mestizo river...now and then

Mestizo River. One of the rivers that surround the core of Vigan City and has a great involvement in the history of the city and on the culture of Vigueños as well. During the pre colonial period, it was used by Asian traders in bringing their mercantile to the old city and sometimes, they used the river bank as trading post. When Juan de Salcedo, a young Spanish conquistador, explored the Northern Luzon, they passed through this river and landed on its bank.

With these contributions, the Local Government of Vigan City gave importance to the said place by including it as one of the tourist spots in the said city. They established the Vigan Heritage River Cruise where tourists will ride in a boat and explore the beauty of the Mestizo River and its history as well. The cruise starts and ends in the port located in Brgy. Beddeng Laud and as the tourist travel along the river, they will see the tableaus erected in different areas along the riverbank depicting the highlights of Vigan’s history held in the said river.

On May 1, 2009, the city government of Vigan headed by its mayor, inaugurated the place which also marked the start of its operation. Said activity was started with a simple program including the blessing of the port and the boats and after which, followed by a tour in the river.

The river, especially in the area where they put the port, was a part of every Beddengians' (people from Brgy. Beddeng Laud)childhood including me.
And as part of my past, I witnessed the said activity. I was happy because the contribution of the place was being recognized and promoted. I also felt bad because the river I have known during my childhood was changed and developed especially in the place where they placed the dock. This is because, in this area, it was consist of stones instead of mud as its base. During low tide, the water level reaches the ankle of an adult person while it reaches below knee during high tide. This was also the area where we get some “soso” and “shek” (a kind of marine mollusks) and kangkong for our meal. We also did some fishing activities aside from swimming. When i got bored, i asked my childhood friends to go to the river to have fun.

Now, that they had developed the area just to promote the history of the place, I’m wishing that its natural beauty will be preserved and respected.




NOTE: photos were taken during the inauguration of the place on May 1, 2009

Ilocos' Origin (part 2)

Ilocos Norte was created by virtue of the Spanish Royal Decree on Februray 2, 1818. At that time, the province occupied the coastal plain bordering the China Sea and guarded by the Cordilleras in the northwestern corner of Luzon.

Ilocos Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. 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.


ADAMS
The aroma of wild animals was in abundant like delicious deer and wild pigs. The villagers feast on their catch of birds, squirrels and wild fruits of all sorts. These made the people believed that the place was blessed and they called it “Karayan ni Adan” (River of Adam) in honor of the first man on earth whom they learned from the Spaniards. The name was corrupted into Adams as it is being called today.


BACARRA
The name Bacarra has two legendary origins.
One legend tells of a native fisherman who was out fishing in what is now known as the Bacarra River. Two Spanish soldiers promenading the place had asked the fisherman about the name of the place. Not understanding what the soldier meant, jubilantly answered “Bacbacarra, Señor”. The Spanish went away with the thought that Bacarra was the name of the place.

Another related story was the coining of a by-word of a farmer and his wife who were making big basket called “Bakar” which was used as rice basket. From these two legends, the Spaniards associated it with the town into its present name which is “BACARRA”, the same place where most of the Bacarreños now live.


BADOC
Originally called “Canaan” which means “refuge of New Christians”. It’s because it was a settlement of Isneg then became a seat of Christianization. Isneg settled and established their huts along the bank of a brook which was known as “pagdanuman” (water source). Around the settlement was a thick growth of a native weed known to the settlers as bado-badoc. This weed was very valuable to the Itnegs, because its flowers, dipped in oil ex­tracted by cooking process from the kernel of the bittaog (palomaria) fruit, was used to light their huts at night and the stem and elongated leaves were used in making the walls and fences of their homes. Because of the language barrier, the Spaniards signified their intention by the use of signs. The soldiers pointed to the area that they desired to weed out for their camp site, At the same time, they signalled their request for help in the clearing activities. Unable to understand what the Spaniards desired, and believing that they merely wanted to know the name of the weed, the leader of the settlement swung one of his arms while pointing to the thick growth and said: "Bado-badoc, bado-badoc." The leader of the team recorded these words; hence, the town was called Badoc.


BANGUI

The name Bangui was taken from the word “bangi”, an edible seaweed that grows abundantly in the place. A group of fighters who fought against Moro pirates who periodically attacked the coastal settlements used the name of the seaweed as their identification. The name Bangi was adopted by the Spanish as the official name of the place. Upon the arrival of the Americans in the area, they changed the spelling of the municipality’s name for a more euphonic sound.


BANNA/ ESPIRITU
Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the country, a village somewhere in the east was peopled by Tinggian hunters. The village was ruled by a brave and wise "chief named Bana and his wife, Ipana. The words of the ruler were the laws of the people. One time, Bana held a feast to celebrate his birthday, and all the settlers of the neighboring tribes were invited.While the merrymaking was going on, a group of intruders attacked the tribe. Because the natives of the place were unprepared and had inferior arms, they were defeated. The chief, Bana, 'with some of his warriors fled to Bantay Paor, but were captured by the intruders. It was only the brave Bana who escaped. Since then, the people called the place Banna to honor their brave and wise ruler.
In 1960, a bill sponsored by Hon. Simeon Valdez, then congressman of the second district of Ilocos Norte, was approved by the Congress. They changed the name of the town Banna to Espiritu in honor of Ex-Governor Santiago Espiritu, who was once a municipal president and governor of the province.


BATAC
The word "Batac" in a local dialect translates as "pull". More loosely, it refers to "the people's pulling their efforts together."

Batac has an interesting colloquial origin of its name. According to a legend, set in pre-settlement Batac, a man fell into a deep hole while he was digging for the root crop "camangeg". He struggled to get out but could not despite his best efforts. He cried for help but nobody was around. He waited for hours and had given up hope of being saved. Fortunately, two men from the neighboring town of Paoay happened to pass by. They heard the man shouting and traced it to where he was trapped. Upon seeing him, they heard the man say "Bataquennac! Bataquennac!" The two men did not understand until the man explained that he was saying, "Pull me up! Pull me up!" They did just that. When the two men reached their hometown, they told their story to their friends. Since then, the town has been called "Batac," which is derived from the word "bataquennac."

BURGOS
Burgos was formerly named Nagparitan (paritan means to prohibit). The natives prohibited people from neighboring places to migrate to the place.The Spaniards called it Nagpartian (parti means to butcher). Nagpartian means a place where an animal was butchered, because the natives of the place butchered a Spanish priest.

In 1913, the town was renamed Burgos in honor of Father Jose Burgos. This was by virtue of an act passed by the Philippine Legislature through the effort of Hon. Santiago Fonacier, who was then the representative of the first district of Ilocos Norte.

CARASI
The people are not certain regarding the origin of the name of their town.The first settlers were characterized with carayo (love) and caasi (charity). Those characteristics made the people very cooperative to the government. Thus, to perpetuate these traits, the people combined the two words (cara + si) to form Carasi as the name of the municipality.

CURRIMAO
During the Spanish regime, when the Galleon Trade was still flourishing, Moro pirates frequented the coast of the China Sea. To protect the natives from these pirates, the Spanish authorities built two watchtowers at two strategic points, one at the tip of what is now called Arboledan Point and the other at Tone.Whenever pirates appeared on the horizon to attack the villages, the people manning the watchtowers warned the people by shouting correr which means "to run." As soon as the natives heard the shouts, they would hide to save themselves. During those times, the pirates were known among the natives as Cumaws, a name which struck fear and terror among the people.It was from these two words that the name Currimao was derived.

DINGRAS
As in other communities, the town of Dingras has an interesting legend as to how its name evolved. The legend, as handed down from generation to generation, was classically romantic, a gallant heir - warrior fighting for a lady’s love.In the early times, there were two prosperous barangays in the present site of the town each one ruled by a powerful chief or datu. They were bitter and mortal enemies. Naslag was the powerful chief of the barangay north of the river while Allawigan was the chief of the south of the river. One day, Allawigan and his warriors went to hunt. Ras, his son, was the bravest among them. During the hunt, Ras followed the deer, which went north across the river. While he was watching the fleeing deer, he saw a beautiful damsel gathering wild flowers on the opposite side of the riverbank. She was Ding, the daughter of Naslag. To help the lady, Ras gathered the most beautiful flowers near him; put them at the head of his arrow and shoot near the lady’s feet. Ding looked at the other side of the river and waved her hands. Ras went home happily.Ras begged his father for permission to win Ding for his wife. But because the fathers of Ding and Ras were bitter enemies, the only way he could win her was in the open battle fiercely fought between the two tribes. Ras led his father’s warriors. They fought valiant and came out victorious in the end. Ras asked for Ding as a prize but Naslag refused. This angered him and hurled a challenge to the bravest warrior of Naslag in single combat with Ding as prize. The challenge was accepted. The combat was fought, and again, Ras was victorious. He brought Ding triumphantly to Allawigan, his father. Thereafter, the people named the two barangays Dingras, after Ras, their valiant warrior ruler, and Ding, his beautiful wife.

LAOAG CITY
The name of the city “Laoag”, is a derivation of the Ilocano term, which means light/brightness. Buzeta, an augustinian Missionary, in his Diccionarios Geografico Estatistico Historico de las Islas Filipinas, states that Laoag has a clear atmosphere which presents a beautiful, blue skyline and that there is no doubt that this is the reason why the place was given the name “Laoag”.

MARCOS
Before Marcos came into reality, it was formerly a part of Dingras. It only came into reality by virtue of Republic Act No. 3753, authored by the Ex-congressman of the Second District of the Province of Ilocos Norte, Ex-Congressman Simeon M. Valdez and was finally approved on January 28, 1963. Marcos was named after the late Assemblyman Don Mariano Marcos, the father of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was formally separated from it’s mother Municipality on September 11, 1963 which coincided with the birth date of the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

NUEVA ERA
Unlike other municipalities with legends as to how the names of their communities evolved that of Nueva Era was simple. It was ordered by then Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison when the town was created. Pursuant to the provision of Sec. 2391 of the Administrative Code and with the favorable recommendations of the Honorable Secretary of the Interior and the Provincial Board of Ilocos Norte, the Governor-General issued Executive Order No. 66 on September 30, 1916 approving the formation of a new township effective July 1, 1916.

PAGUDPUD
Before the Second World War, a native of Batangas came to the place to sell blankets and mosquito nets. The place was still then named “TONGOTONG”, which was one of the barrios of the Municipality of Bangui, Ilocos Norte. He sold his wares from one house to another and he did not notice that it was already noon time. He was too tired and hungry, that he sought shelter in one of the houses nearby and probably to ask the hospitable owner of the house for a simple lunch. After the peddler had settled down, the owner of the house asked the peddler his purpose. The peddler did not at all understand the question, but just merely answered, “Ako’y pagud na pagod at ang sapatos ko’y pudpod,” in his usual Batangas accent. This reply became the byword of the residents of Barangay Tongotong even if they didn’t know the meaning of what the peddler had said.

Months later, a native of the Bicol Region came to seek employment in one of the logging companies which was operating in the locality. The place at that time had a lot of virgin forests and mountains, and logging business was still legal. The stranger did not know where the office of the company was located, so he just alighted in Tongotong even if it was not still the place where he was supposed to go. He asked one of the bystanders the name of the place and he immediately replied, “Ako’y pagud na pagod at ang sapatos ko’y pudpod,” because the bystander knew that he was Tagalog and that was the only Tagalog words that he knew. The amazed Bicolano just interpreted that the place might be Pagud-pudpod.There and then Tongotong was changed to Pagud-pudpod and later shortened to PAGUDPUD.

PAGUDPUD - - - that according to the elders is a deep Ilocano word which means soft sandy soil “kuppuoy” a kadaratan.

PAOAY

Historians say: “From the date of early settlement to 1701, little could be said about the activities of the early settlers of Paoay except that much had been done in the clearing of the forests nearby. They converted the forests into rice and sugar lands through the slash-and-burn method called ‘kaingin.’ The early settlers were of a peace-loving tribe, but their major problem was the frequent furious incursions of Sea Rovers and Moro pirates called Tirong who looted indiscriminately their agricultural produce and other valuables. To protect themselves from further incursions, the folks moved towards the nearby inland where the present town proper is now located. In the farther western inland, there were also settlers who formed the neighboring town of Batac. Sensing that the Bombay people had suffered too much from the Moro raids, the people of Batac offered the people of Bombay to live with them. But the brave and maverick folks rejected the offer and instead they uttered "Maka-paoay kami" – an Ilocano dialect jargon meaning they could live independently. The settlers from Batac were offended and it was from this incident that the name of the town came to arrive as PAOAY.”

PASUQUIN
There are two conflicting theories regarding the origin of the name of the town.

One indicates miscommunication between the Spaniards and the natives, It is said that when the Spaniards were in the province, they asked the Itnegs in the place to help them find a better place where they could settle; A peg was driven somewhere by one of the natives. Then the Spaniards asked, "Donde esta el sitio?" (where is the place? ). The natives answered "Pasuk Oni," which meant the place of the peg." The Spaniards misunderstood their answer. They thought they were telling the name of the place, Pasukin. From then on the town was called Pasuquin.

On the other hand, there are those who claim that before the coming of the Augustinian friars, 'there were already people living in the place. At that time also there was a war between the lowland natives and the Kalanasari Yapayao tribe, After the war, they traded with each other, During this time the Chinese pirates invaded many places and stole the properties' of the rich natives. The natives devised a sort of warning signal by kindling the fire called paasok (asok means smoke ;paasok means something that gives out smoke).One summer, the Chinese pirates attacked the place. Because of this, the people resolved to form a community. To protect the people, an Apo Lakay (an old man who was recognized as head of the place) appointed a wanawan (watchman) to stay on watch. Upon seeing the invaders, he would kindle a paasok to warn the people and to call all the males to fight the invaders. The place where smoke was produced was just below the hrn where the wanawan stayed.When the Spaniards arrived at the place, one of the friars asked: "Donde esta el sitio?" (where is the place?). The people answered, "Aqui Seflor, esta el Paasoken." (Here, sir. This is fire place where we make smoke). when the community was established, the place was called Pacisoken or Ibsoken and later Pasuquin.

PIDDIG

The earliest settlers of the place were the Itnegs. As early as 1770, they cleared the land, tilled the soil and enjoyed bountiful harvests. Years later, the villagers from nearby La Union and Ilocos Sur arrived at the settlement and drove the Itnegs away. Fearing for their lives, the Itnegs fled to the hills and mountains. They called their new sanctuary Pidipid, an Ilocano term for a hilly place. The town was called Pidipid for hundreds of years until the Americans arrived and changed its name to Piddig, which literally means a hilly place at the foot of the mountains.

PINILI
Pinili was established as a town on January 1, 1920 by virtue of Executive Order No.92 s.1919, which was signed by the governor general on December 20, 1919.

There were three factors that made Pinili (means selected) the name of the town:

1. General Gregorio Aglipay selected it as the place of refuge of his army.

2. The place was inhabited only by selected people.

3. The place was chosen as the site of the poblacion because of its historical value.

SAN NICOLAS
The present name of San Nicolas was given in the year 1733, after Saint Nicholas de Tolentino who was believed to have protected the people against floods, earthquakes, fires, typhoons and other calamities. It is significant that in Ilocos Norte, only San Nicolas was named after a Saint.

SARRAT
Sarrat was settled in 1721. Before this year, during the late part of the 16th Century, Minangel (Maingel) Bang’at, a civilized Malay, his wife Sarrah and more than a dozen families reached the place. Bang’at was the bravest and most influential man, so he was chosen chief. There were many clumps of bamboos in the settlement; hence, they called the place Cabayugan. The people built crude houses, cleared the land and planted rice and some root crops. Bang’at and Sarrah had two children named Banet and Garo. When Bang’at died, Garo succeeded his father. He changed the name Cabayugan to Sarrat in honor of his mother Sarrah and the last two letters “ah” were changed to “at” which was taken from the last two letters of the name of his father Bang’at.

During the early days of April 1721, the Spaniards reached Sarrat. Chief Garo ordered that he wanted to meet his men. No sooner had they gathered than the Spaniards arrived at their meeting place. They greeted each other by signs. One of the Spaniards asked the name of the place, and as he was asking he touched a carabao horn. Banet said, “Sarra’t Nuang”, meaning carabao’s horn, and so the Spaniards wrote the name Sarrat. Three years later, Augustinians erected their parish over the place and changed Sarrat’s name to San Miguel. Coincidentally, it gained its township’s status on September 29, 1724. In 1916, in accordance with a bill filed by Senators Santiago Fonacier and Isabelo delos Reyes, the name San Miguel was changed to what is now known as SARRAT.


SOLSONA
The town was first named Kaitnegan, because the first settlers were Itnegs. In the middle of the 19th century, the place was given another name, Sonsona (place of pushing), because the Itnegs were forcibly pushed back to the mountains.When a team of surveyors arrived in the place to look for a more suitable town site, they asked the name of the place and received the answer, "Solsona," because that was how the word sounded to them. They thought that the name was appropriate, because the place seemed to be where the sun rises. Thus, the term Sonsona was corrupted and hispanized into Solsona which sounded better and was more appropriate.

There is another theory regarding the naming of the town. Instead of adapting the name rancheria, the Spaniards named it Nueva Solsona after the name of a town somewhere in the northern part of Spain. Nueva is a Spanish term for new and usually the word “new" is prefixed to the name of the place founded to distinguish it from the old one.

VINTAR

In 1574, a Spanish encomendero by the surname of Leano reached the pueblo. It was in the course of his missionary work that the name of the town was coined. He observed that when the village chieftain assembled his men with the command “INTAR!” which means “order” in Iloco or local dialect, the tribesmen accordingly congregated in “V”-shaped formation with precise, clicking efficiency; symbolizing the villagers’ warm welcome, sense of values, mores and traditions. This greatly impressed the Spaniard. Thereupon, wanting the occasion to be truly memorable, the missionary affixed the “V” being also nearest to the shape of the heart to the word INTAR. Since then, the people called the community VINTAR, more popularly taken to mean and understood as a fitting tribute to the Vintarinians’ hospitality, kind-heartedness and unity of purpose.

As of the period I’m writing this post, I haven’t found any document regarding the history/ etymology of the following municipalities: Dumalneg & Nueva Era

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
http://www.pasyalan.net/ilocos_norte/index.php

samtoy

At my age now, there are still Ilocano terms which are not clear to me. and i'm sure, future generations will also forget and will not understand some terms. So I decided to include to my blog some terms that i have already looked for their meanings. I'm also inviting everybody to share what they know. This will be for everybody so please don't try to mislead us.

These are now some of the Ilocano Terms:

Agiing- v. to be shy
Aramat- to use
Bacruyen - to carry
Bacsayan -settlement area
Bamban - split of bamboo
Bannawag- dawn
Bisil -pebbles
Burik - tattoo
Caasi - charity
Caramba - earthen jar
Carayo - love
Daniw- poem
Dap-ay/ Dap-ayan -structure where people meet or gather for a settlement and dispute
Darepdep -imagination; dream; aspiration; daydream
Gabbu -wrestling
Gin-nuyod -tug of war
Gutigoten (ginutigot, gutgutigoten, gutigoten)-v. to convince, encourage
Ladawan- picture
Nakaruk-at- to get away from confinement
Natalinaay- peaceful
Pagpartian -butchering place
Pakbet- from the word "pinakebbet" which means "shrunk"
Parabur- grace
Paritan - to prohibit
Parti - to butcher
Pidipid - a hilly place
Samtoy- from the word "sao mi ditoy" which means "our language"
Sarukang - a long pole of light bamboo
Wanawan - watchman

There are also terms used in Ilocos Norte (IN) which are different from the terms of Ilocos Sur(IS). That's why, sometimes, two Ilocanos can't understand each other...

Ar-Aria (IN)/ Al-alia (IS) - ghost
Kasarita/ Kasao (IN)/ Kapatang (IS) - to talk with
Kippi (IN)/ Kappi (IS)- crab
Kartib (IN)/ Getteng (IS) - scissors
Ligay (IN)/ Pilid (IS)- Wheel
Nabengbeng (IN)/ Napuskol (IS)- thick
Nadagaang (IN)/ Napudot (IS) -hot temperature
Ridaw (IN)/ Aruangan/Ruangan (IS)- Door
Uring (IN)/ Uging(IS) - charcoal

Ilocos' Origin (part 1)

One time, when I was reading a profile of a city in the region, I’ve got interested on how the name of such place evolved or where it came from. So I decided to look for the “origin” of the name of the towns and cities of Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. Here’s the result of my research:

Ilocos Sur occupies a long, narrow stretch of coast skirting steep mountain ranges cut by dozens of short, swift rivers. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Abra, and on the south by La Union. The cordilleran province of Benguet and Mountain Province rise to the east while the blue depths of the South China Sea lie to the west. Except for the coastal plains, much of the land is rugged.The province is composed of 32 municipalities, 2 component cities and 768 barangays. Of the municipalities, 20 are identified as lowland areas and the remaining 12 are considered upland areas.

ALILEM

The name of the municipality, which is "Alilem", was coined from two terms in the local dialect "alicono" or whirpool and "lemlem or a continuous heavy downpour which disturbed a peaceful place and caused the Bakun River to swell to an extraordinary size & overflow its size. Natives in the place believed that the environmental occurrence was a punishment given by Kabunian for their sins. As it was their custom, the people held a native feast called "Kaniaw" to appease God's wrath on them. They butchered many pigs and carabaos and offered to Kabunian. After the "Kaniaw", the "alicono" vanished and Bakun River changed its course to the foot of the mountains in the southern part leaving a dry leveled land suited for residential lots and farms.

BANAYOYO

It was derived from the name of a big and sturdy tree named “Bayoyo”, which was a witness in the lives of the Itneg (the native in the place which was formed due to the intermarriage of Tinguians of Abra and Igorots of Cordillera). Originally, the place was named as “Bacsayan” or settlement area, but it was changed to “Bayoyo” then during the Spanish regime, it was converted to Banayoyo.

BANTAY
There are two theories where they got its name:
1. Named after its natural and physical features. This is because it is located in a hilly and mountainous terrain. Mountain, in Ilocano term, is “Bantay” .
2. Another theory is, from the famous and miracolous image of Our Lady of Charity which was believed to be the saviour of the people and guarded them when Tagalogs and Zambals came into the place to claim the Holy Shrine. “Bantay” also means guardian

BURGOS
Named after Father Jose Burgos, (José Apolonio Burgos y Garcia) a Filipino Criollo secular priest, part of the Gomburza trio who were falsely accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century. He was placed in a mock trial and summarily executed in Manila along with two other clergymen.

CABUGAO
There are two theories where they got its name:
Named after a man with a good sense of humor who headed a tribe but was defeated in an intertribal rivalry. Kabu Angaw left their place and settled in another place wherein due to his fairness and righteousness, he earned the respect and esteem of the people and made him the Village Chieftain.

Another theory is, it was derived from the name of the village ruler, Aggao. With his position, they called him Cabo (chief) Aggao. Spaniards came in the place found difficulty in pronouncing the headman’s name. They contracted the name into Cabogao denoting not only the ruler but also the place he ruled.
As time passed, Kabu Angaw or Cabogao was transformed into Cabugao

CANDON CITY

Was derived from the name of a tree, “Candong”, in which the natives gathered for an important ceremony. When Juan de Salcedo passed during the ceremony, he asked the natives on what’s going on, a native thought that he was asking for the tree’s name, so he uttered Candong. Then later on they dropped the “g” for convenience.
Another theory was, the place was named after the town of Candon in Spain.

CAOAYAN
Derived from the local term “kawayan/ caoayan” which means bamboo. There are two stories behind naming the place.
One is, men from Abra were selling bamboo in the place, when the Spaniards asked them the name of the place. The men thought that the Spaniards were asking on what they were selling, so they uttered “kawayan”.
Another story is, when the Spaniards were patroling in the Baggoc River, they asked from the people the name of the place. The people thought that the Spaniards were asking on the floating object (which was a raft made of bamboo), so they uttered “caoayan”.

GALIMUYOD
Named from the Ilocano words “tali” which means rope and “ginuyod” meaning pulled. The named was derived because of the “gin-nuyod” or tug-of-war made by the people of Cabisilan (former name of the place) and Sapang to settle the land dispute between them.

GREGORIO DEL PILAR
Named after Gregorio del Pilar, a young general who fought to the death against the Americans at Tirad Pass, by the virtue of RA 1246 dated June 10, 1955. The former name of the place was Conception in honor of its patron saint, Nuestra Señora de Conception.

LIDLIDDA
Derived from the name of thick and tall grasses called “ledda” present in the place when natives settled in. Said grasses were pulled out and converted the area into rice fields. From then on, the called the place “Lidlidda” to commemorate the grasses which the people predicted to be gone and be “changed into rice stalks”.

MAGSINGAL
There are two theories where did they derived the name of the place:
First is, it owes its origins from an Ilocano term “managsinggal” which means wanderer, descriptive of the nomadic nature and characteristics of the Itnegs or Tinguuinas who migrated in the place.
Another is, from the name of a sturdy woman named Palungo Galcia (Garcia) when she orderd the Spaniards to place the several bells they offered to her in the present site of the town’s bellfry. Instead of accepting the offer, she pointed the area where the Spaniards place the bell and said’ “maysingal” (“maialis sadiay” which means “let it be transfereed there”). Since then, the Spaniards wrote and pronounced the name of the town as Magsingal.

NAGBUKEL
From the midst of times long past, there are three versions that account on how the municipality got its name.

One legendary story tells about the existence of a high mountain somewhere in the eastern part of the town that could be seen from a great distance which was round that it appeared like the top of a hat when the people saw this, they exclaimed, “NAGBUKEL”, meaning round.

Some old folks related that because of the presence of three small round hills meting midst the rice fields at the southern part of the town which could be seen already when one is at the heart of the poblacion, the town was given the name ”NAGBUKEL”.

The third version has a political undertone according to the story, the four original barrios, Mission, Bandril, Poblacion East and Sarmingan that constituted the town appeared to be the scattered because between them were some barrios of Narvacan, now Pob. West, Balaweg, Mapisi and Taleb. One older man of the village uttered in the Iloco dialect, “nawara, masapul a buklen”, meaning they are scattered and should be united. Probably, the elder village leaders negotiated with the leaders of Narvacan, (Nagbukel then was part of Narvacan) so that all the places east of the Cayapa River were constituted as one area, after the successful negotiations, the people exclaimed “NAGBUKEL”.

NARVACAN
The Spanish expeditionary force was shipwrecked along the town's coast. When they were being rescued by the natives, the Spaniards asked the natives what was the name of their place. The resident's leader replied in an Ilocano dialect by asking the Spaniards "Nalbakan?" (Are you shipwrecked?). The Spaniards thought this to be the answer to their question, and from then on the place was referred to as Narvacan.

QUIRINO
During the Spanish occupation, the Spanish government made a census of Population and to make a political boundaries entire the country so a Spaniards and a Tagalog man census workers were sent here to do the job. These Census Workers arrived at Tabbak, they saw a woman catching crabs commonly called by the natives "GAKI" or in Ilocano " Agatol" and with her "atubang" a belt bag worn by the woman where her catches of crabs were placed. The woman misunderstood them answered Ay! "Gaki" (these are crabs) thinking that the census workers were asking what were her catched. The Tagalog man wrote the short answer of the woman " ANGAKI" which was put into records until subsequent changes occurred that changed the name of "ANGAKI" into Quirino, Ilocos Sur.

As I’m writing this post, I’ve not yet read any articles regarding the changing of the name of the place from Angaki to Quirino.

SAN EMILIO
During the Spanish-American War in 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo and his Filipino Forces retreated and stayed in Tiagan and befriended the residents gaining their love, respect and sympathy. General Emilio and his forces left for Isabela and was captured by the American forces. In honor of the great General, the local folks of Tiagan named their place San Emilio.

SAN ESTEBAN
The town was named Cabagbagototan (named after a grass called “bagbagotot”)because of the grass’ abundance but it was changed to the present name with the following theories:

Legend tells that a certain stranger named Iban or Esteban was stoned to death at the feast of Naglawlawan, a place where they gathered and made offerings to their anitos.

The most coherent tale on how this town was named pertains to the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen, who was stoned to death because of trumped-up charge of blasphemy against Moses and the Law. When the Augustinian fathers came to Ciudad Fernandina and spread out in the year 1625, they founded the parish of San Esteban; but it has always been attached to the town of Santiago until 1910. Since this town had many stones or rocks from which mortar and pestle and other stone products were made, it was logical for the friars to name the place SAN ESTEBAN.

SAN ILDEFONSO
San Ildefonso, like other places in the province at the beginning of the Spanish Regime, does not have a name. But sometime on 1625, its inhabitants decided to give it a name, but nothing came out after more than five hours of discussions. So while thinking of a name, they decided to go fishing for a week. And while preparing to go fishing, they saw a box floating not far from shore. Wading to reach the box and carrying it ashore, they opened the box to find the statue of Saint Ildephonse. The young women of the place carried the statue to the center of the village, where it was enshrined in a small hut for many years. He became the patron saint of the municipality, and his name was decided to become the name of the fledgling municipality.

SAN JUAN

The name of the Municipality of San Juan, Ilocos Sur has gone through a series of changes. The early settlers and occupants called it "Lapo", short for "Lapo-Lapo", a tall grass which grew everywhere in the area. In the year 1772, Don Tomas Aquino, the first local leader, initiated the organization of the scattered communities into one, calling the place "Lapog", a derivative of local vernacular "Lap-Lapog" which means unirrigated land. For 189 years, "Lapog" remained in the records as the official name of the town until it was changed to San Juan. Since most of fue inhabitants were of the belief that religious names bring peace, happiness, and prosperity, the town was renamed "San Juan", after the name of its patron saint, Saint John the Baptist.

SAN VICENTE
It was originally called Bario Tuanong, one of the barrios of Vigan. When the number of residents in the place increased, they put up their own chapel.

Hardship in reaching Barrio Tuanong and Barrio Sta. Catalina de Baba from Vigan especially during the months of June to October was experienced due to the absence of dike or bridge. Priests from Vigan reached these places by means of a raft. The problem prompted the separation of these two barrios from Vigan in 1793.

In 1795, it was the initiation of the seat of the municipality and the church, Barrio Tuanong became San Vicente de Ferrer, named after its patron saint. Don Pedro de Leon was the first parish priest and he was believed to be the initiator of the construction of the Church of San Vicente. Later on, the name of the place was shorten to San Vicente

SANTA
It was formerly called Sta. Catalina de Alexandria, Virgen y Martir, after its patron saint.

Again, I haven’t read any article on why they changed the name of the place. On my opinion, they are two possible reasons: one is, the name is too long to say; another is, Sta. Catalina has the same patron saint so they just used the name Santa to distinguished it from Sta. Catalina, although they were calling Sta. Catalina before as Sta. Catalina de Baba considering the location of the two “Santa Catalinas”

SANTA CATALINA
Named in honor of its patron saint, Sta. Catalina de Alexandria. It was believed that an image of a lady showed to the Augustinians when they were busy quenching their thirst in a place called “Cabittaogan”. One of them recognized the image of the lady as that of St. Catherine of Alexandria. This resulted the declaration that Santa Catalina be the name of the place

SANTA CRUZ
The place now known as Santa Cruz was the site where Captain Juan de Salcedo landed to get provisions, especially water, on his way to pacify the North. As soon as they came ashore, his men went immediately to the top of the highest sand dune and planted a big wooden cross to signify the place has been conquered by the white men (like what they did later in Santa Catalina). This cross is visible to mariners passing by, often describing the place as "Santa Cruz." The cross may have vanished, but the name Santa Cruz stuck, especially with natives who became Christians.

SANTA LUCIA
Formerly known as Kaog.
It was named in honor of the patron saint Saint Lucy (Santa Lucia in Ilocano). It was believed that the image of the patron appeared to the Igorots (which were believed to be headhunters) and which led them to flee to other places.

SANTA MARIA
It was called “Purok” (which means village) but other called it “Bukang”.
It was named in honor of its patron Blessed Virgin Mary of Assumption.

SANTIAGO
After the battle between the residents and the Moros who wanted to invade the place , a solemn mass was held in the church. The missionary told the people that due to the great intercession and miraculous protection of the image of St. James the Greater from the Moro pirates, thre place was saved and in his honor, this town was named SANTIAGO (Spanish for Saint James).

SANTO DOMINGO
The name of the municipality came from its old moniker, "Paggappuan ti Santol ti Domingo," an Ilocano term meaning "The source of the Santol sold every Sunday." "Santol," Sandoricum koetjape, is the name of the tree bearing round, yellowish fruits growing in abundance in the municipality, notably in Barangay Pussuac.

SIGAY

Oral tradition declares that the name was taken from the Ilocano dialect of fishnet called "Sigay". It was during the old times that this device was so famous in catching mudfish in a one hectare lake named "Ban-aw". A story was told that one time as a fish vendor from the place went down to the lowlands to sell her catch fish then a Spaniard came along her way and ask her where she got the fish. Thinking that the man asking about how she caught the fish, so she answered "Sigay". It was then by this incidence that the town started to have its name.

SINAIT
Legend has it that the first known inhabitants of Sinait were called “Tirong”. These were hardy and warlike natives known for their sea-faring adventures and fondness for out-doing each other in every aspect of life-whether in their daily chores or in picking fights among themselves or with neighboring villages. Their ferocious character moved Captain Salcedo de Legaspi, the head of the Spanish troops who conquered the Ilocos Provinces, to name this place “Sin-nait”, which in the local dialect means “contest”. This was in the year 1535 when the community was organized as a pueblo. As time went on, whoever, the inhabitants experienced difficulty in pronouncing the name of their place, so that in 1575, Salcedo declared the dropping of one the letter “n”. Since then the town was known for its present name “Sinait”.

SUYO
Suyo was derived from the Ilocano word “NAISUYO” meaning thrown because according to the old folks, said barangays was formed by the soil that accumulated at the river bank when the river overflowed its banks.

TAGUDIN
Legend has it that the first conquistador who arrived in this place inquired about the name of this community from an old woman. The said woman who was then busy cleaning her yarn thought that the Spaniard was asking the name of the mechanical contraption where her yarn was placed. She then replied “tagudan daytoy apo” (this is tagudan, sir) and the conquistador wrote in his diary the word “tagudan”. Later, when the foreigner referred to his diary for the name of the place, he figured out the word “tagudan” as “Tagudin”. Since then the town has always been called Tagudin.

VIGAN CITY
The name Vigan was derived from the name of a plant biga’a, a lush, green plant growing along riverbanks. The name was derived by Juan de Salcedo when he had a misunderstanding with a native in the place. He was asking for the place’s name but the native thought that he was asking for the plant’s name so the native answered biga’a. From then on, they used Vigan as the name of the place

As of the period I’m writing this post, I haven’t found any document regarding the history/ etymology of the following municipalities: Cervantes, Salcedo, Sigay, and Sugpon



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria,_Ilocos_Sur
http://www.ilocossur.com.ph/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=504&limit=1&limitstart=6
http://www.santa.gov.ph/ilocossur/cmstamaria.html

http://pasyalan.net/ilocos_sur/

Dingras Church

Dingras is one of the most picturesque facades in the country not due to its Baroque grandeur, but because of its perfectly beautiful proportions, the patina of the ancient bricks and more importantly its enduring and eternal visage of a ruin.

An exploration of the built heritage of Dingras starts in the town center, with its splendid church ruins and the adjacent convento and atrio.

It is but just a shadow of a grand church destroyed by earthquake and fire in 1913, it once boasted of a tin roof and formidable walls. The church, which is 90 paces long and 20 paces wide is one of the largest in the Philippines. Started as a vicariate of Batac, was elevated to a parish by the Augustinians and dedicated to St. Joseph as patron. Father Bartolome Conrado became its first parish priest in 1598. It was changed back to a vicariate in 1603, then back to being a parish as it became the center of the the Augustinian Mission in 1605. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1619; rebuilt before it was burnt down in 1838, and was destroyed by lightning in 1853. Last rebuilt by Father Ricardo Deza, OSA with the help of then Mayor Camilo Millan, from the contribution of 58 municipalities in 1879-1893, amounting to 128,649.31 Mexican pesos.

The present monumental church and convento were commenced by Fray Damaso Vieytez, OSA during his term which begun in 1849 until his death in 1854. This was the most ambitious project of Fr. Vieytez, OSA (he also instigated the building of roads and bridges to Dingras and stone watch towers in Santiago and San Esteban, both in Ilocos Sur). The church and convento of Dingras were shattered by fire and earthquake in 1914 and again in 1931 (on the feast day of the patron San Jose de Dingras) and had to be abandoned.

The Dingras façade, together with those at Sarrat and San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte and Santa Maria (Ilocos Sur) and to a lesser extent Bacarra (Ilocos Norte), recalls the lines of 1760 Manila Cathedral (which design in turn can be traced to the church of Il Gesu, Rome, a masterpiece of Vignola). The impressive church, though badly battered, gives the interested tourist the best opportunity to study brick architecture in the province. Much of the brickwork has been exposed, because most of the protective palitada (lime plaster) has crumbled; on some walls, it is possible to see holes meant to anchor the bamboo framework from where masons laid the bricks or toweled the plaster. Walking slowly along the sides, it is possible to observe the multi layeredness of brick composing the walls and also the variety of bricks; rectangles of different sizes, pie slices for the columns and leaf-and-volute shapes for the Composite Capitals. At the back of the façade, one can notice wooden girders through the brickwork, perhaps meant to serve as braces. By 1891, both church and convento had roofs with galvanized iron sheets, the government had banned brick tiles because of their weight and the danger of falling on pedestrians during storms or earthquake.

The old convento, now a school, precedes the church in a configuration unusual for Ilocos Norte.



The facade of the church as taken on April 5, 2009. There are already bamboo scaffoldings attached to the church












References:
Ilocos Norte; A travel Guidebook;Gameng Foundation, Inc. Museo Ilocos Norte,Laoag City, 2004
Pride of Place; Dingras church façade set for demolition, Augusto Villalon, Philippine Daily Inquirer, posted on February 9, 2009

History of ILOCANDIA

Before the influx of the Spaniards, the coastal plains in northwestern Luzon, stretching from Bangui (Ilocos Norte) in the north to Namacpacan (Luna, La Union) in the south, were, as a whole, known as a progressive region called the Ylokos. This region lies in between the China Sea in the west and Northern Cordilleras on the east. The inhabitants built their villages near the small bays on coves called “looc” in the dialect. These coastal inhabitants were referred to as “Ylocos” which literally meant “from the lowlands”. The entire region was then called by the ancient name “Samtoy” from “sao mi ditoy” which in Ilokano mean “our dialect”. The region was later called by the Spaniards as “Ylocos” or “Ilocos” and its people “Ilocanos”.

The Ilocos Region was already a thriving, fairly advanced cluster of towns and settlements familiar to Chinese, Japanese and Malay traders when the Spaniard explorer Don Juan de Salcedo, grandson of a Spanish Conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, and members of his expedition arrived in Vigan on June 13, 1572. Forthwith, they made Cabigbigaan (Bigan), the heart of the Ylokos settlement their headquarters which Salcedo called “Villa Fernandina” and which eventually gained fame as the “Intramuros of Ilocandia”. Salcedo declared the whole Northern Luzon as an encomienda. Subsequently, he became the encomendero of Vigan and Lieutenant Governor of the Ylokos until his death in July 1574.

Salcedo organized the Ilocos Region into a province in June 1574. This new province included a coast that stretched from Bangui (Ilocos Norte) to the Gulf of Lingayen, (Pangasinan). The region was divided further into alcaldias with Vigan as its center

As the Christianization of the region grew, so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracks 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 against their colonizers. 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 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, Ilocos Norte rose up in arms to protest the government's monopoly of the wine industry. The Basi Revolt actually started in Piddig and spread to other towns of Ilocos Sur. The fierce and bloody battle ended near the banks of Bantaoay river, now known as barangay Gongogong, in San Ildefonso (Ilocos Sur)

In an effort to gain more political control and because of the increasing population of the region, Governor Manuel Bernaldez recommended a Royal Decree called “Cedula Real” which was signed on February 2, 1818 splitting Ilocos into two provinces: Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur with Sarrat and Vigan as the respective provincial capitals. During that period, Ilocos Sur still includes the northern part of La Union (as far as Namacpacan, now Luna) and all of what now the province of Abra. The subprovince of Lepanto and Amburayan in Mt. Province were annexed to Ilocos Sur. Soon thereafter, the provinces of La Union and Abra likewise became independent.

In 1988, the area of Ilocos Region was further diminished when Abra was declared as part of the Cordillera Administrative Region.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilocano_people
http://diossel.tripod.com/id10.html
http://www.visitregion1.com/perprov.php?menu=1&mid=2
http://www.ilocossur.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59&Itemid=148
http://www.geocities.com/vigansite/contents/history.htm
http://www.travelsmart.net/article/10000406
Ilocos Norte; A travel Guidebook; Gameng Foundation, Inc. Museo Ilocos Norte, Laoag City, 2004

Pinakbet

Pinakbet or pakbet is a native dish in Ilocandia. It is a contracted Ilocano word “pinakebbet” which means shrunk or shrivelled. The basic ingredients are tarong (eggplant), okra (ladyfinger), parya (bitter gourd), kamatis (tomatoes), bawang (garlic) & lasona (onion with or without its spring). These vegetables are usually cooked until almost dry. The flavor of the veggies is accentuated by buggoung (fermented fish) but in some municipalities, they use buggoong aramang (fermented shrimp). Karne ti baboy (pork), sometimes cooked into different dishes like bagnet, lechon or chicharon, is also added.

Aside from the basic ingredients, some Ilocanos put additional veggies like repolyo (cabbage), cauliflower,patani (lima beans), parda (Indian beans), Utong (string beans) karabasa (squash), and chicharo. In some areas, they prefer kamote (sweet potato), sili a pimmasayan (long pepper), kabatiti (sponge gourd), cardis (green peas) and other vegetables available in their backyard garden..

Originally, when Ilocano cook this dish, they just place all the ingredients in a banga (earthen pot), putting the veggies which are harder to cook below the easier ones like the repolyo, kamatis and the like, then stirred frequently until it is almost dry. But in some areas lately, they sauté first the pork, kamatis, lasona, laya and buggoong before putting the veggies.

Ilocano enjoys eating this dish especially when it is cold (even a day after it was cooked) and with fried rice.

Welcome to The Ylocos Heritage

Welcome to The Ylocos Heritage!

It has been observed that due to the modern life and technology, the Ilocano, especially the youth, already ignoring their heritage, and gradually forgetting it. Due to commercialization and sometimes politics, built as well as natural heritage were being demolished. Some people do not value these tangible and intangible things that inherited to us by our old folks and some people do not appreciate its importance.

But, if we try to continue ignoring its value, we will lose everything. Future generations will have no references of the past. Old folks might blame these children of not following on what they’ve believed and of not preserving on what they’ve built for us.

This site was created to promote the Ilocano heritage. It will feature, of course, the culture, tradition and the built and natural heritage and other features found in Ilocandia.

Everybody is welcome to share their thoughts, knowledge and ideas regarding the Ilocano heritage. May this will serve as an inspiration to the people to promote and preserve our legacy….