Alfonso Lista, formerly known as Potia, officially the Municipality of Lista is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,061 people. Alfonso Lista is the most populous town in Ifugao which is 114 km from Lagawe, 84 km from Ilagan, 138 km from Bontoc, and 431 km from Manila.

History

Potia was created as the municipal district by virtue of Republic Act (RA) No. 1222 on 11 May 1955, from the barrios of Potia, Dolowog, San Juan, San Quintin, Cabicalan, Pinto, Busilac, Santa Maria, and Namillangan in the municipal district of Mayoyao; the seat of government then was designated at Barrio Potia. Originally called Mun-uupag ("bubbles of foam") by the Ifugao natives, Potia was derived from the term Putiak, a phenomenon wherein plants and flowers in the area opened their pods as they dried and cracked open. The administration of President Sergio Osmeña annexed the area presently composed of Alfonso Lista to present-day San Mateo, Isabela. However, due to opposition by local settlers in the area, a major part of the area was later transferred to Mayoyao of then Ifugao sub-province of the old Mountain Province. On 18 June 1966, the old Mountain Province was divided into four political entities, one of which is Ifugao, by virtue of RA No. 4763. Barrio Kiling was transferred from the adjacent Paracales (present-day Paracelis, Mountain Province) to Potia, thus finishing efforts to recover the "lost" territories of the municipality. In 1959, the name of Potia was renamed Lista in honor of its first mayor (1955–1959), Alfonso Lista. It was formalized on 15 December 1988 through RA No. 6687; Barangay Sta. Maria was confirmed as the seat of the municipal government. However, several government documents including the Philippine Statistics Authority, Commission on Audit, and the municipality itself used the style "Alfonso Lista" as its name. To avoid confusion with the name used on RA No. 6687, on 24 May 2021, House Bill No. 9451, introduced by Rep. Solomon Chungalao of the Ifugao Lone District, was filed and approved. On 2 June 2022, RA No. 11813, the act renaming Lista as Alfonso Lista, lapsed into law. A plebiscite, having no final schedule yet, will be supervised by the Commission on Elections.

Geography

Barangays

Alfonso Lista is politically subdivided into 20 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Alfonso Lista was 34,061 people, with a density of undefined PD/km2. The indigenes are largely Ifugao, with smaller numbers of Bontoc and Gaddang originating in the surrounding areas. The majority of the population, however, are Ilokano who began farming the area in the 1930s.

Economy

Government

Local government

Alfonso Lista, 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