Brief Provincial Profile

At a Glance

Region

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)

Capital

La Trinidad

Municipalities

13 (Atok, Bakun, Bokod, Buguias, Itogon, Kabayan, Kapangan, Kibungan, La Trinidad, Mankayan, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay)

Barangays

140

Land Area

276,908 hectares (2,769.08 sq. km.) – official DENR-LMB figure

Population (2024)

473,190 (growth rate: 0.64%)

Coordinates

16°33′ N latitude; 120°34′ to 120°52′ E longitude

Borders

N: Mountain Province | S: Pangasinan | E: Ifugao & Nueva Vizcaya | W: La Union & Ilocos Sur

Motto

Unity, Industry, Prosperity

Provincial Flower

Everlasting (Helichrysum bracteatum)

Provincial Fruit

Ayosip / Native Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)

Current Governor

Hon. Melchor D. Diclas (2019 – present)

Origins and Early Settlements

Long before Spanish colonization, the indigenous peoples of Benguet — the Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Kalangoya, and other tribes — settled across the southern Cordillera Mountain ranges and coastal lowlands. They traded gold, copper, iron, honey, and beeswax with lowland and foreign merchants in centers such as Ituy (now Aritao), Tagudin, Vigan, and Lingayen.

Spanish and American Periods

The name “Benguet” originated from the native word “benget,” a heavy head-covering worn by locals, which Spanish colonizers mispronounced as “Benguet.” Spanish explorers first ventured into the region in 1572, though fierce resistance by the Benguet people limited their subjugation. In 1854, the Distrito de Benguet was formally established as a Commandancia Politico Militar, with La Trinidad as its capital.

Benguet was proclaimed a province under the First Philippine Republic in 1899, with Juan Oraa “Ahino” Cariño as its first governor. During the American Period, civil government was established in 1900. In 1908, Benguet was absorbed into the newly created Mountain Province and reduced to a sub-province until June 18, 1966, when Republic Act 4695 restored it as a full and distinct province.

Political Subdivisions

The province has one congressional district and two provincial board districts. District l covers the municipalities of Bokod, Kabayan, Itogon, Tuba and Sablan. District ll covers the municipalities of Atok, Bakun, Buguias, Kapangan, Kibungan, La Trinidad, Mankayan and Tublay. Its 13 municipalities were consolidated and formally defined under Act 2877 in 1920 and have remained unchanged. The capital town, La Trinidad, is also known as the “Strawberry Capital of the Philippines.”

Location and Accessibility

Benguet is the southernmost province of the Cordillera Administrative Region, located approximately 254 kilometers north of Metro Manila. A landlocked province, it is accessible by land via Kennon Road, Marcos Highway, Halsema Highway, Nagulian Road, and the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road. Air access is possible through Loakan Airport under Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Topography and Elevation

Benguet is characterized by rugged, mountainous terrain with 112,321.64 hectares or 37.5% within the 1,001–1,500 meters above sea level (masl) elevation range, followed by the 501–1,000 masl range (84,290.60 hectares or 28.1%) and the 1,501–2,000 masl range (62,658.45 hectares or 20.9%). The most striking characteristic is that mountainous slopes above 50% comprise the largest portion of the province’s terrain at 153,960.94 hectares (51.45%) in 2025.

Climate

Benguet experiences two climate types. The northeastern/southeastern areas fall under Type III (seasons not very pronounced; relatively dry November–April, wet the rest of the year). The western/southwestern areas are under Type I (two pronounced seasons; dry November–April, wet June–September). PAGASA recorded temperatures range from a recorded low of 9.9°C (February 2019), 14.5 °C in 2025, to a high of 27.5°C (April 2024). The higher-elevation, frost-prone areas such as Atok, temperatures can dip below zero, a phenomenon that periodically damages semi-temperate vegetable crops making Benguet, and Baguio within it, among the coolest areas in the country.

Natural Hazards

Benguet is highly susceptible to hydro-meteorological and geologic hazards, including:

Rain-induced landslides – 85.19% of the land area is classified as highly to very highly susceptible
Typhoons – 9 tropical cyclones directly hit Benguet from 2025, including Super Typhoon Nando and Uwan
Earthquakes – crossed by major fault lines including the Digdig, Tubao, San Manuel, and San Jose Faults; the 1990 earthquake (7.8 magnitude) killed estimated 1,600 people
Frost, flooding, and drought (La Niña/El Niño) also affect the province

Protected Areas and Mineral Resources

Benguet hosts two national parks, Mount Pulag and Mount Data, along with five proclaimed protected areas covering 145,936.72 hectares. The province is rich in metallic minerals (gold, silver, copper) and non-metallic resources (gravel, sand, clay). Four large-scale mining companies operate in Tuba, Itogon, and Mankayan, with mineral reserves valued at approximately ₱33.66 billion.

Overview

Benguet is the Cordillera Administrative Region’s second-largest economy, contributing approximately 23% of regional GDP with 5.0 growth rate (2023-2024). Among the industries, the fastest growth was the Professional and business services with 11.2%, followed by accommodation and food service activities with 10.2%. The province has recorded significant poverty reduction, family poverty declining from 6.6% (2018) to 4.2% (2023). The labor force stands at 265,000 individuals, with unemployment dramatically declining from 10.7% in 2020 to 2.3% in 2025.

Agriculture — The Salad Bowl of the Philippines

Benguet is predominantly agricultural and is nationally recognized as the primary producer of semi-temperate highland vegetables and cut flowers, supplying Metro Manila, major urban centers, and regions across Luzon and the Visayas. Key agricultural facts include:

70,960.32 hectares (23.70% of total land area) devoted to agricultural production
Buguias municipality leads production in major vegetable crops such as cabbage, chinese cabbage, white potato and carrots
Top vegetables are produced mainly in northern municipalities (Atok, Buguias, Mankayan, Kibungan) at high elevations
Southern municipalities (Bokod, Sablan, Tuba, Itogon) produce rice, plantation crops, and subtropical fruit
Cut flowers — especially Chrysanthemum, Rose, Alstroemeria, Anthurium, and White Cala Lily are a growing industry; La Trinidad (Bahong) is the “Rose Capital of the Philippines”
Other key products: strawberries, Benguet Arabica coffee, tiger grass, banana, and lemon
Cultivated area contracted 3.6% to 47,537.24 hectares (2025) from 49,325.08 hectares in 2024, though highland vegetable output remains dominant at 85.9% of the region’s major vegetable production

Mining and Quarrying

Mining and quarrying continue to contribute to the provincial GDP, although the sector experienced a notable slowdown in growth. After posting a growth rate of 2.4% in 2024, the sector’s performance declined sharply, registering a growth rate of -2.5% in 2025. Four major companies operate in the province: Benguet Corporation and Itogon-Suyoc Resources (Itogon), Philex Mining Corporation (Tuba/Itogon), and Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (Mankayan). Commodities include gold, silver, and copper.

Tourism

Tourist arrivals decreased by 26.19% from 2,720,724 in 2024 to 2,007,971 visitors in 2025, 91.55% of tourist arrivals are same-day visitors. Mount Pulag National Park, the strawberry farms of La Trinidad, and eco-tourism attractions across the province drive tourism activity.

Business and Infrastructure

Business establishments grew 82% to 9,032 (2019-2023). Provincial roads expanded by 50.34% to 396.8990 km (2020-2025) with 85.45% concrete coverage in 2025. The province’s financial sector is concentrated in La Trinidad, which hosts 58% of banking institutions.

Demographics

The province had a population of 473,190 as of July 2024, with a growth rate of 0.64%. La Trinidad is the most populous municipality while Sablan is the least populous municipality. La Trinidad is also the most densely municipality at 2,040 persons per sq. km in 2024, twelve times the provincial average. The dominant ethnicity is Kankanaey (47.36%), Ibaloy (27.52%), Ilocano (8.49%) and Kalanguya (3.99%). Average household size has declined from 3.7 persons (2022) to 3.5 persons (2024), reflecting a broader demographic transition.

Education

Health

Maternal mortality is consistently low at 0–3 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020-2025). Non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiac conditions (595 deaths in 2024), are the leading cause of mortality. Child stunting remains a concern, with an average rate ranging from 0.51% (Mankayan) to 14.68% (Kapangan) in 2020-2024.

Governance and Finance

The province achieved 14.05% fiscal growth from previous year to ₱2.625 billion in total revenue in 2025, though 72.86% depends on intergovernmental transfers. Real property valued at 14.01 billion over the years. Crime rates declined 14.3% to 12.81% in 2024-2025.

Indigenous Culture

The Benguet emblem, adopted in 1968, depicts the province’s rich natural resources – water, minerals, forests, and mountains – alongside symbols of its indigenous heritage: a miner’s pick, the Ambuklao spillway, terraced vegetable gardens, the “kayabang” (indigenous handicraft), and the “gangsa” (indigenous gong) at its center. The guiding motto is: Unity, Industry, Prosperity.