Bokod, officially the Municipality of Bokod, (Ilocano: Ili ti Bokod; Tagalog: Bayan ng Bokod), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,435 people.[3]
History
Pre-colonial and Spanish periods
According to folklore, Bokod, once a heavily forested village, got its name from a man named Ebokot (or Ekbot), who introduced agricultural development to the area.[5]Ebokot's name was associated with the village and was registered as a pueblo during the Spanish Regime.[6]
American period
Bokod was established as one of the 19 townships of Benguet during the American Rule with the enactment of Act No. 48 on November 22, 1900.[5][6][7][8]
On August 13, 1908, Benguet was established as a sub-province of the newly created Mountain Province with the enactment of Act No. 1876. As a result, six townships of Benguet were abolished, among them were Ambuklao and Daclan which were integrated into the township of Bokod.[5][6][8]
Post-war era
One of the principal infrastructure in Bokod is the Ambuklao Dam. Built in 1950 and opened in 1956, it is one of the most important hydroelectric facilities in Luzon.
On June 25, 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal issued Executive Order No. 42 converting eight (8) of the thirteen (13) towns (designated as municipal districts) of Benguet sub-province into regular municipalities. Bokod was among them.[9]
On June 18, 1966, the sub-province of Benguet was separated from the old Mountain Province and was converted into a regular province. Bokod remained to be a component municipality of the newly established province.[10]
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 274.96 square kilometres (106.16 sq mi)[11] constituting 9.93% of the 2,769.08-square-kilometre- (1,069.15 sq mi) total area of Benguet.
Bokod is 53 kilometres (33 mi) from Baguio, 58 kilometres (36 mi) from La Trinidad, and 303 kilometres (188 mi) from Manila.
Barangays
Ambuklao Dam
Bokod is politically subdivided into 10 barangays.[12] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
Bokod, 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.
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