San Juan, La Union
Encyclopedia
San Juan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of La Union
, Philippines
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 32,952 people in 5,950 households.
s.
In the early 1900s cholera was a scourge that took the lives of many people.
As of the census of 2000, San Juan was home to 30,393 indigenous Ilocano people
, concentrated in six barangays along the national highway. This is equivalent to 33.86% of the total population and is growing at the rate of 1.8% per annum. The average population density was 2,964 persons per square kilometer. In the two urban barangays where some 15% of the population reside, the population density rose to 3,073 persons per square kilometer, while in the remaining rural barangays the population density was 2,886 persons per square kilometer.
, as recorded by the Nueva Segovia Bi-centennial souvenir booklet dated April 25, 1587. By 1586 the town had become the center of the parish, and was renamed San Juan by the Augustian Fathers after the Catholic Patron Saint of San Juan Bautista
. The town boasted an Augustinian convent and a population of 6,000. Its first priest was Friar Agustin Niño.
The center of the parish was subsequently transferred to Bauang, with San Juan sometimes being an out-station (visita) of Bauang and sometimes of Bacnotan. In 1707 the Church of St. John the Baptist was constructed at San Juan. In 1772, the mission station was placed under the authority of the Dominican Order
. In 1807, San Juan was established as a parish in its own right.
On March 2, 1850, San Juan became part of the province of La Union, when the province was created by Governor-General Antonio Maria Blanco.
In 1898 during the latter days of the Philippine Revolution
, the whole of San Juan was razed to the ground by a great fire. With the demise of the church, convent and rectory, the church registers were destroyed, although subsequent registers from 1898 to 1917 do survive and have been microfilmed. Municipal birth registers were begun in 1922.
After the Spanish-American War
, Father Mariano Gaerlan was appointed priest. He was a native of San Juan, the first Filipino priest for the town, and one of the "Nine Clerics" of the Nueva Segovia
who fought in the revolution. He also began the reconstruction of the church in 1902, which was completed under his successor, Father Eustaquio Ocampo.
Another local resident, also named Mariano Gaerlan, wrote Biag ti Maysa a Lakay, Wenno Nakaam-ames a Bales (i.e. Life of an Old Man, or a Dreadful Revenge) under the pen-name of Batallador. The book was in the local Ilokano language
and published in 1909. He was originally from Candon, Ilocos Sur where he also maintained a residence, and an aspiring politician who was never elected to public office. He had several children including Nieves Gaerlan who married Antonio "Matias" Aquino, a former mayor of San Juan, and "Captain" Candonino Gaerlan, a guerrilla leader and Filipino war hero.
From 1941 to 1945 San Juan was occupied by the invading Japanese forces during World War II
.
On January 19, 1942, Gaerlan co-lead the first guerrilla ambush against Japanese forces in the Philippines, which was prosecuted on the southern outskirts of Candon. He was subsequently appointed commander of the Third Battalion of the 121st Infantry Regiment of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines - Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL). This regiment is often referred to as the La Union Infantry Regiment, and was commanded by "Captain" George M. Barnett. Gaerlan was killed and subsequently beheaded later that same year at San Juan, after he had been betrayed by the local chief of police while visiting his sister. His head was stuffed into a jar of alcohol and displayed in the plazas of the towns enroute to Candon. There the town mayor convinced the Japanese that this was in poor taste, and the container was thrown into a rice paddy west of the town.
As the war progressed, crops and local services were destroyed. Food was in short supply.
San Juan was liberated in 1945 by the soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, Philippine Constabulary and the guerrilla units of the La Union Infantry Regiment during the Battle of San Fernando under Major Russell W. Volckmann
on their way to meet the liberating forces of General MacArthur on the beaches of Lingayen Gulf
.
After the war, inflation led to the financial crisis of 1950 which was followed by the introduction of import controls. Subsequent government-sponsored irrigation systems and farm technicians led to a slow but assured recovery with increased productivity and profitability.
San Juan is bounded on the north by the municipality of Bacnotan
along the Baroro River, and on the east by the municipalities of San Gabriel
and Bagulin
along the Dasay-Duplas-Nagyubuyuban Creek. On the south it is bounded by the City of San Fernando
and on the west by the South China Sea
.
By way of the Manila North Road, San Juan is some 8 kilometers north of San Fernando City, the capital of La Union and regional center. It is also some 277 kilometers north of Manila
which can be travelled by road in about 7 hours.
The total land area of San Juan is 5966.40 hectares, which is 4% of the province of La Union. Some 505.08 hectares or 8.46% is claimed by the municipality of Bacnotan and San Fernando City.
to the east brings the drier conditions. The average annual temperature is 27.2°C.
Cottage Industries
Agriculture
La Unión
La Union or La Unión may refer to:-Colombia:*La Unión, Antioquia*La Unión, Nariño*La Unión, Sucre*La Unión, Valle del Cauca-Peru:*La Unión Province, Peru...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 32,952 people in 5,950 households.
Barangays
San Juan is politically subdivided into 41 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
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Population
According to a local 1896 census, the population of San Juan was 10,510. At that time, there were twenty-eight barrios inhabited by 9,989 residents, and four rancherias inhabited by 521 "infieles" or non-Christians (Igorots). These barrios were Yli, Barraca, Panecsican, Talogtog, Sabangan, Tavoc, Lubing, Sinapangan, Cacapian, Caculangan, Santa Rosa, Caaniyan, Oaquing, Catdongan, Caarusipan, Guinguinabang, Bugbugcao, Pacpacac, Legleg, Nadsaag, Capacuan, Bornotan, Dasay, Al-langigan, Bombuneg, Balballosa, Duplas and San Felipe. The rancherias were Rancho de Locutan, Indang, Amontoc and Losoya. Yli, also known as Poblacion, had a population of 1,134 residents described as 2 "Españoles peninsulares", 2 "Mestizos de español", 1,122 "naturales" and 8 "Chinos".In the early 1900s cholera was a scourge that took the lives of many people.
As of the census of 2000, San Juan was home to 30,393 indigenous Ilocano people
Ilocano people
The Ilocano or Ilokano people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Aside from being referred to as Ilocanos, from "i"-from, and "looc"-bay, they also refer to themselves as Samtoy, from the Ilocano phrase "sao mi ditoy", meaning 'our language here.' The word "Ilocano" came from...
, concentrated in six barangays along the national highway. This is equivalent to 33.86% of the total population and is growing at the rate of 1.8% per annum. The average population density was 2,964 persons per square kilometer. In the two urban barangays where some 15% of the population reside, the population density rose to 3,073 persons per square kilometer, while in the remaining rural barangays the population density was 2,886 persons per square kilometer.
History
In 1582, San Juan was proclaimed a mission station under the authority of the Augustian OrderAugustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
, as recorded by the Nueva Segovia Bi-centennial souvenir booklet dated April 25, 1587. By 1586 the town had become the center of the parish, and was renamed San Juan by the Augustian Fathers after the Catholic Patron Saint of San Juan Bautista
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. The town boasted an Augustinian convent and a population of 6,000. Its first priest was Friar Agustin Niño.
The center of the parish was subsequently transferred to Bauang, with San Juan sometimes being an out-station (visita) of Bauang and sometimes of Bacnotan. In 1707 the Church of St. John the Baptist was constructed at San Juan. In 1772, the mission station was placed under the authority of the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. In 1807, San Juan was established as a parish in its own right.
On March 2, 1850, San Juan became part of the province of La Union, when the province was created by Governor-General Antonio Maria Blanco.
In 1898 during the latter days of the Philippine Revolution
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution , called the "Tagalog War" by the Spanish, was an armed military conflict between the people of the Philippines and the Spanish colonial authorities which resulted in the secession of the Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire.The Philippine Revolution began in August...
, the whole of San Juan was razed to the ground by a great fire. With the demise of the church, convent and rectory, the church registers were destroyed, although subsequent registers from 1898 to 1917 do survive and have been microfilmed. Municipal birth registers were begun in 1922.
After the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, Father Mariano Gaerlan was appointed priest. He was a native of San Juan, the first Filipino priest for the town, and one of the "Nine Clerics" of the Nueva Segovia
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia
-Introduction:The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. It covers the province of Ilocos Sur, on the island of Luzon. The see of the archdiocese is the city of Vigan....
who fought in the revolution. He also began the reconstruction of the church in 1902, which was completed under his successor, Father Eustaquio Ocampo.
Another local resident, also named Mariano Gaerlan, wrote Biag ti Maysa a Lakay, Wenno Nakaam-ames a Bales (i.e. Life of an Old Man, or a Dreadful Revenge) under the pen-name of Batallador. The book was in the local Ilokano language
Ilokano language
Ilokano or Ilocano is the third most-spoken language of the Republic of the Philippines....
and published in 1909. He was originally from Candon, Ilocos Sur where he also maintained a residence, and an aspiring politician who was never elected to public office. He had several children including Nieves Gaerlan who married Antonio "Matias" Aquino, a former mayor of San Juan, and "Captain" Candonino Gaerlan, a guerrilla leader and Filipino war hero.
From 1941 to 1945 San Juan was occupied by the invading Japanese forces during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
On January 19, 1942, Gaerlan co-lead the first guerrilla ambush against Japanese forces in the Philippines, which was prosecuted on the southern outskirts of Candon. He was subsequently appointed commander of the Third Battalion of the 121st Infantry Regiment of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines - Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL). This regiment is often referred to as the La Union Infantry Regiment, and was commanded by "Captain" George M. Barnett. Gaerlan was killed and subsequently beheaded later that same year at San Juan, after he had been betrayed by the local chief of police while visiting his sister. His head was stuffed into a jar of alcohol and displayed in the plazas of the towns enroute to Candon. There the town mayor convinced the Japanese that this was in poor taste, and the container was thrown into a rice paddy west of the town.
As the war progressed, crops and local services were destroyed. Food was in short supply.
San Juan was liberated in 1945 by the soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, Philippine Constabulary and the guerrilla units of the La Union Infantry Regiment during the Battle of San Fernando under Major Russell W. Volckmann
Russell W. Volckmann
Russell W. Volckmann was a West Point graduate and a leader of guerilla resistance to the Japanese in the Philippines during World War II. After the fall of Bataan in 1942, he retreated into the hills and organized a resistance force among the Ilocanos...
on their way to meet the liberating forces of General MacArthur on the beaches of Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
.
After the war, inflation led to the financial crisis of 1950 which was followed by the introduction of import controls. Subsequent government-sponsored irrigation systems and farm technicians led to a slow but assured recovery with increased productivity and profitability.
Geography
San Juan is located in the west of the province of La Union, being located along the Manila North Road between latitudes 16°39'N and 16°43'N and longtitudes 120°9'E and 120°15'E.San Juan is bounded on the north by the municipality of Bacnotan
Bacnotan, La Union
Bacnotan is a first class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 38,743 people in 7,183 households.Ilocano is the language spoken...
along the Baroro River, and on the east by the municipalities of San Gabriel
San Gabriel, La Union
San Gabriel is a 5th class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 15,803 people in 2,830 households...
and Bagulin
Bagulin, La Union
Bagulin is a 5th class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 12,521 people in 2,171 households.-Barangays:Bagulin is politically subdivided into 10 barangays.* Alibangsay* Baay...
along the Dasay-Duplas-Nagyubuyuban Creek. On the south it is bounded by the City of San Fernando
San Fernando City, La Union
The City of San Fernando in La Union is a 1st class component city in the Philippines. It is the capital city of La Union and the regional center of the Ilocos Region...
and on the west by the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
.
By way of the Manila North Road, San Juan is some 8 kilometers north of San Fernando City, the capital of La Union and regional center. It is also some 277 kilometers north of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
which can be travelled by road in about 7 hours.
The total land area of San Juan is 5966.40 hectares, which is 4% of the province of La Union. Some 505.08 hectares or 8.46% is claimed by the municipality of Bacnotan and San Fernando City.
Climate
The climate in San Juan is "dry" from November to April and "wet" from May to October. The southwest monsoon brings abundant rainfall during the wet season, whereas the northest monsoon passing over the Cordillera MountainsCordillera Mountains
*Andes in South-America *Cordillera Central in the Philippines...
to the east brings the drier conditions. The average annual temperature is 27.2°C.
Economy
Tourism- San Juan is considered to be the Surfing Capital of the Northern Philippines, and is known for its consistent intermediate quality surf and two surfing seasons from July to October and November to March.
- There is also a local museum, Museo de San Juan.
Cottage Industries
- Pottery, blanket-weaving, basketry, bamboo-craft and broom-making are produced as a folk-industry. Hollow concrete blocks are manufactured in the rural villages for local building projects.
Agriculture
- Yellow corn is one of the most important crops in San Juan, and is used as a raw material for food and industrial products such as starch, corn oil, beverages, gluten, snacks etc. It constitutes about 50% of the feed for local livestock and poultry enterprises. It was nominated as the product for the One Town One Product (OTOP) PhilippinesOne Town, One Product (OTOP) - PhilippinesOne Town One Product is a promotional program of the government of the Philippines. OTOP aims to promote goods and products of Filipino towns, cities, and regions, and provides funding for small businesses...
program of President Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs.