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Jewel
of the North |
Ilocos Norte
is situated in the northernmost
tip of the island of Luzon. It is
bounded by rugged mountain ranges
from Cagayan, Apayao and Abra where
they testify to its fertile green
forests. The mountains are part
of the Cordillera del Norte known
today, as Cordillera Ranges. The
Babuyan Channel forms the northern
coast of the province. In the south,
a narrow coastal plain connects
the province of Ilocos Sur. To the
west and where the sun sets, is
the South China Sea.
The province does not have wide plains
like those of the other provinces in
the region. The major portion of which
consists of forest land. The highest
mountain, Bantay Simminoblan, is located
at Nueva Era. Though most of the land
in the province is considered rugged
and rocky, there are enough hectares
of arable lands for an agriculture-based
economy to flourish.
Ilocos Norte has two distinct seasons.
Humid climate is from November until
May. The rest of the year, the province
experiences a cold weather and a frequent
rain showers. The hottest months are
April to May and the coldest is from
Dec. to February. Annually, the province
is exposed to the southmonsoon rains
and occasional typhoon winds. In some
incidents, Ilocos Norte is spared from
the ferocious whip of several strong
typhoons as it is shielded from the
mountain ranges.
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HISTORY
The
northern part of Luzon was well known to foreign traders
long before the coming of the Spaniards. The early Spaniards
who explored the region of Northern Luzon has seen foreign
trading vessels plying along familiar trade routes and
trading posts. The inhabitants in the region would often
trade gold with beads, ceramics and silk. Therefore, it
is safe to say that Ilocos Norte has been periodically
visited by Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Malay traders.
These
merchants have seen anchoring their ships on the rocky coastal
trading posts of the province especially near the mouth
of the Laoag river (Padsan River).
In
this period, Laoag was already a significant population
center. In fact, when the Spaniards came to the province,
Laoag held the distinction of being the most populous town
in Ilocandia. With the periodic visits of these traders
to Ilocos Norte from the 13th century up to the time when
the Spaniards colonized the country, it has manifested a
cultural and commercially relationships between the natives
and the traders, particularly the Chinese.
 Immediately,
after the Spaniards have taken the different islands of
the archipelago, Augustinian missionaries converted the
Filipinos, including Ilocanos to Christianity and built
impressive churches, as early as the 16th century. This
stands as a testimony to the long Catholic tradition of
the province.
The
Spaniards upon settling in the province have had hard times
with the inhabitants as they initiated several revolts because
of the abusive practices of many Augustinian friars. A group
of Ilocanos defy and revolted against their colonizers.
Some of these sons of Ilocandia were Pedro Almazan, Diego
Silang and his wife, Gabriela Silang. Another infamous revolt
was conducted by the sugar cane “basi” brewers
of Piddig, who rose up in arms to protest the government’s
monopoly of the wine industry.
Ilocos
Norte had been part of the vast Ilocos which extends from
Pangasinan to as far as Pansian in the north. However, it’s
status as a province started on February 2, 1818 by virtue
of the promulgation of a Spanish royal decree called Cedula
Real, splitting Ilocos into two provinces of Ilocos Norte
and Ilocos Sur.
During
the 1896 revolution, Ilocos Norte was one of the provinces
that is part of the resistance movement that actively pushing
for the independence of the Philippine Republic. In fact,
Father Gregorio Aglipay, a secular priest from Batac was
famous for joining with Gen. Aguinaldo. Later, he established
the Phil. Independent (Aglipayan) Church that broke from
the Roman Catholic Church in 1901.
Today,
the cultural heritage it inherited from the Malays to the
Spaniards is evidently seen in stirring the province’s
growth and development. Officials of the provincial, city,
municipal and barangay levels are all part in the stride
to create a progressive province.
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