CALANASAN lies on the northern part of the Cordilleras. Its geographic location is at a longitude of 17 degrees 55 minutes to 18 degrees, 30 minutes north and a latitude of 120 degrees 10 minutes east.
It is one of the seven towns comprising the fourteen-year (14) old Province of Apayao. It is bounded on the north by the towns of Adams, Ilocos Norte; and Sta. Praxedes and Claveria in Cagayan, on the east are the municipalities of Luna and Pudtol in Apayao and Pamplona in Cagayan, on the south is the municipality of Kabugao, Apayao, and on the west are the towns of Solsona and Carasi, Ilocos Norte.
HISTORY
The municipality of CALANASAN is created as a regular municipality pursuant to Executive Order # 42 dated June 25, 1963 by then President Diosdado Macapagal, used to be a barrio of the District of Piddig, Ilocos Norte popularly known as “Bayag” termed by the district government due to the usual late attendance of barrio officials to meetings called by the mother district.
DEMOGRAPHICS
It has nineteen barangays comprised of eighteen regular barangays and one administrative barangay inhabited by 15, 509 people.
Calanasan is dominated by Isnag Tribe, living with them is the Ilocanos, Igorots and Kalingas. The main dialect of the people is the Isnag dialect.
The town’s topography or slope is predominantly rugged and mountainous with sporadic flood plains and plateaus. The municipality cradles the larger part of the Apayao-Abulog watershed area as the main source of streams that fills the mighty river which originates from the municipality.
Calanasan has two pronounced seasons, the dry and the wet seasons. The dry season starts in the latest part of December and ends in the middle part of June. The wet season starts in July and ends in the middle part of December. The hottest month is May and rainfall is heaviest in August while strong typhoons usually occur within the period of August to October and the December used to be the coolest month.
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Economic activity in the municipality is based on agricultural production like farming and fishing and livelihood activities like basketry, soft broom making and furniture making.
The municipality has no level lands for extensive rice production except in northern part of the municipality. The total land area devoted to agriculture is 45.316 hectares in which total land area irrigated is 2,347.49 hectares. Its produce are to include coffee, corn, root crops, peanuts and other legumes, banana, pineapple and some vegetables.
TOURISM
The town is gifted with vast variety of wild flora and fauna which contributes to its eco-tourism potential. It is also blessed with beauty of nature which yCalanasans are very proud to have maintained and preserved. The town is surrounded with virgin forests, cascading and gigantic waterfalls, and crystal clear rivers.
Potential tourist attractions in Calanasan are the following:
· Apayao River - Poblacion, Calanasan, Apayao
· Girgirra’ Falls - Ninoy Aquino, Calanasan, Apayao
· Ziwanan River - Cadaclan, Calanasan, Apayao
· Maxibab Falls - Sta. Filomena, Calanasan, Apayao
· Carmella Falls - Eva, Calanasan, Apayao
· Pisong Lake - Calanasan, Apayao
· Mt. Pulag - Butao, Calanasan, Apayao
· Purit Cave - Calanasan, Apayao
ITS PRESENT GOVERNMENT
The present administration of the local government unit of the municipality of Calanasan, headed by the able leadership of Mayor ELEANOR C. BULUT-BEGTANG, continues to steer the municipality’s progress and development through the unique policy of transparency and participative governance.
Through adopting the said policy, all public servants, civic organizations and the religious sector is being empowered to volunteer their active participation for the town’s call of resounding development.
As the brain and control of the municipal government, Mayor Leah’s salient feature are being transparent, practices consultative technique and distributes funds equally for the barangays, different agencies and organizations. She also hold firm in the policies that gave encouragement to the effective implementations of programs and reforms in the municipality. Throughout the years, the programs of the unit through her innovative ideas had caused vital changes not only in the physical aspect of the municipality, but most of all, in the lives of its constituents.
Through her able leadership, and collective efforts and cooperation of other key officials and the people of Calanasan, developmental efforts must continue to be steered to be able to cope up with the demands of this fast-paced world.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Progress is then at hand, when Mayor Leah had set the implementation of programs and projects to the municipality, she had built linkages to the different barangays that paved way to unified constituents for sustainable development.
Numerous infrastructure projects like school buildings, health centers, barangay halls, bridges are being constructed to provide services and conveniences to the people. Several flood controls and canals were built to save lives and properties in times of calamities. Communal Irrigation Systems were provided to achieve the needed supply of water which resulted to a productive gain during harvesting season. The task of meeting the infrastructure needs of the municipality is a priority as the administration believes that along with it is the improvement of the economy and lives of the people.
ENVIRONMENT AND ITS PRESERVATION
The present administration cares for its environment. Laws and ordinances are religiously imposed and observed pertaining to environmental management and protection. Amidst all the efforts steered towards infrastructure development, the local administration considers the impact on the environment. It guarantees that the environment will not be sacrificed or destroyed for the sake of development. As a move to protect the environment, the local unit institutionalized the indigenous practice called “LAPAT SYSTEM” and mandated all barangays and interested individuals to declare a part of their areas as lapat area. Lapat, as defined in the Municipal Revenue Code -2007 refers to a certain parcel of a land or body of water of which no person, even the declarant himself is allowed to pass, enter, touch gather or extract any material, catch animals , fish, birds, and other products there from for a certain period. Thus, certain part of a body of water or parcel of land becomes an untouched sanctuary which will be a breeding area for different aquatic species or any animals and forest plants. This program has increased the availability of fishes and other aquatic resources, thus contributing to the livelihood of the people as they could sell their yield to the market.
With the commendable efforts of the local administration in partnering with the national government in the protection and preservation of its environment, the municipality garnered several awards in the field as four times the National Awardee in the year 1996, 2001, 2002 and 2003 and two times Regional Awardee in the year 2001 in Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran Awardee in Small Bodies of Water Category, specifically the Ziwanan River located at Brgy. Cadaclan of this town.
Having a rough and rugged topography, the municipality has no level lands for extensive rice production except the northern part of the municipality.
SOUND FISCAL ADMINISTRATION
In terms of fiscal administration, it is worthy to note that during the present administration of Mayor Begtang with the active participation of the local finance offices and strong support of the unit’s legislative body and good compliance of the all employees of the unit to accounting rules and regulations, the LGU had been given commendations and citations for its sound fiscal administration and management. As a notable achievement, the LGU was awarded in the year 2007 for its efforts in the performance of its duties and functions as ascertained in the findings of COA in the 2006 Annual Audit report which showed that the local government unit, in the entire Cordillera, had no adverse findings for 2 consecutive years. The treasury office has also been cited during the year 2003 for its remarkable efforts in introducing innovations and strategies for the improvement of treasury operations and maintenance of transparency in the management of financial resources in the LGU.
LOCAL LEGISLATION
The administration is also solidly backed by its legislative body in the formulation and passage of significant ordinances and resolutions in pursuit of its developmental activities. This strong symbiosis has gained its local sanggunian the prestige as the Most Outstanding Local Sanggunian in the province, 1st to 3rd Category during the Dayaw ti Apayao Awards Ceremony on February 13, 2007.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Moreover, through its efforts of reorganizing the personnel structure and strict implementation of civil service rules and regulations and after satisfactorily meeting all the requirements for the level II agency accreditation through the Comprehensive Personnel Management Assessment (CPMA), , the LGU has been granted by the Civil Service Commission, under its Accreditation Program, the authority to take final action on its appointments pursuant to CSC Resolution No. 061590 dated September 5, 2006.
HEALTH
Calanasan is also an advocate of Bloodletting Programs to ensure the availability of supply of blood that will save lives, not only for its constituents but also to its sister-municipalities in Apayao.
The program commenced during the term of the then Local Chief Executive, now Congressman Elias C. Bulut, Jr. The program continues as Mayor Begtang implements the Annual Bloodletting Activity in the whole municipality.
Awards and citations were then received by the municipality such as the 2nd Place as the Most Number of Voluntary Donors in a Mobile Bloodletting Program 2009 by the National Voluntary Blood Services Program, Sandugo Outstanding Local Government Executive Awards in 2008, 2006 and 2005 respectively and the National Sandugo Awardee Sandugo Most Outstanding Municipality for 2007. For the past years, the program adopted the slogan “Daga mu, Biyagku” which in English means “your blood, my life” , an adage used by every yCalanasan for the said program.
The local government unit, aside from its Philhealth program, in partnership with the office of Congressman Elias C. Bulut Jr,, has maintained a regular fund used for the assistance of all families in need, for their check-ups and hospitalizations, with the administration’s belief that “good health promotes, good life”.
PEACE AND ORDER
CALANASAN, undeniably the coolest municipality of the entire province, whether in climate or in people’s temperament, is proud to note that despite the uniformed men’s inferior number to serve the whole municipality and albeit the inaccessibility for any kind of vehicle of some of our barangays, our populace are calmly and peacefully living as reflected in our low, if not zero crime rate record as they are sheltered with the traditionally proven ways of resolving conflicts without going through the expensive and circuitous formal court proceedings, which manifests our people’s genuine love for peace and strong sense of kinship and brotherhood and great respect in the rule of law and order.
SOCIAL SERVICES
In terms of social services, the municipality aside from maintaining a regular assistance fund for hospitalization and treatment of the sick, has also regularly maintained a financial assistance fund for its indigent constituents especially senior citizens.
Stockpiles are also maintained annually to be ready for distribution during calamities and rice shortage.
The municipality, in partnership with the Department of Education, has supported and adopted as one of its own regular programs, through a resolution and corresponding funding inclusion in the regular budget of the LGU , the non formal education program of the Department of Education, the Alternative Learning System (ALS) designed for the out-of-school youth and other interested individuals in the entire municipality. As such, the LGU of Calanasan has been awarded as the Most Supportive Local Unit in the Implementation of ALS Programs.
Further, the realization of a quality education is given emphasis by the unit, believing that success is achieved through education. Thus, financial assistance to deserving students throughout the municipality is also one of the noted regular programs of the administration. As of 2001, there were grantees of the said program.
Cultural promotion and awareness program are also an emphasis of the local administration. Activities were structured towards preservation of its culture with the aim of maintaining its legacy from generation to generation. The administration gained reciprocity for its vision of culture preservation by the active participation of local talents especially the youth which resulted to the organization of the CIR-AG (Calanasan Isnag Related Arts Group).
One significant factor to note is the incorporation of Say-Am and other rituals during fiestas and other activities in the municipality, in which our cultural identity as a distinct tribe is being magnified.
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