Balaoan, La Union

Balaoan
—  Municipality  —
Seal
Map of La Union showing the location of Balaoan.
Balaoan Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°49′N 120°24′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Ilocos Region (Region I)
Province	La Union
District	1st District
Founded
Barangays	36
Government
• Mayor	Al-Fred Concepcion
Area
• Total	68.70 km2 (26.5 sq mi)
Population (2007)
• Total	36,829
• Density	536.1/km2 (1,388.5/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	2517
Income class	1st class

Population Census of Balaoan
Census	Pop.		Rate
1995	31,420		—
2000	33,786		1.57%
2007	36,829		1.20%

Balaoan is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 36,829 people in 6,557 households.

The dominant language spoken in Balaoan is Ilocano.

Barangays

Balaoan is politically subdivided into 36 barangays.

Almeida Antonino Apatut Ar-arampang Baracbac Este Baracbac Oeste Bet-ang Bulbulala Bungol Butubut Este Butubut Norte Butubut Oeste

Butubut Sur Cabuaan Calliat Calungbuyan Camiling Dr. Camilo Osias Guinaburan Masupe Nagsabaran Norte Nagsabaran Sur Nalasin Napaset

Pagbennecan Pagleddegan Pantar Norte Pantar Sur Pa-o Paraoir Patpata Sablut San Pablo Sinapangan Norte Sinapangan Sur Tallipugo

Geography

Balaoan is situated north of Bacnotan, south of Bangar, west of Luna and Santol on the east. Located 30 kilometers north of San Fernando City, the provincial capital of La Union and the regional capital of Region I. Balaoan is approximately 300 kilometers north of Metro Manila. Balaoan has one of the pristine coastal town of La Union facing the Luzon Sea which is Paraoir. This barangay is situated between Luna and Bacnotan boundary which is detached from the municipality.

Balaoan can be reached from Manila using the MacArthur Highway, or via plane landing in Canaoay Airport in San Fernando City.

The vast land area of 6,450 hectares consists mostly of agricultural lands. The municipality occupies 4.3% of the total area of the province.

History

Balaoan, formerly "Puraw" (meaning "white') was originally part of Ilocos Sur. The town's present name originated during the Spanish colonial era. A group of Spanish soldiers were on patrol and went on to rest on a sitio. The villagers were curious about the soldiers because of their unusual descent and fair skin color. They flocked the soldiers touching their guns, too afraid that the guns might explode accidentally, one villager asked the soldier in a local vernacular.. "Aoan bala?" (meaning "No bullets?"). The soldier did not understand what the villager meant, he uttered the last word first, and remembering the last, he said "Bala-aoan".

During the Spanish occupation in the Philippines, a secret society of insurrectos was organized in the municipality. Its purpose was to fight and revolt against the Spanish Government in the area. On the eve of the revolution, a traitor told the Spanish of their plan. The Spanish soldiers, without any investigation arrested seven members of the secret society, and executed them the same night. Only one, Fernando Ostrea, escaped with leg wounds. He informed the people about what has happened. In memory of the seven Martyrs, a masonic lodge, Siete Martires Lodge No. 177, was organized.

Balaoan is one of the oldest municipalities in La Union, having been founded in 1704. Its first Capitan is Ignacio Duldulao.

Festivities

The patron saint of the town is St. Nicholas of Tolentino, whose feast day is celebrated on September. Balaoan's town fiesta is celebrated every December 21 to 23 of the year.

Elementary

• Almeida Elementary School
• Apatut Elementary School (Apatut, Balaoan)
• Ar-arampang Elementary School (Ar- Arampang,Balaoan)
• Balaoan Central Elementary School (Antonino and Cabua-an, Balaoan)
• Balaoan Christian Foundation (Nalasin, Balaoan)
• Bulbulala Elementary School (Bulbulala, Balaoan)
• Bungol Elementary School (Bungol, Balaoan)
• Butubut Elementary School (Butubut Sur, Balaoan)
• Butubut Norte Elementary School (Butubut Norte, Balaoan)
• Calliat Elementary School (Calliat, Balaoan)
• Guinaburan Elementary School (Guinaburan, Balaoan)
• Masupe Elementary School (Masupe, Balaoan)
• Nagsabaran Sur Elementary School (Nsgsabaran Sur, Balaoan)
• Osias Educational Foundation (Dr. Camilo Osias, Balaoan)
• Pantar Community School (Pantar Norte, Balaoan)
• Pantar Sur Elementary School (Pantar Sur, Balaoan)
• Paraoir Elementary School (Paraoir, Balaoan)
• Patpata Elementary School (Patpata, Balaoan)
• San Nicolas Academy (Dr. Camilo Osias, Nalasin and Antonino, Balaoan)
• Sinapangan National High School (Sinapangan Norte, Balaoan)
• Sinapangan Norte Elementary School (Sinapangan Norte, Balaoan)
• Sinapangan Sur Elementary School (Sinapangan Sur, Balaoan)

• Bungol National High School (Bungol, Balaoan)
• Butubut National High School (Butubut Norte, Balaoan)
• Castor Z. Concepcion Memorial National High School (Nalasin and Antonino, Balaoan)
• Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University National High School (Paraoir, Balaoan)

Notable Balaoanians

• Camilo Osias, Senator. Attended school in Balaoan, Vigan, San Fernando, and was appointed government student to the United States in 1905; graduate of the Western Illinois State Teachers College at Macomb in 1908; attended the University of Chicago, in 1906 and 1907; graduated from Columbia University in New York City, and from the Teachers College of New York City in 1910; first Filipino superintendent of schools in 1915 and 1916; assistant director of education 1917-1921; member of the first Philippine mission to the United States in 1919 and 1920; lecturer at the University of the Philippines 1919-1921; president of the National University 1921-1936; elected a member of the Philippine Senate in 1925; elected as a Resident Commissioner to the United States in 1928; reelected in 1931 and served from March 4, 1929, until January 3, 1935, when his term expired; member of the Constitutional Convention in 1934; member of the first National Assembly in 1935; member of the Economic Mission to the United States in 1939; chairman of Educational Mission 1938-1941; chairman of National Council of Education in 1941; director of publicity and propaganda until January 1942; chairman of National Cooperative Administration in 1941; subsequently assistant commissioner of the Department of Education, Health, and Public Welfare, then Minister of Education of the Philippines until 1945; chancellor of Osias Colleges; elected to the Philippine Senate in 1947 for the term expiring in 1953; served as minority and majority floor leader and then elected president of the Philippine Senate; Philippine representative to the Interparliamentary Union in Rome and to the International Trade Conference in Genoa in 1948; elected to the Philippine Senate, 1961-1967, and served as president pro tempore; a resident of Mandaluyong, Rizal, Philippines, until his death in Manila on May 20, 1976.

• Magnolia Welborn Antonino, Senator. Born December 14, 1915, in Balaoan, La Union, Philippines, was a Senator of the Philippines. The daughter of George Welborn and Hipolita Rodriguez, she was married to Gaudencio Antonino, also a Senator.

• Marcy Arellano, Professional Basketbal player, PBA

External links

• Pasyalan La Union
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System