Cordillera’s Last Frontier for Nature Richness
According to a legend, Apayao is derived from the combination of the Ilocano word “Apay” meaning “Why?” and Tagalog word “Ayaw” meaning “Don’t like”. The legend tells of an Ilocano and Tagalog who accidentally met in one of the forests of the province. The Ilocano asked, “Apay ada ka ditoy?” (why are you here) to which the tagalog answered, “Ayaw” (I don’t like it) thinking that the Ilocano is offering his food. Not understanding each other, they fought. Men from a nearby village saw the two men fighting and hearing the words “Apay” and “Ayaw. The place where the incident happened was then referred as Apay-ayaw by the villagers thus came the name Apayao.
From being a Commandancia during the time of the Spaniards, Apayao became a sub-province of the Old Mountain Province under the Americans. On June 18, 1966, the sub-provinces of Kalinga and Apayao were combined to form a single province when Republic Act No. 4695, an act creating four provinces from the old Mt. Province, was enacted. On February 14, 1995, Kalinga-Apayao was converted into two separate and regular provinces (Kalinga and Apayao) with the signing into law of Republic Act No. 7878.
Located at the Northern part of Cordillera (Northernmost tip of Luzon), Apayao is bounded by Cagayan on the east, Ilocos Norte and Abra on the West, and Kalinga in the South. The province is classified into Upper Apayao, which has mountainous topography characterized by towering peaks, plateaus and intermittent patches of valleys, and Lower Apayao, which is generally flat land with rolling mountains and plateaus.
Apayao has its own collection of natural wonders (Underground rivers, waterfalls, lakes, exotic wildlife…) that are otherwise not found in the rest of the Cordillera Region making it the “Cordillera’s Last Frontier of Natural Richness.”
Inhabitants:
The first settlers of Apayao are the negritoes. Later, the Isnegs, a more civilized ethnic group occupied the vast hinterlands of the province.
When the Spanish missionaries entered Apayao in 1608, they found the Mandayas later known as Isnegs already in their organized communities. They were referred to as “Los Apayaos” or “Los Mandayas” by the Spaniards. The term "Apayao," after the name of the geographical territory, which these people have inhabited for ages, has been used interchangeably with "Isneg”.
There have been a large influx of Ilocanos over the years. The Aeta inhabit the northern and northeastern parts of the province.
Municipalities:
- Calanasan
- Conner
- Flora
- Kabugao
- Luna
- Pudtol
- Sta. Marcela
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Apayao Hymn
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