Foreign Travelers Ask: WHAT ARE PROVINCES IN THE PHILIPPINES?

A province¹ is a primary administrative and political division in the Philippines and is called “lalawigan” in Filipino².

Now, you might ask again, dear Senior Citizens (SCs), why does Tita S need to list the 81 provinces of the Philippines? Well, I just want to suggest that you include the provinces¹ you want to visit in your domestic travel bucket list (perhaps a short list per region³, depending on your interest, health and budget) and hopefully, tick them off one by one.

For the remaining half of 2018, why not enjoy a road trip with your high school or college/former work buddies or organize a long weekend with your family? Better yet, get away from your regular routine and just leave for a new province¹ with your partner/loved one. See our beautiful country first before going overseas. Read my related posts: 2018 LONG WEEKENDS … “Byahe Na”! (Travel Now!) to guide you to plan your domestic trips and Foreign Seniors Ask: WHAT ARE THE REGIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES? to see the regions and provinces therein.

There are 81 provinces¹ in the Philippines to choose from, and I have listed them alphabetically below, along with their capitals, and the region³ where they belong, according to Wikipedia page “Provinces of the Philippines”.⁴

PROVINCE	CAPITAL	REGION
1.      Abra	Bangued	Cordillera Administration Region
2.      Agusan del Norte	Cabadbaran	Region XIII – Caraga Region
3.      Agusan del Sur	Prosperidad	Region XIII – Caraga Region
4.      Aklan	Kalibo	Region VI – Western Visayas
5.      Albay	Legazpi	Region V – Bicol Region
6.      Antique	San Jose	Region VI – Western Visayas
7.      Apayao	Kabugao	Cordillera Administration Region
8.      Aurora	Baler	Region III – Central Luzon
9.      Basilan	Lamitan	Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
10.  Bataan	Balanga	Region III – Central Luzon
11.  Batanes	Basco	Region II –Cagayan Valley
12.  Batangas	Batangas City	Region IV-A – CALABARZON
13.  Benguet	La Trinidad	Cordillera Administration Region
14.  Biliran	Naval	Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
15.  Bohol	Tagbilaran	Region VII – Central Visayas
16.  Bukidnon	Malaybalay	Region X – Northern Mindanao
17.  Bulacan	Malolos	Region III – Central Luzon
18.  Cagayan	Tuguegarao	Region II –Cagayan Valley
19.  Camarines Norte	Daet	Region V – Bicol Region
20.  Camarines Sur	Pili	Region V – Bicol Region
21.  Camiguin	Manbajao	Region X – Northern Mindanao
22.  Capiz	Roxas	Region VI – Western Visayas
23.  Catanduanes	Virac	Region V – Bicol Region
24.  Cavite	Imus City	Region IV-A – CALABARZON
25.  Cebu	Cebu City	Region VII – Central Visayas
26.  Compostela Valley	Nabunturan	Region XI – Davao Region
27.  Cotabato (North Cotabato)	Kidapawan	Region XII – SOCCSKSARGEN
28.  Davao del Norte	Tagum	Region XI – Davao Region
29.  Davao del Sur	Digos	Region XI – Davao Region
30.  Davao Occidental	Malita	Region XI – Davao Region
31.  Davao Oriental	Mati	Region XI – Davao Region
32.  Dinagat Islands	San Jose	Region XIII – Caraga Region
33.  Eastern Samar	Borongan	Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
34.  Guimaras	Jordan	Region VI – Western Visayas
35.  Ifugao	Lagawe	Cordillera Administration Region
36.  Ilocos Norte	Laoag	Region I – Ilocos Region
37.  Ilocos Sur	Vigan	Region I – Ilocos Region
38.  Iloilo	Iloilo City	Region VI – Western Visayas
39.  Isabela	Ilagan	Region II –Cagayan Valley
40.  Kalinga	Tabuk	Cordillera Administration Region
41.  Laguna	Santa Cruz	Region IV-A – CALABARZON
42.  Lanao del Norte	Tubod	Region X – Northern Mindanao
43.  Lanao del Sur	Marawi	Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
44.  La Union	San Fernando	Region I – Ilocos Region
45.  Leyte	Tacloban	Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
46.  Maguindanao	Shariff Aguak	Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
47.  Marinduque	Boac	MIMAROPA
48.  Masbate	Masbate City	Region V – Bicol Region
49.  Misamis Occidental	Oroquieta	Region X – Northern Mindanao
50.  Misamis Oriental	Cagayan de Oro	Region X – Northern Mindanao
51.  Mountain Province	Bontoc	Cordillera Administration Region
52.  Negros Occidental	Bacolod	Region VI – Western Visayas
53.  Negros Oriental	Dumaguete	Region VII – Central Visayas
54.  Northern Samar	Catarman	Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
55.  Nueva Ecija	Palayan	Region III – Central Luzon
56.  Nueva Viscaya	Bayombong	Region II –Cagayan Valley
57.  Occidental Mindoro	Mamburao	MIMAROPA
58.  Oriental Mindoro	Calapan	MIMAROPA
59.  Palawan	Puerto Princesa	MIMAROPA
60.  Pampanga	San Fernando	Region III – Central Luzon
61.  Pangasinan	Lingayen	Region I –Ilocos Region
62.  Quezon	Lucena	Region IV-A – CALABARZON
63.  Quirino	Cabarroguis	Region II –Cagayan Valley
64.  Rizal	Antipolo	Region IV-A – CALABARZON
65.  Romblon	Romblon	MIMAROPA
66.  Samar (Western Samar)	Catbalogan	Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
67.  Sarangani	Alabel	Region XII – SOCCSKSARGEN
68.  Siquijor	Siquijor	Region VII – Central Visayas
69.  Sorsogon	Sorsogon City	Region V – Bicol Region
70.  South Cotabato	Koronadal	Region XII – SOCCSKSARGEN
71.  Southern Leyte	Maasin	Region VIII – Eastern Visayas
72.  Sultan Kudarat	Isulan	Region XII – SOCCSKSARGEN
73.  Sulu	Jolo	Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
74.  Surigao del Norte	Surigao City	Region XIII – Caraga Region
75.  Surigao del Sur	Tandag	Region XIII – Caraga Region
76.  Tarlac	Tarlac City	Region III – Central Luzon
77.  Tawi-Tawi	Bongao	Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
78.  Zambales	Iba	Region III – Central Luzon
79.  Zamboanga del Norte	Dipolog	Region IX- Zamboanga Peninsula
80.  Zamboanga del Sur	Pagadian	Region IX- Zamboanga Peninsula
81.  Zamboanga Sibugay	Ipil	Region IX- Zamboanga Peninsula

Visit www.nap.psa.gov.ph for the official list of provinces¹ in the Philippines. You can also click on a province in the list of the website for more details.

Well, how many provinces have you visited to-date? It’s never too late, dear SCs. Just plan your trips ahead of time with your partner, family, or friends.

I personally computed that if I visit one province per week, it would take me: 1 year, 8 months and 1 week. If I visit one province per month, it would take me: 6 years, 2 months and 1 week.

Rates are way cheaper when you book way ahead of time. So, can you tell me where your next domestic trip will be?

Do visit related posts: Foreign Seniors Ask: HOW MANY CITIES ARE THERE IN THE PHILIPPINES? and Foreign Seniors Ask: WHAT ARE THE REGIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES?

Did you find this post informative? Filipino SC, from what province do you come from? Please share the wonderful destinations, sites, or events that you recommend for SCs like us to enjoy when we visit your province. I would like to hear from you. Simply scroll and click “Leave a comment”. Do share this post with your Facebook friends, follow me by clicking on the bottom right corner of your device, and do not forget to like this post.  Thank you!

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The following terms are defined for interested readers, especially non-Filipinos, those with “Senior-Moments”, and those too busy or lazy to Google such terms:

¹A province is the primary administrative and political division in the Philippines. It is the second-level administrative sub-division of a region³. There are 81 provinces (called “lalawigan”) in the Philippines. Each province is governed by an elected legislature called the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and by an elected governor. Remember, a province in the Philippines is divided into cities⁵ and municipalities⁶ (or towns), which in turn, are divided into barangays⁶, formerly called barrios. All these were obtained from Wikipedia page “Provinces of the Philippines.”⁴

²Filipino is the national language (or “pambansang wika”) and one of the official languages of the Philippines. The Filipino language is largely the Tagalog dialect with additional words and letters from other existing Philippine languages, according to the Wikipedia page “Filipino language”.⁸

³A region is the first-order administrative division in the Philippines. There are 18 regions in the Philippines, based on geographical, cultural and ethnological characteristics. A region is further subdivided in provinces¹, composed of cities and municipalities⁶ (or towns), which in turn, are divided into barangays⁷, formerly called barrios. All these were obtained from Wikipedia page “Regions of the Philippines.”⁹

⁴“Provinces of the Philippines,” accessed March 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_the_Philippines.

⁵A city is the local government unit in the Philippines headed by a mayor elected by popular vote. A vice mayor serves as the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council), which serves as the city’s legislative body. Congress is the only legislative entity that can incorporate a city in the country. Upon receiving its charter, a city also receives a full complement of executive departments to best serve its constituents. There are 145 cities, as of 2016, in the country. All these were obtained from Wikipedia page “Cities of the Philippines.”¹⁰

⁶A municipality is a small, single urban administrative division, or local government unit (LGU), in the Philippines which has corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by law. It is a unit under a province¹, subdivided into barangays³, and is locally called “bayan”. In the Philippines, a municipality is headed by a mayor, a vice mayor and members of the Sangguniang Bayan (legislative branch). It can enact local policies and laws, enforce them, and govern its jurisdictions. It can enter into contracts and other transactions through its elected and appointed officials and can tax as well. It enforces all local and national laws. There are almost 1,500 municipalities in the Philippines. All these were obtained from Wikipedia page “Municipalities of the Philippines.”¹¹

⁷A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines, headed by a barangay captain, aided by a Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Council). It is the native Filipino term for a district or village. It was formerly called a barrio. In a metropolitan area, a barangay is an inner city neighborhood, a suburb or a suburban neighborhood. NOTE: The word barangay originated from the term “balangay”, a kind of boat used by a group of Austronesian people who migrated to the Philippines. All these were obtained from Wikipedia page “Barangay.”¹²

⁸“Filipino language,” accessed March 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_language.

⁹“Regions of the Philippines,” accessed March 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_the_Phjilippines.

¹⁰“Cities of the Philippines,” accessed March 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_of_the_Philippines.

¹¹“Municipalities of the Philippines,” accessed March 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalities_of_the_Philippines.

¹²“Barangay,” accessed March 17, 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barangay.