MUNICIPAL FACTS & FIGURES
... At a Glance
| Area |
|
|
| Total Population (As of May 2000) |
|
|
| Number of Households (As of May 2000) |
1,923 | |
| Population Density (As of May 2000) |
|
|
| Number of Barangays (As of Dec 2004) |
14 | |
| Income Class | 4th Class |
In the olden Kalinga days when headhunting was a way of life and tribal wars were common, the people of northern Kalinga carried out their headhunting trade in southern Kalinga. In this trade, headhunters from northern Kalinga had to cross a saddlelike portion of a mountain where a creek of ice water constantly flowed.
During these headhunting forays, a densely forested area was designated as the converging for those warriors who came from different places. It was here where they decided how to attack a village. This same area was used as rendezvous after an attack since retreat was undertaken in all directions to mislead the enemy. While resting and waiting for their companions, these warriors would or in Kalinga “balbal” their weapon and themselves from the blood stains. Eventually, the creek including its vicinity came to be called Balbalan.
During the American occupation, Kalinga was divided into townships (municipal districts) and one of these was Balbalan. Through the years, changes in the composition of the districts were initiated so that the site was transferred to the present site at Salegseg. The name Balabalan was named Balbalan Proper.
The fourteen barangays are as follows: Ababa-an, Balantoy, Balbalan Proper, Balbalasang, Buaya, Dao-angan, Gawa-an, Mabaca, Maling, Pantikian, Poblacion (Salegseg), Poswoy, Talalang, and Tawang.
Balbalan is rugged tableland on the Cordillera Central Range that sprawls in a descending eastward direction, in massive mountain alluvial fashion. It has a total land area of 51,900 hectares and is approximately 70 kilometers away from the capital town of Tabuk. It has six prominent mountain peaks with altitudes ranging from 2000 meters to 2,300 meteres above sea level. It has two rivers, Saltan and Mabaca, with headwaters from the Cordilleras and tributaries cascading eastward to join the Chico River then the Cagayan River. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Conner, on the south by the municipality of Pasil, on the east by the municipality of Pinukpuk and on the west by the province of Abra.
The climate prevailing in this area is classified under Type III characterized by a short dry season and a pronounced wet season. The dry season starts from the early part of January and lasts up to the late part of May. The wet season starts from the late part of May and ends in thelate part of December.
The 2000 Census of Population shows that Balbalan has a total population of 11,934. Population density is 33.3:1, meaning there is one person for every 4.42 hectares.
Ninety-nine percent of the population speaks Kalinga, the mother tongue while the remaining 1 percent prefer the Ilocano dialect. The major language spoken by the people of Balbalan is English as a result of education, marriage and trade. As reflected in the NSO survey, there are 70.6 percent who could speak English , while those conversant in Filipino are 30.4 percent.
A total of 5,432.35 hectares is devoted to agriculture of which 15.49 percent are rice fields, 4.26 percent are for orchard and the remaining 80.25 percent are devoted to diversified crafts.
Of the total rice lands, 882 hectares are irrigated and approximately 20 hectares are not. Agricultural products produced in the municipality are rice, coffee, root crops, and vegetables of various kinds.
Minahang Bayan is the only registered mining industry in the locality. The Balbalasang Au-CU Prospect, Ma-atop Copper, and Sesec-an Pyrite are some prospects for the mining industry.
- Palit Lake
- Ligayan Waterfalls
- Tawang Waterfalls
- Lultoan Waterfalls
- Bagawat Waterfalls
- Utah Cave
- Ugid Subterranean River
- Balbalasang National Park
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
| Balbalan | 13,204 |
13,436 |
13,667 |
13,899 |
14,131 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
|
| Balbalan | 14,328 |
14,526 |
14,723 |
14,921 |
15,118 |
Source of Data: 1995 Census-Based City/Munipal Population Projections, National Statistics Office
Source:
Cordillera Almanac, Volume 1
Department of the Interior and Local Government
Cordillera Administrative Region
Page last updated: January 25, 2008
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