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Candon | |
|---|---|
| City of Candon | |
 Candon city center | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Tobacco Capital of the Philippines | |
| Motto: Liberty, Justice and Unity | |
| Anthem:Cry of Candon | |
 Map of Ilocos Sur with Candon highlighted | |
 Interactive map of Candon | |
.svg)  Candon Location within thePhilippines | |
| Coordinates:17°11′45″N120°26′56″E / 17.1958°N 120.4489°E /17.1958; 120.4489 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Ilocos Region |
| Province | Ilocos Sur |
| District | 2nd district |
| Founded | 1780 |
| Cityhood | March 28, 2001 |
| Barangays | 42 (seeBarangays) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlungsod |
| • Mayor | Eric Dario Singson |
| • Vice Mayor | Kristelle G. Singson |
| • Representative | Kristine Singson-Meehan |
| • City Council | Members
|
| • Electorate | 39,382 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 103.28 km2 (39.88 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 67 m (220 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,035 m (3,396 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[3] | |
• Total | 61,315 |
| • Density | 593.68/km2 (1,537.6/sq mi) |
| • Households | 15,125 |
| Demonyms | Candoneño (male) Candoneña (female) |
| Economy | |
| • Income class | 1st city income class[4] |
| • Poverty incidence | 17.22 |
| • Revenue | ₱ 1,934 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 5,763 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 856.3 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 485.5 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative (ISECO) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 2710 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)77 |
| Native languages | Ilocano Tagalog |
| Feast date | June 12 |
| Catholic diocese | Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia |
| Patron saint | John of Sahagún |
| Website | candoncity |
Candon, officially theCity of Candon (Ilocano:Siudad ti Candon;Filipino:Lungsod ng Candon), is acomponent city in theprovince ofIlocos Sur,Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 61,315 people.[6]
Dubbed the "Tobacco Capital of the Philippines", the city is the country's largest producer ofVirginia tobacco.
The town is known for making the world's heaviest and largestkalamay, a sweet and viscous snack made from sticky rice, coconut milk, and sugar. This city also has a rich historical background. In its legends, the name of the city is derived from the legendary "kandong" tree which is almost extinct in the area. Itspatron saint isJohn of Sahagún whose feast day is celebrated on June 12.[7]
Candon is the center of the 2nd district of Ilocos Sur and also the most populous city in that province. Government district offices are all located in the city, supporting more than 100,000 residents in terms of commercial and industrial services.
The origin of the name of Candon is unknown. The name was rendered as Candón or Candon in old Spanish records. It might be named after theSpanish municipality of Candón inHuelva,Andalucia; or from aHispanicization of Ilocanokandong (Cyrtophyllum fragrans), a native species of tree with very hard wood also known asagandong orurandong in other places in theIlocos region.[8][9][10]
Historically, during the pre-colonial period, Candon was acoastal trading settlement frequented by trade ships ofAustronesian, Arab, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese traders (similar to other trading towns along theIlocos region likeAparri,Lingayen, andVigan).[11]
The settlement also had a long history of trading ties withCordillerans in the highlands ofLuzon, which continued through the Spanish colonial period. The town of Candon features prominently in the accounts of Biag, the legendary 17th century folk hero and founder ofSagada. Candon also hosted missionaries who were converting theItneg and other Cordilleran peoples in neighboring regions.[12]
The history of Candon in the early Spanish period is hazy. The first church in the settlement was established by anAugustinian mission in 1591. According to modern folklore, this church was built near akandong tree, which is supposedly the origin of the name of the city. The church was later replaced with theCandon Church in 1695. Candon Church was damaged by an earthquake in 1707 and was restored in 1713.[10][13] The church graveyard located south of thePoblación was opened in 1797.[citation needed]
The settlement was organized into a municipality in 1780. The first civil government was established under thecabeza de barangay Don Juan P. Madarang by the Augustinianfriar Mariano de Conquera.[8] In theDiccionario geográfico, estadístico, histórico de las Islas Filipinas (Buzeta & Bravo, 1850–1851), Candon was described as being a city of around 3,000 households, with a port and a military fort named "San Martín de Tiagán". Candon was mainly agricultural. Its products consisted of rice, corn, sugarcane, vegetables, and fruits. It also had a cotton andindigo industry, as well as a livestock industry.[12][14]
During thePhilippine Revolution, Candon started forming local revolutionary groups in 1896. They planned to overthrow the local government by April 1, 1898. However, their plans were discovered when one of their members was captured by Spanish forces, forcing them to launch a premature assault. On March 25, 1898, the revolutionaries led by Isabelo Abaya attacked the Spanish garrison in Candon and managed to take the town. Abaya established theRepublica de FilipinasKatipunan de Candon, a revolutionary government, and declared independence from the Spanish colonial government.[8]
The Spanish colonial government retaliated by deploying theCazadores, elite Spanish expeditionary troops. The better-trained and heavily armed Spanish forces retook Candon and the rebels were arrested and summarily executed.[8]
During theJapanese Occupation in theSecond World War, another revolution was staged. Several truckloads ofImperial Japanese forces and supplies perished along the national highway. However, the Japanese soldiers retaliated by burning the whole town in January 1942.
Despite the hardships that the townsfolk went through during the war, residents resolved to rebuild. Tallacacia trees at the townplaza and municipal buildings are testimonies to the people's steadfastness, with large trees up to 15 meters high and 20 feet in circumference now line the National Highway in the Población.[15]
In the Charter of Candon City, Candon applied to become the second city in the province of Ilocos Sur so it can undertake government programs with additional funding from the national government. These were intended to benefit the people in the field of social services, economic growth, peace and order, health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
Like the "Kandong" tree of yore, Candon is just beginning to spread out its branches to reach out for the skies in its own bid to become the next city in Ilocos Sur. From the start of House Bill No. 7260 seeking to convert Candon into a component city was filed by then CongressmanEric D. Singson in the10th Congress and later re-filed by Congresswoman Grace D. Singson in the11th Congress. Owing to the merits and qualifications of Candon as the leading town in Southern Ilocos Sur, the bill easily got the approval of the Committees on Local Government in bothHouse of Representatives and in theSenate.
Until recently, the aspiration for Candon to become a city remained a dream, but its destiny inevitable when the counterpart Senate Bill No. 2242 was sponsored by then Senate PresidentAquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr., SenatorsFrank Drilon,Sergio Osmeña III, and all the members of the Senate Committee on Local Government. It was subsequently approved unanimously by the Senate in plenary session, and now it is up to the townspeople to embrace this honor with an equally unanimous "YES to Cityhood" vote.[16]
The City of Candon is situated in the lower central portion of the province of Ilocos Sur. It has a C-shape with elevations ranging from 10 – 500 ft above sea level.
Candon is situated 60.19 kilometres (37.40 mi) from the provincial capitalVigan City, and 343.19 kilometres (213.25 mi) from the country's capital city ofManila.
Candon is politically subdivided into 42barangays. Each barangay consists ofpuroks and some havesitios. It is bordered bySantiago,Banayoyo,Lidlidda, andSan Emilio to the north,Galimuyod to the northeast,Salcedo to the west, andSanta Lucia to the south.
The climate is generally dry that usually occurs from the months of October to May. However, the southernmost portion is observed to be humid and rain is evenly distributed throughout the year while the eastern part is dry with rain not sufficiently distributed. August has the most rainfall while January and February have the least. The mean temperature in the province is 27 °C (81 °F). January is the coldest.[15]
| Climate data for Candon City, Ilocos Sur | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 33 (91) | 34 (93) | 33 (91) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19 (66) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 20 (68) | 23 (73) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 10 (0.4) | 10 (0.4) | 14 (0.6) | 23 (0.9) | 80 (3.1) | 103 (4.1) | 121 (4.8) | 111 (4.4) | 119 (4.7) | 144 (5.7) | 39 (1.5) | 15 (0.6) | 789 (31.2) |
| Average rainy days | 5.2 | 3.9 | 6.2 | 9.1 | 18.5 | 21.4 | 22.9 | 19.8 | 19.8 | 16.2 | 10.5 | 6.1 | 159.6 |
| Source: Meteoblue(modeled/calculated data, not measured locally)[17] | |||||||||||||
Population census of Candon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source:Philippine Statistics Authority[18][19][20][21][22] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the 2024 census, the population of Candon was 61,315 people,[23] with a density of 590 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,500 inhabitants per square mile.
The dominant dialect spoken in Candon isIlocano.
Candon City, located in the province of Ilocos Sur, is predominantly Christian, reflecting its strong religious heritage rooted in Spanish colonial influence and diverse faith traditions.
According to the 2015 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the National Statistics Office (NSO), the religious composition of the city is as follows:
Candon City has a geographical setting and proximity to the national highway and other towns that encouraged greater mobility in terms of trade, economic, social and cultural activities. TheDepartment of Trade and Industry termed the city as the "Center for Trade and Commerce" in Ilocos Sur.
Existing industries in Candon City are manufacturing, agro-industry and cottage industry. The manufacturing sector owns the Tobacco Stalk Cement Bonded Board Plant that produces particle boards for low cost housing and other construction needs. Other manufacturing establishments are based onkalamay-making,chichacorn (deep-fried corn), baked goods, ice cream, and vinegar; furniture making, concrete products manufacturing, and acoconut oil processing plant located at Barangay Talogtog. On the other hand, cottage industries includebalut egg production, fish re-drying, salt making, native delicacies, woodcraft and handicraft.
The city is the center of trade and commerce in the 2nd district of Ilocos Sur. Urban growth has a linear pattern along major thoroughfares in the city center and the national highway.
Candon, belonging to thesecond congressional district of the province ofIlocos Sur, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a city council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| District Representative (2nd Legislative District the province of Ilocos Sur) | Kristine Singson-Meehan |
| Chief Executive of the City of Candon | Mayor Ericson G. Singson |
| Presiding Officer of the City Council of Candon | Vice-Mayor Kristelle G. Singson |
| Councilors of the City of Candon | Alfonso D. Singson |
| Robert B. Tudayan | |
| Aileen Rhoda I. Acal | |
| Angela C. Itchon | |
| Lerisa M. Llanes | |
| Joanne Ascencion G. Valdez | |
| George T. Valdez | |
| David D. Wagayen | |
| Oscar Materno L. Balagot | |
| Godofredo F. Abrero |
The official seal of the City of Candon was approved and adopted by the Sangguniang Panlungsod under Resolution No. 017-01 sponsored by Councilor David Gacusana. It is published to immortalize the “Cry of Candon” of March 1898 and to commemorate the ratification of its Cityhood charter under Republic Act 9018 on March 28, 2001.
Candon City is accessible via the McArthur National Highway, which is also the city's main thoroughfare. Other major streets in the city are 25 de Marzo Street and San Juan Street, both parallel to the National Highway. Quirino Boulevard is a secondary highway that connects the city proper to the upland barangays of Candon City and the upland municipalities of Ilocos Sur. The Darapidap Beach Road or the Samonte Boulevard where you can find the Muslim Mosque aside of it. This Road connects the seaside barangays to the urban center.
Tricycles and jeepneys are the major types of transportation in the city. There are over 3000 registered tricycles in the city, the highest number of registered tricycles in the province (as an individual local government unit.)
Buses provide long-distance trips to major cities likeManila,Baguio andLaoag. Mini-Buses provide short trips to neighboring municipalities and the nearby cities ofVigan andSan Fernando, La Union. Major Bus Companies also established their terminals in the city, among them are:
The Candon City Schools Division Office oversees the operations of all Schools District Offices within the city. The Division Office is managed by theDepartment of Education (DepEd). There are two schools district offices (SDOs), namely: Candon City District I Schools District Office, and Candon City District II Schools District Office. They govern the operations of all private and public elementary and high schools throughout the city.[36] Tertiary levels are governed by theCommission on Higher Education (CHED).
Places adjacent to Candon | |
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