Besao, Mountain Province

Besao
Municipality
Seal
{{#property:P242}} Map of Mountain Province showing the location of Besao
Besao Location within the Philippines
Coordinates:
Country	[[{{#property:P17}}]]
Region	Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
Province	[[{{#property:P131}}]]
District	Lone District
Founded	1963
Barangays	14
Government
• Mayor	Wellington B. Pooten
Area
• Total	173.62 km2 (67.04 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	7,818
• Density	45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	{{#property:P281}}
Dialing code	{{#property:P473}}
Income class	5th class
Website	{{#property:P856}}

Besao (Ilocano: Ili ti Besao) is a fifth class municipality in the province of Mountain Province, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 7,818 people.

The municipality of Besao is believed to have derived its name from the Ilocano word ”Buso”, meaning headhunter. The people then of the neighboring towns specifically those from the Ilocos Region believed that the early ”Besaos” were headhunters. The word later on evolved as it is now called – Besao.

It was also said that Besao is the hometown of the great worlocks of mountain province and it was once said that the people of the said place are intensely feared by fierce tribes due to their lineage of being elite headhunters and worlocks.

Barangays

Besao is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.

• Agawa
• Ambagiw
• Banguitan
• Besao East
• Besao West
• Catengan
• Gueday
• Lacmaan
• Laylaya
• Padangaan
• Payeo
• Suquib
• Tamboan
• Kin-iway (Poblacion.)

Demographics

Population census of Besao
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	8,473	—
1995	9,147	+1.44%
2000	9,875	+1.66%
2007	7,295	−4.09%
2010	7,818	+2.55%
Source: National Statistics Office

External links

• Official Website of Besao, Mountain Province
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information