A.T.O.K

It was in the year 1900 when some American troops landed in the Philippines. Some troops were stationed in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur under the Commanding General William Pack and Lt. General Worcester. Most of the soldiers were negroes (black skin Americans). They came to the Cordilleras following the Katipuneros who were encamped in the area. They walked and reached the ridge where they found the horses of the Katipuneros. On this ridge, they saw a strategic place for them to pitch camp. The people upon seeing the negro soldiers coming, began to evacuate for they were afraid of the black American soldiers. The soldiers chased some of the native women and ill-treated them.

The American soldiers advanced upward but found no trace of the katipuneros. Proceeding further, they came up to a ridge where there was a plateau where they built their camp. In this place, they saw posted letters of A.T.O.K. They erected a flagpole and raised the American flag calling the newly explored territory “Atok” ignorant of the meaning of this code. Later on, some of the local leaders of the place met the American soldiers and revealed that Gen. Aguinaldo and company were hiding in a certain valley called Naguey. The commanding General, William Pack instructed Kinelmo, the chieftain of the community to pinpoint where the Katipuneros were encamped.

Upon being informed of the bad news that the Americans were around, Aguinaldo instantly ordered his men for an immediate escape. They passed through Pasdong where they secured additional native Kargadores to carry Aguinaldo and his staff including Gen. Artemio Ricarte in hammocks. They were delivered to Buguias where the natives of the place took over in carrying and guiding the party to their destination. It was later heard that Aguinaldo and his men were captured in Palanan, Isabela. The code which was never deciphered by the American Forces was: A – American T – Troops O – Outnumbered K – Katipuneros

“ATOK” as an acronym of traditional places of cultural significance

(source: Estrelita T. Apalias, Municipal IPMR)

This story of how Atok got its name was narrated by Mr. Celestino Carino Sr., an elder and former Barangay Chairman of Poblacion, Atok, Benguet. Accordingly, this story was told by her mother, the late Antonia, who in turn heard the stories from her father Eslao (Esdao, Mayor 1922-1924). Eslao was a good storyteller who learned all his stories from his father Binonga (Kinikin) who was then the Mayor in 1901 during the American Military Government.

Long ago, before the Spanish Colonial Government, Atok did not exist geographically as how it exists today. The early Ibaloi inhabitants were concentrated in a small community simply called “Shontog”, now part of Central, Poblacion, Atok. Within this “Shontog” are four particular areas of cultural significance to the inhabitants or community. The point of reference in describing the areas is where the old municipal building stands.

The first area of significance is the APUNAN which means, “a resting place”. Apunan is located in the north, now a part of the communal forest where the zigzag road traverses going to Naguey. Today the place is called Sipsip. It used to be a place where people coming from Naguey, Pasdong, Besdang, and Lower Abiang took rest together (these places were not called as they are called today i.e. Naguey and Pasdong were just called Vangal, so the people are referred to as E-Vangal or people who live along the streams while the people of the Shontog are referred to as E-Rontog). People from these places or communities went to attend ke’dot or big festivities like peshit. Even years later when people learned to cultivate rice, they took a rest or waited for another at the Apunan to tell or share stories.

The second is the TANGCUYOBAN which literally means, where the tangcuyob (horn) is blown or sounded. Community leaders, maybe a chieftain, blew the tangcuyob to call for a meeting, or maybe as an invitation for a peshit, or to warn the community against an enemy. Tangcuyoban is located east of the old municipal building. It is now the forested part just overlooking the Roman Catholic Church. Accordingly, there was a big rock there where the Mantangcuyob blew his horn. The sound of the tangcuyob could be heard as far as Pasdong, Naguey, and Abiang.

The third place is the OSCHONGAN from the word oschong meaning, to look down from a higher elevation or to have a clearer view of a low-lying area. Oschongan is in the northwest of the old municipal building. Today, oschongan covers the area where the Atok Central Bible Baptist Church is located and where the BENECO substation was built. People used to go to this area to watch and wait for an expected arrival of the sa’bo or visitor who may come up from Pasdong, Naguey, Sowe, or from Amburayan areas to attend important occasions like peshit. Sometimes, if a suspicious enemy (busol/tulisan) is expected and sighted, the man-oschong would inform the community leader or mantangcuyob to proceed to the tangcuyoban to blow his tangcuyob to warn the community. Some rich people (baknang) who have a herd of animals (pastol jen baka or nuwang) come to the oschongan to check if their animals are there.

The fourth significant place in the community of Shontog is related to the ritual of death. There was the practice among the early Ibalois of butchering many animals of a wealthy individual, in the community dies. Parallel to the practice is the belief that the spirit of the dead comes back to the community a few days after the burial or during the period of ngilin. So, old folks believed that the dead would check if all his animals were butchered and offered during the wake. To do so, the community will make “koros” (cross or crosses) at a certain place in the community most preferably the entry point to the community where they hang the jaw bones, the horn, and other appropriate parts of the animal that was butchered. The common place where they make the koros is called KOCHOSAN. The kochosan in this Shontog is towards the southeast just below Bubongan or Tamokmok (now, about 150 meters before reaching Atok National High School).

Atok is as old as the Province of Benguet. The time came in 1900 when Benguet was created as a province composed of municipalities. “Shontog” as the first seat of government in this central part of Benguet must be given a name because Shontog simply means mountain. Therefore, to refer to the place Shontog, the first letters of the four places of significance namely, Apunan, Tangcuyoban, Oschongan, and Kochosan were used. As to the person who put these letters A-T-O-K together, it remained untold. Years later, Atok was expanded to cover other places and was included as its composite barangays or sitio. The original barrios were Atok Central, Abiang, Caliking and Naguey.