San Juan, officially the Municipality of San Juan (; ), is a coastal

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, know as the Surfing Capital of the North. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,507 people.

Etymology

The name ''San Juan'' is derived from the Spanish name

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 ...

(San Juan Bautista), a revered figure in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

recognized as the forerunner of

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. The town was named in his honor in 1586 by

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 ...

during the Spanish colonization, following the tradition of dedicating settlements to Christian saints. Saint John the Baptist's significant role in biblical history particularly his call for repentance and his baptism of Jesus in the

Jordan River The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead ...

made him an ideal patron for the municipality. The adoption of his name reflects the profound influence of Spanish

Catholicism 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 ...

on the cultural and historical identity of the area.

History

Early history

San Juan was originally a settlement of the Ilocano group called ''Samtoy'' and was known as ''Dalandan'', named after the native fruit ( ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' ) that grew abundantly in the area. The people in this settlement practiced

animistic Animism (from meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, Rock (geology), rocks, rivers, Weather, ...

religion and were actively engaged in trading goods with neighboring areas, including the

Igorots The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera in northern Luzon, Philippines, often referred to by the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples, are an ethnic group composed of nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ...

from the highlands, Pangasinans,

Tagalogs The Tagalog people are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Philippines, particularly the Metro Manila and Calabarzon regions and Marinduque province of southern Luzon, and comprise the majority in the provinces of Bulacan, Bataan, N ...

, and even traders from

Maritime Southeast Asia Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the Southeast Asian countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. The terms Island Southeast Asia and Insular Southeast Asia are sometimes given the same meaning as ...

n countries,

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. According to historian William Henry Scott, goods such as

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

beeswax Bee hive wax complex Beeswax (also known as cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in o ...

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

bead A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under 1 ...

s, and

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

s were exchanged in this trade network.

Spanish colonial era

In 1572, Spanish conquistador

Juan de Salcedo Juan de Salcedo (; 1549 – 11 March 1576) was a Spanish conquistador. He was the grandson of Spanish general Miguel López de Legazpi. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish conquest to the Philippines in 1565. He joined th ...

arrived in the area as part of his mission to pacify the northern regions following the Spanish conquest 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 ...

. His expedition landed in a nearby settlement, now

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

, and eventually reached the settlement of

Dalandan The dalandan is a fruit. The dalandan is also commonly named the sour orange to differentiate the fruit from other species. The dalandan grows on the Citrus nobilis, as the fruit is described as a hybrid between the Pomelo and the Mandarin orange. ...

, which was abundant in native citrus trees. Salcedo attempted to persuade the natives to pay tribute to Spain but did not remain in the area. He continued his journey northward until he reached

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 ...

, which he founded as "Villa Fernandina de Vigan" in honor of Prince Ferdinand, the son of King Philip II, who had died at the age of four. In 1582, the area of San Juan was proclaimed a mission station under the authority of the

Augustinian Order Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13th ...

and was initially named ''Baratao'', as recorded in the Nueva Segovia Bi-centennial souvenir booklet dated April 25, 1587. By 1586, the town had become the center of the parish and was renamed San Juan by the Augustinian friars in honor of the Catholic Patron

(''San Juan Bautista''). During this time, the settlement had an Augustinian convent, a population of 6,000, and Friar Agustin Niño served as its first priest. The settlement of San Juan, originally called ''Baratao'' or ''Baltao'', was composed of several settlements - Bauang, Mapatnag, Allangigan, Dayawan (now part of Bauang), San Miguel de Bacnotan (now part of Bacnotan), San Juan Bautista de Baltao, San Guillermo de Dalangdang, San Vicente de Balanac (now part of San Fernando), and a settlement called Bona or Boa. The center of the ''Ministerio'' was located at San Juan Bautista de Baltao, now known as San Juan. In 1587, town became the center of an ''

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...

'' owned by one Captain Bernardo Sandi. Around this time, Father Agustin Niño transferred the ''Ministerio'' to

Bauang Bauang, officially the Municipality of Bauang (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,449. Bauang is recognized as the ''"Fruit Basket and Beach Capital of th ...

, and San Juan became an alternate ''visita'' (a settlement without a parish priest) for Bauang and

Bacnotan Bacnotan, officially the Municipality of Bacnotan (; ), is a coastal municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,388 people. Etymology The name ''Bacnotan'' is derived from the ...

. By 1707, the Church of St. John the Baptist was constructed in San Juan.During these years, coastal settlements, especially during summer or when the sea was calm, were frequently raided by Tirongs and Moro pirates. These raids resulted in the abduction of women and children and widespread destruction. In response, watchtowers were constructed to protect the people from future threats. By 1772, the mission station of San Juan was placed under the authority of the Dominican Order. Jose de los Angeles became the first Captain Municipal of San Juan in 1782. In 1807, San Juan was officially established as a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

, with a permanent parish priest being assigned. On March 2, 1850, San Juan became part of the province of

, which was created by Governor-General Antonio Maria Blanco. During the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

of 1896, a great fire razed the entire town of San Juan, destroying the church, convent, rectory, and church registers. Despite this, records from 1898 to 1917 survived and were later microfilmed. After the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, Reverend Mariano Gaerlan, a native of San Juan, became the first Filipino parish priest of the town. He oversaw the reconstruction of the church, which had been destroyed during the revolution. His successor, Reverend Eustaquio Ocampo, continued the church's construction until its completion. During this period, San Juan temporarily ceased to be a parish, and its spiritual needs were managed by the parish priest from San Fernando. In 1918, San Juan regained its status as a parish, and municipal birth registers began being maintained starting in 1922.

American invasion era

After the

, Father Mariano Gaerlan was appointed priest. He was a native of San Juan, the first Filipino priest for the town, and one of the "Nine Clerics" of Nueva Segovia who fought in the revolution. He also began the reconstruction of the church in 1902, which was completed under his successor, Father Eustaquio Ocampo. Another local resident, also named Mariano Gaerlan, wrote ''Biag ti Maysa a Lakay, Wenno Nakaam-ames a Bales'' (i.e., ''Life of an Old Man, or a Dreadful Revenge'') under the pen-name of Batallador. The book was in the local

Ilokano language Iloco (also Iloko, Ilocáno or Ilokáno; ; Iloco: ) is an Austronesian language primarily spoken in the Philippines by the Ilocano people. It is one of the eight major languages of the Philippines with about 11 million speakers and ranks as th ...

and published in 1909. He was originally from

Candon, Ilocos Sur Candon, officially the City of Candon (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61, ...

where he also maintained a residence and an aspiring politician who was never elected to public office. He had several children including Nieves Gaerlan who married Antonio "Matias" Aquino, a then Mayor of San Juan, and "Captain" Candonino Gaerlan, a guerrilla leader, and Filipino war hero.

Japanese occupation era

From 1941 to 1945 San Juan was occupied by the invading Japanese forces during

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 ...

. On January 19, 1942, Gaerlan co-led the first guerrilla ambush against Japanese forces in the Philippines, which was prosecuted on the southern outskirts of Candon. He was subsequently appointed commander of the Third Battalion of the 121st Infantry Regiment of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines – Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL). This regiment is often referred to as the La Union Infantry Regiment and was commanded by "Captain" George M. Barnett. Gaerlan was killed and subsequently beheaded later that same year at San Juan after he was betrayed by the local chief of police while visiting his sister. His head was stuffed into a jar of alcohol and displayed in the plazas of the towns en route to Candon. There the town mayor convinced the Japanese that this was in poor taste, and the container was thrown into a rice paddy west of the town. As the war progressed, crops and local services were destroyed. Food was in short supply. San Juan was liberated in 1945 by the soldiers of the 121st Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and guerrillas of the La Union Infantry Regiment during the Battle of San Fernando under Major

Russell W. Volckmann Russell William Volckmann (October 23, 1911 – June 30, 1982) was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, a U.S. Army Infantry Branch (United States), infantry officer and a leader of the Philippine Commonwealth, Philippi ...

on their way to meet the liberating forces of

General Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army. He served with distinction in World War I; as chief of ...

on the beaches of

Lingayen Gulf Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central (Luzon), Cordillera Central. The Agno ...

Philippine independence

After the war, inflation led to the financial crisis of 1950 which was followed by the introduction of import controls. Subsequent government-sponsored irrigation systems and farm technicians led to a slow but assured recovery with increased productivity and profitability.

Geography

The Municipality of San Juan is located in the west of the province of La Union, along the Manila North Road, between latitudes 16°39'N and 16°43'N and longitudes 120°9'E and 120°15'E. San Juan is bounded on the north by the municipality of

along the Baroro River, and on the east by the municipalities of San Gabriel and

Bagulin Bagulin, officially the Municipality of Bagulin (; ), is a landlocked, upland municipality in La Union, Philippines. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 14,428. Bagulin is well-known for its broom-making industry, particularly its hig ...

along the Dasay-Duplas-Nagyubuyuban Creek. On the south it is bounded by

and on the west by 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 ...

. The topography of the town is characterized by hilly and mountainous terrain that gradually rises eastward from its coastal plains along 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 ** ...

. The town is also traversed by several creeks and rivers, with the Baroro River being the most prominent. The total land area of San Juan is , which is 4% of the province of La Union. Some 505.08 hectares or 8.46% is claimed by the municipality of Bacnotan and San Fernando City. San Juan is situated from the provincial capital

, and from the country's capital city of

Barangays

San Juan is politically subdivided into 41

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 with upland and lowland barangays. 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 ...

. * Allangigan * Aludaid * Bacsayan * Balballosa * Bambanay * Bugbugcao * Caarusipan * Cabaroan * Cabugnayan * Cacapian * Caculangan * Calincamasan * Casilagan * Catdongan * Dangdangla * Dasay * Dinanum * Duplas * Guinguinabang * Ili Norte (''

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 ...

'') * Ili Sur (''Poblacion'') * Legleg * Lubing * Nadsaag * Nagsabaran * Naguirangan * Naguituban * Nagyubuyuban * Oaquing * Pacpacac * Pagdildilan * Panicsican * Quidem * San Felipe * Santa Rosa * Santo Rosario * Saracat * Sinapangan * Taboc * Talogtog * Urbiztondo

Climate

The climate in San Juan is "dry" from November to April and "wet" from May to October. The south-west monsoon brings abundant rainfall during the wet season, whereas the north-east monsoon passing over the Cordillera Mountains to the east brings the drier conditions. The average annual temperature is .

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of San Juan, La Union, was 98,345 people, with a density of . According to a local 1896 census, the population of San Juan was 10,510. At that time, there were twenty-eight barrios inhabited by 9,989 residents, and four rancherias inhabited by 521 "infieles" or non-Christians (''Igorots''). These barrios were Ili, Barraca, Panicsican, Talogtog, Sabangan, Taboc, Lubing, Sinapangan, Cacapian, Caculangan, Santa Rosa, Caaniyan, Oaquing, Catdongan, Caarusipan, Guinguinabang, Bugbugcao, Pacpacac, Legleg, Nadsaag, Capacuan, Bacnotan, Dasay, Al-langigan, Bombuneg, Balballosa, Duplas and San Felipe. The rancherias were Rancho de Locutan, Indang, Amontoc and Losoya. Yli, also known as Poblacion, had a population of 1,134 residents described as 2 "Españoles peninsulares", 2 "Mestizos de español", 1,122 "naturales" and 8 "Chinos". In the early 1900s

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

was a scourge that took the lives of many people.San Juan Registros Paroquiales, Defunciones (1898-1908). As of the census of 2000, San Juan was home to 30,393 indigenous

Ilocano people The Ilocano people (), also referred to as Ilokáno, Iloko, Iloco, Iluku, or Samtoy, are an Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnolinguistic group native to the Philippines. Originally from the Ilocos Region, located on the northwestern coa ...

, concentrated in six barangays along the national highway. This is equivalent to 33.86% of the total population and is growing at the rate of 1.8% per annum. The average population density was 2,964 persons per square kilometer. In the two urban barangays where some 15% of the population reside, the population density rose to 3,073 persons per square kilometer, while in the remaining rural barangays the population density was 2,886 persons per square kilometer.

Language

Ilocano is the predominant language of the municipality.

Economy

Agriculture

Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for the residents of San Juan, La Union. The municipality has approximately 1,765 hectares of land dedicated to rice cultivation, 722 hectares to tobacco and corn, and the remainder to vegetables and root crops. Yellow corn, a key agricultural product, is widely grown in the area and serves as a raw material for various food and industrial products, including starch, corn oil, beverages, gluten, and snacks. It also accounts for around 50% of the feed used in local livestock and poultry industries. Yellow corn was nominated as the town's product under the One Town One Product (OTOP) PhilippinesPhilippines program, an initiative of President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and generating employment.

Cottage Industries

San Juan is home to several thriving cottage industries, including ''damili'' (

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

), which produces items such as pots, animal feed containers, well pipes, decorative pottery, roof tiles, and traditional Ilocano earthenware such as '' burnay'' (earthen jars) and ''dalikan'' (firewood stoves). Other notable folk industries in the town include blanket-weaving,

basketry Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

, bamboo craft, and soft broom-making. Additionally, hollow concrete blocks are produced in rural areas for use in local construction projects.

Tourism

San Juan is considered to be the Surfing Capital of the Northern Philippines and is known for its consistent intermediate quality surf and two surfing seasons from July to October and November to March. There is also a famous falls located at duplas san Juan called pipti papawes falls . There is also a local museum, Museo de San Juan.

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 institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public elementary and high schools.

Primary and elementary schools

* Bacsayan Elementary School * Balballosa Elementary School * Bugbugcao Elementary School * Caagraoan Elementary School * Cabaroan Elementary School * Concordia Learning Center * Dasay Elementary School * Escuela San Juan Bautista * Legleg Elementary School * Lubing Elementary School * Holy Angels Montessori and Learning Center * Nadsaag Elementary School * Naguituban Elementary School * San Felipe Elementary School * San Juan Central Elementary School * Sta. Rosa Elementary School * Sto. Rosario Elementary School * Taboc Elementary School * UCCP - Nursery-Kindergarten School * Urbiztondo Elementary School

Secondary schools

* Sto. Rosario National High School * San Juan National High School * San Juan Senior High School

Gallery

File:Museo de San Juan, La Union, Jan 2024.jpg, Museo de San Juan File:Inside San Juan Church, La Union, Jan 2024.jpg, St. John the Baptist Parish File:San Juan Public Market, La Union, Jan 2024.jpg, Public Market File:San Juan Beach, La Union, Jan 2024 (2).jpg, Beach in San Juan File:San Juan People's Park, La Union, Jan 2024.jpg, People's Park File:4384Dalumpinas Oeste, San Fernando Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union 20.jpg, Urbiztondo File:SanJuanLaUnionChurchjf7125 17.JPG, Town Plaza

References

External links

Philippine Standard Geographic Code The Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) is a systematic classification and coding for geographic areas in the Philippines. It classifies areas based on the country's four levels of administrative divisions: regions, provinces, municipalities ...

Philippine Census Information

Local Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of La Union Beaches of the Philippines Surfing locations in the Philippines