Misplaced Pages

#801198

80-491: Formerly known as the "Home of the Native Tobacco", Tubao was famous for its tobacco leaf and cigars. It had a tobacco trade for decades where its town center was littered by huge tobacco warehouses and trading posts for tobacco. Today, corn is its prime agricultural output where Chichacorn is among its by-products. The town has an average annual income of PHP 42,803,624 pesos. Legend states that Tubao got its name when

160-649: A promovido to fuse the Pangasinan-Ilocos-Cordillera areas into La Union . On March 2, 1850, Governor General Antonio Maria Blanco signed the Superior Decreto of La Union (34th province from Cebu-1565), with Captain Toribio Ruiz de la Escalera as the first Gobernador Military y Politico. Isabella II of Spain decreed the province's creation on April 18, 1854. The new province comprised the north-western towns of Pangasinan and

240-532: A revolutionary government until the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines could be ratified. During this time, the Municipality of Agoo was placed under the administration of OIC Mayor Antonio Q. Estrada. At 4.26 P.M. on July 16, 1990, Agoo was hit by the 1990 Luzon earthquake , and was one of the most severely affected locales. The Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Charity was badly damaged, and

320-595: A city mayor and city vice mayor along with 14 councilors in the Sangguniang Panlungsod, new positions for which the former municipal officials could run despite having the terms limits of their offices. The proposed bill sparked protests from the people of both Agoo and Aringay who did not want the merger because it would subject them to the same high local taxes as Agoo and because of concerns that Agoo and Aringay would lose their cultural identities. The proposed merger did not push through within term of

400-480: A density of 630 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,600 inhabitants per square mile. Poverty incidence of Tubao Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Just as the national government, the municipal government of Tubao, is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judiciary. The judicial branch is administered solely by the Supreme Court of the Philippines . The LGUs have control of

480-573: A four-mile stretch of beach all the way from Agoo to just north of Damortis. Agoo is thus recorded in WWII annals as one of the Japanese staging points for the Battle of Rosario . The beginning of the 1970s marked a period of turmoil and change in the Philippines because Ferdinand Marcos had used foreign debt to fund too many public works projects just before his 1969 reelection campaign, which led to

560-412: A parish census. A Belgian missionary from the same congregation ( Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae ) Rev. Father Charles Beurms, assisted Father Martens and became the first director of the school. Father Martens also founded "The Apostleship of Prayer" (1912) and "Los Defensores de la Libertad" which later became the "Cabsat ni San Isidro." In 1922, the first group of Belgian missionary sisters of

640-598: A port deteriorated when the Spanish closed the Philippines to foreign trade. When foreign trade was allowed again, the shape of the gulf had changed and it was thus Sual that became the dominant port. Most of the town's early development can be attributed to the efforts of the Augustinian Order . They took over from the Franciscans and administered the town off and on throughout the Spanish occupation until

720-522: A tour. After 68 years, the Belgian CICM and ICM sisters handed the school administration in 1984 to the Diocese of San Fernando, La Union. The last ICM principal was Sister Cleofe Bacon who left in 1998. The Sancho building was damaged by the 1990 Luzon earthquake and was renovated. Only the first floor remains of the original building built by Father Van Nuffelen. The Martens building now houses

800-516: A week galloping in and out of Tubao and Salcedo" in pursuit of General Emilio Aguinaldo and his forces. Capt. Santiago Fontanilla, heading 130 men with four officers and 87 rifles, fought against the Americans. When he narrowly escaped capture in Kapangan , he abandoned personal equipment which included a horse and Colt .45 pistol both belonging to Colonel Gutierrez, his commander. Up to 1912,

880-463: Is 78.9. Direction of the wind blowing in the area is mostly from south-west to north-east due to south-west monsoons. The area has a natural shield of winds blowing from the east because of the Cordillera mountain ranges. During summer, in the absence of any weather disturbance, wind blows from west to east as natural sea breeze. In the 2020 census, the population of Tubao was 31,763 people, with

SECTION 10

#1732791366802

960-622: Is bounded on the north by Aringay , on the east by the municipality of Tubao further up the foothills of the Cordilleras, and on the south by Santo Tomas . Agoo's western shores consist of a long beach facing Lingayen Gulf and South China Sea. The Agoo River, which is sometimes referred by the locals as the Principe River after the Taytay Principe Bridge which traverses it along the main highway, flows through

1040-407: Is celebrated annually on May 14 and 15. On March 28, 1873, residents of the settlement, composed of nine barrios from Agoo (Macoton, Amboot, Caoigue, Pideg, Damosil, Masalip, Linapew, Anduyan and Ambañgonan) together with six other barrios from Aringay] (Santa Theresa, Copang, Calopaan, Bugarin, Guinitaban and San Pascual) petitioned for the creation of a new municipality. Pugo , then part of Tubao

1120-1263: Is seventy percent (70%) alluvial plains and thirty percent (30%) uplands. Highest portion is located in Barangay Rizal, which is more than 500 metres (1,600 ft) above sea level. Flat lands are found in the middle portion of the town, in between its southern and northern hilly sections. Soil types are found as follows: San Manuel silt loam in Barangay Santa Teresa with an approximate area of 336 hectares; Umingan Clay loam in Poblacion and Anduyan; Barcelona Clay in Barangay Leones; Mountain soils, annam clay loam and Bauang clay in Santa Teresa, Halog, Gonzales, Anduyan, Linapew and Garcia.Soil types are found as follows: San Manuel silt loam in Barangay Santa Teresa with an approximate area of 336 hectares; Umingan Clay loam in Poblacion and Anduyan; Barcelona Clay in Barangay Leones; Mountain soils, annam clay loam and Bauang clay in Santa Teresa, Halog, Gonzales, Anduyan, Linapew and Garcia. The climate prevailing in

1200-811: The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia . The Tubao Church is under the Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier with Vicar Forane, Fr. Joel Angelo Licos. The Church was rehabilitated and renovated in 1980 under Jose D. Aspiras . On March 8, 1900, during the Philippine–American War , the people of Tubao petitioned against the return of the friars. On November 19, 1899, General Samuel Baldwin Marks Young , American commander in Northern Luzon marched through Tubao to Aringay then to Agoo . Later he "spent

1280-651: The Cortes Generales of Madrid. The missionary started gathering materials for a new church and a convent but could not carry out his plan as he left in January 1898; it took more than 30 years before these projects materialized. As of 2012, the St. Isidore the Farmer Parish Church of Tubao (canonically erected in 1896), 2509 La Union, celebrates its fiesta every May 15. It is under the jurisdiction of

1360-848: The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando de La Union (Dioecesis Ferdinandopolitana ab Unione, Suffragan of Lingayen – Dagupan, which was created on January 19, 1970, and erected on April 11, 1970, comprising the Civil Province of La Union, under the Titular, St. William the Hermit, February 10). The Church is under a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines from

1440-504: The light cruiser Natori , destroyers Fumizuki , Nagatsuki , Satsuki , Minazuki , Harukaze , Hatakaze , three minesweepers, six anti-submarine craft and six transports) was supposed to land on the beaches of Agoo beginning 5:00 A.M. on December 22, 1941, having left Takao on Taiwan the evening of December 18. The Japanese 47th Infantry and 4th Tank Regiment were confronted by heavy weather, however, and were thus delayed and dispersed. They landed at about 7:30 A.M. on

1520-585: The 16th Congress. Since 2010, either the Municipality Agoo has been regularly declared an election hotspot due to incidences of violence during national and local election periods. Major incidents include the murder of former Tubao Vice Mayor Lazaro Gayo outside his law office near Agoo's Municipal Hall, and an alleged assassination attempt on Tubao Mayor Dante Garcia in the same year; and an alleged assassination attempt on former Congressman Eufranio Eriguel in 2016. Media attributed

1600-507: The 1950s. In 1927, a land was bought from Baltazar Dulay for P200 pesos, north of the church. A few years later, the sacristy was built on this property. Another lot, west of the sacristy, was bought from Don Francisco Zandueta (La Union Governor from 1910 to 1912) and was partly occupied by a bamboo warehouse for storing tobacco rented by Chan Chin Ko Baltazar, father of Florencio Chan Baltazar who later became municipal mayor. The warehouse

1680-861: The 1969 Philippine economic crisis and the First Quarter Storm protests. La Union residents mostly did not speak up about the economic stresses they were experiencing, but when Marcos declared martial law in 1972, Agoo was included with the rest of the country. Marcos' efforts to consolidate political power did not get much resistance in the La Union , including Agoo, since Marcos' use of violent methods for stifling dissent thus mostly took place in other provinces, such as nearby Abra , Kalinga , and Mountain Province . Marcos also had strong political ties to La Union, notably Jose D. Aspiras whom he appointed as Tourism Minister. He also allowed

SECTION 20

#1732791366802

1760-656: The 2018 Barangay elections. In 2021, the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) established the Agoo Eco-Park in a 10,774.68 hectare area (of which 3% is land in Barangay Sta Rita West, while the rest is part of the marine ecosystem) has already been designated designated as a Protected Landscape and Seascape as part of the Agoo–Damortis Protected Landscape and Seascape (ADLPS) in 2018, and 2021 marked

1840-421: The 2020 census, it has a population of 66,028 people. Agoo is 235 kilometres (146 mi) from Metro Manila , 34 kilometres (21 mi) from the provincial capital San Fernando , and 52 kilometres (32 mi) from Baguio via Marcos Highway . The name agoo is usually attributed to " aroo " a pine-like evergreen tree ( Casuarina equisetifolia or whistling pine) that thrived in the western coast during

1920-761: The Aringay-Tonglo-Balatok gold trail, was traded in Agoo as well as its neighbor settlement in Aringay. Evidence of trade between Agoo and China has been excavated in the form of porcelain and pottery pieces unearthed at the site of the Catholic church during its renovation, - which are now kept in the Museo de Iloko . Japanese fishermen eventually established their first settlement in the Philippines at Agoo, passing on their fishing skills and technologies to

2000-553: The Countryside," is notable for having been the first pastoral to be written against Marcos' martial law administration, and even doubly so because Mabutas was considered a conservative within the Catholic church hierarchy in the Philippines. On July 23, 1945, the Municipal government, then led by Mayor Miguel Fontanilla, established South Provincial High School in response to education-oriented citizen Ramon Mabutas' calls for

2080-743: The Immaculate Heart of Mary (Immaculati Cordis Mariae) arrived headed by Mother Marie Andrea and followed by Mother Marie Ambroise in 1923. The latter became the first principal for the Tubao Catholic high school with the opening of the First Year class. In 1924, the Second Year class was added. The lot on which the church building and the convent of the Sisters were built on was bought from Doña Laureana Novicio de Luna, mother of

2160-641: The Mangrove pagatpat was the single most common species, and was identified as one of three species “likely to influence the growth and survival of other species” - the other two being the Ayangile, and the Aroo tree after which the town of Agoo is named. After local tensions leading up to the 2022 Philippine local elections , Frank Ong Sibuma was elected as the Municipal Mayor of Agoo. Sibuma's candidacy

2240-588: The Roman Catholic Church. Even the residence of former Mayor Antonio Verceles became the staff house of all the Japanese officers. Hence, its preservation from the mass burning of houses during the Japanese retreat. Father Albert Van Nuffelen, parish priest from 1949 to 1954 constructed two new buildings and named these the new Martens and Sancho buildings, south and north of the present basketball court which he also built. In 1954, Father Jose de Hayes became parish priest and school director. He proposed

2320-750: The Saint Isidore School for grade school classes which was revived in the late 1990s. On December 30, 1996, Fr. Noel C. Mabutas, Parish Priest and Mr. Jose C. Taveres, Parish Council President signed the Centennial Marker in the Church Door, under the lead of Archbishops Oscar V. Cruz , Antonio R. Tobias, D.D. and Antonio Ll. Mabutas, D.D. with the Centennial Executive Board. The 1954 Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto (built by Fr. Albert Van Nuffelen, CICM, on 1954)

2400-464: The Spaniards led by Father Luis Gonzaga y Espinosa, in their desire to spread Christianity, headed towards the eastern parts of Agoo. At that time, these parts of Agoo were hinterlands and heavily forested. While the Spaniards were resting under the trees, they distributed manuscripts of the cartilla and catechism to the natives. Suddenly, they heard a loud chorus of the sound "tuao", emanating from

2480-531: The Tubao Catholic High School established by Father Martens before. A primary school was also opened in Pideg (1931) and Amallapay (1933?). From 1934 to 1935, Father Morice Vanoverbergh installed the tiled floors on the church. He was a scholar and did outstanding work in botany, anthropology and linguistics. The parish priests expanded the church yard and bought more lots in the 1920s up to

Tubao - Misplaced Pages Continue

2560-531: The alleged Marian apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Judiel Nieva . Nieva reported seeing the Virgin Mary, popularly known as Our Lady of Agoo atop a Guava tree, a statue weeping with blood became highly sensationalized. Religious pilgrimages among Filipino Catholics increased by the millions as people flocked to see the phenomenon. The alleged apparition and healing events came into

2640-473: The attention of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines , who in turn began an investigation and later released an ecclesiastical ruling that the apparitions were non-supernatural in origin in 1993. On June 11, 2014, then-representative Eufranio Eriguel filed House Bill 4644 to establish the first city in the second district by merging the municipalities of Agoo and Aringay. The bill

2720-794: The beginning of systematic reforestation efforts under the national greening program (NGP) which the national government first launched in 2011. A 2023 vegetation survey of the land area alone found thriving populations of 17 plants, or which 7 were native and 4 were naturalized while only 6 were exotic, cultivated or unclassified. Philippine Native trees found in the survey included the Mangrove pagatpat (Sonneratia alba), Ayangile (Acacia confusa), Aroo (Casuarina equisetifolia), Talisay (Terminalia catappa L.) and Bakawan lalaki (Rhizophora apiculata) and native undergrowth species included Bagaswa (Ipomoea pes-caprae L.), Kawad-kawaran (Cynodon dactylon) and Putok-putok (Ruellia tuberosa). Of these,

2800-409: The bell tower which was then the only remaining structure from the 1893 church, crashed completely. The Agoo municipal building collapsed completely, killing numerous citizens who were inside because they were in line to pay in time for the national income tax deadline for that quarter. Numerous tombs in the municipal cemetery were fractured open. The town gained media attention in the early 1990s for

2880-529: The boundaries of the church yard and constructed the main part of the church. He rebuilt in 1916 the chapel in barangay Santa Teresa and gave a school chapel to Caoigue in 1917 and an ermita to Anduyan in 1926. He acquired the rectory which was put up in Spanish time. He also started a primary school in Anduyan and Caoigue in 1913. In June 1915, he opened a Grade I class on the ground floor of the rectory or convent to be later named Tubao Catholic School and conducted

2960-475: The condition of the young parish was unstable and precarious. The priests did not stay long and several times, Tubao was without a spiritual father. In 1908, it became again a visita , but of Aringay this time. Conditions were better in Pugo. Although smaller and never given a pastor in the Spanish time, it had a Dutch-born resident priest since 1909, Rev. Gerard Martens. When Tubao lost its priest once more in 1911,

3040-749: The credit union/cooperative to find an alternative lending facility other than those provided by unscrupulous moneylenders. On August 13, 1966, with 39 pioneer-members and a starting paid-up capitalization of Three hundred fourteen pesos (P 314.00), the Tubao Credit Union, Inc. as originally named was formally organized and registered with the Cooperative Administration Office (CAO) under RA 2023 and approved on October 26, 1966, under Registration No. 001503. In 1974, then Tourism Minister Jose Aspiras brought Miss Universe Amparo Muñoz of Spain and other beauties to Tubao for

3120-544: The early morning of 22 December 1941, Agoo was one of three beachheads taken by the invasion force of General Masaharu Homma during the Japanese Invasion of Lingayen Gulf . The Japanese' 47th Infantry Regiment under the command of Col Isamu Yanagi, accompanied by the 4th Tank Regiment and supported by a flotilla of the Imperial Japanese Navy led by Vice Admiral Kenzaburo Hara (consisting of

3200-458: The east, it was also an ideal site for the guerrillas who fought the Japanese forces. Among those who found refuge and passage in the town were top officials of the land led by then Executive Secretary Manuel Roxas who was later captured by the Japanese in 1942, Senator Quintin Paredes , future Speaker Jose Laurel Jr. and Teofilo Sison . Meanwhile, the Japanese established a garrison beside

3280-570: The establishment of a public high school. South Provincial High School turned Agoo into a center of education for Southern La Union and became one of the constituent state-run schools that were combined by Presidential Decree 1778 to create the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in 1981. After the February 1986 People Power Revolution , President Corazon Aquino placed the Philippines under

Tubao - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-460: The executive and legislative branch. The executive branch is composed of the mayor and the barangay captain for the barangays. Agoo Agoo ( [aˈgɔʔo] ), officially the Municipality of Agoo ( Ilocano : Ili ti Agoo ; Pangasinan : Baley na Agoo ; Filipino : Bayan ng Agoo ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union , Philippines . According to

3440-523: The famous Luna brothers -- Juan Luna and Antonio Luna . In 1923 the priests acquired the house of Don Urbano Dacanay for P1,000 pesos, west of the plaza, and housed in it the newly founded Tubao Catholic High School. It was renamed the Msgr. Martens Building. This building was destroyed in World War II during the liberation from the Japanese occupation. In January 1951, Father Albert Van Nuffelen sold

3520-715: The founders of the mission in Bontoc and Bauko, became ill upon his return to Bauko. Vanoverbergh went on horseback to visit him climbing the Santo Tomas mountain and arrived in Bauko on 14 February just in time for the burial, Sepulchre having died in Bontoc Hospital the day before. Vanoverbergh was asked by his superior to take over that mission. After two months, Father Martens was transferred to Tubao and stayed for eighteen years. During his stint, Father Martens extended

3600-436: The local populace. By the time the Spanish first arrived to colonize Luzon, they noted that Agoo was inhabited by people of the "same race as those of Pangasinan," and Agoo was originally made part of that Pangasinan province until the Spanish authorities decided to create a new province, La Union, bringing together towns from Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur. In 1572, Juan de Salcedo , fresh from his conquest of Southern Luzon,

3680-424: The lot back for P1,800 pesos to the relatives of the former owner viz., Mr. Bernardino Madriaga and Milagrina Oller who built their house on it. From 1930 to 1933, during Father Alois Proost's term, the church sanctuary and sacristies were completed. He donated the big church bells. He organized a scout band, a string band and the first girl scout unit in the Philippines. He also added Third and Fourth year classes in

3760-415: The lots at the eastern side of the church in 1951. The northern section of the school garden was bought from Valeriano Mapalo by Father Jose de Hayes in 1957. On June 17, 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal inaugurated the multi-million peso Masalip River Irrigation Project together with First Lady Eva Macapagal . In 1963, Father Henry Geeroms initiated and sought means to construct another building which

3840-471: The modern-day towns of Rosario, Santo Tomas, Tubao, Pugo, Aringay, Caba, Bauang, and the place called "Atuley" or present-day San Juan. Agoo became the center of the campaign of pacification and conquest, not only of the surrounding towns that would later become La Union but of the mountain tribes in the Cordilleras as well. The two missionaries formally proclaimed Agoo as a civic unit. naming it after

3920-530: The municipality is characterized by two distinct seasons, dry from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. Annual main rainfall as recorded by PAGASA is 217.8 ml with a peak of 1,059.6 millimeters in December. The mean temperature is 27.5 Celsius. It rises to as high as 29.2 Celsius in May and goes down as low as 25 Celsius in January. Monthly average number of rainy days is 11.2, while relative humidity

4000-457: The name of the place. Tubao first surfaced in the mid-1880s. It was a barrio in the eastern boundaries of Agoo and Aringay . The place was a former visita of the parish of Agoo. During the Spanish period, a visita was a settlement with a church but was visited periodically by a non-resident clergy whose headquarters was at the mother town. The early settlers of the barrio called it San Isidro de Tubao in honor of its patron saint whose feast

4080-417: The natives their methods of fish culture, rice cultivation, deerskin tanning, duck breeding, and weapons manufacturing. A permanent settlement was established in Agoo in 1578 when two Franciscan Missionaries, Fray Juan Bautista Lucarelli of Italy and Fray Sebastian de Baeza of Spain, constructed a thatch and bamboo church in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi . Agoo encompassed a vast land area that spanned

SECTION 50

#1732791366802

4160-486: The parishioners sent a petition to the bishop requesting his excellency to send a missionary of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ( Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae ) in case no Filipino priest should be available. On 20 November 1911, Father Morice Vanoverbergh arrived from Bauko, a CICM sister mission of Bontoc. His stay was short. About 8 February 1912, he learned that Father Jules Sepulchre, one of

4240-420: The people brick and lime making, brick-laying, and stone-quarrying. They introduced the "moro-moro", the singing of "pasyon", new farm implement, and new plants. Father Aquilino Garcia constructed a church, and by the end of the 15th century, the image of Nuestra Señora de Caridad ( Our Lady of Charity ) was installed in it. This church was destroyed in 1796 and a new one was built when the original settlement

4320-452: The petition to redefine the border limits of Aringay. On November 10, 1885, real orden No. 901 affirmed the July 20th superior decreto . On November 16, 1885, Francia acknowledged the existence of the "nuevo pueblo de Tubao" from the barrios that were yielded by Agoo and Aringay. Hence, Tubao became the 14th town of La Union. Four months later, on March 8, 1886, Governor Francia inaugurated

4400-499: The police chiefs of the four towns during the election period, a decision which was protested by incumbent politicians in both towns, including then-Congressman Eriguel and his wife, then-Mayor Sandra Eriguel. Also during the 2010s, a number of drug-related incidents in Agoo came to national attention. This resulted in the sacking of the police chief of Agoo, along with those of the Southern La Union towns of Bauang, Naguilan, and Tubao. On August 16, 2016, former Congressman Eriguel

4480-507: The powerful family factions (which had dominated La Union politics since before the American colonial era) to stay in place. But there were some Agoo natives, such as then-Davao Archbishop Antonio L. Mabutas , who spoke against the human rights abuses during martial law . Since Bishop Mabutas was in Davao at the time, he was aware of human rights abuses in that city, particularly the torture and killings of church workers. The pastoral letter he wrote against Martial law, "Reign of Terror in

4560-430: The pre-Spanish period. Agoo's administrative dates back further than most Philippine municipalities, with the town being established within the same decade that the Spanish colonizers arrived on the Island of Luzon. The history of the settlement now known as Agoo dates back even further, with both documentary and artifactual evidence supporting the assertion that it was a major port of call for foreign traders before it

4640-469: The river along whose banks it was built. At the time, the riverbank was forested with pine-like trees locally called " aroo " or " agoho " ( Casuarina equisetifolia , or Whistling Pine). During the early years of the Spanish colonial period, Agoo continued to be an important point of trade with Japan. Miguel De Loarca referred to Agoo as "El Puerto de Japon" - the Japanese Port. Rosario Mendoza-Cortes, in her book "Pangasinan 1572-1800" notes that Agoo

4720-409: The school to have a Christian name. In 1956, Tubao Catholic School was renamed San Alberto Magno Academy (SAMA) in honor of Saint Albert the Great and his predecessor, Father Albert Van Nuffelen. More lots were acquired from Doña Maxima Zarate in October 1950 by Father Albert Van Nuffelen where the present high school building now stands; Alfredo Milanes, Felix Garcia, Teodoro Ramos, Timoteo Ramos for

4800-424: The school. During the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1944, classes were suspended. As the bombs destroyed the old Martens and Sancho buildings, primary classes were held in the house of Benedicto Verceles, southeast of the rectory or convent while intermediate and high school classes were held in the convent. The town became a center for evacuees from neighboring municipalities. Because of its mountainous terrain on

4880-406: The secular priests took over in 1898. They changed the town's patron saint to Santa Monica. They established a school where reading, writing, industrial works, and catechism were taught. They relocated the town center, laid out the streets and public buildings, and established roads leading to the nearby towns. To facilitate the construction of churches, public buildings, and bridges, they taught

SECTION 60

#1732791366802

4960-520: The south-eastern side of La Union province. It is bounded on the north by Aringay , on the east by Pugo , on the south-west by Santo Tomas , on the south by Rosario , and on the west by Agoo . It is located 42 kilometres (26 mi) south of the capital city San Fernando , 243 kilometres (151 mi) north of Manila , and 44 kilometres (27 mi) west of Baguio . Tubao is politically subdivided into 18 barangays .   Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios . Rural topography

5040-489: The three towns which were connected by a high quality road, but protected on one side by the ocean and the other by the sea, meant that the Japanese forces were easily able to establish a secure beachhead. Once they had done so, they launched attacks against defense forces at San Fernando, La Union and Rosario, La Union , and from there they deployed southwards across the plains of Pangasinan and Tarlac to take Fort Stotsenburg in Pampanga, then Bulacan, and finally Manila. In

5120-425: The top of the trees. These sounds made by the birds locally known as kalaw , (the rufous hornbill , Buceros hydrocorax ) attracted and bewildered the Spaniards. As the Spaniards went further east, the sound persisted. When Father Espinosa returned from their journey, he reported an area called "Tuao." However, due to inadvertent recordings made by the Spanish authorities, the word "Tuao" was written as "Tubao", hence,

5200-481: The town from uphill in the east to where it meets the South China Sea in the west. Agoo is divided into 49 barangays . Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios . Jose D. Aspiras Jose Diego Aspiras (August 18, 1924 – November 14, 1999) was a Filipino politician. He was a member of former President Ferdinand Marcos 's cabinet, and was considered one of the most loyal political lieutenants from Marcos' “northern bloc” of political influence. He

5280-414: The town. During the Spanish period until the 20th century, Roman Catholicism played a major role in the life of the people of Tubao. Tubao was a visita of the Parish of Agoo. A chapel and a convent of light materials were erected in 1884. Ten years later, the parish of Tubao was founded. Its first pastor, Father Juan Garcia arrived in March 1896. The cause of the delay was the subsidy to be voted upon in

5360-434: The towns of Ilocos Sur south of the Amburayan river. Agoo was the oldest town to be integrated and was listed as having a population of 6,936 people. Agoo, along with the towns of Caba, La Union and Bauang, La Union were the first places the Japanese invasion force sought to control during the main effort to capture Luzon at the beginning of World War 2 - now known as the Japanese Invasion of Lingayen Gulf . Capturing

5440-428: The violence to "intense rivalry" between incumbent Congressman Eufranio Eriguel and his 2010 opposing candidate, former Rep. Thomas Dumpit Jr., and later to "clashes between the followers" of Congressman Eriguel and his 2013 opponent, former Army General Mario Chan. In 2013, the declaration of the towns Tubao, Agoo, Caba, and Aringay as election hotspots compelled the Philippine National Police to temporarily remove

5520-408: Was called Rancheria Tulosa. It was in 1883 that quail (locally known as pugo ) hunters who frequented the place changed the name into Rancheria Pugo after the birds. However, it was not until July 20, 1885, when a superior decreto embodied in the expediente of August 28, 1885 created the town of Tubao. On August 21, 1885, La Union 's Spanish Military Governor Federico Francia proposed a review of

5600-625: Was co-authored by La Union first district Rep. Victor Ortega and Abono party-list Rep. Francisco Emmanuel Ortega III, and was deemed necessary because neither Aringay nor Agoo alone could meet the requirements to create a Philippine city: a population of 150,000; an annual income of P100 million minimum a year; and a land area of 100 square kilometers. (As of 2014, the national census showed that Agoo and Aringay have about 65,000 and 47,500 residents, respectively. Agoo posted more than P90 million, and Aringay made P15,000 million in annual earnings, respectively) The proposed city would have two districts under

5680-407: Was converted into three classrooms for boys of the intermediate class. In 1940, Father Carlos Desmet procured the means to have a new school building within the premises to replace the old bamboo shack. It was the Sancho Building named after Msgr. Sancho, the bishop of Nueva Segovia who helped with the means. Again, this building was razed to the ground during the war. Today the area is an open field of

5760-707: Was enthroned with Marker on February 11, 2005, by Rev. Camilo P. Villanueva, Parish Priest. On December 30, 2006, 110th Anniversary of the Church the Trailblazer Memorial honoring the Centennial Celebration of the CICM - RP 1911–1982, 7 Decades, was erected on the Church door, and blessed by Bishop Antonio Rillera, S.V.D., D.D. An inland land-locked town, Tubao is located in Region I lying along

5840-490: Was formally established by the Spaniards. Before the arrival of European colonizers, Agoo, a trading port of Luyag na Caboloan (modern day-Pangasinan), was already a coastal maritime trading center for Northwestern Luzon, because its coast was shaped in such a way that it was a good harbor for foreign vessels coming into Lingayen Gulf. Gold mined from the Cordillera Mountain Range , coming down from

5920-405: Was included by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as one of the local government officials and legislators allegedly involved in illegal drug trade in his " I am sorry for my country " speech. Eriguel and a number of other Southern La Union politicians denied these allegations. On May 12, 2018, Eriguel and two others were gunned down by unknown assailants in an ambush during an event for

6000-642: Was located at the back of the Sancho building to house a library, a laboratory and four classrooms. Today, that building has been demolished and a new building now has been constructed in its place. During the Golden Jubilee in 1965, the school populace was 1,393 including the 115 pupils of Caoigue. But enrollment gradually dwindled due to the opening of free public schools in the different barangays. Elementary classes were phased out in 1973 due to financial constraint. In 1966, Father Jaime Quatannens, organized

6080-456: Was moved to what has ever since been the town center. The church was then claimed to be the largest and grandest in northern Luzon during that time. Ruins are scattered throughout the town's center and some are visible at this point. In 1661, Andres Malong of Pangasinan failed to recover La Union from the Spaniards after the Battle of Agoo. On October 29, 1849, Governor General Claveria issued

6160-505: Was ordered by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to explore Northern Luzon and "pacify the people in it". In June 1572, he was traversing the Angalakan River, when he saw and attacked three Japanese ships. When they fled, Salcedo followed them until they landed at a Japanese settlement. After paying tributes, the Japanese were allowed to remain. These Japanese would leave when the port of Agoo was later closed, but not without first teaching

6240-661: Was questioned on technicalities regarding his residency, and a long dispute had to be resolved by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in a January 24, 2023 decision which upheld Sibuma's election. Agoo and La Union are part of the Ilocos Region , which is located on the narrow plain between the Cordillera Central and the South China Sea . Agoo itself is one of the southern municipalities and

6320-452: Was the country's first Minister of Tourism , representative from La Union 's 2nd district from 1969 to 1972 and from 1987 to 1998, and an assemblyman from La Union from 1984 to 1986. He is interred in the local Basilica Minore in Agoo , La Union . The Agoo-Baguio Road was formerly named "Jose D. Aspiras Highway" after him but was renamed to Palispis Highway on October 31, 2000, with

6400-411: Was the region's primary port of call for Japanese and Chinese traders - with the only other contender for the honor being Sual, Pangasinan . This was because there was a Japanese colony there. After all, traders at Agoo would have access to a greater number of people, and it was nearer to China and Japan. The main product traded from the area was the deer pelt, which was shipped to Japan. Agoo's role as

#801198