Banaue, Ifugao

This article is about the modern municipality. For the historic farming site, see Banaue Rice Terraces.

Banaue
Municipality
Municipality of Banaue
Town of Banaue
Town of Banaue
Flag of Banaue
Flag
Map of Ifugao with Banaue highlighted
Map of Ifugao with Banaue highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Banaue is located in Philippines
Banaue
Banaue
Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°54′43″N 121°03′41″E / 16.9119°N 121.0614°E / 16.9119; 121.0614
CountryPhilippines
RegionCordillera Administrative Region
ProvinceIfugao
District Lone district
Barangays18 (see Barangays)
Government
 [1]
 • TypeSangguniang Bayan
 • MayorJoel B. Bungallon
 • Vice MayorDonald L. Mongolnon
 • RepresentativeSolomon R. Chungalao
 • Municipal Council
Members
 • Electorate14,892 voters (2022)
Area
[2]
 • Total191.20 km2 (73.82 sq mi)
Elevation
1,303 m (4,275 ft)
Highest elevation
2,689 m (8,822 ft)
Lowest elevation
481 m (1,578 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)[3]
 • Total20,652
 • Density110/km2 (280/sq mi)
 • Households
4,306
Economy
 • Income class4th municipal income class
 • Poverty incidence
19.22
% (2018)[4]
 • Revenue₱ 129.8 million (2020)
 • Assets₱ 452.3 million (2020)
 • Expenditure₱ 104.6 million (2020)
 • Liabilities₱ 234.1 million (2020)
Service provider
 • ElectricityIfugao Electric Cooperative (IFELCO)
Time zoneUTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code
3601
PSGC
142701000
IDD : area code +63 (0)74
Native languagesIlocano
Tagalog
Websitewww.banaue.gov.ph

Banaue (or alternatively spelled as Banawe), officially the Municipality of Banaue is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 20,652 people.[3]

It is widely known as the site of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces.

Banaue is 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Lagawe and 341 kilometres (212 mi) from Manila.

You can find here the Batad terrace cluster that is nestled in amphitheatre-like semi-circular terraces with a village at its base.[5]

History

Aerial view of Banaue, 1939

Geography

Barangays

Banaue is politically subdivided into 18 barangays. [6] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

  • Amganad
  • Anaba
  • Balawis
  • Bangaan
  • Batad
  • Bocos
  • Banao
  • Cambulo
  • Ducligan
  • Gohang
  • Kinakin
  • Uhaj
  • Poblacion
  • Poitan
  • Pula
  • San Fernando
  • Tam-an
  • View Point

Climate

Climate data for Banaue, Ifugao
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 21
(70) 		23
(73) 		24
(75) 		26
(79) 		25
(77) 		25
(77) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		24
(75) 		23
(73) 		22
(72) 		24
(75)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 15
(59) 		15
(59) 		16
(61) 		18
(64) 		19
(66) 		19
(66) 		19
(66) 		19
(66) 		19
(66) 		18
(64) 		17
(63) 		16
(61) 		18
(63)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 35
(1.4) 		46
(1.8) 		63
(2.5) 		117
(4.6) 		402
(15.8) 		400
(15.7) 		441
(17.4) 		471
(18.5) 		440
(17.3) 		258
(10.2) 		94
(3.7) 		68
(2.7) 		2,835
(111.6)
Average rainy days 9.9 11.1 13.9 18.9 26.0 27.3 28.9 28.5 26.1 19.7 14.5 12.8 237.6
Source: Meteoblue[7]

Demographics

Population census of Banaue
YearPop.±% p.a.
1918 17,013—    
1939 17,127+0.03%
1948 15,311−1.24%
1960 17,877+1.30%
1970 20,268+1.26%
1975 20,489+0.22%
1980 22,900+2.25%
1990 16,943−2.97%
1995 20,514+3.65%
2000 20,563+0.05%
2007 21,448+0.58%
2010 22,365+1.54%
2015 21,837−0.45%
2020 20,652−1.09%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[8][9][10][11]

In the 2020 census, the population of Banaue was 20,652 people,[3] with a density of 110 inhabitants per square kilometre or 280 inhabitants per square mile.

Economy

Poverty Incidence of Banaue
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13]
[14][15][16][17][18]


Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Banaue, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Ifugao, 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)[19]
Position Name
Congressman Solomon R. Chungalao
Mayor John Raymund Wesley A. Dulawan
Vice-Mayor Donald L. Mongolnon
Councilors John Alfred D. Cappleman II
Roberto M. Immotna
Albert B. Magguling Sr.
Lino A. Madchiw
Chester D. Bahatan
Fermin P. Haclao Jr.
Abelardo B. Batton
Fernando B. Chulipa

Ifugao Rice Terraces

Main article: Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Sometimes called by locals as the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the Ifugao Rice Terraces begin at the base of the mountain range and extend several thousand feet upwards. Two of the terrace clusters in Banaue, namely Bangaan and Batad, are part of the UNESCO World Heritage inscription. It is said that their length, if put end to end, would encircle half of the globe. The terraces are believed by many to be more than 2,000 years old as postulated by early Philippine anthropologist Otley Beyer, recent studies by carbon dating however contends this and instead the structures may be less than 1,000 years old.[20][21] The rice terraces manifest the engineering skill and ingenuity of the sturdy Ifugaos. They are irrigated by means of mountain streams and springs that have been tapped and channelled into canals that run downhill through the rice terraces.

Banaue Rice Terraces
Batad Rice Terraces paddy fields
Banaue Museum, which includes artifacts collected by H. Otley Beyer

The rice terraces once stretched north-east to Cagayan and as far south as Quezon. However they are now slowly being abandoned and showing signs of deterioration. The 1990 Luzon earthquake damaged some of the terraces' irrigation systems, while El Niño triggered droughts that led giant earthworms to erode the terraces' soil. Furthermore, the rice variety most suited to the area's cool climate is not a high-yielding crop; because it takes so long to mature, some Ifugao families have abandoned their land in the rice terraces in favour of land that reaps faster rewards.

An Ifugao Terraces Commission was created in 1994 and was superseded by the Banaue Rice Terraces task force, which was closed in 2002.

UNESCO has listed the Batad Rice Terraces and Bangaan Rice Terraces as a World Heritage Site since 1995, under the designation, Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras.[22]

All located in the Ifugao region, the Rice Terraces also feature as one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems or GIAHS. They are supported by indigenous knowledge management of muyong, a private forest that caps each terrace cluster. The muyong is managed through a collective effort and under traditional tribal practices. The communally managed forestry area on top of the terraces contains about 264 indigenous plant species, mostly endemic to the region. The terraces form unique clusters of microwatersheds and are part of the whole mountain ecology. They serve as a rainwater filtration system and are saturated with irrigation water all year round. A biorhythm technology, in which cultural activities are harmonised with the rhythm of climate and hydrology management, has enabled farmers to grow rice at over 1 000 metres.

Contrary to popular notion, the Banaue Rice Terraces as seen from the viewpoint[where?] are not included in the UNESCO inscription, due to the presence of numerous modern structures. However, it is a National Cultural Treasure under the Ifugao Rice Terraces.

The Banaue Rice Terraces were chosen as one of the two green globe destinations of the country by the World Travel and Tour Council. It received an “International Historic Engineering Landmark Award” from the American Society of Civil Engineers. It was also acknowledged by the World Travel and Tour Council as a green globe destination in the Philippines.[23]

The stone walled rice terraces were built by means of early tools and methods in order to maximise the use of land space, They exceed the height of the world's tallest building if the vertical distance between top and bottom row are measured.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^  Municipality of Banaue | (DILG)
  2. ^ "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Census of Population (2020). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  4. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "Province: Ifugao". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  7. ^ "Banaue: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Census of Population (2015). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  9. ^ Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  10. ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.{cite encyclopedia}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Province of Ifugao". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  12. ^ "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. November 29, 2005.
  14. ^ "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. March 23, 2009.
  15. ^ "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. August 3, 2012.
  16. ^ "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. May 31, 2016.
  17. ^ "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. July 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "2019 National and Local Elections" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  20. ^ Cabreza, Vincent (July 15, 2013). "For Ifugao rice terraces, age should not matter". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "Ifugao Rice Terraces may be younger than we think". Rappler. April 29, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  22. ^ Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  23. ^ a b Banaue, e-philippines.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banaue.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Banaue.