Atok, Benguet
Encyclopedia
Atok is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines
. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 19,253 people in 3,397 households.
Atok is centrally located in the heart of the province of Benguet
. It is bounded by the municipality of Kibungan
and Buguias
on the north, the municipalities of the Kabayan
and Bokod
on the east, the municipality of Kapangan
on the west and the municipality of Tublay
on the south.
Since the municipality is one of Benguet's highland towns, the town's vegetable farmers have been hit three times by frost, causing millions of damage to crops.
When the Americans came, the Philippine Commission enacted Act No. 48 on November 48 organizing the sub-province of Benguet into 19 towns: Baguio, La Trinidad
, Galiano, Itogon, Tublay, Atok
, Kapangan, Balakbak, Palina, Ampusongan, Loo Kabayan, Buguias, Adaoay, Bokod, Daklan, Sablan, Kibungan and Ambuklao.
In 1909, the town of Baguio became a chartered city and the number of towns of Benguet was reduced. Atok still stood as one.
During the Second World War, Atok was the scene of fierce pitch battles between the military forces of the 1st, 2nd, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army
, 1st Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary
, the USAFIP-NL 66th Infantry Regiments, the Igorot and Cordilleran guerrilla fighters and the Japanese Imperial Army forces. This is so because of the terrain along the Halsema road which is suited and ideal for the Filipino troops and guerrillas to mount ambushes and use the Philippine Commonwealth military and recognized guerrilla’s strategy of fighting. The place is now called the “Guerilla Saddle” located at km. 26, Caliking, Atok.
On June 25, 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal issued Executive Order No. 42 converting eight (8) of the thirteen towns (13) of Benguet into regular municipalities. Atok was among them.
s.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 19,253 people in 3,397 households.
Geography
Atok has a land area of 22,385 hectares or 223.85 square kilometer. A great portion of the land is mountainous hence the highest point in the Philippine Highway System (Halsema Highway) is located in the municipality at 7,400 ft. above sea level.Atok is centrally located in the heart of the province of Benguet
Benguet
Benguet is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad and borders, clockwise from the south, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya....
. It is bounded by the municipality of Kibungan
Kibungan, Benguet
Kibungan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 15,700 people in 2,949 households.The municipality is located 62 kilometers north of Baguio City.-Topography:...
and Buguias
Buguias, Benguet
Buguias is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 34,507 people in 6,312 households....
on the north, the municipalities of the Kabayan
Kabayan, Benguet
Kabayan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 12,657 people in 2,063 households. It is one of the vegetable farming towns in the province of Benguet. The imposing Mount Pulag, the third highest mountain in the...
and Bokod
Bokod, Benguet
Bokod is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 12,913 people in 2,242 households....
on the east, the municipality of Kapangan
Kapangan, Benguet
Kapangan is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 18,221 people in 3,371 households.-History:...
on the west and the municipality of Tublay
Tublay, Benguet
Tublay is a 5th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 15,096 people in 2,619 households....
on the south.
Since the municipality is one of Benguet's highland towns, the town's vegetable farmers have been hit three times by frost, causing millions of damage to crops.
History
The name of the municipality was derived from its location. It is a short term of the phrase Nay Patok shi chontog which means on the mountain top.When the Americans came, the Philippine Commission enacted Act No. 48 on November 48 organizing the sub-province of Benguet into 19 towns: Baguio, La Trinidad
La Trinidad, Benguet
La Trinidad is a 1st class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. It is the capital municipality of Benguet. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 97,810 people in 13,658 households....
, Galiano, Itogon, Tublay, Atok
Atok
Atok may refer to:* ATOK software* Atok, Benguet*Atok, Cameroon* Atok barangay in Flora, Apayao...
, Kapangan, Balakbak, Palina, Ampusongan, Loo Kabayan, Buguias, Adaoay, Bokod, Daklan, Sablan, Kibungan and Ambuklao.
In 1909, the town of Baguio became a chartered city and the number of towns of Benguet was reduced. Atok still stood as one.
During the Second World War, Atok was the scene of fierce pitch battles between the military forces of the 1st, 2nd, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army
Military history of the Philippines
-Battle of Mactan:The Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521, is celebrated as the earliest reported resistance of the natives in the Philippines against foreign invaders. Lapu-Lapu, a Chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated Christian European explorers led by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand...
, 1st Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary
Philippine Constabulary
The Philippine Constabulary ' was the oldest of four service commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was a gendarmerie type para-military police force of the Philippines established in 1901 by the United States-appointed administrative authority replacing the Guardia Civil...
, the USAFIP-NL 66th Infantry Regiments, the Igorot and Cordilleran guerrilla fighters and the Japanese Imperial Army forces. This is so because of the terrain along the Halsema road which is suited and ideal for the Filipino troops and guerrillas to mount ambushes and use the Philippine Commonwealth military and recognized guerrilla’s strategy of fighting. The place is now called the “Guerilla Saddle” located at km. 26, Caliking, Atok.
On June 25, 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal issued Executive Order No. 42 converting eight (8) of the thirteen towns (13) of Benguet into regular municipalities. Atok was among them.
Barangays
Atok is politically subdivided into 8 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
- Abiang
- Caliking
- Cattubo
- Naguey
- Paoay
- Pasdong
- Poblacion
- Topdac