Pudtol, Apayao Etymology

Jack Maico
May 10
2 min read

In the early 16th century, strong faith in Christianity was manifested as the establishment of the first Catholic Mission in Apayao set foot in the municipality. The First Catholic Church was built in Kapinatan, now known as Barangay Mataguisi. Lately, another church and the first Catholic School were constructed at Barangay Emilia.

Another remark from the 16th century was the derivation of the name of the municipality, PUDTOL. Early ancestors called it PUTOL, derived from the story of the beheaded priest. Due to Ibanags' pronunciation difficulty, PUTOL was uttered as FUTTOL, then, lately interpreted as PUDTOL by the Ilocano settlers.

Isnags, Igorots, Ilocanos, Agtas, and Ibanags cultivated pieces of land and exploited other natural resources as they resided in the town proper. And despite the cultural gap of the settlers, Pudtol remained peaceful and managed to foster its humble image. The diversity of culture and tradition was never a barrier for the municipality to soar high.

Source: https://lgupudtol.ph/about-us/brief-history-of-pudtol/

Special credits: https://www.facebook.com/PudtolParish/

https://www.facebook.com/ApayaoBlogsHotspots/posts/pudtol-apayao-tourist-spot1-nagan-river2-maton-river3-mataguisi-church-ruins4-hu/2851173608238374/

Church in town: 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡

No detail of church history

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐝𝐭𝐨𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

December 3 is a remarkable day for our beloved town, PUDTOL. On December 3, 1956, by Executive Order No. 217, signed by then President Ramon Magsaysay in the City of Manila, the Municipal District of Pudtol was created. Before it had its new name as Pudtol, it was called Tawit. The Municipal District of Tawit comprised the present-day municipalities of Luna, Sta. Marcela, Flora, and some parts of Lasam and Allacapan. The Seat of Government was established at Barrio Pudtol, now known as Poblacion.

In February 1957, two months after its creation, the Municipal Government of Pudtol began to exist upon the appointment and induction of its officials. Hon. Emilia Almazan and Hon. Joaquin Pascua Sr., who served as mayor and vice mayor, respectively.

On March 31, 1959, Pudtol became the first regular municipality in the entire sub-province of Apayao through Executive Order No. 335, which was then signed by President Carlos Garcia. On June 22, 1963, the Municipality of Flora was separated.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐝𝐭𝐨𝐥: