Kiangan

Kiangan, officially the Municipality of Kiangan is a municipality in the province of Ifugao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,691 people.^[5]

Kiangan
Municipality
Municipality of Kiangan
Nagacadan Rice Terraces
Flag
Map of Ifugao with Kiangan highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Kiangan Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°46′39″N 121°05′16″E
Country	Philippines
Region	Cordillera Administrative Region
Province	Ifugao
District	Lone district
Barangays	14 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Raldis Andrei A. Bulayungan
• Vice Mayor	Michelle Alice B. Baguilat
• Representative	Solomon R. Chungalao
• Municipal Council	Members Clarence B. Buyuccan Antonio M. Pad-eh Manuel T. Buhong Sr. Marcial D. Allaga Lawrence A. Dulnuan Jr. James I. Talib Magdalena D. Piggangay Honorio M. Pumihic
• Electorate	12,488 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	200.00 km2 (77.22 sq mi)
Elevation	841 m (2,759 ft)
Highest elevation	1,477 m (4,846 ft)
Lowest elevation	416 m (1,365 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	17,849
• Density	89/km2 (230/sq mi)
• Households	3,965
Economy
• Income class	4th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	10.56 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 161.6 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 311.2 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 95.74 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 42.17 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Ifugao Electric Cooperative (IFELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	3604
PSGC	1402703000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)74
Native languages	Ifugao Kallahan Tuwali Ilocano Tagalog
Website	kiangan.gov.ph

It is the oldest town in the province.^[6] Kiangan was the former capital of Ifugao until the topology was deemed unfit and moved to neighboring Lagawe.^[7]

The Nagacadan Rice Terraces are part of the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras World Heritage Site.^[8]

Etymology

The town derives its name from Kiyyangan, an ancient village near the bank of the Ibulao River across the Lagawe valley. The name Kiyyangan is enshrined in Ifugao mythology and is believed to be the dwelling of Wigan and Bugan, the mythological ancestors of the Ifugao.

Geography

Kiangan is situated 10.34 kilometres (6.42 mi) from the provincial capital Lagawe, and 355.61 kilometres (220.97 mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Kiangan is politically subdivided into 14 barangays. ^[9] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Ambabag
• Baguinge
• Bolog
• Bokiawan
• Dalligan
• Duit
• Hucab
• Julongan
• Lingay
• Mungayang
• Nagacadan
• Pindongan
• Poblacion
• Tuplac

Climate

Climate data for Kiangan, Ifugao
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	21 (70)	22 (72)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	21 (70)	24 (74)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	14 (57)	15 (59)	16 (61)	18 (64)	19 (66)	19 (66)	19 (66)	19 (66)	19 (66)	17 (63)	16 (61)	15 (59)	17 (63)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	35 (1.4)	46 (1.8)	63 (2.5)	117 (4.6)	402 (15.8)	400 (15.7)	441 (17.4)	471 (18.5)	440 (17.3)	258 (10.2)	94 (3.7)	68 (2.7)	2,835 (111.6)
Average rainy days	9.9	11.1	13.9	18.9	26.0	27.3	28.9	28.5	26.1	19.7	14.5	12.8	237.6
Source: Meteoblue[10]

Demographics

Population census of Kiangan

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1918	37,161	—
1939	16,146	−3.89%
1948	10,534	−4.63%
1960	12,689	+1.56%
1970	15,123	+1.77%
1975	15,935	+1.05%
1980	17,481	+1.87%
1990	21,329	+2.01%
1995	13,514	−8.20%
2000	14,099	+0.91%
2007	15,448	+1.27%
2010	15,837	+0.91%
2015	17,048	+1.41%
2020	17,691	+0.78%
2024	17,849	+0.21%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[11][12][13][14][15]

In the 2020 census, the population of Kiangan, Ifugao, was 17,691 people,^[16] with a density of 88 inhabitants per square kilometre or 230 inhabitants per square mile.

Languages

Dialects spoken in Kiangan include Ifugao, Tuwali, Ayangan, Ilocano, Tagalog, and English.

Economy

Poverty incidence of Kiangan

10 20 30 40 50 2000 46.35 2003 32.22 2006 20.60 2009 22.86 2012 25.30 2015 24.20 2018 14.88 2021 10.56 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

Agriculture and tourism are the main sources of local economic activities which supports commerce and trade among townsfolk. Its terraced rice fields do not only provide produce for the farmers but attract tourists as well.

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Kiangan, 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

Members of the Municipal Council
(2022–2025)^[25]

Position	Name
Congressman	Attorney Solomon Ramirez Chungalao
Mayor	Raldis Andrei A. Bulayungan
Vice-Mayor	Michelle Alice B. Baguilat
Councilors	Clarence B. Buyuccan
	Antonio M. Pad-eh
	Manuel T. Buhong Sr.
	Marcial D. Allaga
	Lawrence A. Dulnuan Jr.
	James I. TaliB
	Magdalena D. Piggangay
	Honorio M. Pumihic

Culture

War memorial

• Nagacadan Rice Terraces

The Nagacadan Rice Terraces is a UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the many rice terraces in the province of Ifugao. The rice terraces cluster manifest a distinct feature - the fields are in ascending rows of terraces bisected by a river.

• Kiangan Shrine

Located in Kiangan is the Kiangan Central School old home economics building, which marks the spot where the highest Commander of the Japanese Imperial Army, General Tomoyuki Yamashita (also known as the Tiger of Malaya), surrendered to the Filipino & American Forces on 2 September 1945.

Ifugao Museum (left) and Yamashita surrender site (right)

Education

The Kiangan Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.^[26]

Primary and elementary schools

• Alimit Elementary School
• Baguinge Elementary School
• Bokiawan Elementary School
• Bolog Elementary School
• Dalligan Elementary School
• Duit Elementary School
• Hucab Elementary School
• Julongan Elementary School
• Kiangan Central School
• Mappit Elementary School
• Mungayang Elementary School
• Nagacadan Elementary School
• Nungkigadan Elementary School
• Pindongan Elementary School
• Tuplac Elementary School

Secondary schools

• Kiangan National High School
• Mungayang National High School
• St. Joseph's School
• The Ifugao Academy
• Riverview Polytechnic and Academic School, Inc