Sinait, Ilocos Sur
| Sinait | |
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| — Municipality — | |
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 Sinait
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| Coordinates: 17°51′58″N 120°27′29″E / 17.86611°N 120.45806°ECoordinates: 17°51′58″N 120°27′29″E / 17.86611°N 120.45806°E | |
| Country |  Philippines |
| Region | Ilocos Region (Region I) |
| Province | Ilocos Sur |
| District | 1st District |
| Founded | |
| Barangays | 44 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Marlon B. Ines |
| Area | |
| • Total | 65.56 km2 (25.31 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 24,896 |
| • Density | 380/km2 (980/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) |
| ZIP code | 2733 |
| Income class | 3rd class |
| Population Census of Sinait | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | Rate | |
| 1995 | 22,608 |
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| 2000 | 24,070 | 1.35% | |
| 2007 | 24,896 | 0.47% | |
Sinait is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 24,896 people in 5,131 households.
Because of its main commodity, garlic, Sinait is also known as the Garlic Center of the North.
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[edit] Barangays
Sinait is politically subdivided into 44 barangays.
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[edit] Origin of the Town's Name
Legend has it that the first known inhabitants of Sinait were called “Tirong”. These were hardy and warlike natives known for their sea-faring adventures and fondness for out-doing each other in every aspect of life-whether in their daily chores or in picking fights among themselves or with neighboring villages. Their ferocious character moved Captain Salcedo de Legaspi, the head of the Spanish troops who conquered the Ilocos Provinces, to name this place “Sin-nait”, which in the local dialect means “contest”. This was in the year 1535 when the community was organized as a pueblo. As time went on, whoever, the inhabitants experienced difficulty in pronouncing the name of their place, so that in 1575, Salcedo declared the dropping of one the letter “n”. Since then the town was known for its present name “Sinait”.
[edit] History
Before Magellan discovered the Philippines in 1521, the locality was only a small village of little over a hundred natives who were called "Tirongs." By nature, these primitive inhabitants were sea-fearing warlike. In their fast and picturesque sailboats, they traveled to adjoining and distant places, most particularly to settlements and villages along the Ilocos Coast in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan and even Zambales. In those adventures, the “Tirongs “ always challenged the people encountered to tribal wars and fought small battles against them. Often, those sturdy and brave natives came out victorious. Even in their daily chores, those people showed their ferocious characteristics. When the renowned Iberians came, Salcedo was sent to explore and colonized the Ilocos territory during the early years of the Spanish regime, he found the “Tirongs” of Sinait in apogee of the social state. Small battles were daily occurrence so that in the year 1535, when the locality was organized and established as a “Pueblo” Salcedo named the new community as “SIN-NAIT”, a word in the local tongue which means “CONTEST”. As a pueblo, SINAIT embraced and included in its territorial limit such as distant places as RANCHERA DE PAUR”, now the Municipality of Nueva Era in Ilocos Norte and Southern barrios of Badoc of the same Province. The vast territory, however, was reduced to present 78 square kilometers. In the year 1575, the natives fully realized the hardships of pronouncing the term “SIN-NAIT” and to go away with the trouble, Salcedo declared that one of the letter “N” be dropped. Since then, this Municipality has been called “SINAIT”. Nevertheless, it was only in 1913 when the same was “deeded” by the government upon the initiative of the late Don Calixto Cabacungan so that the Municipality Council enacted a resolution to that effect, that SINAIT was adopted as official name of the community to which said resolution was duly approved by the Provincial board of Ilocos Sur and by the Defunct Philippine Legislature.
Sinait takes pride in being the sanctuary of the miraculous crucifix known as “Apo Lakay-the treasure of Ilocandia. It is a life – size image of the Black Crucified Christ believed to have come from Nagasaki, Japan. The Black crucifix, together with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary were found inside a box floating along the boundary shores of Sinait and the adjacent town of Badoc (Ilocos Norte) in year 1620. The Black Christ was taken to the Catholic Church of Sinait and venerated as the “El Santo Cristo Milagroso”, while the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken to Badoc Church and known as the “La Virgin Milagrosa”. From the time on, devotion to the Santo Cristo Milagroso spread especially when supposed various miracles were attributed to it. Every Friday, many people from near and far flock to its sanctuary in Sinait. In 1656, the Black Crucifix was taken to the capital town of Vigan, since an epidemic was raging there and through the devotion of the faithful, many got cured. Because of this, it is considered as an intercessor of all kinds of affliction and sickness. In 1660 because of the growing veneration to the image, the faithful begun the construction of a permanent edifice to house it. It took the people of Sinait eight (8) years to construct the church with funds provides by the Spanish Audiencia.
[edit] Points of interest
- Sinait Public Market - On certain days garlic from the municipality and even the neighboring municipalities of Badoc and Pinili in neighboring Ilocos Norte are traded here.
- The barangay of Pug-os was renamed Don Leopoldo Yabes, in honor of the Ilocano writer and dean from the University of the Philippines who once lived in Sinait.
- Cabangtalan (Imelda's Cove) - features white sand beaches. It is located on the way to Barangay Dadalaquiten.
- Sinait's church is the Sanctuary of the Miraculous Statue of the Black Nazarene (El Santo Cristo Milagroso), fondly called by its residents as "Apo Lakay." History traces the life-sized statue to Nagasaki, Japan. It was sent floating in the sea by missionaries operating in secret in Japan (for fear of persecution during the Tokugawa Regime). It was found by local fishermen in the shores of Barangay Dadalaquiten. Fishermen from the nearby town of Badoc (in present-day Ilocos Norte) tried moving the box, but were unable to do so. Only fishermen from Sinait were able to move the box, which contains the Statue of the Black Nazarene. The fishermen from Badoc, however, were able to move a box containing a Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary (La Virgen Milagrosa) that came with it--which was, in turn, unable to be moved by the fishermen of Sinait. They took the statues to their respective towns, hence becoming their patron saints. Today the landing site of Apo Lakay still exists in Barangay Dadalaquiten, and is a place of pilgrimage for devotees.
[edit] External links
- Pasyalang Ilocos Sur
- Philippine Standard Geographic Code
- 1995 Philippine Census Information
- 2000 Philippine Census Information
- 2007 Philippine Census Information
- Sinait National High School - Official Website
- Local Governance Performance Management System
