CORDILLERA ADMINISTRATIVE REGION AND ITS PEOPLE
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was established on July 15,1987
through Executive Order No. 220
issued by then President Corazon C.
Aquino. It is comprised by the
provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet,
Ifugao, Kalinga, Mt.Province and the
chartered city of Baguio, officially
known as the Summer Capital of the
Philippines. Its rugged terrain and
breath-taking topography have been
home to the sturdy and industrious
indigenous tribes collectively called
the Igorot, while its climate has bred
an equally unique culture distinct from
that of the country's lowland
colonized regions. It is located in the
north-central part of Luzon and is
bounded by Ilocos Norte and
Cagayan in the North, Pangasinan
and Nueva Ecija in the south,
Cagayan Valley in the east, and the
Ilocos Region in the west. It is the
country's only land-locked region. It
has a mountainous topography and
dubbed as the "Watershed Cradle of
North Luzon" as it hosts major rivers that
Figure 1. Map of the Cordillera Administrative Region
provide continuous water for irrigation
and energy for Northern Luzon1.
The Cordillera covers an area of approximately 18,294 square kilometers. It is
composed of 73 municipalities, two cities, seven congressional districts, and
1,176 barangays. 2
The region is dominated by a mountainous topography, characterized by very
steep slopes and high elevation. About 71% of its land area have steep slopes,
which constrains cost effective physical development. More than three-fourths
of the region is classified as high elevation (500-2,000 meters above sea level).
This gives the region its generally cool climate which nurtures many unique and
rare bio-species, and attracts many domestic tourists escaping from the
sweltering lowland heat3.
1
http://countrystat.psa.gov.ph/?cont=16&r=14
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordillera_Administrative_Region
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CHR CAR REGIONAL HR SITUATION REPORT – JANUARY to JUNE 2020