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Ilocos Norte | |
|---|---|
.jpg)     | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in the Philippines | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
| Coordinates:18°10′N120°45′E / 18.17°N 120.75°E /18.17; 120.75 | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Ilocos Region |
| Founded | February 2, 1818 |
| Capital and largest city | Laoag |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Cecilia Araneta-Marcos (NP) |
| • Vice Governor | Matthew Manotoc (NP) |
| • Legislature | Ilocos Norte Provincial Board |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,467.89 km2 (1,338.96 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 38th out of 81 |
| Highest elevation | 2,361 m (7,746 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[2] | |
• Total | 618,850 |
| • Rank | 53rd out of 81 (2020 census) |
| • Density | 178.45/km2 (462.19/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 52nd out of 81 (2020 census) |
| Demonyms |
|
| Divisions | |
| • Independent cities | 0 |
| • Component cities | |
| • Municipalities | |
| • Barangays | 559 |
| • Districts | Legislative districts of Ilocos Norte |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PHT) |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)77 |
| ISO 3166 code | PH-ILN |
| Spoken languages | |
| HDI |  0.82 (Very High)[3] |
| HDI rank | 3rd (2024) |
| Website | www |
Ilocos Norte (English:Northern Ilocos/North of Ilocoscode: eng promoted to code: en), officially theProvince of Ilocos Norte (Ilocano:Probinsia ti Ilocos Norte;Tagalog:Lalawigan ng Ilocos Norte), is aprovince of the Philippines located in theIlocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner ofLuzon island, borderingCagayan andApayao to the east, andAbra to the southeast, andIlocos Sur to the southwest. Ilocos Norte faces theSouth China Sea to the west and theLuzon Strait to the north. Its capital isLaoag, which is the most populous settlement in the province.
Ilocos Norte is noted for its distinctive geography and culture.[4][5] This includes numerous examples of well-preserved Spanish colonial era architecture, particularlySaint William's Cathedral in Laoag with its sinking bell tower constructed in theEarthquake Baroque style,[6] theSt. Augustine Church in Paoay which is one of UNESCO'sWorld Heritage Sites in the Philippines,[7] and theCape Bojeador Lighthouse. Famous geographical features include theLa Paz Sand Dunes, the beaches ofPagudpud, and the erodedcalcareniteKapurpurawan rock formation inBurgos.[8]
It is the birthplace of several notable Philippine leaders, including former PresidentFerdinand E. Marcos,[9] Philippine Revolutionary War generalArtemio Ricarte andIglesia Filipina Independiente co-founderGregorio Aglipay.[10]
Threewind farms are located in Ilocos Norte. They are located inBurgos,Pagudpud, andBangui; with the latter being the first wind power generation plant in the Philippines.[11]
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Long before the arrival of the Spaniards, there existed an extensive region consisting of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra and La Union. Merchants from Japan and China often visited the area to trade gold for beads, ceramics, and silk. TheAustronesian inhabitants of the region called their placesamtoy, fromsao mi toy, which literally meant "our language".[citation needed]
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In 1571, the Spanish conquistadors had Manila under their control and they began looking for new sites to conquer.Miguel Lopez de Legazpi's grandsonJuan 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, 1572, Salcedo and his men landed in present-dayVigan then proceeded toLaoag,Currimao, andBadoc. As they sailed along the coast, they were surprised to see numerous sheltered coves (looc) where the locals lived in harmony. They named the regionYlocos and its peopleYlocanos.
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 ofbajo las campanas.[citation needed] It was not uncommon to see garrisons around thetown plaza and under the church bells. Indigenous peoples living in the Ilocos Region, such as the Yapayao and Isneg, were slowly pushed into living in the sparsely populated but resource-rich mountains, which would expose them to conflicts with developers in later eras, such as duringMartial Law under Ferdinand Marcos.[12]: 47
Spanish colonization of the region was not completely successful. Owing to the abusive practices of manyAugustinianfriars, a number of Ilocanos revolted. Noteworthy of these were the Dingras Uprising (1589) and the Pedro Almasan Revolt (San Nicolas, 1660). In 1762,Diego Silang led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocano. When he died from friendly fire, his widowGabriela continued his cause. Later on, she, too, was captured and executed.
In 1807 the sugar cane (basi) brewers ofPiddig rose up in arms to protest the government'smonopoly of the wine industry. In 1898, the church excommunicatedGregorio Aglipay for refusing to cut ties with the revolutionary forces of Gen.Emilio Aguinaldo. Unperturbed, Aglipay nevertheless established theIglesia Filipina Independiente.
In an effort to gain political control and because of the increasing population of the region, a Royal Decree splitting Ilocos into two provinces - Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur - was signed on February 2, 1818. Soon thereafter,La Union andAbra became independent provinces.
After the fall of Corregidor and the subsequent occupation of the Philippines by the Empire of Japan, a number of small guerrilla groups formed in the area of Ilocos Norte.[13] While some resorted to banditry, Governor Roque Ablan Sr. and Philippine Army Lt. Feliciano Madamba were able to put together a guerrilla unit to engage the Japanese forces and to rally the other guerrilla groups into a common force. The leaders were assigned specific sectors using a system for distributing news and orders.[13][14]
The decade after the recognition of Philippine independence marked a return of thetobacco industry to Ilocos Norte. Ever since the end of the tobacco monopoly, tobacco production had declined in the Ilocos as Filipinos started shifting from locally made cigars to foreign made cigarettes.[15] But after reading a feature article series byMaximo Soliven which explained why Virginia tobacco would grow well on Ilocos soil, businessmanHarry Stonehill was convinced to invest extensively in rebuilding the industry, establishing the Philippine Tobacco Flue-Curing and Redrying Corporation (PTFCRC) in 1951 and recruiting farmers from throughout Region 1 to produce tobacco.[16][17] The following year, La Union Congressman Manuel T. Cases filed a bill to "limit the importation of foreign leaf tobacco," which was eventually signed by PresidentElpidio Quirino as Republic Act 698.[18] This allowed Stonehill's investments to make a handsome profit,[19] and the newly-rebuilt local industry to bloom.[16] Stonehill was later deported a decade later, in the 1960s, for tax evasion and bribery of government officials, in what would later be called theStonehill scandal,[19] but the tobacco industry continued to grow.[17][19]
Ilocos Norte gained additional prominence in December 1965 whenFerdinand Marcos became president, and again when he won a second term in 1969, boosted by debt-driven infrastructure spending that createdeconomic crises and massivesocial unrest at the beginning of the 1970s.[20][21] Facing the end of his constitutionally allowed presidential terms, he declared martial law in 1972[22] and becamedictator under a system ofconstitutional authoritarianism for fourteen more years.[23] Hisfamily andcronies were accused ofstealing an estimated US$5 billion to US$10 billion during the 1980s,[24][25] when the Philippine economy sharply declined[26] until Marcos was deposed by the civilian-ledPeople Power Revolution of February 1986.[27][28]
Varioushuman rights violations were documented in the Ilocos Norte region during theMarcos martial law era, despitepublic perception that the region was supportive of Marcos' administration.[12][29] Various farmers from the towns of Vintar, Dumalneg, Solsona, Marcos, and Piddig were documented to have been tortured,[12]: 47–48 [29] and eight farmers in Bangui and three indigenous community members in Vintar were "salvaged" in 1984.[29]
There were also various protests against the Marcos administration at the time, with Aurora Park in the Laoag Plaza being one of the favored places to stage protests.[30] One of the prominent victims of the Martial Law era who came from Laoag was Catholic layperson and social workerPurificacion Pedro, who volunteered in organizations protesting theChico River Dam Project in the nearby Cordillera Central mountains.[31] Wounded while visiting activist friends in Bataan, she was later killed by Marcos administration soldiers while recuperating in the hospital.[32][33] Another prominent opponent of the martial law regime was human rights advocate and Bombo Radyo Laoag program hostDavid Bueno, who worked with theFree Legal Assistance Group in Ilocos Norte during the later part of the Marcos administration and the early part of the succeeding Aquino administration. He would later be assassinated by motorcycle-riding men in fatigue uniforms on October 22, 1987 – part of a wave of assassinations that coincided with the1986–87 coup d'état that tried to unseat the democratic government set up after the1986 People Power Revolution.[34] Both Bueno and Pedro were later honored among the first 65 people to have their names inscribed on the Wall of Remembrance of the Philippines'Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the dictatorship,[35] and Pedro was listed among Filipino Catholics nominated to be namedServant of God.[36]
The municipality ofBatac became a component city by virtue ofRepublic Act No. 9407 which sought to convert the municipality into a city. The law was ratified on June 23, 2007. However, the cityhood status was lost twice in the years 2008 and 2010 after theLCP questioned the validity of the cityhood law. The cityhood status was reaffirmed after thecourt finalized its ruling on February 15, 2011 which declared the cityhood law constitutional.
Ilocos Norte was among the provinces affected by theCOVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, reporting its first three cases of COVID-19 on March 31, 2020, including a male patient each from Batac and Paoay, and former senatorBongbong Marcos, who had arrived from travel to Spain.[37][38] Ilocos Norte experienced surges in cases in 2021,[39] with the spike reported in August 2021 being attributed to the Delta variant of the virus.[40]
Ilocos Norte covers a total area of 3,467.89 square kilometres (1,338.96 sq mi)[41] occupying the northern tip of theIlocos Region inLuzon. The province is bordered byCagayan to the extreme northeast,Apayao to the east, andAbra to the southeast,Ilocos Sur to the southwest, theSouth China Sea to the west, and theLuzon Strait to the north.
Ilocos Norte comprises 21municipalities and 2component cities, further subdivided into 559barangays. There are twolegislative districts in the province. Updated classification of municipalities in Ilocos Norte.Updated Income Class of Ilocos Norte Municipalities
Ilocos Norte has 559barangays comprising its 21 municipalities and 2 cities.[44]
The most populous barangay in the province is Barangay No. 1, San Lorenzo(Poblacion) in theCity of Laoag with a population of 4,391 in the 2010 census. If cities are excluded, Davila in the municipality ofPasuquin has the highest population, at 3,900. The least populous is Sapat in the municipality ofPasuquin, with only 32.[44]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 178,995 | — |
| 1918 | 219,129 | +1.36% |
| 1939 | 237,586 | +0.39% |
| 1948 | 251,455 | +0.63% |
| 1960 | 287,333 | +1.12% |
| 1970 | 343,427 | +1.80% |
| 1975 | 371,724 | +1.60% |
| 1980 | 390,666 | +1.00% |
| 1990 | 461,661 | +1.68% |
| 1995 | 482,651 | +0.84% |
| 2000 | 514,241 | +1.37% |
| 2007 | 547,284 | +0.86% |
| 2010 | 568,017 | +1.36% |
| 2015 | 593,081 | +0.83% |
| 2020 | 609,588 | +0.58% |
| 2024 | 618,850 | +0.36% |
| Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[43][44][45] | ||
The population of Ilocos Norte in the 2020 census was 609,588 people,[42] with a density of 180 inhabitants per square kilometre or 470 inhabitants per square mile.
Roman Catholicism and theAglipayan Church are the two major religions in the province.[citation needed]
Among the majorRoman Catholic churches in Ilocos Norte include:
Ilocos Norte is the home of two Aglipay Shrines (Aglipayan Church) in which one of it is where the church's first supreme leader,Gregorio Aglipay, was buried (Gregorio Aglipay National Shrine). There are also increasing numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses. There are also minor but steadily increasing members ofIglesia ni Cristo (INC). It has 2 Ecclesiastical Districts (Batac and Laoag). Each district includes 60 plus locales with barangay chapels. INC has 5-6% adherents.Islam is also practiced by Mindanaoan traders and immigrants.
Ilocano is the main language of the native majority in the province, withLa Union recognized it as an official language since 2012.[47] It became widespread in neighboring regions ofCagayan Valley (Region II),Cordillera Administrative Region and major parts ofCentral Luzon (Region III)—where Ilocanos settled—as a lingua franca among respective Ilocano and non-Ilocano residents. Ilocano is also recognized as a minority language inMindoro,Palawan andMindanao (particularly in some areas inSoccsksargen), where Ilocanos had have been significant residents since the early 20th century. It is a third most widely spoken language in the Philippines, estimating 11 million speakers as of 2022. The language has many speakers overseas, including the American states ofCalifornia andHawaii.[48]Filipino/Tagalog and English are also spoken and understood in the region, utilized in business, education and media.
Aside from Ilocano, Filipino (the national language) and English, there are other two indigenous languages in Ilocos Norte. There are theIsnag language of the east and theItneg in Nueva Era.
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The province specializes in the following products and industries:
In 2005, NorthWind Power Development Corp. began commercial operation of theBangui Wind Farm in the Municipality of Bangui, having initiated and developed the project in response to a 1996 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) which identified Bangui as one of the viable sites for wind energy sites in the Philippines.[57] Connected to the LuzonGrid, the project wasthe first wind farm in Southeast Asia,[58] supplying 40% of Ilocos Norte's electricity needs,[59] and becoming a major tourist site for Bangui.[60]AC Energy, the listed energy platform of theAyala Group, acquired the controlling shares of Northwind and of the Bangui Wind Farm in 2017.[61]
Ilocos Norte has given birth to numerous artists that have received national acclaim - perhaps the most notable beingPhilippine Revolution era activist and leaderJuan Luna, who was born inBadoc. The province is also home to at least oneNational Artists of the Philippines - National Artist for TheaterSeverino Montano who was conferred the honor in 2001.[62] Another influential artist wasRicarte Puruganan, one of the Philippines' influential "Thirteen Moderns," who broke away from the painting style of Conservatives, led byFernando Amorsolo, during the first half of the 20th century.[63]
In the folk arts, the Philippines also recognizesMagdalena Gamayo ofPinili. Ilocos Norte as one of its National Living Treasures for textile weaving, preserving theinabel weaving tradition of the Ilocos region.[64]
The town ofSan Nicolas is known for its terracotta pottery, calleddamili after the Ilocano language word for pottery.[65] San Nicolas' pottery tradition has been declared part of the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts' School of Living Traditions program.[66]
Ilocos Norte is a center of theinabel weaving tradition, whose cloths are well known for being soft but sturdy, with a wide range of pattern designs drawn from Ilocano culture and experience[67][68]
Filipino culinary historianDoreen Fernandez notes that bitterness as a flavor principle is a uniquely prominent in Ilocano cuisine, quoting fellow food critic Edilberto Alegre saying the bitter "Ilocos Norte mystique" is best represented inpapaitan, a meat variant ofkilawin characterized by its bitter flavors.[4]: 56
Term of Office: June 30, 2025 - June 30, 2028
_E911a_10.jpg)
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| Governor | Cecilia Araneta-Marcos |
|---|---|
| Vice Governor | Matthew Manotoc |
| Representatives |
|
| Provincial Board Members | 1st District:
2nd District:
|
| PCL President (Interim) | Jaybee G. Baquiran |
| ABC President | Ryan John A. Pascua |
| SK Federated President | Eldritze C. Viernes |
| IPMR Representative | Cheryll Bromeo Tabangay |
Ilocos Norte is a tourist destination, being the location of Fort Ilocandia, hotel, resort and casino. Built between 1981 and 1983 by thePhilippine Tourism Authority, the Spanish-Moroccan Villa was designed by Architect Jeorge Ramos.[undue weight? –discuss] The golf course on Paoay Lake was built by Marcos in 1977 and was designed byGary Player.[69][undue weight? –discuss]
Also of note are theLa Paz Sand Dunes,Malacañang of the North,Cape Bojeador Lighthouse,Bangui Wind Farm, Saud Beach inPagudpud and theEarly Pliocenecalcarenite KapurpurawanBurgos Formation which was sculpted by wind and waves.[70]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Media related toIlocos Norte at Wikimedia Commons
Geographic data related toIlocos Norte atOpenStreetMapPlaces adjacent to Ilocos Norte | |
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 Province ofIlocos Norte | |
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