Local History of Laoag City

Laoag City is the capital of Ilocos Norte and located at the very north
western area of Luzon. Why is it called the city of light, or Sunshine City? History
has it that the name Laoag came from the Ilocano word meaning light, clarity or
brightness. An Augustinian missionary had once commented in his journals that
Laoag possessed a clear atmosphere and a beautiful sky. Laoag is currently home
to around 100,000 people.

Laoag City is 450 km north of Manila. You can get there from Manila in
just 45 minutes with Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Airlines. The city is also
78 kilometers from Vigan; 217 kilometers from San Fernando City; 363
kilometers from Tarlac and 274 kilometers from Baguio City.

Long before the coming 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
Austronesian inhabitants of the region called their place samtoy, from sao mi
itoy, which literally meant "this is our language."

In 1571, when the Spanish conquistadors had Manila more or less under
their control, they began looking for new sites to conquer. Legaspi’s grandson,
Juan de Salcedo, volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with
eight armed boats and 45 men, the 22-year-old voyager headed north.

On June 13, 1572, Salcedo and his men landed in 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 de las campanas ('under the bells') – a proclamation by
King Philip's 1573 Law of the Indies. 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 against their colonizers. Noteworthy of these were the
Dingras uprising (1589) and Pedro Almasan revolt in San Nicolas (1660). In 1762,
Diego Silang led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocanos from the Spanish
yoke. When he died from an assassin’s bullet, his widow Gabriela continued the
cause. Unfortunately, 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 and the national sentiment it espoused helped restore the self-respect
of many Filipinos.

"The great increase in population from 1715 to 1818 from 18,980 to

282,845 made the administration of the province very difficult. Due to the
excessive monopolies and forced labor, there were several uprisings: first by the
people of Dingras in 1589; one that was led by Pedro Almazan in 1616; the revolt
of Diego Silang in 1762–1763; by Ambaristo in 1788; by Pedro Mateo in 1808
(also known as Basi Revolt) and uprising of Sarrat in 1815. For this reason, the
division of the Ilocos into two provinces was recommended by the local
authorities. On
February 2, 1818, a Spanish Royal Decree was promulgated dividing the Province
of Ilocos Norte from Ilocos Sur. Laoag City, which was then the biggest center of
population, was made the capital of Ilocos Norte."

The Ilocos Region was founded during the early Spanish colonization
period. Laoag became a city on New Year’s Day in 1966. Its success is largely due
to its hospitable and friendly Ilocano people, its northern geographical location
and its peaceful nature.
There are five main municipalities and they include Sarrat which is located in
the east; San Nicolas which lies to the southeast; Paoay which is in the
southwest; and Vintar which lies to the northeast; Bacarra located in the
northwest and the warm blue waters of the South China Sea to the west.

The city is dominated by the Capitol located on Ermita Hill, which is also
known as Raquiza Garden. Another tourist attraction is the Italian renaissance
design St. William's Cathedral that was constructed by the Augustinian
missionaries in the year 1612. Saint William the Hermit was proclaimed the
patron saint of Laoag by the first Augustine missionaries.
Just a few hundred meters away is the Sinking Bell Tower which like its cousin
the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, it also leans to one side and is also sinking
into the ground at 25 mm (1 inch) a year.

Of course the other attractions are in the nearby areas however you can
see the sights from a tricycle or from a calesa (horse drawn carriage). Also you
can visit the Museum de Laoag; the Malacanang of the North; Paoay Church;
Paoay Lake; Marcos Museum; the Ilocos Norte Capitol; the La Paz sand dunes;
the Tobacco Monopoly monument and the casino. Whether it is Spanish colonial
style buildings, or Philippine style baroque churches or Marcos era mansions,
there is something to see.

The City of Laoag also has a typical two season climate. This means it has
a dry season that starts in November and runs through to April. The wet
Southwest monsoon season runs from May through until October. Typhoons also
are experienced in the wet season, in which very large rainfalls are often
experienced along with local flooding. The peak tourist season is in the very mild
dry season. The average annual temperature of Laoag City is 27 degrees and a
relative humidity of 75%. On occasions the night temperatures may drop to 15
degrees but that’s a cold night.

Ilocos Norte area does not bear the brunt of Northern winds or the Pacific
trade winds as the massive Cordillera to the East and the Sierra Madre
Mountains tend to shield the area. At the nearby Pagudpud, which is the very tip
of Luzon, they do get these winds and this is why they have Asia’s first wind
farm located there.
 Pamulinawen Festival

Named after a legendary bird the Pamulinawen Festival is a religious

Laoag festival to commemorate St. William, the province’s patron saint. The
inhabitants of Laoag believe that St. William has spared Laoag from several
natural disasters and helped make it the thriving city it is today. Celebrated for
a whole week, the Pamulinawen Festival is something that the locals prepare for
with plays, dances, parades and other merry making activities. There is even a
food festival during the Pamulinawen Festival which draws people from all over
the region to participate.

All government and non-government organizations prepare for this Laoag

festival and even corporations actively participate in it. Some believe that this
Laoag festival because it’s celebrated in February is the Ilocano’s way of
extending the merry making of the Christmas season. The history of the
Pamulinawen Festival dates back to the times of the Spanish occupation of the
country when the feast day of saints was celebrated marking the conversion of
the Ilocanos to Christianity.

The Pamulinawen Festival starts off with a military parade and among the
highlights are the Ms. Laoag beauty pageant, floral parade and the magnificent
fireworks show on the last day.
 Northwestern University
College of Business Education
Laoag City

December 02, 2019

ATTY. FERDINAND S. NICOLAS

President
This University

Greetings!

I wrote to you on 2nd of December in this year of 2019, regarding some problems we are
facing in the university premises. First is the problem on high prices of food products
in the cafeteria and the small amount of food served. Second is the penalty given by the
Student Council which I guess is not evaluated well because I am certain that I attended
all the programs during the Intramurals and signed the attendance sheets, yet my
penalty is 750 worth of goods. All of these matters includes money and every nickel is
important for me, as long as the service is good and just, I am willing to pay.

I hope that you will make actions on these matters.

Thank you very much.

Respectfully yours,

VON ALEXIS R. ANINAG

Student