San Ildefonso, officially the Municipality of San Ildefonso ( ilo, Ili ti San Ildefonso; fil, Bayan ng San Ildefonso), is a 5th 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 sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

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 8,190 people.

Etymology

The town got its name from Saint Ildephonsus.

History

San Ildefonso, like many other places in the provinces at the beginning of the Spanish Regime, did not have a name. Sometime in 1625, its inhabitants decided to give it a name, but nothing came out after more than five hours of discussions. So while thinking of a name, they decided to go fishing for a week. And while preparing to go fishing, they saw a box floating not far from shore. Wading to reach the box and carrying it ashore, they opened the box to find a statue of Saint Ildephonsus. The young women of the place carried the statue to the center of the village, where it was enshrined in a small hut for many years. He became the patron saint of the municipality, and his name was decided to become the name of the fledgling municipality. San Ildefonso was a former ''rancheria'' of Bantay before it became a municipality, but because of its size it was annexed to Santo Domingo as a barrio. In 1921, Assemblyman (and future Philippine president)

Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; ; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the sixth president of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino enter ...

worked to convert San Ildefonso into a municipality again.

200th Anniversary of Basi Revolt

On September 28, 2007, San Ildefonso officials (Governor

Deogracias Victor Savellano Deogracias Victor "DV" Barbers Savellano (born November 25, 1959) is a Filipino politician who last served as a member of the House of Representatives for Ilocos Sur's 1st district from 2016 to 2022. He was also one of the Deputy Speakers of the ...

and Rep.

Ronald Singson Ronald Verzosa Singson (born November 18, 1968) is a Filipino politician, businessman and concert producer. A son of the patriarch of the Singson political clan Chavit Singson, he served as representative of Ilocos Sur's first district from 2013 ...

) commemorated the

Basi Revolt During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, 1521–1898, there were several revolts against the Spanish colonial government by indigenous Moro, Lumad, Indians, Chinese (Sangleys), and Insulares (Filipinos of full or near full Sp ...

. Recently, the

Sangguniang Bayan The Sangguniang Bayan () is the local legislative branch of the municipal governments in the Philippines. It is responsible for passing ordinances and resolutions for the administration of a municipality. Its powers are defined by the Local Gov ...

of San Ildefonso approved a

resolution Resolution(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate * Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body * New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...

declaring September 16 as a non-working

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

and named the old road in Barangay Gongogong as Ambaristo street in honor of

Pedro Ambaristo Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...

, leader of the

. Mayor Christian Purisima enrolled

basi ''Basi'' is a native ''Ilocano'' fermented alcoholic beverage or wine made with sugarcane juice, particularly those produced in the region of ''Northern Luzon'' particularly in ''Ilocos Region''. This wine is processed in ''“burnay”'' ...

as their entry into the “''One Town; One Product''” (OTOP) program of Governor Savellano.Abs-Cbn Interactive, Ilocanos mark 200 yrs. of Basi Revolt
/ref>

Geography

San Ildefonso 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 capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

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. Loc ...

, the provincial capital.

Barangays

San Ildefonso is politically subdivided into 15

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 metropolitan ...

s. These barangays are headed by elected officials: Barangay Captain,

Barangay Council The Sangguniang Barangay, also known as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest form of government in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Tag ...

, whose members are called

Barangay Councilors 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 metropolitan ...

. All are elected every three years. * Arnap * Bahet * Belen * Bungro * Busiing Sur * Busiing Norte * Dongalo * Gongogong * Iboy * Kinamantirisan * Otol-Patac *

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippines, Philippi ...

East * Poblacion West * Sagneb * Sagsagat

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, San Ildefonso had a population of 8,190. The population density was .

Economy

The town is rich in rice, corn, sugarcane, malunggay, katuday & fruit-bearing trees such as star apple, chico, mango, camachile & atis. Its main product is ''basi,'' a wine made from fermented sugarcane juice; as well as cane

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...

. They also make nutritious ice cream made up of vegetables in Barangay Bungro, and is being popularized by the town's local government.

Government

San Ildefonso, belonging to the first congressional district of the province of

, 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

* Belen National High School * San Ildefonso Central School * Bungro Elementary School * Sagsagat Elementary School * Busiing Elementary School * Philippine Science High School - Ilocos Region Campus * Day Care Centers (different barangays)

References

External links

Pasyalang Ilocos SurPhilippine Standard Geographic CodePhilippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Ilocos Sur