PROVINCE OF ABRA

Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines1T5 (Group

3)

HISTORY OF

ABRA

•The first settlers of Abra came from the Bontocs and Ifugaos ancestry; others were from Tingguians or Itnegs descendants.

•In the 15th century during the Spanish regime a barracks was built in Bangued to protect the settlers who converted to Christianity from Tingguian attacks. A few years later, one of the well-known revolutionist, Gabriela Silang and her army came to Abra from Ilocos and continued their revolt. Then in 1763, Gabriela Silang was captured and hanged by the Spaniards.

•During the 18th century, Ilocos region was divided into Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, and Abra became a political-military province in 1846 until the arrival of the Americans in 1899.

•In 1908, Abra was again placed under the governance of the Ilocos Sur region. However on March 9, 1917, Abra was re-established as a province. Conrado Balweg, the famous revolutionary priest of the Cordillera Tribes fought for the rights of his tribesmen. Then in 1987, the Philippine Government created the Cordillera Administrative Region that includes Abra as a peace pact.

DEMOGRAPHICSOF

ABRA

*The most spoken languages are Ilokano and Itneg.*74% Speak Ilocano while 24% speak Itneg.*Most are descendants of Ilokano migrants.*Many are members of the tribe Tingguian.The growth rate of the population from 1990 to 2010 is 1.2%.*For every household, there is an average of 5 people.

FAMOUS LANDMAR

KS

CATHEDRAL OF BANGUED: - USED TO BE A JAPANESE RESTING PLACE AND ONCE WAS BOMBED DURING THE WORLD WAR II.

TUGOT NI ANGALO: - CLAIMED TO BE THE REAL FOOTPRINT OF THE LEGENDARY GIANT, IT IS 15 METERS LONG AND 10 FEET DEEP.

NORTHERN LUZON HEROES HILL NATIONAL PARK: - THE MONUMENT OF THE STRONGHOLD GABRIELA SILANG WHO CONTINUED THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOMFROM THE SPANIARDS STARTED BY HIS SLANE HUSBAND DIEGO SILANG.

TANGADAN TUNNEL: - A 40M TUNNEL ALONG THE ABRA MANILA NORTH ROAD AND A POPULAR LANDMARK FORWELCOMING VISITORS OF ABRA.

KANIAW FALLS: - THE FRESH SPRING WATER COMING FROM THE PLACE IS SAID TO BE THE WATER SOURCE SUPPLYUNG MINERAL WATER IN METRO MANILA.

FESTIVALSIN

ABRA

Kawayan Festival• Kawayan festival means Bamboo Festival. It is the fiesta celebration of the provincial government of Abra. Abra is located at northern part of the Philippines. Abrenians tagged their fiesta as Kawayan Festival because of abundancy of bamboo’s in their region.

Dapil Festival•“Dapil Festival” is a festival on sugarcane which is one of the Abra’s main agricultural products for the manufacture of a wine called “basi”, vinegar, molasses called “muscovado” and candies. 

Arya Abra Festival•It is a week-long celebration that showcases various sectors/groups in the province. Each day is offered to a particular group of persons as a way of honoring them for what they have done for the province of Abra. The cultural festival “Arya Abra” has become a traditional yearly festival which is aimed not only for outsiders but also the natives of Abra.