Pugo, La Union

Pugo is a 5th class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. Pugo is the smallest town of La Union in terms of land area, and is located at the foot of the Santo Tomas mountain range just about an hour away from Baguio City. It is primarily an agricultural town. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 13,442 people in 2,520 households.

The name of Pugo has its origin from Pangalato Language a language used in Pangasinan a province south of La Union. Pugo as well as other parts of southern La Union was once part of the ethnoliguistic territory of Pangalato speaking people prior to political subdivision during the Spanish regime. Now, only a minority speaks Pangalato in La Union maily in Municipalities of Rosario and Sto Tomas. The term "Pugo" which means Small Islands or Islets does not mean though that Pugo is an Island. The term is describing the huge rockbeds, in the Tapuakan River which also features rockwalls, and huge rocks which is now known as the Tapuakan Resort. The resort is located in Barangay Cares. There is though another version of the origin of the name of Pugo which can be access through: http://www.pugo.gov.ph/index.php?cat1=3

Scenic spots in Pugo include Tapuakan Resort, the Nagbukel and the hot springs. Tapuakan Resort features rest areas where the people can enjoy the natural slides of the river. It also has a hot spring where tourists and the Pugonians go often as they believe that the spring can heal certain skin and pulmonary diseases. Nagbukel is found at Barangay Ambangonan, and many people also go there despite its remote location.

In terms of government projects, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared that there will be a project focused in developing Marcos Park including the Marcos bust. The park comprising 300 hectares, a part of which is located in Palina, Pugo, is soon to be rehabilitated and further developed into a mountain resort complex to include the Marcos Highway as a Scenic Highway. The actual site is in Barangay Palina (Northeast boundary before Tuba, Benguet) and Tuba, Benguet itself. The project is expected to benefit not only La Union but also Benguet and Baguio itself since Barangay Palina shares a part of the Jose D. Aspiras Highway (formerly Marcos Highway), the main route to Baguio City. Marcos Park was once the location of the bust of the late Former Dictator then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Treasure Hunters as well as the Residents once claim that it was one of the site where Marcos hide the Fabled Yamashita Treasure. The bust was destroyed in December 29, 2002 and the identity of the perpetrators remains unclear. Rumors suggest it was the left-wing activists, members of a local tribe - or possibly looters hunting for one of Marcos' legendary treasure troves.

Barangays

Pugo is politically subdivided into 14 barangays.

* Ambalite
* Ambangonan
* Cares
* Cuenca
* Duplas
* Maoasoas Norte
* Maoasoas Sur
* Palina
* Poblacion East
* San Luis
* Saytan
* Tavora East
* Tavora Proper
* Poblacion West

External links

* [http://www.pasyalan.net/la_union/ Pasyalan La Union]
* [http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/default.asp Philippine Standard Geographic Code]
* [http://www.t-macs.com/kiso/local/ 2000 Philippine Census Information]