Besao, officially the Municipality of Besao is a 5th class
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Mountain Province,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 6,873 people.
The municipality of Besao is believed to have derived its name from the Ilocano word ”''Buso''”, meaning
headhunter. The people then of the neighboring towns specifically those from the Ilocos Region believed that the early ”Besaos” were headhunters. The word later on evolved as it is now called – Besao.
The town is known for the Agawa people's ''Agricultural Stone Calendar of Gueday''. The stone calendar is one of the most enigmatic artifact in the Cordillera mountains. It is a testimony to the accurate scientific outlook of the ancient Agawa people in the cycle of weathers, agriculture, and heavenly bodies.
Geography
Barangays
Besao is politically subdivided into 14
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
s. These barangays are headed by elected officials:
Barangay Captain,
Barangay Council, whose members are called
Barangay Councilors. All are elected every three years.
* Agawa
* Ambagiw
* Banguitan
* Besao East
* Besao West
* Catengan
* Gueday
* Lacmaan
* Laylaya
* Padangaan
* Payeo
* Suquib
* Tamboan
* Kin-iway (
Poblacion
''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or municipality, which may take up the ...
)
Climate
Demographics
The population of the town has been decreasing due to younger generations migrating to cities seeking for work.
Religion
Besao's main religion is
animism
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning ' breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things— animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather syst ...
. The town is one of the few animist towns in the southern
Cordillera mountains. Much of its ancestral worship intangible heritage has been preserved by the older generations. However, the younger generations have been migrating to cities, making the animist religions of Besao in great danger in the long-term. Christian groups have been surfacing in the town since the younger generations have been moving into cities.
Economy
Government
Besao, belonging to the
lone congressional district of the province of
Mountain Province, 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
References
External links
Official Website of Besao, Mountain Province*
Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>
Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Mountain Province