A brief historical background of Bontoc

(2nd of  2 parts from historical archives)

On April 1 of 1887, eight Igorots from Bontoc, Lepanto and Abra left Manila to be exhibited the next month in the Madrid Exposition. They constructed native houses and live there to showcase an Igorot village. The exposition became the subject of Jose Rizal’s fury as it displayed his fellow Filipinos in their derogatory condition. When a decree attempted to extend vassalage to 15 years old at a peso and a half, Bontoc Commandant Blas Perez Royo promptly replied that people could not possibly meet the payments which would total more than the value of four years rice production.
    This was also the time when Tanulong and Dalican experienced water shortage, thus to impose a new tribute is impossible. When a November 7, 1894, decree ordering an increased payment of 50 centavos as vassalage cedulas from the age of 18 and above was known, the Bontoc and Samoki chieftains started holding secret meetings to raise popular opposition.
    Representatives from Ankileng, Antadao, Balugan, Fedilisan, Mainit, Maligcong and Sagada set December 31, for the seizing and burning of the capital if the decree shall be enforced, but when the Bontoc Commmandancia Politico Militar commander Juan Rodriguez was informed of the plan, he immediately wired Manila, and on January 9, 1894m the Governor General suspended the collection of vassalage cedulas.
    A Bontoc mission was now created in 1892. It covered Samoki, Alab, Gonogon, Balili, Dalican, Guina-ang, Tocucan, Talubin, Maligcong, Caneo, Mainit, Bayyo, Betuagan, Barlig and Lias.
When the Philippine revolutionary forces advanced their campaign towards the cordilleras in June of 1898, the Spanish troops and missionaries from La Trinidad sought refuge in Bontoc on July 11 of the same year. To suppress reported Katipunan movements in Sagada, Commandant Eduardo Xandro headed an expedition and brought 84 heads from his troops back to Bontoc. On September 3 of the same year, the garrison in Bontoc where Spanish missionaries and soldiers took refuge was taken over by Filipino forces. They were also able to occupy the Bontoc headquarters driving the Spaniards away from the Cordilleras. The missionaries were sent to Cervantes.
 American Regime
While the Spaniards were being driven out of from the Cordilleras, American forces were already advancing. On November 1899, American forces chased the Philippine revolutionary forces headed by President Emilio Aguinaldo through the rough trails of Northern Luzon. And in December of the same year, General Gregorio delPilar died at Tirad Pass. The battle impended the Americans from advancing further. 

Meantime, Aguinaldo was already on his way to Cagayan valley via Bontoc and Ifugao.
The Americans arrived in Bontoc on December 23, 1900. They took over the town under their rule. Since then, they established their municipal government and stationed a Lieutenant-Governor to take charge of the Mountain Provinces, Lepanto and Bontoc included. The Americans took notes of the experiences and Spanish strategies and adding their tactics, they were able to penetrate the Igorot land with American soldiers armed with Springfield riffles, officers, teachers, anthropologists, doctors and missionaries, together with enemy tribes of villages they wanted to subjugate.    
    They built roads, schools, hospitals and government buildings in American style. The Americans created a system of direct American rule by dividing territories into manageable groups to subdue resistance and instill a definite “personal influence”. Missionaries who taught formal education in the highlands were just as effective in appeasing the natives. In several instances, they used the existing traditions of the natives like the canao and infused their American modifications and used the event to become mediators between rival tribes and suggested plans they themselves tailored. They also did not impose taxes on the natives during their first year of rule.
    In March 23, 1901, General Emilio Aguinaldo was captured and the Americans had already occupied the whole of Bontoc-Lepanto area. The Americans established a temporary headquarters in Cervantes and Major Rice was the acting Military Governor until civil government was established in 1901. After a year (1902), Mountain Province was reestablished and the Lepanto-Bontoc area was recognized as a province. There were three sub-provinces namely; Bontoc, Lepanto and Amburayan. Dr. Hunt was made the Acting Lieutenant Governor was inaugurated in Lepanto-Bontoc. Each has asset of officers namely; President, Vice President, and the Secretary-Treasurer, Principal Councilors, sub-councilors for each barrio and a local officer. The Book of Howard T. Fry, (A History of the Mountain Province, page 37) states that “Bontoc was recognized into a township but was given a different form of government from among any other in the Philippines. Its chief peculiarity was that there were 13 presidentes instead of one. The Lieutenant Governor acted in the place of president for one district. The form of government was finally approved in Manila and conferred upon the Lieutenant Governor instead of upon the council of presidents the law making power. The council was advisory and does administrative function.
      In 1904, Dr. Hunt, former Lieutenant-Governor of Bontoc brought 214 Igorots and Tinguians to the Louisiana Exposition in celebration of centenary Louisiana Purchase of 1804. 68 were Bontoc Igorots, 41 Negritoes, 40 SamalMoros, 35 LanaoMoros and 30 Bagobos. These mountain tribes showcased how they lived in their own villages, exhibiting their skills in dancing and handicrafts. They were given salaries and that enabled some to reach home rich.

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941 and Clark Air Base, they occupied Baguio. In the early parts of February in 1942, Japanese soldiers arrived in Bontoc, and burned down some houses and left but came back in June 1942 to establish a garrison in the town. They occupied most of the government buildings including the Anglican Mission Compound up to 1945. Eyeb was made concentration camp for American prisoners.

On Sept. 8, 1942, the Japanese established the KALIBAPI, which was to become the single political party in the country. The completed constitution was signed in September 4, 1943 and on September 20 on the same year; Florencio Bagwan was elected as the Mountain Province representative. On the night of April 6 or 7, 1945, Governor Hilary Clapp and Justice of the Peace Quire had been picked up and killed.

They had been blamed for the capture and execution of Major Ralph Praeger. On June 14 1945 the Field Artillery and Air Force Units secured Tagudin, Cervantes, Bessang Pass and in July 9 of the same year, Bontoc was reclaimed by the Americans. General Yamashita surrendered in Kiangan on September 2, 1945. Upon his surrender, a terrible prolonged period of hunger and disease affected the people of Ifugao.

 From the Diary of Pawid, he wrote: “while the Japanese were surrendering by the thousands of Kiangan at 90 km. on the Mountain Trail, at Bontoc, and at Banaue, the people of Nacgacada, Kiangan, Maggock and Hungduan were the most affected by hunger, sickness and deaths by the hundreds every day. The Americans gave many of the civilian’s rations and every time the soldiers finished eating in their mess, a long line of civilians would take their place to eat whatever remained in the kitchen. Hundreds struggled to get even a bite of bread or to pick up dropped food and garbage.

Those at the end of the line generally received nothing so naturally everyone struggled to get to the head of the line. There was nothing to eat in the barrios for the Japanese ate everything from banana stalks to betel nuts and coconut shoots. So the civilians remained but Kiangan by the thousands…, sick of malaria, dysentery and influenza. No matter how many tons of medicines were distributed every day, it did not seem to check the epidemic.”

After the liberation from the Japanese occupation in 1945, Americans chose Marshall Mayors to head post war rehabilitation.

Other historical events and sites

On February 24, 1945, the United States war planes bombed Bontoc to warn the civilians to leave the Japanese forces and evacuate to the mountains. During this bombing, two persons were killed many Japanese were hit although they ran to their air raid shelters. The second bombing took place on March 13, 1945 when the whole Poblacion and Bontoc Ili were razed to the ground. No less than 60 persons were killed in the Poblacion excluding those in the Ili. The stubbornness of the people to leave the Japanese and evacuate to the mountains resulted to great loss of lives. They were warned many times but they did not heed the call. It was later found out that the Japanese prevented them to evacuate.

On the late afternoon on July 8, soldiers from the “C” company of the 11th Infantry, USAFIP NL entered Bontoc and patrolled the Poblacion and returned to their outpost safely. Then in July 9, 1945, they returned and cleared the place from Japanese strugglers who were left behind either sick, hungry or were caught unaware as rear guards. On the same day, the arrivals of the 12th Infantry, 66th Infantry, 15th Infantry, 14th Infantry, of the USAFIP NL made Americans to officially occupy Bontoc. When they arrived in the place, many people were starving and are vey sick due to scarcity of food. The Government of the United States immediately provided relief to the people.

On June 12, 1965, a huge fire that started from one of the big hotels spread into the market and destroyed many buildings and establishments in the business area. This was considered the biggest fire ever to hit Bontoc. Nineteen years later in November 1984, another blazed razed residential houses near the Dangwa Station. This prompted the municipal government to buy the first fire truck.

Republic Act No. 4695

The same year later in 1925, Henry A. Kamora representing the sub province of Benguet filed a Bill proposing for the subdivision of Mountain Province into two (2) separate provinces. This however did not push through. A similar House Bill was reintroduced in 1932 and was presented in the 1935 Constitutional Convention but like the Kamora Bill, did not gain enough political support.

Thirty years later. In 1962, Honorable Alfredo G. Lamen and Luis Hora authored House Bill No. 4600 proposing for the subdivision of the province into five separate provinces. The same bill suffered the same fate with its predecessors.

Congressmen elect Honorables Juan Duyan and Luis Hora representing the district of Kalinga-Apayao and part of Bontoc, and the third district of the sub province of Ifugao and part of Bontoc respectively, authored House Bill No. 1526 proposing again for the division of the province into five (5) separate provinces. To ensure passage of the Bill, endorsements and the resolutions fro the people, political leaders and civil leaders were forwarded to Congress requesting support for the approval of the bill. Deliberated by Congress on March 25, 1966, House Bill No. 1526 became law as Republic Act No. 4695 titled An Act Creating the Provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao and KalingaApayaoon June 18 1966.

Specifically, Section 3 of the Republic Act states:

“Mountain Province shall comprise the Sub province of Bontoc and the municipalities of Barlig, Bauko, Bontoc, Natonin, Sabangan, Sadanga, Sagada, Tadian and Paracelis”.

Section 7 further states:      “Except hereinafter provided, all provisions of law now or hereafter applicable to regular provinces shall apply to the provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao and Kalinga-Apayao”.

Executive Order No. 42

From the Office of the Presidents this order created the municipalities of Bontoc Besao, Bauko, Sabangan, Natonin, Sadanga, and Tadian (Official Gazette. July 8, 1963. P. 4185).

Mountain Province retained its name with Bontoc as its capital town but lost the jurisdiction over the vast territory in the Cordillera. The division resulted in the drastic regression of Bontoc in fifth class town.

 Some historical sites in Bontoc  Chakchakan. This was where General Emilio Aguinaldo and his men stopped and rested before occupying the Poblacion and drove Spanish forces away.

Latang Bridge. This was where a detachment of Japanese Forces were wiped out during an encounter with the guerilla forces in February 1945.

The Cadre or Bilibid Site. This was the training ground of the Igorot trainees before the war. This was also the concentration camp of the Japanese forces during their last days before the liberation of Bontoc. This was built in 1935. Above the Cadre was a rock known as “Kissing Rock” where the enemies placed a large gun, believed to be cannon to harass the guerilla forces and held Bontoc from its early occupation.

Rizal Monument. The Rizal Monument withstood all the air bombings of Bontoc during the war. All buildings and structures of importance were hit but the Rizal Monument still remains standing at the public plaza