Narvacan, officially the Municipality of Narvacan ( ilo, Ili ti Narvacan; fil, Bayan ng Narvacan), is a 2nd class
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 46,234 people.
History
A Spanish expeditionary force sent from
Vigan
Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people.
Loc ...
by the
military officer and
navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...
,
Captain Juan de Salcedo was shipwrecked along the town's coast in 1576. 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.
Salcedo befriended the small tribe of indigenous valley peoples that resided in the area while Spanish families established a township in 1576. As part of the modern township, a Roman Catholic parish was established by the
Augustinian religious order on 25 April 1587. The Narvacan parish would become one of the first Roman Catholic parishes in present-day
Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...
.
Narvacan was organized under the traditions of the royal government of Spain. The
Habsburg royal family served as the
heads of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
which in turn appointed Santiago de Vera as President of the ''Royal Audiencia'' – governor over the region in which Narvacan was situated. In 1589, Governor Vera appointed Nicolas de Figueroa as the first ''Encomendero de Narvacan'' – principal administrator of the town and its neighbors in the
encomienda system. His role eventually evolved into the office of
alcalde.
Geography
Narvacan is from
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in ...
and from
Vigan City
Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people.
Lo ...
, the provincial capital.
Barangays
Narvacan is politically subdivided into 34
barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
s. These barangays are headed by elected officials:
Barangay Captain,
Barangay Council, whose members are called
Barangay Councilors. All are elected every three years.
Climate
Demographics
In the 2020 census, Narvacan had a population of 46,234. The population density was .
Economy
Government
Narvacan, belonging to the
second congressional district of the province of
Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...
, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal 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.
Elected officials
Education
The Narvacan School of Fisheries, a branch of the
Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College
The University of Ilocos Philippines (UIP) ( fil, Pampamahalaang Pamantasang Politekniko ng Ilokos Sur) formerly known as (Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State University or ISPSU) is a public college in the Philippines. It was founded in 1998 by the ...
(ISPSC), has been located in Sulvec since 1964. It is also the base of operations of the
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) (Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...
's 503rd Infantry Brigade which oversees the
Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Units The Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit, variously called Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit, Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit and commonly referred to by its acronym CAFGU (pronounced "kahf-goo") is an irregular auxiliary force of th ...
.
References
External links
Municipality of Narvacan HomepagePasyalang Ilocos SurPhilippine Standard Geographic CodePhilippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Ilocos Sur