Batac City, Ilocos Norte
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Batac, officially the City of Batac ( ilo, Siudad ti Batac; fil, Lungsod ng Batac), is a 5th class component city in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,484 people.


Etymology

The word ''Batac'' translates as "pull" in the Ilocano language. More loosely, it refers to "the people's pulling their efforts together." Batac has an interesting colloquial origin of its name. According to a legend, set in pre-settlement Batac, a man fell into a deep hole while he was digging for the root crop "camangeg". He struggled to get out but could not despite his best efforts. He cried for help but nobody was around. He waited for hours and had given up hope of being saved. Two men from the neighboring town of Paoay happened to pass by. They heard the man shouting and traced it to where he was trapped. Upon seeing him, they heard the man said "Batakennak! Batakennak!" The two men did not understand until the man explained that he was saying, "Pull me up! Pull me up!" They did just that. When the two men reached their hometown, they told their story to their friends. Since then, the town has been called "Batac," which is derived from the word "batakennak."


History

Batac was founded by the
Augustinians Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...
in 1587 under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. It is the second oldest town established by the Augustinians in the province of Ilocos Norte. Hence, in 1987, Batac reached its fourth centennial. Batac was officially organized into a ministry on January 5, 1586. The first priest assigned to cathecize the natives of the community was Esteban Marin, an Augustinian who probably arrived in Batac in 1585. Paoay and Dinglas ( Dingras) were then the visitas of Batac. Folk history states that there were two villages in Batac during the early part of tile foundation of the town, one was an Itneg community which occupied sitio Nangalisan and a Christian community occupying San José. The first site of tile poblacion was in San José, which is now called Barangay Palpalicong. It is said that the ethnic minority groups of Bangui and Nueva Era are the pre-Spanish descendants of early inhabitants of Batac. The Augustinians considered the people of Batac more civilized than the other tribes, because they were better than the other "Indios" in personal cleanliness.


Cityhood

Republic Act 9407, the law that converted the Municipality of Batac into a component city in the Province of Ilocos Norte, to be known as Batac City, was overwhelmingly ratified by the people in a plebiscite conducted on June 23, 2007. The
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
declared the cityhood law of Batac and 15 other cities unconstitutional after a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines in its ruling on November 18, 2008. On December 22, 2009, the cityhood law of Batac and 15 other municipalities regain its status as cities again after the court reversed its ruling on November 18, 2008. On August 23, 2010, the court reinstated its ruling on November 18, 2008, causing Batac and 15 cities to become regular municipalities. Finally, on February 15, 2011, Batac becomes a city again including the 15 municipalities declaring that the conversion to cityhood met all legal requirements. After six years of legal battle, in its board resolution, the League of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Batac and 15 other cities.


Geography

Batac is located in the northwest of Luzon island, about from the eastern shores of the South China Sea, and from Metro Manila and from Laoag, the provincial capital. The municipalities of Banna, Currimao, Paoay,
Pinili Pinili, officially the Municipality of Pinili ( ilo, Ili ti Pinili; tl, Bayan ng Pinili), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,626 people. History Pin ...
, Sarrat, Marcos and San Nicolas form its boundaries.


Barangays

Batac is politically subdivided into 43 barangays, 14 of which constitute the poblacion. 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.


Climate


Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Batac was 55,484 people, with a density of .


Economy

The Batac City Public Market touted as one of the biggest in the region offers a wide array of goods – freshly picked local vegetables and fruits, handicrafts, tincrafts, pottery, native delicacies, chicharon, longganisa, wet market treats and many others. The Delicia Center, located adjacent to the City Public Market, contains RTW shops, banks, appliance stores, farm supplies, pharmacies, groceries, a lottery outlet and many more. The Delicia Center and the City Public Market form part of the commercial district of Batac City. With the presence of the
Central Bank of the Philippines The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on July 3, 1993, pursuant to the provision of Republic Act 7653 or the New Central Bank Act ...
Cash Unit in the Batac City Government Center, financial institutions continue to spawn – Philippine National Bank, RCBC, Metrobank, Land Bank, BPI, Bank of Commerce, BDO and other local banks. Proof that Batac is offering a good business climate to investors. The Plaza Maestro Complex, one of the most modern shopping centers in the province caters to the needs of the new generation, offering two of the country's top fast food chains ( Jollibee and Chowking), several boutique shops, a drugstore and a photo shop, among others. A stone's throw away from the commercial complex are bakeshops and a local pizza house.


Tourism

The
Marcos Museum and Mausoleum The Ferdinand E. Marcos Presidential Center is a museum situated in Batac, Ilocos Norte dedicated to former Philippine president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos which also hosts his cenotaph. The museum shows memorabilia of the late president, fr ...
is situated in the city center. The Mausoleum is where the glass-entombed, preserved corpse of Former President Ferdinand E. Marcos is found. The Museum holds the memorabilia of then President, from his stint in the Armed Forces down to his presidency. Other notable figures who hails from Batac include Gen. Artemio Ricarte, the Father of the Philippine Army and Msgr. Gregorio Aglipay, the co-founder of the
Philippine Independent Church , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...
. Monuments and shrines of these personalities had been erected and named after them. The Batac Riverside Empanadaan is a retail and dining center catering to tourist selling food products including the city's primary commodity of Batac, the empanada, and other souvenirs and products. The city has two festivals, The Farmers Festival and The Empanada Festival. The Farmers' Festival, conducted in the first week of May each year is a celebration of bountiful harvest and a tribute to the farmers of the city. It is participated by the rural barangays of the city. The Empanada Festival is a festivity held on the June 23 in celebration of the city's Charter Day. The main feature of the festival is the street dancing which chronicles the process of preparing the empanada. The Batac City Fiesta, a month-long festivity commencing on December 8, is the longest fiesta in the Province of Ilocos Norte. The fiesta is celebrated in honor of the city's patroness, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. The Electric and Lights Parade marks the beginning of the City Fiesta every December 8.


Government

Batac, belonging to the second congressional district of the province of Ilocos Norte, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a city 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


List of local chief executives


Education

Batac National High School (BNHS) is the most popular high school in the city. It has three campuses: Poblacion, Bungon and Payao. The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) is a comprehensive institution of higher learning in the Ilocos Region. MMSU's root anchored deep, its foundation is strong, and its beginnings all proven historical turning points as far back as the early 1900s. The city has one Catholic School, The Immaculate Conception Academy. It was named after Immaculate Conception, the patron saint of the city. It is under the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS). It was founded in 1963. It is located beside the Immaculate Conception Parish.


Notable people

File:MarcosinWashington1983.jpg, alt=An image of Ferdinand Marcos in 1983,
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
– former President of the Philippines File:President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. State of the Nation Address (SONA).png, alt=Bongbong Marcos delivering his first SONA,
Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. ( , , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials PBBM or BBM, is a Filipino politician who is the 17th and current president of the Philippines. He previously served as a senat ...
President of the Philippines File:Gregorio Aglipay.jpg, Gregorio Aglipay – Co-founder and the First Supreme Bishop of the
Philippine Independent Church , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...
. File:Artemio Ricarte.jpg, Artemio Ricarte – A Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. Considered the "Father of the Philippine Army". File:Rodolfo Biazon.jpg,
Rodolfo Biazon Rodolfo Gaspar Biazon (, born April 14, 1935) is a Filipino politician and former Philippine Marine Corps general. He was the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in early 1991 and then served as a Senator from 1992 to 1995 ...
– Senator of the Philippines from June 30, 1992, up to June 30, 1995, and from June 30, 1998, up to June 30, 2010.


References


External links

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Philippine Standard Geographic Code 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 ...
br>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Cities in Ilocos Norte Populated places established in 1587 1587 establishments in the Philippines Component cities in the Philippines