Apayao Legend

According to a legend, Apayao is derived from the combination of the Ilocano word “Apay”
meaning “Why?” and Tagalog word “Ayaw” meaning “Don’t like”. The legend tells of an Ilocano
and Tagalog who accidentally met in one of the forests of the province. The Ilocano asked,
“Apay ada ka ditoy?” (why are you here) to which the tagalog answered, “Ayaw” (I don’t like it)
thinking that the Ilocano is offering his food. Not understanding each other, they fought. Men
from a nearby village saw the two men fighting and hearing the words “Apay” and “Ayaw. The
place where the incident happened was then referred as Apay-ayaw by the villagers thus came
the name Apayao.

From being a Commandancia during the time of the Spaniards, Apayao became a sub-province
of the Old Mountain Province under the Americans. On June 18, 1966, the sub-provinces of
Kalinga and Apayao were combined to form a single province when Republic Act No. 4695, an
act creating four provinces from the old Mt. Province, was enacted. On February 14, 1995,
Kalinga-Apayao was converted into two separate and regular provinces (Kalinga and Apayao)
with the signing into law of Republic Act No. 7878.

Located at the Northern part of Cordillera (Northernmost tip of Luzon), Apayao is bounded by
Cagayan on the east, Ilocos Norte and Abra on the West, and Kalinga in the South. The province
is classified into Upper Apayao, which has mountainous topography characterized by towering
peaks, plateaus and intermittent patches of valleys, and Lower Apayao, which is generally flat
land with rolling mountains and plateaus.

Apayao has its own collection of natural wonders (Underground rivers, waterfalls, lakes, exotic
wildlife…) that are otherwise not found in the rest of the Cordillera Region making it the
“Cordillera’s Last Frontier of Natural Richness.”
 
Inhabitants:
The first settlers of Apayao are the negritoes. Later, the Isnegs, a more civilized ethnic group
occupied the vast hinterlands of the province.

When the Spanish missionaries entered Apayao in 1608, they found the Mandayas later known
as Isnegs already in their organized communities. They were referred to as “Los Apayaos” or
“Los Mandayas” by the Spaniards. The term "Apayao," after the name of the geographical
territory, which these people have inhabited for ages, has been used interchangeably with
"Isneg”.

There have been a large influx of Ilocanos over the years. The Aeta inhabit the northern and
northeastern parts of the province.
 
Municipalities:
1. Calanasan
2. Conner
3. Flora
4. Kabugao
5. Luna
6. Pudtol
7. Sta. Marcela