San Juan, officially the Municipality of San Juan (Ilocano: Ili ti San Juan; Filipino: Bayan ng San Juan), formerly called as Lapog, is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,674 people.[3]
Because it produces most of the goods made of buri leaf in the province, it is sometimes called the Buri Capital of Ilocos Sur.
Etymology
The town got its name from its patron saint, Saint John the Baptist.
History
The town of Lapog was established in 1772.
The name of the municipality has gone through a series of changes. The early settlers and occupants called it "Lapo", short for "Lapo-Lapo", a tall grass which grew everywhere in the area. In the year 1772, Don Tomas Aquino, the first local leader, initiated the organization of the scattered communities into one, calling the place "Lapog", a derivative of local vernacular "Lap-Lapog" which means unirrigated land. For 189 years, "Lapog" remained in the records as the official name of the town until June 18, 1961, Republic Act No. 3386 was enacted and it was renamed to San Juan. Since most of the inhabitants were of the belief that religious names bring peace, happiness, and prosperity, the town was renamed "San Juan", after the name of its patron saint, Saint John the Baptist.
It was stricken by all sorts of plagues and epidemics (like the smallpox epidemics of 1808 and 1918–19, locust infestation in 1903, and destruction of ricefields by worms called "arabas" in 1905). Bessang Pass, just south of the poblacion, was constructed in 1874. Americans destroyed their town hall in 1903. But despite these misfortunes, San Juan progressed into a prosperous community.
Geography
San Juan is 426 kilometres (265 mi) from Metro Manila and 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Vigan City, the provincial capital. It is bordered by Cabugao to the north, Magsingal to the south, the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Abra to the east.
Barangays
San Juan is politically subdivided into 32 barangays.[5] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
San Juan, belonging to the first congressional district of the province of Ilocos Sur, 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.
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