Besao, officially the Municipality of Besao is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 6,873 people.. 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

Besao is situated from the provincial capital

Bontoc Bontoc may refer to: * Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines * Bontoc, Southern Leyte, Philippines * Bontoc people, an ethnic group from Central Luzon, Philippines * Bontoc language, spoken by the Bontoc people {{disambig, geo Language and ...

, and from the country's capital city of

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Barangays

Besao is politically subdivided into 14

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. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

. * Agawa * Ambagiw * Banguitan * Besao East * Besao West * Catengan * Gueday * Kin-iway (

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

) * Lacmaan * Laylaya * Padangaan * Payeo * Suquib * Tamboan

Climate

Demographics

The population of the town has been decreasing due to younger generations migrating to cities seeking for work.

Religion

Besao,old traditional practices such as animal sacrifices (referred to as korban) were once a way to honor Kabunian (GOD), seek favor, ask for forgiveness, as well as for cleansing and thanksgiving. However, Christianity, specifically Episcopalianism, was introduced by American missionaries in the early 1900s, gradually becoming the dominant faith in the region. Besao's other practices include elements of animism. While animist traditions exist, they are not the primary faith of the community. The town is one of the few in the southern Cordillera mountains where aspects of ancestral worship and intangible heritage have been preserved by the older generations. However, with younger generations migrating to cities, these traditions face significant challenges to their continuity. Additionally, Christian groups have been gaining influence in the town, further contributing to changes in its religious landscape.

Economy

Government

Local government

Besao, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of

, 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

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022): * Congressman: Maximo Y. Dalog Jr. * Mayor: Johnson D. Bantog II * Vice-Mayor: June T. Lopsoten * Councilors: ** Bryne O. Bacwaden ** Joel D. Lacsigen ** Elizabeth A. Buyagan ** John M. Antiyag ** Dennis L. Bing-il ** Edna S. Kidangen ** James B. Badongen Sr. ** William S. Beswilan

Education

The Besao Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.

Primary and elementary schools

* Agawa Elementary School * Ambagiw Elementary School * Banguitan Elementary School * Besao Central School * Besao Elementary School * Bunga Elementary School * Catengan Elementary School * Dandanac Elementary School * Gueday Elementary School * Lacmaan Primary School * Masameyeo Primary School * Panabungen Elementary School * Pangweo Elementary School * Payeo Elementary School * Suquib Primary School * Tambuan Elementary School

Secondary schools

* Agawa National High School * Banguitan National High School * Besao National High School * Panabungen School of Arts, trades, and Home Industries * St. James High School of Mountain Province * Tamboan National High School

References

External links

Official Website of Besao, Mountain Province
*

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

br>Philippine Census Information
{{Authority control Municipalities of Mountain Province