Laoag (), officially the City of Laoag (; ), is a component city and capital of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. It is the province's most populous settlement, as well as its political, commercial, and industrial hub. The Ilocos Region's busiest

commercial airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

is also built in Laoag. It is also the northernmost city in the Philippines. The municipalities of San Nicolas,

Paoay Paoay, officially the Municipality of Paoay (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,001 people. History In 1701, Paoay was established as a municipality by vi ...

, Sarrat, Piddig, Vintar, and Bacarra form its boundaries. The foothills of the

Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands. Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges: * Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America ** ...

mountain range to the east, and the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

to the west are its physical boundaries. Laoag experiences a prevailing

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

climate of Northern

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, characterized by a dry season from November to April and a wet season from May to October. Despite being battered by powerful

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

s occasionally, Laoag can still be referred to as the "Sunshine City".

History

Long before the coming of the Spaniards, there already existed an extensive region consisting of the present provinces of

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur (), officially the Province of Ilocos Sur (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital of Vigan, while Candon is ...

, Abra, and

La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union (; ; ; ; ; ), is a coastal province in the Philippines situated in the Ilocos Region on the island of Luzon. The province's capital, the San Fernando, La Union, City of San Fernando, is the most ...

renowned for its gold mines. Merchants from

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

would often visit the area to trade gold with beads, ceramics, and silk. The Austronesian inhabitants of the region called their place ''samtoy'', from ''sao mi itoy'', which literally meant "this is our language." In 1571, when the

Spanish conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

had

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

more or less under their control, they began looking for new sites to conquer. Legaspi's grandson, Juan de Salcedo, volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with eight armed boats and 45 men, the 22-year-old voyager headed north. On June 13, 1572, Salcedo and his men landed in

Vigan Vigan, officially the City of Vigan (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

and then proceeded towards Laoag, Currimao, and Badoc. As they sailed along the coast, they were surprised to see numerous sheltered

cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...

s (''looc'') where the locals lived in harmony. As a result, they named the region "Ylocos" and its people "Ylocanos". As the

Christianization Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

of the region grew, so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracts of land were utilized for churches and bell towers in line with the Spanish mission of ('under the bells') – a proclamation by King Philip's 1573 Law of the Indies. In the town plaza, it was not uncommon to see garrisons under the church bells. The colonization process was slowly being carried out. The Spanish colonization of the region, however, was never completely successful. Owing to the abusive practices of many

Augustinian friars The Order of Saint Augustine (), abbreviated OSA, is a mendicant religious order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were following the Rule of Saint Augustine ...

, a number of Ilocanos revolted against their colonizers. Noteworthy of these were the Dingras uprising (1589) and Pedro Almasan revolt in San Nicolas (1660). In 1762, Diego Silang led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocanos from the Spanish yoke. When he died from an assassin's bullet, his widow Gabriela continued the cause. Unfortunately, she too was captured and hanged. In 1807, the

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

(''basi'') brewers of Piddig rose up in arms to protest the government's monopoly of the wine industry. In 1898, the church excommunicated Gregorio Aglipay for refusing to cut off ties with the revolutionary forces of Gen.

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

. Unperturbed, he established the . Aglipay's movement and the national sentiment it espoused helped restore the self-respect of many

Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...

. "The great increase in population from 1715 to 1818 from 18,980 to 282,845 made the administration of the province very difficult. Due to the excessive monopolies and forced labor, there were several uprisings: first by the people of Dingras in 1589; one that was led by Pedro Almazan in 1616; the revolt of Diego Silang in 1762–1763; by Ambaristo in 1788; by Pedro Mateo in 1808 (also known as Basi Revolt) and uprising of Sarrat in 1815. For this reason, the division of the Ilocos into two provinces was recommended by the local authorities. On February 2, 1818, a Spanish Royal Decree was promulgated dividing the Province of Ilocos Norte from Ilocos Sur. Laoag, which was then the biggest center of population, was made the capital of Ilocos Norte." Laoag was captured by the Japanese Army on December 12, 1941, two days after the landing at Vigan and Aparri. Its airport was then used by the Japanese for most of World War II.

Cityhood

On June 19, 1965, Laoag changed from municipality to city status, following a

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

and passed into law by the Senate President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos. It remained the capital of

. Mayor Eulalio F. Siazon and Engineer Trinidad Lucas Aurelio were part of a team that led the drive to convert Laoag into a city. Another members of the group was Simeon M. Valdez who filed the bill in congress, co-authored by Antonio V. Raquiza. The first city mayor was Eulalio Fonacier Siazon.

Geography

The City of Laoag is located at the west-central part of the Province of

bordering the

. It is bounded on the east by the Municipality of Sarrat; in the southeast by the Municipality of San Nicolas; in the southwest by the Municipality of

, in the northeast the Municipality of Vintar; in the northwest by the Municipality of Bacarra; and in the west by the

. It is one of the largest cities in the

Ilocos Region The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an Region of the Philippines, administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Ca ...

. Laoag is situated from the country's capital city of

Barangays

Laoag is politically subdivided into 80

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

s. Each barangay consists of

purok A ''purok'' () is an informal division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a ''purok'' often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay. ''Pur ...

s and some have

sitios A ''sitio'' (Spanish language, Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own bar ...

Climate

Laoag has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

with warm to hot temperatures year round. Temperatures dips sightly during the winter months between December and February. Characterized by two well-pronounced seasons; dry and wet and is classified as mild and pleasant climate. Dry season usually starts in November until April and wet during the rest of the year. The city is shielded from northeast monsoon and trade winds by the mountain ranges of

Cordillera A cordillera is a chain or network of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope'). The term is most commonly used in physical geogra ...

and Sierra Madre but it is exposed to the southwest monsoon and cyclone storms. The rainy seasons, which has an average monthly rainfall of more than . is from May to September with its peak in June, July and August. Rainfall during the peak month represents 68% of the annual rainfall with an average of . In the afternoon of May, temperature reach up to and drops down to in the early mornings of January. The city recorded an average temperature of with a relative humidity of 75.5% in 1996. The city experiences an average of four to five

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

s every year.

Demographics

According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people, with a density of . Laoag City had a total population of 94,466 for the year 2000 as per NSO official report. In 1995, the total inhabitants of the city was 88,336, an increase of 6,130. Based on the 1995 and 2000 intercensal periods, the Average Annual Growth Rate of the city was 1.35%. The number of households is 19,751 and the average household size is five (5) persons per household. Male-female ratio is 1:1; Birth rate is 26.44% while Death rate is 4.28%. In the city of Laoag as of year 2000, Urban barangay San Lorenzo had the largest number of population at 2,883, followed by Rural barangay Buttong at 2,277, and then by Barangay 2 Santa Joaquina at 2,048. With the least inhabitants was Rural Barangay 39 Santa Rosa, 592, and then Barangay 52-A San Mateo, 594. Noticeably, the residents of Barangay 23 San Matias decreased by 740.

Language

The dominant dialect spoken in Laoag City is Ilocano.

Religion

The Roman Catholic and the

Aglipayan Church The Philippine Independent Church (; ), officially referred to by its Philippine Spanish name (IFI) and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, is an independent catholic Christian denomination, in the form of a nationalist church, in the ...

are the dominant religious affiliations. The rest of the existing religions in the city include the

Iglesia ni Cristo The (INC; ; ) is an independent Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Manalo, Félix Manalo in 1914 as a corporation sole, sole religious corporation ...

, and other

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

groups with a significant number of adherents.

Economy

Strategically located at the northern tip of the Northwestern Luzon Growth Quadrangle. It is within hours of air travel to any one of East Asia's economic tigers such as

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

by way of the

Laoag International Airport Laoag International Airport is an airport serving the general area of Laoag, the capital city of the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. It is the only airport in Ilocos Norte and is the northernmost international airport in the Ph ...

. A banking system is also found in the city with more than twenty different local, domestic, and foreign banks ready to serve any financial needs. With a total land area, Laoag City provides a large opportunity for economic expansion. The historic scenic tourist spots, availability of internationally competitive accommodations and facilities, and the presence of supportive national government agencies, makes Laoag an ecotourism center, as classified by the Department of Tourism. The Northwestern Luzon Growth Quadrangle – fondly called the North Quad – also aims to develop rural areas through an integrated countryside agri-industrial development approach with emphasis/focus in attaining sustainable and equitable growth; increase the productivity of agriculture and fisheries; and encourage industrial competitiveness in the local and foreign markets. Laoag and the surrounding municipalities also bolster a strong workforce. At present, most industries in the city are small-scale, consisting of small-scale food-processing factories, rice mills, jewelry-making, hollow blocks factories, and metal crafts. Retail giants like SM Prime Holdings with three stores (SM Savemore, Savemore Market, SM Hypermarket), and two stores owned by Puregold, with one branch in the downtown area, and a Puregold Jr located along Pan-Philippine Highway. SM City Laoag is located south of Padsan River in Barangay Nangalisan West, along Airport Road. Unitop, Mart One, Novo, New India, ME, JTC, and ØNE Ø 5IVE are popular shopping centers. Robinsons

Ilocos The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Cagayan Valley to the northe ...

located in Barangay Nangalisan East (Laoag) and San Francisco (San Nicolas) is only 5 minutes ride from Laoag City Hall.

Megaworld Megaworld Corporation () is a real-estate company in the Philippines. It is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange Composite Index. The company develops large-scale, mixed-use, planned communities incorporating residential, commercial, educat ...

has also secured project to be developed in Barangay Calayab along the coast to be called "Ilocandia Coastown," its 34th

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

. The

mixed-use Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

front is an 84-hectare parcel of land with beach line adjacent to Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel. Other townships under construction are the EL Sands Residences in Barangay Talingaan, and Bramasole Residences in Barangay Zamboanga. Robinsons Homes, Hanalei Heights, and Camella are located closely to the airport. Meanwhile, San Guillermo Complex located east of Aurora Park is on its first phase of construction. It will feature a modern shopping center, a hospital and a high-rise hotel.

Government

Local government

Laoag, belonging to the first congressional district of the province of

, 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

Laoag City elected officials, term of office June 30, 2022 – June 30, 2025:

City seal

* Building and Garden — the Ermita Garden and Building on top of the Ermita Hill. * Bridge — formerly the Gilbert Bridge, recently renamed Marcos Bridge. * Airport — the Gabu Airport, one of the international airports of the country. * Tower — the Sinking Tower, one of the oldest and strongest edifices built during the early Spanish Regime. * Monument — the Tobacco Monopoly Monument, the only one of its kind in the entire country. * Farmer plowing — symbol of the agricultural industry of the Ilocos Region.

Tourism

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

has become a major economic driver of Laoag City, paving the way for new commercial investments and infrastructure development. Fort Ilocandia Resort, first and only 5-star hotel in the north, continues to attract foreign and domestic tourists. Other places of interest include a tour of heritage sites featuring Spanish colonial buildings,

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

churches, La Paz Sand Dunes, white-sand beach resorts of Pagudpud, and Marcos-era mansions. The Laoag Cathedral was built in 1612 by

to replace a wooden

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

. It also serves as the seat or central church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Laoag. Built with an

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

, the church has an unusual two-story

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, supported by two pairs of

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

s on each side of the arched entrance architecture design and at the top of the facade holds a recessed niche that showcases the image of the city's

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

, William of Maleval. The dramatic increase in tourist arrivals also prompted the establishment of a Chinese consulate to oversee the security of Chinese citizens living or visiting the city. A new immigration policy was made to simplify entry of Chinese tourists into the country by issuing visitor visas at the airport upon arrival to entice more guests to come. Laoag City has been named as one of the top tourist destinations in Region I and in the country.

Transportation

services flights by PAL Express,

Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc. (), operating as Cebu Pacific (stylized in lowercase), is a Philippine low-cost airline based in Pasay, Metro Manila. Founded in 1988, the airline was the first low-cost carrier in Asia and is also the largest airline in the Phi ...

and Sky Pasada with destinations to and from

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

, Calayan Island, and

Basco, Batanes Basco, officially the Municipality of Basco (; Ilocano: ''Ili ti Basco''; ), is a municipality and capital of the province of Batanes, Philippines. In the 2020 census, it had a population of 9,517 people. Basco is the most populous town in B ...

. The

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

- Laoag vice versa will soon resume its direct flight with

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered at the Philippine National Bank, PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the oldest operating commercial airline in Asia. Philippine ...

as its carrier. Foreign airlines offer direct charter flights to Laoag as part of travel packages with optional excursions to tourist destinations outside the city. Tourists can find travel agencies including ticket offices of several airlines at the terminal building. Several large bus companies serve Laoag City making connections to North and Central Luzon provinces including Metro Manila. These transportation services are provided by GV Florida Transport, Viron Transit, Maria de Leon Bus Lines, Partas and Fariñas Transit Company. Laoag is from

via South Road Access of Laoag and via North Access of Laoag from

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

. Mode of transport within the city includes taxi, jeepney, tricycle, and kalesa. Mini buses have daily routes to and from Pagudpud, Batac, and Vigan among others. The Laoag bypass linking

on the western part serves as diversion road to long wheeler trucks without crossing the city proper. Another bypass road east of the city is under construction linking Bacarra and San Nicolas towns will help decongest traffic upon completion.

Education

As the provincial capital, Laoag is the center of social and economic activity with almost all major commercial and institutional establishments gravitating towards it. The importance of

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

in socializing its population is shared by both the local government and the private sector, which has invested heavily in the development of the academic infrastructure. The Schools Division Office of Laoag City governs all public and private schools within the municipality. There are three schools district offices which manage the operations of elementary and high schools, namely Laoag City Schools District I Office, Laoag City Schools District II Office, and Laoag City Schools District III Office.. Most of the lower-level schools are government-owned comprising a total of thirty-three elementary schools. Ten private elementary schools are also present including a Chinese school. In addition, there are eight private and six public high schools, and significant rise of integrated schools.

Primary and elementary schools

* Agripino P. Santos Elementary School * Alipio N. Ignacio Memorial Elementary School * Amarosa Elementary School * Bacsil Elementary School * Balacad Elementary School * Barit Elementary School * Bible Believing Baptist Church Educational Ministries Foundation (Elementary) * Buttong Elementary School * Cabeza Elementary School * Caaoacan Elementary School * Calayab Elementary School * Casili Elementary School * Cataban Elementary School * Caterpillar Centre for Early Learners * Cavit-Araniw Elementary School * Darayday Elementary School * Don Galicano R. Rafales Memorial Elementary School * Emmanuel Fundamental Baptist Learning Center * Eulalio. F. Siazon Memorial Elementary School * Faustino Reyes Memorial Elementary School * Gabaldon Elementary School * Gabu Elementary School * Ilocos Norte Adventist School * Kids' Kollege * Lagui-Sail Elementary School * Laoag Central Elementary School * Laoag Four Square Kindergarten School * Maranatha Christian School of Laoag * MRS Dayspring Christian School * Navotas Elementary School * Pila Elementary School * Plaridel Elementary School * Roque B. Ablan Elementary School * Salet Elementary School * Saved by Grace Christian Academy * Shamrock Elementary School * Sta. Maria Elementary School * St. Santiago School Foundation * Sto. Nino Elementary School * Suyo Elementary School * Tangid Elementary School * The Living Gates of Praise Christian School * The Salvation Army Educational Services * Vira Elementary School

Secondary schools

The Rodolfo CG Fariñas Jr. National Science High School which is the second being established in

Region under the Department of Science and Technology, located in Barangay Vira east of bypass road, has already opened since 2024 for Grades 7 and 8. The following are full list of secondary schools: * Balatong Integrated School * Bible Believing Baptist Church Educational Ministries Foundation * Caaoacan High School * DWCL Laboratory High School * Gabu National High School * Holy Spirit Academy of Laoag * INCAT * Ilocos Norte National High School * Ilocos Norte Regional School of Fisheries * International School of the Arts, the Languages, and the Academe * MMSU Laboratory High School * Northern Christian College Basic Education School * Northside Bible Baptist Academy * NU Laboratory High School * Our Saviour's Foundation * Padre Annibale Integrated School * San Mateo Integrated School * St. Joseph High School of Laoag * St. Mary's Seminary

Technical and vocational schools

Also found in Laoag are vocational schools namely: * Bel Arte School of Fine Arts * Lazo Fashion School * Overseas Technical Institute

Higher educational institutions

In order to provide continuing education to sustain the economic momentum of the region, the government has established tertiary public learning institutions in the city: the College of Teacher Education (CTE) and the College of Industrial Technology (CIT) of the

Mariano Marcos State University Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU; ) is a public university, higher education institution with campuses and facilities throughout Ilocos Norte province in the Philippines. Its main campus is in Batac. History Established through Pres ...

. Other higher education institutions in the city: * AIE College - Laoag * AMA Computer College * Data Center College of the Philippines * Divine Word College of Laoag * Ilocos Norte College of Arts & Trades *

* Northern Christian College * Northwestern University * STI College - Laoag

Sister cities

* Ozamiz,

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, NCR *

Dagupan Dagupan , officially the City of Dagupan (, , ), is a 2nd class independent component city in the Ilocos Region, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 174,302 people. Located on Lingayen Gulf on the northwest-central ...

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Xiamen Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Stra ...

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

* Laibin,

Huangshan Huangshan ( zh, s=黄山),Bernstein, pp. 125–127. literally meaning the Yellow Mountain(s), is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. It was originally called "Yishan", and it was renamed because of a legend that Em ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

Notable people

* Roque Ablan, Sr. – governor of Ilocos Norte and World War II guerilla. * Fidel Segundo – Filipino brigadier general and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

hero. * Severino Montano –

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the President of the Philippines on Philippine nationals who have made significant contributions to ...

for Literature * Purificacion Pedro –

Filipina Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino, English, or other Philippine languages. Despite formerly being subject to ...

social worker and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

layman who was killed by soldiers under the Marcos dictatorship. Her name is inscribed in the

Bantayog ng mga Bayani The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the Martial law under F ...

. * Soledad Salvador –

religious worker and activist in the

who fought against the Marcos dictatorship. Her name is inscribed in the

. * Antonio Zumel – Filipino journalist during the Marcos dictatorship. His name is inscribed in the

. * Orlando Quevedo – Filipino Catholic

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

, and Archbishop Emeritus Archdiocese of Cotabato * Fred Ruiz Castro – 12th

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines The chief justice of the Philippines () presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Supreme Court and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. As of April 5, 2021, the position is currently held by Alexander ...

* Diosdado Peralta – 26th

* Ysabel Ortega - actress

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * Philippine Standard Geographic Codebr>Philippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Cities in Ilocos Norte Provincial capitals of the Philippines Populated places established in 1580 1580 establishments in the Philippines Component cities in the Philippines