San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur

San Ildefonso is a 5th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 5,584 people in 1,127 households. The municipality was established in March 1625. As of May 2007, San Ildefonso is ruled by mayor-elect Christian Purisima.

Barangays

San Ildefonso is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.

* Arnap
* Bahet
* Belen
* Bungro
* Busiing Sur
* Busiing Norte
* Dongalo
* Gongogong
* Iboy
* Otol-Patac
* Poblacion East
* Poblacion West
* Quinamantirisan
* Sagneb
* Sagsagat

Geographical Location

San Ildefonso is located South of Sto. Domingo, West of Abra (but is separated by the Caraballo Mountain range), East of San Vicente & North of Bantay.

Origin of the Municipality's Name

San Ildefonso, like other places in the province at the beginning of the Spanish Regime, does not have a name. But sometime on 1625, its inhabitants decided to give it a name, but nothing came out after more than five hours of discussions. So while thinking of a name, they decided to go fishing for a week. And while preparing to go fishing, they saw a box floating not far from shore. Wading to reach the box and carrying it ashore, they opened the box to find the statue of Saint Ildephonse. The young women of the place carried the statue to the center of the village, where it was enshrined in a small hut for many years. He became the patron saint of the municipality, and his name was decided to become the name of the fledgling municipality.

San Ildefonso was a former "rancheria" of Bantay before it became a municipality, but because of its size it was annexed to Santo Domingo as a barrio. In 1921, Assemblyman (and future Philippine president) Elpidio Quirino worked to convert San Ildefonso into a municipality again.

Local Educational Institutions

"'Public (Under the Department of Education)"'

•Belen National High School

•San Ildefonso Central School

•Bungro Elementary School

•Sagsagat Elementary School

•Busiing Community School

Philippine Science High School-Ilocos Region Campus

•Philippine Science High School - Ilocos Region Campus - established on February, 2002, through the initiative of former Ilocos Sur 1st district congressman Salacnib Baterina. It was the 8th Regional PSHS Campus to be established. Today, it serves as an educational institution for 183 students who are from Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Baguio City, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Quezon City, Manila, Tarlac, Cavite, Bulacan & La Union. Dr. Larry L. Cabatic, is the school's present campus director, and has been serving since 2003.

Additional Information

• Basi is the main product of San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur.

• A new nutritious ice cream made up of vegetables called "Bungro Ice Cream" is being popularized by the town's Local Government.

• The government is waging its program called "ALISTO San Ildefonso".

• The town is rich in corn, sugarcane, malunggay & fruit-bearing trees such as starapple, chico, mango, camachile & atis.

• The Department of Agriculture's Research on Agriculture has an office here in San Ildefonso.

200th anniversary

On September 28, 2007, San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur, Philippines officials (Governor Deogracias Victor Savellano and Rep. Ronald Singson) commemorated the Basi Revolt. Recently, the Sangguniang Bayan of San Ildefonso approved a resolution declaring September 16 as a non-working holiday and named the old road in Gongogong as Ambaristo street in honor Pedro Ambaristo, leader of the Basi Revolt. Mayor Christian Purisima enrolled basi as their entry into the “"One Town; One Product"” (OTOP) program of Governor Savellano. [ [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=94222 Abs-Cbn Interactive, Ilocanos mark 200 yrs. of Basi Revolt] ]

External links

* [http://www.pasyalan.net/ilocos_sur/ Pasyalang Ilocos Sur]
* [http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/default.asp Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
* [http://www.t-macs.com/kiso/local/ 2000 Philippine Census Information]

References