# Kibungan

Kibungan, officially the Municipality of Kibungan (Ilocano: Ili ti Kibungan; Tagalog: Bayan ng Kibungan), is a municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,051 people.

## Geography

Kibungan is at the northwestern section of Benguet. It is bounded by Bakun on the north, Buguias on the mid-east, Kabayan on the southeast, Atok and Kapangan on the south, and Sugpon on the mid-west.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 254.86 square kilometres (98.40 sq mi)  constituting 9.20% of the 2,769.08-square-kilometre- (1,069.15 sq mi) total area of Benguet.
Kibungan has seven barangays namely; Sagpat, Poblacion, Palina, Tacadang, Madaymen, Badeo, and Lubo. Barangay Sagpat and Lubo produces sayote as their main crop, sayote was tagged the "hanging gold". Barangay Madaymen and Palina also produces varieties of vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and more. Barangay Tacadang and Badeo is not accessible by vehicle because of the rocky mountains and its hard to construct road.
Kibungan is known in the province of Benguet as the town with unique mountains often mistaken to resemble those of Switzerland. Deep ravines and cliffs separate and isolate many sitios and some barangays. Although some plateaus, hills and small valleys can be seen in the locality, Kibungan is dominantly mountainous.
The municipality is within a cool highland mountainous zone with elevations at more than 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above sea level. During its coolest months of December to January, Barangay Madaymen experiences chilling temperature of 0 °C (32 °F), causing the famous Frost of Madaymen.
Kibungan is located 61 kilometres (38 mi) north of Baguio, 56 kilometres (35 mi) from La Trinidad, and 311 kilometres (193 mi) from Manila.

### Barangays

Kibungan is politically subdivided into 7 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
| PSGC | Barangay | Population | Population | Population | ±% p.a. | ±% p.a. |
| | | 2020 | 2020 | 2010 | | |
| 141109001 | Badeo | 5.1% | 867 | 840 | ▴ | 0.32% |
| 141109002 | Lubo | 8.2% | 1,399 | 1,235 | ▴ | 1.25% |
| 141109003 | Madaymen | 32.5% | 5,549 | 5,875 | ▾ | −0.57% |
| 141109004 | Palina | 8.5% | 1,442 | 1,387 | ▴ | 0.39% |
| 141109005 | Poblacion | 14.2% | 2,427 | 2,532 | ▾ | −0.42% |
| 141109006 | Sagpat | 21.8% | 3,711 | 3,101 | ▴ | 1.81% |
| 141109007 | Tacadang | 9.7% | 1,656 | 1,880 | ▾ | −1.26% |
| | Total | Total | 17,051 | 17,051 | | 0.00% |

### Climate

Climate data for Kibungan, Benguet :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 22 (72) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13 (55) | 14 (57) | 15 (59) | 17 (63) | 18 (64) | 18 (64) | 17 (63) | 17 (63) | 17 (63) | 16 (61) | 15 (59) | 14 (57) | 16 (61) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 42 (1.7) | 48 (1.9) | 74 (2.9) | 110 (4.3) | 269 (10.6) | 275 (10.8) | 362 (14.3) | 325 (12.8) | 330 (13.0) | 306 (12.0) | 126 (5.0) | 61 (2.4) | 2,328 (91.7) |
| Average rainy days | 11.2 | 12.0 | 17.1 | 21.2 | 27.1 | 26.8 | 28.1 | 27.0 | 26.0 | 24.5 | 17.7 | 12.4 | 251.1 |
| Source: Meteoblue ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2020 census, Kibungan had a population of 17,051. The population density was 67 inhabitants per square kilometre (170/sq mi).

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Kibungan
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 50
* 60
* 70
* 2000 68.55
* 2003 37.65
* 2006 22.30
* 2009 67.86
* 2012 26.09
* 2015 18.48
* 2018 28.07
* 2021 7.92
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Government

Kibungan, belonging to the lone congressional district of the province of Benguet, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

### Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Nestor B. Fongwan Eric G. Yap (since January 20, 2020) |
| Mayor | Cesar M. Molitas |
| Vice-Mayor | Edwin G. Nitron |
| Councilors | Laurence D. Toking |
| Councilors | Susan S. Atayoc |
| Councilors | Pauline L. Gumpic |
| Councilors | Joseph L. Cayad-an |
| Councilors | Ben K. Palukpok |
| Councilors | Saturnino F. Tayag |
| Councilors | Marcos B. Olayo |
| Councilors | Roger D. Tugade |

## Tourism

* Les-eng Rice Terraces: These terraces can be reached after 6-hour hike through lush pine forests in Barangay Tacadang.
* Mayos River: located at the north-eastern part of Barangay Poblacion. It is approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) in length and is about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away from Poblacion Proper. The river originates from ridges of nearby Barangays Madaymen, Palina and Tacadang; and supplies water to rice paddies and vegetable farms along the vicinity.
* Palina Rice Terraces: In Barangay Palina at the foot of Mount Kilkili, believed to be a former volcano because of its conical shape. It was constructed following a century-old system of rice terraces built with stone walls and neatly arranged one after the other. The rice terraces are at their best in December and June when the rice paddies turn golden yellow, near harvest time. The Palina rice terraces is known as the municipality's rice granary.
* Lubo Lake: It was an open pit abandoned by the BONENG MINES operated by the WMC due to bankruptcy. The pit was filled with water in the early 2001 due to rains and typhoons and accumulated due to the absence of an outlet.
* Tacadang Hiking Circuit
In order to promote the uniqueness of the municipality's ecotourism, the people want the tag "Switzerland of Benguet" removed as of 2007. The tag was created in good faith as the municipality is a mountainous region and has a cool climate that is associated with Switzerland. However, this gives the wrong impression that the municipality has snow-covered peaks for skiing.

## Education
### Public schools

As of 2014, Kibungan has 24 public elementary schools and 3 public secondary schools.
Elementary (2013-2014) :
| School | Barangay |
| Badeo Barrio School | Badeo |
| Batangan Elementary School | Tacadang |
| Bekes Elementary School | Tacadang |
| Camilo Lucaben Elementary School | Madaymen |
| Enrique Jose Elementary School | Madaymen |
| Es-Esa Soblino Alodos Elementary School | Tacadang |
| Ewa-Bokes Elementary School | (Padang) |
| Gasal Barrio School | Lubo |
| Kibungan Central School | Poblacion |
| Lanipew Barrio School | Tacadang |
| Legleg Barrio School | Palina |
| Les-eng Primary School | Tacadang |
| Lubo Elementary School | Lubo |
| Mocgao Elementary School | Badeo |
| Napsong Barrio School | Madaymen |
| Pakpakitan Elementary School | Madaymen |
| Palina Elementary School | Palina |
| Polis Barrio School | Poblacion |
| Saddle Elementary School | Sagpat |
| Sagpat Elementary School | Sagpat |
| Sapdaan Primary School | Sagpat |
| Tabbac Barrio School | Palina |
| Tableo Barrio School | Badeo |
| Tonguey-Nalusbo Primary School | Madaymen |
Secondary (2013-2014) :
| School | Barangay |
| Kibungan National High School | Poblacion |
| Madaymen National High School | Madaymen |
| Tacadang National High School | Tacadang |