Kayapa, officially the Municipality of Kayapa, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,469 people. Kayapa is 61 km from Bayombong, 266 km from Manila, and 78 km from Baguio.

History

In 1754, Governor-General Pedro Manuel de Arandía Santisteban sent Comandante Dovilla, who was based in Pangasinan, to establish a civil government and spread Christianity among the non-Christian Tribes. The mission first saw the Valley of Yapa (Yapa meaning bountiful) which was inhabited by the Allagots, the second descendants of the Bormangi and Owak, and the third descendants of the Kalanguya, Ibaloi, Ilo-o, and Karao tribes who settled in the fertile valley. When the comandante (commander) and his company arrived in the valley of Yapa, the villagers entertained them under a big tree called “Kalabao”, which stood in the middle of the valley. It was from these words “Kalabao” and “Yapa” where the present name “Kayapa” was coined, the old name of the present town proper having been Dangatan. Prior to that, Kayapa was subjected to previous attempts at Spanish colonization as early as 1591. However, colonization efforts did not prosper due to ferocious resistance by the natives. In 1891, as part of a comprehensive plan to subdue the tribes of the Cordilleras, Governor-General Valeriano Weyler established the Comandancia Politico-Militar of Kayapa, which covered what would become the entire municipality, and placed a permanent military garrison there, which existed until their withdrawal during the Philippine Revolution. In 1901, the American colonial authorities placed Kayapa under the jurisdiction of the province of Benguet and later, in 1908, as part of Mountain Province when Benguet was downgraded into a constituent sub-province. On January 29, 1915, Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison issued Executive Order No. 9, transferring all territories of the former Spanish Commandancia of Kayapa, except the area which lies within the Benguet watershed of the Agno River, from the sub-Province of Benguet to the Province of Nueva Vizcaya. On November 11, 1950, President Elpidio Quirino signed Executive Order No. 368, proclaiming the Municipality of Kayapa as a regular town, thus, merging Kayapa and the settlement of Pingkian into one town as it is today.

Geography

Barangays

Kayapa is politically subdivided into 30 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Government

Local government

Kayapa, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Nueva Vizcaya, 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

Education

The Schools Division of Nueva Vizcaya governs the town's public education system. The division office is a field office of the DepEd in Cagayan Valley region. The office governs the public and private elementary and public and private high schools throughout the municipality.

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