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PROVINCIAL PROFILE OF ABRA
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LOCATION
Abra occupies the western portion of the Cordillera region in northern Luzon. It is landlocked on the north by Ilocos Norte, on the east by Kalinga-Apayao, on the west by Ilocos Sur and on the south by llocos Sur and the Mountain Province.
THE LAND
The province is hemmed in by the towering mountain ranges of the Ilocus in the west and the Cordillera Central in the east. It has an extremely rugged terrain, with mountains and hills rising along its perimeter and interior. The plains are drained by the Abra River, which flows northward from Mt. Data in the Mountain Province. The climate is characterized by two distinct seasons: dry from November to April, and wet the rest of the year.
A BRIEF HISTORY
The first inhabitants of Abra were the ancestors of the Bontocs and the Ifugaos. These inhabitants eventually left to settle in the old Mountain Province. Other early inhabitants were the Tingguians, or Itnegs, as they are also known.
In 1598 a Spanish garrison was established in Bangued to protect Ilocanos who converted to Christianity from Tingguian raids. During the British invasion, Gabriela Silang and her army fled to Abra from Ilocos and continued the revolt begun by her slain husband Diego. She was captured and hang by the Spanish in 1763. In 1818 the Ilocos region, including Abra, as divided into Ilocos Norte and llocos Sur. In 1846 Abra was created as a political-military province with Lepanto to as a sub-province. It remained so until the arrival of the Americans in 1899.
In 1908 the Philippine Commission once again in annexed Abra to Ilocus Sur in an attempt to resolve Abra's financial difficulties. But on March 9,1917, the Philippine Assembly reestablished Abra as a province.
The revolutionary priest, Conrado Balueg, who fought for the rights of the Cordillera tribes, began is crusade in Abra. After successfully negotiating a peace accord with Balueg's group in 1987, the Philippine government created the Cordillera Administration Region, which includes Abra.
THE PEOPLE
Abra's inhabitants are mostly descendants of llocano settlers and members of the Tingguian tribe. However , due to frequent intermarriages between the two cultures, many llocanos today are actually Christianize Tingguians. Although many have embraced Catholicism, some Abrans still believe in ancient and super natural spirits to this day. Most Tingguians are farmers who tend rice in kaingins and rice terraces. They also weave baskets and blankets. The predominant languages are Ilocano and Tingguian.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Abra's economy is agriculture-based. Its major crops a rice, corn, and root crops; and such commercial produce as coffee, tobacco, and coconut. Extensive grassland and pasture areas are used for livestock production.
Information gathered from:
League of
Provinces
by:Roberto C. Arellano
This page last revised: June 18, 1999.
