Abra, officially the Province of Abra (; ; ; ; ), is a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

in the

Cordillera Administrative Region The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR; ; ), also known as the Cordillera Region and Cordillera (), is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines, situated within the island of Luzon. It is the only Landlocked co ...

of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Its capital is the municipality of

Bangued Bangued, officially the Municipality of Bangued (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality and capital of the Philippine Province, province of Abra (province), Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, the most populous in the province. It is bordered by

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...

on the northwest,

Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao (; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Apayao''; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao, Apayao, Kab ...

on the northeast, Kalinga on the mid-east,

Mountain Province Mountain Province (; ; ; ; ; ) is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Bontoc while Bauko is the largest municipality. Mountain Province was formerly referred to as Mountain ...

on the southeast, and

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur (), officially the Province of Ilocos Sur (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital of Vigan, while Candon is ...

on the southwest.

Etymology

Abra is from the Spanish word ''abre'' meaning gorge, pass, breach or opening. It was first used by the Spaniards to denote the region above the Banaoang Gap where the

Abra River The Abra River, also called Lagben River, is the seventh largest river system in the Philippines in terms of watershed size. It has an estimated drainage area of and a length of from its source near Mount Data in Benguet province. History I ...

exits into the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

, thus the Rio Grande de Abra.

History

Early history

The first inhabitants of Abra were the ancestors of the

Bontocs The Bontoc (or Bontok) ethnolinguistic group can be found in the central and eastern portions of Mountain Province, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Although some Bontocs of Natonin and Paracelis identify themselves as Balangaos, Gadd ...

and the

Ifugao Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao (; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the west, Mountain Province to the north, Isabela t ...

s. These inhabitants eventually left to settle in the old Mountain Province. Other early inhabitants were the Tinguians or Itnegs.

Spanish colonial era

In 1585, the Tinguians were mentioned for the first time in a letter from Father Domingo de Salazar to the King of Spain. In 1598,

was occupied by Spanish-Iloco forces. The Spanish established a garrison to protect their missionaries from headhunters so that they could Christianize the Tinguians and locate gold mines. This led to the Ilocano settlement of this area.

was under the care of the Spanish missions in

Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

and

Bantay Bantay, officially the Municipality of Bantay (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 37,118 people. History Spanish colonization Foundation Spanish conquistador J ...

. Fr. Esteban Marin and Fr. Agustin Minon established a mission in

as early as 1598. On April 5, 1612, Fr. Pedro Columbo became the first minister. It would seem that this actuation of the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

was precipitated by the Dominican takeover of the ministry of

Narvacan Narvacan, officially the Municipality of Narvacan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,234 people. History A Spanish expeditionary force sent from Vigan by ...

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 Pareja OSA, a former parish priest in

, 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 Tayum, officially the Municipality of Tayum (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,869 people. Every 25 November, Tayum celebrates its town fiesta. Roman Catholicis ...

, Sabangan and Bucao (now Dolores). Inspired by Fr. Pareja, these towns battled almost daily against the rancherias of Palang, Talamuy, Bataan, Cabulao, Calaoag, and

Langiden Langiden, officially the Municipality of Langiden (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 3,576 people. Geography According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the ...

. Fr. Jose Polanco OP 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 Lago OSA arrived in the early 19th century. In 1823, Fr. Lago began work in

Pidigan Pidigan, officially the Municipality of Pidigan (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,475 people. Geography The Municipality of Pidigan is located at . According ...

. 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 of

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

. Fr. Galende enumerates the foundation of the other towns of Abra: *

, 1803 * San Gregorio, 1829 *

, 1823 *

, 1832 * Bucay, 1847 * San Jose, 1848 * Villavieja, 1862 *

San Quintin San Quintín or San Quintin may refer to : Chile *San Quintín Glacier Mexico *San Quintín, Baja California ** San Quintín Volcanic Field Philippines *San Quintin, Abra *San Quintin, Pangasinan See also

* Saint Quentin * San Quentin (disam ...

, 1868 * Dolores, 1882 * Pilar, 1882 *

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

, 1884 * Alfonso XII, 1884 Originally, the area was called ''El Abra de Vigan'' ("The Opening of Vigan"). During the

British Occupation of the Philippines The British occupation of Manila was an episode in the colonial history of the Philippines when the Kingdom of Great Britain occupied the Spanish colonial capital of Manila and the nearby port of Cavite for eighteen months, from 6 October 1 ...

Gabriela Silang María Josefa Gabriela Cariño de Silang (; March 19, 1731 – September 20, 1763) was a Filipino military leader best known for her role as the female leader of the Ilocano independence movement from Spain. She took over from her second hus ...

and her army fled to Abra from

Ilocos The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Cagayan Valley to the northe ...

and continued the revolt begun by her slain husband

Diego Silang Diego Silang y Andaya (; December 16, 1730 – May 28, 1763) was a Filipino revolutionary leader who allied with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano state. His revolt was ...

. She was captured and hanged by authorities in 1763. In 1818, the Ilocos region was divided into

and

. 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.

American occupation

In 1908, the

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The First Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Pre ...

annexed Abra into Ilocos Sur in an attempt to resolve Abra's financial difficulties. On March 9, 1917, the

Philippine Assembly The Philippine Assembly (sometimes called the Philippine National Assembly) was the lower house of the Philippine Legislature from 1907 to 1916, when it was renamed the House of Representatives of the Philippines. The Philippine Assembly ...

re-established Abra as a province under Act 2683.

Japanese occupation

During World War II, Japanese forces occupied Abra in 1942. The province was liberated by Filipino soldiers and guerrillas in 1945.

Under the Marcos dictatorship

The beginning months of the 1970s marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines, as well as in Abra. During his bid 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 the Philippine economy took a sudden downwards turn known as the

1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis The 1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis was a currency crisis experienced by the Philippine economy as a result of heavy government spending linked to Ferdinand Marcos' campaign for his second presidential term in 1969. It was notable f ...

, which in turn led to a period of economic difficulty and social unrest. With only a year left in his last constitutionally allowed term as president, Ferdinand Marcos placed the Philippines under

Martial Law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

in September 1972 and thus retained the position for fourteen more years. This period in Philippine history is remembered for the Marcos administration's record of

human rights abuses Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning t ...

, particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. In Abra, many of the victims were from the indigenous

Itneg people The Itneg people also known as "Tinguian" or "Tingguian" are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to the Philippines. They are part of the broader Cordilleran or Igorot group, despite the Itnegs themselves not identifying as such. The Itneg p ...

(known then among most lowlanders as the Tingguian people, which is an

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

). 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. On May 6, 1983, Sitio Beew in the Municipality 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 Tubo, officially the Municipality of Tubo (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 5,674 people. History The municipality was created on June 17, 1967, from the forme ...

." 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. 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 of

Herminio Disini Certain associates of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, historically referred to using the catchphrase "Marcos cronies", benefited from their friendship with Marcos – whether in terms of legal assistance, political favors, or facili ...

's Cellophil Resources Corporation in their area.

Later 20th Century

The revolutionary Marxist priest

Conrado Balweg Conrado Balweg (December 29, 1942 – December 31, 1999) was a former Filipino Catholic priest and rebel who was the founder of the Cordillera People's Liberation Army, a militant group which advocated autonomy for the Cordillera region in th ...

, 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 the

, which includes Abra.

Contemporary history

On July 27, 2022, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, jolted the province. Eleven people died (at least seven of them were from Abra), and more than 600 were injured. A magnitude 6.4

aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in Epicenter, the same area of the Mainshock, main shock, caused as the displaced Crust (geology), crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthq ...

three months later injured more than 100 people and caused additional damage. 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 assassinatons 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; 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.

Geography

Abra is situated in the mid-western section of the

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

. It is bordered by the provinces of

on the northwest,

on the northeast, Kalinga on the mid-east,

on the southeast and

on the southwest. Abra has a total land area of . The province is bordered by the towering mountain ranges of the Ilocos in the west and the

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

in the east. The

runs from the south in

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; ; ; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region in the island of Luzon. Its capital cit ...

to the west and central areas bisecting the

Abra Valley Abra may refer to: Places * Abra, Burkina Faso * Abra, Ivory Coast * Abra (province), a province of the Philippines ** Abra's at-large congressional district ** Legislative district of Abra * Abra de Ilog, a municipality of Occidental Mindoro ...

. It is joined by the

Tineg River The Abra River, also called Lagben River, is the seventh largest river system in the Philippines in terms of watershed size. It has an estimated drainage area of and a length of from its source near Mount Data in Benguet province. History In 1 ...

originating in the eastern uplands at a point near the municipality of Dolores.

Administrative divisions

Abra is composed of 27 municipalities, all encompassed by Abra's lone congressional district. Ph fil abra

Barangays

The 27 municipalities of the province comprise a total of 303

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s, with ''Poblacion'' in

as the most populous in 2010, and ''Pattaoig'' in

as the least.

Demographics

The population of Abra in the 2020 census was 250,985 people, with a density of . Abra's inhabitants are mostly descendants of Ilocano settlers and members of the

Tingguian The Itneg people also known as "Tinguian" or "Tingguian" are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to the Philippines. They are part of the broader Cordilleran or Igorot group, despite the Itnegs themselves not identifying as such. The Itneg p ...

tribe. Based on 2000 census data, Ilocanos comprised of the total provincial population of 209,146. Tingguians came in second at , while other ethnic groups in the province were the Ibanag at ,

Itneg The Itneg people also known as "Tinguian" or "Tingguian" are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to the Philippines. They are part of the broader Cordilleran or Igorot group, despite the Itnegs themselves not identifying as such. The Itneg p ...

at , and

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

at .

Languages

The predominant languages of Abra are Ilocano and

Economy

As of 1990 there were 743 cottage industries in Abra of which 208 are registered with the

Department of Trade and Industry Department of Trade and Industry may refer to: Current * Department of Trade and Industry (Isle of Man) * Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines) * Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (South Africa) Former * Department of Trade ...

. 59% are engaged in

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

and

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...

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.

Sports

The province's lone professional sports team is the

Abra Weavers The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's regional professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 30 teams. Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is ...

of the

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's regional professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 30 teams. Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is ...

(MPBL). The Weavers joined the league in the 2024 season.

Infrastructure

Power distribution

Government

List of former military and elected governors: * Don Ramon Tajonera y Marzal (Military Governor): 1846–1852 * Don Esteban de Peñarrubia (Military Governor): 1868–? * Col. William Bowen (Military Governor): 1901 * Juan G. Villamor (Governor): 1902–1904 * Joaquin J. Ortega (Governor): 1904–1914 * Rosalio G. Eduarte (Governor): 1914–1916 * Julio V. Borbon (Governor): 1916–1922 * Virgilio V. Valera (Governor): 1922–1925 * Eustaquio P. Purugganan (Governor): 1925–1930 * Virgilio V. Valera (Governor): 1930–1936 * Bienvenido N. Valera (Governor): 1936–1939 * Eustaquio P. Purugganan (Governor): 1939–1941 * Bernardo V. Bayquen (Governor): 1941–1944 * Zacarias A. Crispin (Governor): 1944–1946 * Juan C. Brillantes (Governor): 1946–1947 * Luis F. Bersamin (Governor): 1947–1951 * Lucas P. Paredes (Governor): 1951–1953 * Vene B. Pe Benito was acting governor in 1953 * Ernesto P. Parel (Governor): 1953–1954 * Jose L. Valera (Governor):1954–1963 * Carmelo Z. Barbero (Governor): 1963–1965 * Petronilo V. Seares (Governor): 1965–1971 * Gabino V. Balbin (Governor): 1971–1977 * Arturo V. Barbero (Governor): 1977–1984 * Andres B. Bernos (Governor): 1984–1986 * Vicente P. Valera (Governor): 1986–1987 * Buenaventura V. Buenafe was acting governor in 1987 * Vicente Y. Valera (Governor): 1988–1998 * Constante B. Culangen was acting governor in 1998 * Maria Zita Claustro-Valera (Governor): 1998–2001 * Vicente Y. Valera (Governor): 2001–2007 * Eustaquio P. Bersamin (Governor): 2007–2016 * Maria Jocelyn Valera Bernos (Governor): 2016–2022 * Dominic B. Valera (Governor): 2022–present *

Notable people

Kurt Bryan Barbosa Kurt Bryan Dela Vega Barbosa (born June 8, 1999) is a Filipino taekwondo athlete who competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Career College Barbosa, a student of the National University, has competed in the University Athletic Associatio ...

–

SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with su ...

gold medallist,

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

proud waving carry the Filipino flag *

Pura Sumangil Puraperla dela Cruz Sumangil (born 1941), better known as Pura Sumangil, is a Filipino Catholic nun, educator, and social activist. She is a co-founder of Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance, a non-governmental organization focused on p ...

– community activist * Myrna Toribio Esguerra – crowned Binibining Pilipinas International 2024 from

Notes

References

External links

* *
History articles and links on Bucay and Abra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abra (Province) Provinces of the Philippines Provinces of the Cordillera Administrative Region States and territories established in 1846 1846 establishments in the Philippines Former sub-provinces of the Philippines