June 18, non-working public holiday in Benguet; June 24 for Tabuk

June 21, 2021 Provincial

La Trinidad just turned 71 on June 16, Benguet “turned” 55 on June 18, and Tabuk City celebrates its sweet 17th on June 24 as former parts of the old Mountain Province mark the special days with simple celebration due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Executive Order 2021 – 16 signed by Gov. Melchor Diclas, the province’s 446,224 residents observe the separation of Mountain Province into four distinct provinces – Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga-Apayao and Benguet as a special non-working public holiday.
Republic Act 4695 signed into law by then President Ferdinand Marcos on June 18, 1966 and approved earlier on June 10 by Congress saw the split of the Mountain Province into four distinct provinces as pushed by its four congressmen including Baguio-Benguet’s Andres Cosalan.
But Diclas took note that Benguet’s Foundation Day is actually on November 23 and to which the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has already
requested caretaker Rep. Eric Go Yap to amend RA 7672 enacted on June 10, 1994 declaring June 18 as a special non-working public holiday in Benguet.
The provincial board reasoned that it should be November 23, the day in 1900 when Act No. 49 was issued and the civil government for the Province of Benguet was established.
November 23 is celebrated annually in the province through the Adivay. This was after right after the passage of Act No. 48 on November 22 which established local civil governments in the townships of the Province of Benguet. These townships were: Baguio, Trinidad, Galiano, Itogon, Tublay, Atok, Kapangan, Balakbak, Palina, Ampusongan, Loo, Buguias, Kabayan, Adaoay, Bokod, Daklan, Sablan, Kibungan, and Ambuklao.
However, on August 18, 1908, Act No. 1876 was issued and Benguet became a sub-province of Mountain Province along with Amburayan, Apayao, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga and Lepanto. In 1909, Act No. 48 was issued and Baguio was declared a chartered city and the 19 towns of
Benguet were chartered as well. Tuba was created, while the towns of Ambuklao, Adaoay, Balakbak, Daklan, Galiano, Palina and Loo were abolished under Executive Orders issued by the Governor General of the Philippines.
With RA 4965, Benguet was recognized a separate province, it also provided that Benguet shall be comprised of the municipalities of Tuba, Sablan, Itogon, La Trinidad, Tublay, Atok, Bokod, Kabayan, Kapangan, Bakun, Kibungan, Mankayan and Buguias.” La Trinidad, meanwhile, was established a full-fledged town in June 16, 1950 through RA No. 531.
A bill filed in Congress in February 20 last year seeks the conversion of the town into a component city although it could not comply with either of the two minimum requirements – population and land area.
In Tabuk City, June 24 will be declared as special non-working public holiday in celebration of two events: the 14th city foundation day and the 20th Matagoan festival. Mayor Darwin Estranero signed EO No. 22 last Monday for the observance of the two important events.
June 24, 2007 was when RA 9404 was signed and made Tabuk as a component city. The month of June has been the date of the Matagoan festival since its inception in 2002.
Tabukenos celebrate the two events on June 24, but it will be simple this year due to the Covid- 19 pandemic where minimum health protocol must be observed, Estranero noted in his order.
Pigeon Lobien/ABN