Tayum

Tayum, officially the Municipality of Tayum (Ilocano: Ili ti Tayum; Tagalog: Bayan ng Tayum), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,869 people.^[5]

Tayum
Municipality
Municipality of Tayum
Tayum Church
Flag
Map of Abra with Tayum highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Tayum Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 17°37′N 120°40′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Cordillera Administrative Region
Province	Abra
District	Lone district
Barangays	11 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Placido P. Eduarte Jr.
• Vice Mayor	Emmanuel Eleazar B. Eduarte
• Representative	Menchie B. Bernos
• Municipal Council	Members Agustin B. Barbieto Jr. Romel Flor B. Tamo Avelino T. Tejero Bienvenido A. Dion Jr. Teresa B. Millare Joel P. Flores Eduardo A. Tejero Rafael T. Cariño
• Electorate	10,468 voters (2025)
Area [2]
• Total	61.14 km2 (23.61 sq mi)
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Highest elevation	283 m (928 ft)
Lowest elevation	31 m (102 ft)
Population  (2024 census)[3]
• Total	14,808
• Density	240/km2 (630/sq mi)
• Households	3,507
Economy
• Income class	5th municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	13.46 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 356.7 million (2022)
• Assets	₱ 936 million (2022)
• Expenditure	₱ 230.3 million (2022)
• Liabilities	₱ 122.9 million (2022)
Service provider
• Electricity	Abra Electric Cooperative (ABRECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2803
PSGC	1400124000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)74
Native languages	Itneg Ilocano Tagalog

Every 25 November, Tayum celebrates its town fiesta. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion.

Etymology

According to historical records,^[6] Tayum was named after the indigo plant, which the Ilocanos referred to as tayum-tayum. Indigo once flourished in Tayum, and it was a source of wealth for the Ilocanos. A big vat (pagtimbugan) was used in decaying the plant into a blue-black dye called "ngila" in Barangay Deet, about a half-kilometer away from the town proper. Cotton yams were dyed using the dye.

However, at the turn of the century, a powder dye from the Anilino Factories of Germany became popular among Ilocano weavers, effectively killing the indigo industry.

History

Spanish colonial era

Tayum, also known as Bukaw, was founded in 1626 by an enterprising priest named Father Juan Pareja. Father Gabriel Alvarez, another equally daring and adventurous Augustinian Priest, built a temporary chapel in Tayum during his expedition to Lepanto in 1569. Tayum was formally organized as a political unit under the Spanish Regime in 1725. Don Vidal Banganan served as the first Gobernadorcillo.

With the construction of the solid bricks walled church under the successive Augustinian missions, Tayum transformed from a mere visita of Bangued into an independent mission in the year 1807. The church was built in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria, whose feast day falls on November 25.

American invasion era

In 1904, Tayum reverted to a barrio of Bangued, due to the deterioration of peace and order at the time. Tayum's existence as a barrio came to an end on December 31, 1907, when Don Pio Balmaceda y Belmonte was appointed Teniente del barrio. Balmaceda organized his men to effectively curb lawlessness, restoring peace to the town. It regained its town status, with Don Manuel Brillantes as its first president.

World War II

At about 3:00 am, in the early dawn of Sunday, 8 October 1944, 500 bolo men from the resistance entered Tayum and set several homes includng the Tayum Municipal Building on fire. Torches were applied to all the houses on Santa Clara Street's southern side. They left the town at 5:45 am, leaving behind 24 houses and 1 granary in flames, as well as killing Mayor Severo Brillantes, two mayors, two ex-soldiers, two leaders of the neighborhood association Ho-Ko and four other law abiding citizens.^[7]

Contemporary era

On July 27, 2022, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 3 km from the town. The quake killed at least eleven people and injured 567 others (19 of them in Tayum).^[8]

Geography

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 61.14 square kilometres (23.61 sq mi) ^[9] constituting 1.47% of the 4,165.25-square-kilometre- (1,608.21 sq mi) total area of Abra. The town is located at 17°37′N 120°40′E.

Tayum is situated 5.54 kilometres (3.44 mi) from the provincial capital Bangued, and 411.39 kilometres (255.63 mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Tayum is politically subdivided into 11 barangays.^[10] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

PSGC	Barangay	Population			±% p.a.
		2024[11]		2010[12]
140124001	Bagalay	6.9%	1,026	937	▴	0.64%
140124002	Basbasa	5.8%	852	849	▴	0.02%
140124003	Budac	9.4%	1,387	1,286	▴	0.53%
140124004	Bumagcat	5.6%	830	794	▴	0.31%
140124005	Cabaroan	9.2%	1,365	1,251	▴	0.61%
140124006	Deet	6.6%	973	912	▴	0.45%
140124007	Gaddani	10.6%	1,573	1,325	▴	1.21%
140124008	Patucannay	9.8%	1,445	1,317	▴	0.65%
140124009	Pias	7.9%	1,169	1,165	▴	0.02%
140124010	Poblacion	18.1%	2,676	2,645	▴	0.08%
140124011	Velasco	10.6%	1,573	1,459	▴	0.53%
	Total		14,808	14,869	▾	−0.03%

Climate

Climate data for Tayum, Abra
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29 (84)	31 (88)	32 (90)	34 (93)	32 (90)	31 (88)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	31 (87)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	18 (64)	19 (66)	20 (68)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	19 (66)	22 (71)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	9 (0.4)	11 (0.4)	13 (0.5)	23 (0.9)	92 (3.6)	122 (4.8)	153 (6.0)	137 (5.4)	139 (5.5)	141 (5.6)	42 (1.7)	14 (0.6)	896 (35.4)
Average rainy days	4.6	4.0	6.2	9.1	19.5	23.2	24.0	22.5	21.5	15.2	10.5	6.0	166.3
Source: Meteoblue[13]

Demographics

Population census of Tayum

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	4,366	—
1918	5,832	+1.95%
1939	6,054	+0.18%
1948	6,281	+0.41%
1960	7,025	+0.94%
1970	8,211	+1.57%
1975	9,126	+2.14%
1980	9,621	+1.06%
1990	11,045	+1.39%
1995	12,346	+2.11%
2000	12,539	+0.33%
2007	13,360	+0.88%
2010	13,940	+1.56%
2015	14,467	+0.71%
2020	14,869	+0.58%
2024	14,808	−0.10%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[14][15][12][16][17]

In the 2020 census, Tayum had a population of 14,869.^[18] The population density was 240 inhabitants per square kilometre (620/sq mi).

Economy

Poverty incidence of Tayum

10 20 30 40 50 2000 41.66 2003 36.67 2006 23.40 2009 23.73 2012 23.38 2015 15.48 2018 17.92 2021 13.46 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Tayum, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Abra, 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
(2019–2022)^[27]

Position	Name
Congressman	Joseph Santo Niño B. Bernos
Mayor	Placido P. Eduarte Jr.
Vice-Mayor	Emmanuel Eleazar B. Eduarte
Councilors	Agustin B. Barbieto Jr.
	Romel Flor B. Tamo
	Bienvenido A. Dion Jr.
	Avelino T. Tejero
	Joel P. Flores
	Teresa B. Millare
	Eduardo A. Tejero
	Constantino T. Fernandez

List of Cultural Properties of Tayum

Cultural Property wmph identifier[i]	Site name	Description	Province	City or municipality	Address	Coordinates	Image
	Saint Catherine of Alexandria Church	A 19th-century Baroque church, declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2001.[28]	Abra	Tayum		17°37′07″N 120°39′16″E
	First SVD Regional House	Established by Fr. Luis Beckert in 1912. Fr. Beckert is the first regional superior of the SVD Missionaries in Abra.	Abra	Tayum		17°37′07″N 120°39′16″E
	Flores Ancestral House	Built in 1890.	Abra	Tayum	Isidro Flores St.	17°37′04″N 120°39′18″E
	Jose Cariño Sr. Ancestral House		Abra	Tayum	1 Brilliantes corner Jose Cariño	17°37′00″N 120°39′17″E
	Teodoro Brillantes Ancestral House		Abra	Tayum	Poblacion

Transportation

The main mode of public transportation are tricycles and jeepneys.

Education

The Tayum 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.^[29]

Primary and elementary schools

• Bagalay Elementary School
• Basbasa Elementary School
• Bumagcat Elementary School
• Don Marcos Rosales Elementary School
• Tayum Central School
• Velasco Elementary School

Secondary schools

• Ananaao Integrated School
• Gaddani National High School
• Holy Ghost School

See also

• Santa Catalina de Alejandria Parish Church

Notes

1. wmph is an internal identifier used by Wikimedia Philippines to identify the monument. This is not an official identifier, and only shown temporarily in the templates until the government creates an updated complete list.