OFFICIAL SEAL OF THE

MUNICIPALITY OF TUBA, BENGUET

TUBA QUICK FACTS

Mayor:

FLORENCIO V. BENTREZ

Vice Mayor:

CLARITA P. SAL-ONGAN

Land Area (in Hectares):

29,597

Total Population*:

42,874

No. of Registered Voters**: 22,103

Income Class:

1ST CLASS

No. of Barangays:

13

www.tuba.gov.ph
Official Website:
History and Government
In the early times, an old man lived peacefully in the mountain where the Poblacion is presently situated.
Known to be a hard worker, the man cultivated different crops among which was his favorite saligao, a
shrub which bore fruits that became poisonous when taken excessively but medicinal when used properly.
People from different parts of the region learned about the saligao plant and wanted the plant's fruit. The
fruit was used for medicine while others discovered that once powdered and applied or mixed with water
in the rivers, it would cause dizziness among the fish making fishing quite easy. Fishing in this way
became popular among the people. Later referred to as tuva, this fishing method prompted the old man
to plant more saligao trees. From then on the people started calling his place Tuva now Tuba.
On November 22, 1900, during the American Regime, Tuba was made a township by virtue of Act No. 18
and Act No. 1397. The township form of government continued until 1909. On December 11, 1911,
Cameron Forbes, Governor General of the Philippines issued Executive Order No. 77 abolishing the
township of Twin Peaks and creating in its place the township of Tuba. The township of Tuba is to be
composed of the barrios of Topinao, Nangalisan, San Pascual, Taloy, Balangabang, Dongon and all these
barrios were formerly part of the township of Baguio situated immediately outside of and to the south of

Baguio Townsite Reservation. From the original 7 barrios, Tuba's barrio expanded to 13. The 13 barrios,
now compose the 13 barangays of Tuba, namely: Ansagan, Camp 1, Camp 3, Camp 4, Nangalisan,
Poblacion, San Pascual, Tabaan Norte, Tabaan Sur, Tadiangan, Taloy Norte, Taloy Sur and Twin Peaks.
BARANGAY

POPULATION*

Ansagan

2,083

Camp One

1,742

Camp 3

10,413

Camp 4

5,973

Nangalisan

2,428

Poblacion

5,958

San Pascual

1,080

Tabaan Norte

1,133

Tabaan Sur

1,264

10 Tadiangan
11

Taloy Norte

5,685
1,307

12 Taloy Sur

2,681

13 Twin Peaks

1,127

References:
* - 2010 NSO Census of Population
** - 2010 Partial Data from COMELEC

On June 25, 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal issued Executive Order No. 42 and by operation of
Section 2 of Republic Act No. 1515, the Municipal District of Tuba was converted into a regular
municipality.
From 1988, Tuba was ruled by the following leaders: Crescencio Akia (1988-1992), Jose Baluda (19921995), Gregorio Semon (1995-1998) and Jose Baluda (1998-2001).
Its Land
Tuba, one of the oldest and original towns of the Cordillera, is situated in the southwestern tip of the
Central Cordillera Mountain Range that extends from the northwestern tip of Luzon towards Pangasinan.
South of the municipality lies Pangasinan and to the west lies the Ilocos rolling hills. It is hemmed in by
the municipalities of Sablan and La Trinidad, on the north; the city of Baguio and the municipality of Itogon

on the east; the municipalities of Rosario, Pugo and Aringay, La Union on the west; and the municipalities
of Sison, Pozorrubio and San Manuel, Pangasinan on the south.
The municipality of Tuba has a total land area of 43,427.8541, accounting for about 16.66% of the total
provincial land area. The municipality' s land use classification is as follows: built-up area - 877.9422 has.,
industrial - 6,664.92 has., agricultural - 11,526.2640 has., forest - 19,147.2400 has., agro-forest - 1,743.08
has., pastureland - 1,671.64 has., rivers/creeks - 1,306.9612 has., roads - 285.1492 has. and other uses 204.6575 has. The municipality's urban area comprises the barangays of Poblacion and Camp 3 having a
composite land area of 8,385.0978 hectares and accounts for 19.31% of the total municipal land area. On
the other hand, the rural areas comprise 11 barangays and have a composite land area of 35,042.7563
hectares and account for 80.69% of the total land area of Tuba.
Tuba has an invigorating and pleasantly cool climate having 2 pronounced seasons - dry and wet. The dry
season starts in November and lasts until April while the wet season lasts from May to October.
The municipality's topography is generally characterized by irregular rugged terrain and steep slopes. It is
a plateau with several mountain peaks rising from the table land itself. Mount Santo Tomas, the highest
peak in the area soars to 2,252 meters above sea level. Only a few portion of the municipality can be
considered flat, with elevations within 100 meters to 300 meters above sea level. Four major
rivers/streams and 49 tributary/minor rivers and creeks intersect the landform and serve as the drains of
the municipality.
The discovery of gold in Benguet by the early settlers during the early part part of 1930 led to the Gold
Rush and the subsequent flourishing of mining industries in the locality.
Its Inhabitants
Based on the 1995 Census of Population, the total population of Tuba is 39,589 which is 46 or 0.12% less
than its population in 1990. For the past 5 years, the computed annual population growth rate was
-0.023% which is indicative of a decreasing population. Considering the population from 1990-1995, the
computed annual growth rate was 1.76% which is lesser than the computed annual growth rate from 1975
to 1990 which is 3.04%. These figures are indicative of a decreasing growth rate which may be attributed
to the retrenchment activity in the mining area and the effective implementation of the family planning
program.
Its Economy
The leading agricultural activity for the past decade was vegetable production which is mainly attributed to
the conducive and temperate climate of Tuba. The major crops produced include palay, root and cash
crops, plantation/industrial crops, among others. Moreover, based on the latest Municipal Agricultural
Office estimates, a shade over 26% of the total land area is utilized for agricultural activities.

At present, the only commercially operational mining firm in the municipality is the Philex Mining
Corporation, considered one of the countrys leading mineral ore producers.
Tourist Attractions and Places of Interest

Asin Hot Springs at Nangalisan

Colorado Falls

Philex Mines Compound at Camp 3

Ifugao Curio and Souvenir Shops along Asin Road

Bridal Veil Natural Water Falls at Tabaan Sur

Mt. Santo Tomas at Poblacion

The world famous Zigzag Road

Brown Madonna Shrine at Tadiangan

Two Man-Made Tunnel along the Asin-San Pascual Road

Tokang Cave

Simimba-an Cave

Tamocmoc Cave

Marcos Bust

REFERENCE:
CORDILLERA ALMANAC
By: DILG-CAR, Copyright 1999
Vol. I - Local Government Units

history of tuba from dilg

http://essc.org.ph/content/tag/map-of-benguet-b-l-i-s-t-land-use-map/