Ilocos Norte
| Ilocos Norte | ||
|---|---|---|
| Province | ||
| Province of Ilocos Norte | ||
| ||
 Location in the Philippines | ||
| Coordinates: 18°10′N 120°45′E / 18.17°N 120.75°ECoordinates: 18°10′N 120°45′E / 18.17°N 120.75°E | ||
| Country | Philippines | |
| Region | Ilocos Region (Region I) | |
| Founded | 1818 | |
| Capital | Laoag | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlalawigan | |
| • Governor | Imee Marcos (NP) | |
| • Vice Governor | Angelo Barba (NP) | |
| Area[1] | ||
| • Total | 3,467.89 km2 (1,338.96 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 42nd out of 80 | |
| Population (2010)[2] | ||
| • Total | 568,017 | |
| • Rank | 50th out of 80 | |
| • Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) | |
| • Density rank | 53rd out of 80 | |
| Divisions | ||
| • Independent cities | 0 | |
| • Component cities | ||
| • Municipalities | ||
| • Barangays | 557 | |
| • Districts | 1st and 2nd districts of Ilocos Norte | |
| Time zone | PHT (UTC+8) | |
| ZIP code | 2900–2922 | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)77 | |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-ILN | |
| Spoken languages | ||
| Website |
www | |
Ilocos Norte (Ilocano: Amianan nga Ilocos, Filipino: Hilagang Ilocos) is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. Its capital is Laoag City and is located at the northwest corner of Luzon Island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to the east, and Abra and Ilocos Sur to the south. Ilocos Norte faces the South China Sea to the west and the Luzon Strait to the north.
Ilocos Norte is noted for being the birthplace of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who led an authoritarian rule over the country during the latter half of his incumbency. The Marcoses enjoy a modicum of popularity in the province. Ilocos Norte is also known as a northern tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, an upper class hotel and beach resort famous among expatriates, and Pagudpud.
History
Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, there already existed an extensive region (consisting of the present provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union) renowned for its gold mines. Merchants from Japan and China would often visit the area to trade gold with beads, ceramics and silk. The inhabitants of the region, believed to be of Malay origin, called their place samtoy, from sao mi toy, which literally meant "our language here"
In 1591, when the Spanish conquistadors had Manila more or less under their control, they began looking for new sites to conquer. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi's grandson, Juan de Salcedo, volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with 8 armed boats and 45 men, the 22-year-old voyager headed north. On June 13, 1592, Salcedo and his men landed in present-day Vigan and then proceeded towards Laoag, Currimao and Badoc. As they sailed along the coast, they were surprised to see numerous sheltered coves (looc) where the locals lived in harmony. As a result, they named the region Ylocos and its people Ylocanos.
As the Christianization of the region grew, so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracts of land were utilized for churches and bell towers in line with the Spanish mission of bajo las campanas. In the town plaza, it was not uncommon to see garrisons under the church bells. The colonization process was slowly being carried out.
The Spanish colonization of the region, however, was never completely successful. Owing to the abusive practices of many Augustinian friars, a number of Ilocanos revolted. Noteworthy of these were the Dingras uprising (1589) and Pedro Almasan revolt (San Nicolas, 1660). In 1762, Diego Silang led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocano. When he died from his compatriot's bullet, his widow Gabriela continued his cause. However, she too was captured and hanged.
In 1807, the sugar cane (basi) brewers of Piddig rose up in arms to protest the government's monopoly of the wine industry. In 1898, the church excommunicated Gregorio Aglipay for refusing to cut off ties with the revolutionary forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Unperturbed, he established the Iglesia Filipina Independiente. Aglipay’s movement.
In an effort to gain more political control and because of the increasing population of the region, a Royal Decree was signed on February 2, 1818 splitting Ilocos into two provinces: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Soon thereafter, La Union and Abra likewise became independent provinces.
Geography
Administrative divisions
Ilocos Norte comprises 21 municipalities and 2 component cities, further subdivided into 557 barangays. There are two legislative districts in the province.
Barangays
Ilocos Norte has 557 barangays comprising its 21 municipalities and 2 cities.[5]
The most populous barangay in the province is Barangay No. 1, San Lorenzo (Poblacion) in the City of Laoag with a population of 4,391 in the 2010 census. If cities are excluded, Davila in the municipality of Pasuquin has the highest population, at 3,875. The least populous is Sapat in the municipality of Pasuquin, with only 32.[5]
Demographics
| Population census of Ilocos Norte | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1990 | 461,661 | — |
| 1995 | 482,651 | +0.84% |
| 2000 | 514,241 | +1.37% |
| 2007 | 547,284 | +0.86% |
| 2010 | 568,017 | +1.36% |
| Source: National Statistics Office[2] | ||
Religion
Roman Catholicism and the Aglipayan Church are the two major religions in the province. The Aglipayan Church, founded by Batac native Gregorio Aglipay.
Among the major Roman Catholic churches in Ilocos Norte are:
- Paoay Church — named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
- St. William's Cathedral in Laoag — known for its Sinking Bell Tower
- Santa Monica Church in Sarrat — documented to be the biggest church in the Ilocos Region.
- Bacarra Church — destroyed during an intensity VII (on the Rossi-Forel scale) earthquake on August 17, 1983,[6] reconstructed and re-inaugurated in 1984.
Ilocos Norte is the home of the Aglipay Shrine (Aglipayan Church) where the church's first supreme leader was buried.There are also increasing members of Jehovah's Witnesses. There are also minor but steadily increasing members of Iglesia ni Cristo. Islam is also practiced by Mindanaoan traders and immigrants.
Economy
The province specializes in the following products and industries:
- Agriculture — rice, corn, garlic, legumes, root crops, tobacco, and other fruits and vegetables
- Fishery — tilapia and assorted fishes
- Livestock — swine and cattle
- Cottage industries — loom weaving, furniture, ceramics, iron works
- Manufacturing and food processing — salt, empanada, bagoong, patis, basi (native Ilocano wine), vinegar, longganisa, chicharon, bagnet, chichacorn (cornick), jewelry, garments, cereal processing, packaging, mechanized processing equipment
- Wind Power — Ilocos Norte's position on the northwest corner of Luzon makes it ideal for wind power generation. There is currently a 25 Megawatt wind farm in Ilocos Norte, and several more wind energy projects are being planned
- Tourism
- Pottery
Provincial government
In 2010, Imee Marcos was elected as the Governor while her cousin, Angelo Marcos Barba, was elected as Vice-Governor. Both are now on their second term.
Atty. Rodolfo "Rudy" Fariñas, former Mayor of Laoag City and Governor of Ilocos Norte, was elected as Congressman of the 1st District while Former First Lady Imelda Marcos was elected as Congresswoman of the 2nd District. Both are now also on their second term.
For the Board Members of the 1st District, 4 are from Laoag City while 1 is from the Municipality of Bangui. They are Ria Fariñas, daughter of Congressman Fariñas; Atty. Juan Conrado Respicio II, former Laoag City Councilor; Portia Salenda; Atty. Vicentito Lazo, former Laoag City Councilor and PCL President; and Dr. Rogelio Balbag.
For the Board Members of the 2nd District, all 5 are from Batac City. They are Engr. Albert Chua, former Councilor and Vice-Mayor of Batac City; Atty. Da Vinci Crisostomo, former Vice-Mayor of Batac City; Dr. Ramon Gaoat, former Councilor of Batac City; James Paul Nalupta, former Brgy. Captain of #1-N Ricarte and ABC President of Batac City; and Atty. Joel Garcia, former Councilor of Batac City.
For the Ex-Officio Board Members, Councilor Domingo Ambrocio of the Municipality of San Nicolas, also a former Board Member of the 2nd District, was chosen as the President of the Philippine Councilors League while Brgy. Captain Charles Tadena of Brgy. Lumbad, Municipality of Dingras was chosen as the President of the Liga ng mga Barangay.
Term of Office: 2013 - 2016
- Governor: Maria Imelda R. Marcos
- Vice - Governor: Eugenio Angelo M. Barba
- Rodolfo C. Fariñas (1st District)
- Imelda R. Marcos (2nd District)
|
|
- Domingo C. Ambrocio
- Charles L. Tadena
References
- ↑ "List of Provinces". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- 1 2 "Population and Annual Growth Rates for The Philippines and Its Regions, Provinces, and Highly Urbanized Cities" (PDF). 2010 Census and Housing Population. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Province: Ilocos Norte". PSGC Interactive. Makati City, Philippines: National Statistical Coordination Board. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- ↑ "Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay: as of May 1, 2010 (Ilocos)" (PDF). 2010 Census of Population and Housing. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 26 September 2013.
- 1 2 "2010 Census of Population and Housing: Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay:as of May 1, 2010" (PDF). National Statistics Office (Philippines). Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ↑ "Laoag Earthquake - 17 August 1983". Phivolcs. 1983. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
External links
-
Media related to Ilocos Norte at Wikimedia Commons -
Geographic data related to Ilocos Norte at OpenStreetMap - Ilocos Norte Official Website
 |
South China Sea | Cagayan | | |
| South China Sea |  |
Apayao | ||
| ||||
 | ||||
| Ilocos Sur, Abra |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
