Aringay, La Union
Known in Philippine History as the birthplace of revolutionary leader Diego Silang, its economy is based primarily on agriculture, producing rice, tobacco and fruit crops as economic staples. A nascent tourism industry is centered on its beach resorts. Its ethnic population is predominantly Ilocano and Christian (Roman Catholic).
History
Aringay was known in pre-colonial times as Aringuey and was the coastal terminus of the Aringay-Tonglo-Balatok gold trail before the gold was transported through the neighboring port-settlement of Agoo.
When Spanish colonizers arrived in the late 16th century, they found an enclave of ethnic Pangasinenses actively trading with their Ilocano and Ifugao neighbors and traders from China, Japan and Southeast Asia. In a small village now known as Samara, a settlement headed by a descendant of Lakan Dula is thriving. The presence of Spanish soldiers, administrators, and Augustinian missionaries ushered in the town's colonial era and its conversion to Roman Catholicism.
Aringay remained a part of Pangasinan province until April 18, 1854, when the Spanish fused the northern towns of that province with the southern towns of Ilocos Sur to create the new province of La Union (hence, "The Union") The municipalities of Caba and Gallano (later placed in the province of Benguet and then abolished in 1900) were later carved out of Aringay's northern borders.
The 18th and 19th centuries marked the active expansion of Ilocano territory. Scores of migrants from the Ilocos provinces pushed their way south so that by the end of the 19th century, Aringay was home to mostly Ilocano and Ilocanized Pangasinenses.
Outbreaks of rebellion rocked the town during four centuries of Spanish, American and Japanese colonization. Bloody confrontations ignited by revolutionaries such as Diego Silang and Gabriela Silang during Spanish occupation and by insurgents during the Philippine–American War and the Japanese occupation in World War II marred the bucolic villages of Aringay.
A decisive battle on Aringay River against U.S. forces crippled US forces. By 1901, the province of La Union was under American occupation.
Japanese forces attacked Aringay in December 1941 and occupied the town until their brutal withdrawal in 1945–1946, when many Aringayenos massacred the entire battalion of Japanese command in Aringay.
Possible merger with Agoo and proposed cityhood
In 2014, La Union Second District Representative Eufranio Eriguel filed House Bill 4644, which seeks to merge the municipalities of Agoo and Aringay into a component city to be known as the City of Agoo-Aringay.
Geography
Aringay is located 244 kilometres (152 mi) north of Manila and 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of San Fernando, the regional and provincial capital.
Barangays
Aringay is politically subdivided into 24 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
- Alaska
- Basca
- Dulao
- Gallano
- Macabato
- Manga
- Pangao-aoan East
- Pangao-aoan West
- Poblacion
- Samara
- San Antonio
- San Benito Norte
- San Benito Sur
- San Eugenio
- San Juan East
- San Juan West
- San Simon East
- San Simon West
- Santa Cecilia
- Santa Lucia
- Santa Rita East
- Santa Rita West
- Santo Rosario East
- Santo Rosario West
Climate
The town experiences the prevailing monsoon climate of Northern Luzon, characterized by a dry season from November to April and a wet season from May to October.
Climate data for Aringay, La Union | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30 (86) |
31 (88) |
33 (91) |
34 (93) |
33 (91) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
21 (70) |
22 (72) |
24 (75) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
22 (72) |
21 (70) |
23 (74) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15 (0.6) |
16 (0.6) |
24 (0.9) |
33 (1.3) |
102 (4.0) |
121 (4.8) |
177 (7.0) |
165 (6.5) |
144 (5.7) |
170 (6.7) |
56 (2.2) |
23 (0.9) |
1,046 (41.2) |
Average rainy days | 6.3 | 6.6 | 9.5 | 12.8 | 20.6 | 23.5 | 25.4 | 23.4 | 23.2 | 21.4 | 14.0 | 8.2 | 194.9 |
Source: Meteoblue |
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1903 | 8,572 | — |
1918 | 11,247 | +1.83% |
1939 | 12,487 | +0.50% |
1948 | 13,079 | +0.52% |
1960 | 17,572 | +2.49% |
1970 | 21,835 | +2.19% |
1975 | 25,042 | +2.79% |
1980 | 27,524 | +1.91% |
1990 | 33,258 | +1.91% |
1995 | 36,743 | +1.88% |
2000 | 41,422 | +2.60% |
2007 | 43,438 | +0.66% |
2010 | 44,949 | +1.25% |
2015 | 47,458 | +1.04% |
2020 | 50,380 | +1.18% |
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority |
In the 2020 census, the population of Aringay was 50,380 people, with a density of 600 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,600 inhabitants per square mile.
Economy
Poverty incidence of Aringay
10
20
30
40
2006
32.90 2009
26.01 2012
11.74 2015
8.59 2018
4.39 2021
10.75 Source: Philippine Statistics Authority |
Government
Local government
Aringay, belonging to the second congressional district of the province of La Union, 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
Position | Name |
---|---|
Congressman | Sandra Y. Eriguel |
Mayor | Eric O. Sibuma |
Vice-Mayor | Benjamin O. Sibuma |
Councilors | Maria Isabel D. Diaz |
Josephine M. Dacanay | |
Woodrow P. Araojo Jr. | |
Genoveva L. Obra | |
Ramsey Pascual D. Mangaoang | |
Nelda B. Mapile | |
Rolando M. Herrera | |
Victoriano C. Batario |
Gallery
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Municipal hall
-
Public market
-
Town plaza
-
Aringay River
-
Street view
Notable personalities
- Diego Silang
- Gloria Díaz - Miss Philippines 1969, Miss Universe 1969
- Elpidio Quirino
References
- ^ Municipality of Aringay | (DILG)
- ^ "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN 0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ Census of Population (2020). "Region I (Ilocos Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ Guillermo, Artemio R. (2012). Historical dictionary of the Philippines (3rd ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 401. ISBN 978-0-8108-7511-1. OCLC 774293494.
- ^ Keesing, Felix M (1962). The Ethnohistory of Northern Luzon. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 21.
- ^ Panela, Shaira (2017-03-19). "Looking into the past through the eyes of the future". Rappler. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Elias, Jun (July 10, 2014). "Bill seeks to merge 2 La Union towns into component city". PhilStar Global. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ "Aringay: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ Census of Population (2015). "Region I (Ilocos Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region I (Ilocos Region)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region I (Ilocos Region)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
- ^ "Province of La Union". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
- ^ "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
- ^ "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
- ^ "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
- ^ "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
- ^ "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "PSA Releases the 2021 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "2019 National and Local Elections" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved March 6, 2022.