This Week’s Milestones: Feb. 11-17, 2018

Feb. 14, 1995

The province of Kalinga-Apayao was divided into two provinces by virtue of Republic Act No. 7878 signed by then President Fidel Ramos. The town of Tabuk became the capital of Kalinga province, while the town of Kabugao became the capital of Apayao province. Kalinga-Apayao was part of the Mountain Province formed by the American colonial government in 1920. Kalinga-Apayao remained a single province when the late President Corazon Aquino signed an executive order creating the Cordillera Administrative Region in 1987.

Feb. 17, 2017

The country’s first sunflower maze in Tayug, Pangasinan province, opened to the public. The 1,000-square-meter sunflower maze was built by vegetable seed producer and distributor Allied Botanical Corp. Some 1,500 visitors came on weekdays and 5,000 more on weekends during the first two weeks, giving residents extra income. As much as 8,000 sunflower plants were featured in the maze that ran only until May 17 of the same year. The farm also showcased more than 500 varieties of vegetables, including different types of leafy vegetables, which are not yet being grown in the Philippines.

—Compiled by Kathleen de Villa, Inquirer Research

Sources: Inquirer Archives, DOT, taytayrizal.gov.ph, bacolaodiat.com