San Juan, officially the Municipality of San Juan (; ), formerly called as Lapog, is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in 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 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 ...

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 26,674 people. The town was named in honor of its patron,

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. As it produces the most number of goods made of buri leaf in the province, it is sometimes called the "Buri Capital of Ilocos Sur".

History

The town was established in 1772 as Lapog. Over the years, the name of the municipality went through a series of changes. The early settlers and occupants called it "''Lapo''", short for "''Lapo-Lapo''", a tall grass which grew everywhere in the area. In 1772, Don Tomas Aquino, the first local leader, initiated the organization of the scattered communities into one, calling the place "''Lapog''", a derivative of local vernacular "''Lap-Lapog''" which means unirrigated land. It was stricken by all sorts of plagues and epidemics (like the

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

epidemics of 1808 and 1918–19,

locust Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they b ...

infestation in 1903, and destruction of ricefields by worms called "arabas" in 1905). Bessang Pass, just south of the poblacion, was constructed in 1874. Americans destroyed their town hall in 1903. But despite these misfortunes, San Juan progressed into a prosperous community. For 189 years, "''Lapog''" remained in the records as the official name of the town until June 18, 1961, when

Republic Act This article contains a partial list of Philippine laws. Sources of Philippine laws ;Notes : *Customs may be considered as supplementary source of law, however, customs which are contrary to law, public order or public policy shall not ...

No. 3386 was enacted to rename the town, "San Juan". Since most of the inhabitants were of the belief that religious names bring peace, happiness, and prosperity, the town was renamed "''San Juan''", after the name of its patron saint, Saint

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

Geography

The Municipality of San Juan is bordered by

Cabugao Cabugao, officially the Municipality of Cabugao (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 38,884 people. Etymology In the beginning, the place was only a wilderne ...

to the north,

Magsingal Magsingal, officially the Municipality of Magsingal (; ) is a 1st class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 31,308 people. Etymology The name of the municipality came from ...

to the south, the provinces of

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 ...

and Abra to the east. San Juan is situated from the provincial capital

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 from the country's capital city of

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 ...

Barangays

San Juan is politically subdivided into 32

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 ...

. * Asilang * Bacsil * Baliw * Bannuar (

Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (from Spanish '' población'', meaning "population"), sometimes abbreviated as Pob., is a term used in the Philippines to refer to the administrative center, downtown, old town, or commercial area of a city or municipality. It ...

) * Barbar * Cabanglotan * Cacandongan * Camanggaan * Camindoroan * Caronoan * Darao * Dardarat * Guimod Norte * Guimod Sur * Immayos Norte * Immayos Sur * Labnig * Lapting * Lira (

) * Malamin * Muraya * Nagsabaran * Nagsupotan * Pandayan (

) * Refaro * Resurreccion (

) * Sabangan * San Isidro * Saoang * Solotsolot * Sunggiam * Surngit

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, San Juan had a population of 26,674. The population density was .

Economy

Government

Local government

San Juan, 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

The San Juan Schools District Office governs all educational institution within the municipality.

Primary and elementary schools

* Asilang Primary School * Bacsil Community School * Barbar Elementary School * Camanggaan Elementary School * Camindoroan Community School * Caronoan Elementary School * Darao Elementary School * Dardarat Elementary School * Don F. Quilala Memorial Elementary School * Labnig Elementary School * Malamin Elementary School * Muraya Primary School * Nagsabaran Elementary School * Nagsuputan Elementary School * Refaro Elementary School * Sabangan Elementary School * San Isidro Elementary School * San Juan North Central School * San Juan South Central School * Saoang Elementary School * Singson Verzosa Elementary School * Solotsolot Elementary School * Sunggiam Elementary School

Secondary schools

* Nagsuputan National High School * San Juan Institute, Ilocos Sur * San Juan National High School * Solotsolot National High School

References

External links

Act renaming the Municipality of Lapog to San JuanPasyalang Ilocos SurLapoguenio PerspectivesPhilippine Standard Geographic CodePhilippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Ilocos Sur