountain Province on the southeast andIlocos Sur on the southwest. Abra has a total land area of 4,165.25 square kilometres or 1,608.21 square miles[22].
The province is bordered by the towering mountain ranges of the Ilocos in the west and theCordillera Central in the east. TheAbra River runs from the south inBenguet to the west and central areas bisecting theAbra Valley. It is joined by theTineg River originating in the eastern uplands at a point near the municipality ofDolores.
Abra is composed of 27 municipalities, all encompassed byAbra's lone congressional district.[22]
The 27 municipalities of the province comprise a total of 303barangays, withPoblacion inLa Paz as the most populous in 2010, andPattaoig inSan Juan as the least.[25][22]
The population of Abra in the 2024 census was 246,948 people,[26] with a density of 59 inhabitants per square kilometre or 150 inhabitants per square mile.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 51,860 | — |
| 1918 | 72,731 | +2.28% |
| 1939 | 87,780 | +0.90% |
| 1948 | 86,600 | −0.15% |
| 1960 | 115,193 | +2.41% |
| 1970 | 145,508 | +2.36% |
| 1975 | 147,010 | +0.21% |
| 1980 | 160,198 | +1.73% |
| 1990 | 184,743 | +1.44% |
| 1995 | 195,964 | +1.11% |
| 2000 | 209,491 | +1.44% |
| 2007 | 230,953 | +1.35% |
| 2010 | 234,733 | +0.59% |
| 2015 | 241,160 | +0.52% |
| 2020 | 250,985 | +0.84% |
| 2024 | 246,948 | −0.39% |
| Source:PSA[24][25][27] | ||
| Ethnicity | Number | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilocano | 150,457 (71.94%) | |||
| Tingguian | 39,115 (18.70%) | |||
| Ibanag | 9,334 (4.46%) | |||
| Itneg | 6,624 (3.17%) | |||
| Tagalog | 869 (0.42%) | |||
| Others | 2,175 (1.04%) | |||
| Other foreign ethnicity | 16 (0.01%) | |||
| Not Reported | 556 (0.27%) | |||
Abra's inhabitants are mostly descendants ofIlocano settlers and members of theTingguian tribe. Based on 2000 census data, Ilocanos comprised71.94% (150,457) of the total provincial population of 209,146. Tingguians came in second at18.7% (39,115), while other ethnic groups in the province were theIbanag at4.46% (9,334),Itneg at3.17% (6,624), andTagalog at0.42% (869).[28]
The predominant languages of Abra areIlocano[29] andItneg.[30]
As of 1990 there were 743 cottage industries in Abra of which 208 are registered with theDepartment of Trade and Industry. 59% are engaged inbamboo andrattan craft making, both leading industries in the area.
Abra's economy is agriculture-based. Its major crops are rice, vegetables and root crops. Commercial products include coffee, tobacco and coconut. Extensive grassland and pasture areas are used for livestock production.
The province's lone professional sports team is theAbra Weavers of theMaharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). The Weavers joined the league in the2024 season.[39]
List of former military and elected governors:[40]
Sec. 2. Territorial Coverage. For purposes of the CAR, the region shall consist of the provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga-Apayao and Mt. Province and the chartered city of Baguio. Until otherwise provided by the Cordillera Executive Board (CEB), the seat of the CAR shall be Baguio City.
Media related toAbra (province) at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toAbra (province) atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Abra (province) | |
|---|---|
 Province ofAbra | |
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Bangued (capital and largest municipality) | |
| Municipalities | |
| Barangays | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
