Santiago, officially the Municipality of Santiago (; ), 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 19,471 people. The town was named in honor of Saint James (). One of the town's attractions, Santiago Cove, is dubbed as the "

Boracay Boracay (; sometimes shortened by non-natives as Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay, Panay Island. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of thre ...

of Ilocos Sur" because of its white sand.

History

As soon as the Spaniards colonized the Philippines, Spain sent missionaries to proselytize Christianity, one of their purposes for colonization. Christianity then spread throughout the Philippines. The Spaniards established settlements called pueblos and divided these into sitios for easier proselytization and evangelization. From then on, tribunals were built for the Spanish government, and churches and convents were constructed for the missionaries to live. In June 1578, Spain started the Moro Wars in Jolo. This aggressive act marked the beginning of a long, bloody conflict between Spaniards and the Moros in the Philippines. In 1602, Spain sent punitive expeditions to Zamboanga, Cotabato, and other places to curb the rising tide of Moro depredations. Numerous watchtowers were built along the seacoasts from Mindanao to Luzon. Armed galleys and frigates patrolled the sea-lanes. The Moros stopped the raids for a while. The Moros renewed their piratical forays. In 1717, they swept the Visayan Islands and attacked Aparri and Northern Luzon. According to an old resident, Moro pirates entered the pueblo known today as Santiago prior to their return to Jolo. Guards in the watchtowers sounded their trumpets warning all the people of the pueblo of the arrival of the pirates. The church bells also rang alarming the people that pirates were fast approaching the shore. The people rushed and got their available arms like bolos, bows and arrows and fought the pirates boldly. Sporadic battles ensued for hours. As the battle went on, the missionaries brought forth an image of St. James the Greater which they bought with them from Spain, and held it high to face the seashore - praying the rosary fervently for the safety and victory of his Christian followers, The Moros retreated and fled southward in their kumpits leaving behind their dead. After the battle, a solemn mass was held in the church. The missionaries told the people that due to the great intercession and miraculous protection of the image of

St. James the Greater James the Great (Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles to ...

from the Moro Pirates, this pueblo was saved and in his honor, this town was named Santiago (Spanish for Saint James).

Geography

Santiago 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

Santiago is politically subdivided into 24

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 ...

. * Al-aludig * Ambucao * San Jose (Baraoas) * Baybayabas * Bigbiga * Bulbulala * Busel-busel * Butol * Caburao * Dan-ar * Gabao * Guinabang * Imus * Lang-ayan * Mambug * Nalasin * Olo-olo Norte * Olo-olo Sur *

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 ...

Norte * Poblacion Sur * Sabangan * Salincub * San Jose * San Roque * Ubbog

Climate

Demographics

In the 2020 census, Santiago had a population of 19,471. The population density was .

Language

The main dialect of Santiago is Ilocano.

Economy

Santiago is the headquarters of the Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative (ISECO), which distributes electricity to the entire province.

Government

Local government

Santiago, belonging to the second 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 Santiago Schools District Office governs all public and private education system within the municipality. The Schools District Office (SDO) oversees the operations of private and public elementary and high schools.

Primary and elementary schools

* Ambucao Elementary School * Butol Elementary School * Caburao Elementary School * Dan-ar Community School * Gabao Elementary School * Olo-olo Elementary School * Sabangan Elementary School * Salincub Elementary School * San Roque Elementary School * Santiago North Central School * Santiago South Central School

Secondary schools

* Santiago Catholic School * Santiago Institute * Santiago National High School

Higher educational institution

* Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College

Gallery

File:TobaccoField.JPG, A field of tobacco growing in Baybayabas File:Fishing in Ilocos Sur.JPG, A man fishing just offshore near Gabao Beach. File:SabanganBeach.JPG, A beach in Ambucao

References

External links

Pasyalang Ilocos SurPhilippine Standard Geographic CodePhilippine Census InformationLocal Governance Performance Management System
{{Authority control Municipalities of Ilocos Sur