Balaoan, officially the Municipality of Balaoan ( ilo, Ili ti Balaoan; fil, Bayan ng Balaoan), is a 1st 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
La Union,
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 40,339.
Geography
Balaoan is situated north of
Bacnotan, south of
Bangar, east of
Luna
Luna commonly refers to:
* Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin
* Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon
Luna may also refer to:
Places Philippines
* Luna, Apayao
* Luna, Isabela
* Luna, La Union
* Luna, San Jose
Roma ...
and west of
Santol. Located north of
San Fernando City, the provincial capital of
La Union and the regional capital of Region I. Balaoan is north of
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 ...
. Barangay Paraoir is Balaoan's pristine coastal community on the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
.
Balaoan can be reached from
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
using the
MacArthur Highway
The MacArthur Highway, officially the Manila North Road (MNR or MaNor), is a , two-to-six lane, national primary highway and tertiary highway in Luzon, Philippines, connecting Caloocan in Metro Manila to Aparri in Cagayan. It is the second l ...
, or by airplane via
Canaoay Airport in
San Fernando City.
Its land area of consists mostly of agricultural lands. It occupies 4.3% of the total area of the province.
Climate
Barangays
Balaoan is politically subdivided into 36
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.
* Almeida
* Antonino
* Apatut
* Ar-arampang
* Baracbac Este
* Baracbac Oeste
* Bet-ang
* Bulbulala
* Bungol
* Butubut Este
* Butubut Norte
* Butubut Oeste
* Butubut Sur
* Cabuaan
* Calliat
* Calungbuyan
* Camiling
* Dr. Camilo Osias
* Guinaburan
* Masupe
* Nagsabaran Norte
* Nagsabaran Sur
* Nalasin
* Napaset
* Pa-o
* Pagbennecan
* Pagleddegan
* Pantar Norte
* Pantar Sur
* Paraoir
* Patpata
* Sablut
* San Pablo
* Sinapangan Norte
* Sinapangan Sur
* Tallipugo
Etymology of Barangay names
* Dr. Camilo Osias - name of a former senator who was born in Balaoan
* ''Nagsabaran'' (as Nagsabaran Norte & Nagsabar Sur) – This name (meaning "place where
he roadbranches out") was given to the place because the national road branched out to this barrio. The root word is ''sabar'', meaning "to branch out".
*Pantar (as Pantar Norte & Pantar Sur) - Ilocano term of "lively".
History
According to
William Scott, "Balaoan itself was an emporium for the exchange of
Igorot
The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range of northern Luzon, Philippines are often referred to using the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples. There are nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ar ...
gold."
Balaoan, formerly "Puraw" (meaning "white') was originally part 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 ...
. The town's present name originated during the Spanish colonial era. A group of Spanish soldiers were on patrol and went on to rest on a sitio. The villagers were curious about the soldiers because of their unusual descent and fair skin color (others have olive skin, which is still lighter than the skin tone of villagers). They flocked the soldiers touching their guns, too afraid that the guns might explode accidentally, one villager asked the soldier in a local vernacular.. "Aoan bala?" ("Awan bala?" in modern spelling, meaning "No bullets?"). The soldier did not understand what the villager meant, he uttered the last word first, and remembering the last, he said "Bala-aoan", which is pronounced on its modern town name "Balaoan".
During the
Spanish colonization of the Philippines
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, a secret society of ''insurrectos'' was organized in the municipality. Its purpose was to fight and
revolt against the Spanish Government in the area. On the eve of the revolution, a traitor told the Spanish of their plan. The Spanish soldiers, without any investigation, arrested seven members of the secret society and executed them the same night. Only one, Fernando Ostrea, escaped with leg wounds. He informed the people about what had happened. In memory of the seven Martyrs, a masonic lodge, Siete Martires Lodge No. 177, was organized.
Balaoan is one of the oldest municipalities in La Union, having been founded in 1704. Its first ''Capitan'' is Ignacio Duldulao.
Demographics
In the 2020 census, the population of Balaoan was 40,339 people, with a density of .
The dominant language spoken in Balaoan is
Ilocano.
Economy
Festivities
The
church of Balaoan is under the advocacy of the town's patron saint, St. Nicholas of Tolentino, whose feast day is celebrated on September. Balaoan's town fiesta is celebrated every December 21 to 23 of the year.
Government
Balaoan, belonging to the
first congressional district of the province of
La Union, 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
Elementary schools
* Almeida Elementary School
* Apatut Elementary School (Apatut)
* Ar-arampang Elementary School (Ar- Arampang,Balaoan)
* Balaoan Central Elementary School (Antonino and Cabua-an)
* Balaoan Christian Foundation (Nalasin)
* Bulbulala Elementary School (Bulbulala)
* Bungol Elementary School (Bungol)
* Butubut Elementary School (Butubut Sur)
* Butubut Norte Elementary School (Butubut Norte)
* Calliat Elementary School (Calliat)
* Guinaburan Elementary School (Guinaburan)
* Masupe Elementary School (Masupe)
* Nagsabaran Sur Elementary School (Nsgsabaran Sur)
* Osias Educational Foundation (Dr. Camilo Osias)
* Pantar Community School (Pantar Norte)
* Pantar Sur Elementary School (Pantar Sur)
* Paraoir Elementary School (Paraoir)
* Patpata Elementary School (Patpata)
* San Nicolas Academy
* San Nicolas Academy (Dr. Camilo Osias, Nalasin and Antonino)
* Sinapangan National High School (Sinapangan Norte)
* Sinapangan Norte Elementary School (Sinapangan Norte)
* Sinapangan Sur Elementary School (Sinapangan Sur)
High schools
* Bungol National High School (Bungol)
* Butubut National High School (Butubut Norte)
* Castor Z. Concepcion Memorial National High School (Nalasin and Antonino)
* Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University National High School (Paraoir)
* Osias Educational Foundation (Dr. Camilo Osias)
* San Nicolas Academy
Notable personalities
*
Camilo Osías
Camilo Olaviano Osías, Sr. (born Camilo Osías y Olaviano; March 23, 1889 – May 20, 1976) was a Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines. Along with a certain American named Mary A. Lane, Osías ...
, former Senator
*
Magnolia Antonino, former Senator
Gallery
File:FvfBalaoanLU0461 09.JPG, Welcome arch
BalalaoanPlazaj9667_16.JPG, Municipal hall
File:BalaoanLaUnionjf9627 32.JPG, Public market
File:BalaoanLaUnionjf9627 40.JPG, Street view
File:FvfBalaoanLU3665 18.JPG, Tricycle terminal
References
External links
*
Philippine Standard Geographic CodePhilippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control
Municipalities of La Union
Populated places established in 1704
1704 establishments in the Spanish Empire