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Laoag (), officially the City of Laoag (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.
It is the province's most populous settlement, as well as its political, commercial, and industrial hub. The Ilocos Region's busiest commercial airport is also built in Laoag. It is also the northernmost city in the Philippines.
The municipalities of San Nicolas, Paoay, Sarrat, Piddig, Vintar, and Bacarra form its boundaries. The foothills of the Cordillera Central mountain range to the east, and the South China Sea to the west are its physical boundaries.
Laoag experiences a prevailing monsoon climate of Northern Luzon, characterized by a dry season from November to April and a wet season from May to October. Despite being battered by powerful occasionally, Laoag can still be referred to as the "Sunshine City".
In 1571, when the Spanish conquistadors had Manila more or less under their control, they began looking for new sites to conquer. Legaspi's grandson, Juan de Salcedo, volunteered to lead one of these expeditions. Together with eight armed boats and 45 men, the 22-year-old voyager headed north.
On June 13, 1572, Salcedo and his men landed in Vigan and then proceeded towards Laoag, Currimao, and Badoc. As they sailed along the coast, they were surprised to see numerous sheltered ( looc) where the locals lived in harmony. As a result, they named the region "Ylocos" and its people "Ylocanos".
As the Christianization of the region grew, so did the landscape of the area. Vast tracts of land were utilized for churches and bell towers in line with the Spanish mission of bajo de las campanas ('under the bells') – a proclamation by King Philip's 1573 Law of the Indies. In the town plaza, it was not uncommon to see garrisons under the church bells. The colonization process was slowly being carried out.
The Spanish colonization of the region, however, was never completely successful. Owing to the abusive practices of many Augustinian friars, a number of Ilocanos revolted against their colonizers. Noteworthy of these were the Dingras uprising (1589) and Pedro Almasan revolt in San Nicolas (1660). In 1762, Diego Silang led a series of battles aimed at freeing the Ilocanos from the Spanish yoke. When he died from an assassin's bullet, his widow Gabriela continued the cause. She too was captured and hanged. In 1807, the sugar cane ( basi) brewers of Piddig rose up in arms to protest the government's monopoly of the wine industry. In 1898, the church excommunicated Gregorio Aglipay for refusing to cut off ties with the revolutionary forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Unperturbed, he established the italic=no. Aglipay's movement and the national sentiment it espoused helped restore the self-respect of many Filipino people.
"The great increase in population from 1715 to 1818 from 18,980 to 282,845 made the administration of the province very difficult. Due to the excessive monopolies and forced labor, there were several uprisings: first by the people of Dingras in 1589; one that was led by Pedro Almazan in 1616; the revolt of Diego Silang in 1762–1763; by Ambaristo in 1788; by Pedro Mateo in 1808 (also known as Basi Revolt) and uprising of Sarrat in 1815. For this reason, the division of the Ilocos into two provinces was recommended by the local authorities. On February 2, 1818, a Spanish Royal Decree was promulgated dividing the Province of Ilocos Norte from Ilocos Sur. Laoag, which was then the biggest center of population, was made the capital of Ilocos Norte."
Laoag was captured by the Japanese Army on December 12, 1941, two days after the landing at Vigan and Aparri. Its airport was then used by the Japanese for most of World War II.
Laoag is situated from the country's capital city of Manila.
The rainy seasons, which has an average monthly rainfall of more than . is from May to September with its peak in June, July and August. Rainfall during the peak month represents 68% of the annual rainfall with an average of .
In the afternoon of May, temperature reach up to and drops down to in the early mornings of January. The city recorded an average temperature of with a relative humidity of 75.5% in 1996. The city experiences an average of four to five every year.
Laoag City had a total population of 94,466 for the year 2000 as per NSO official report. In 1995, the total inhabitants of the city was 88,336, an increase of 6,130. Based on the 1995 and 2000 intercensal periods, the Average Annual Growth Rate of the city was 1.35%.
The number of households is 19,751 and the average household size is five (5) persons per household. Male-female ratio is 1:1; Birth rate is 26.44% while Death rate is 4.28%.
In the city of Laoag as of year 2000, Urban barangay San Lorenzo had the largest number of population at 2,883, followed by Rural barangay Buttong at 2,277, and then by Barangay 2 Santa Joaquina at 2,048. With the least inhabitants was Rural Barangay 39 Santa Rosa, 592, and then Barangay 52-A San Mateo, 594. Noticeably, the residents of Barangay 23 San Matias decreased by 740.
A banking system is also found in the city with more than twenty different local, domestic, and foreign banks ready to serve any financial needs.
With a total land area, Laoag City provides a large opportunity for economic expansion. The historic scenic tourist spots, availability of internationally competitive accommodations and facilities, and the presence of supportive national government agencies, makes Laoag an ecotourism center, as classified by the Department of Tourism. The Northwestern Luzon Growth Quadrangle – fondly called the North Quad – also aims to develop rural areas through an integrated countryside agri-industrial development approach with emphasis/focus in attaining sustainable and equitable growth; increase the productivity of agriculture and fisheries; and encourage industrial competitiveness in the local and foreign markets.
Laoag and the surrounding municipalities also bolster a strong workforce. At present, most industries in the city are small-scale, consisting of small-scale food-processing factories, rice mills, jewelry-making, hollow blocks factories, and metal crafts. Retail giants like SM Prime Holdings with three stores (SM Savemore, Savemore Market, SM Hypermarket), and two stores owned by Puregold, with one branch in the downtown area, and a Puregold Jr located along Pan-Philippine Highway. SM City Laoag is located south of Padsan River in Barangay Nangalisan West, along Airport Road. Unitop, Mart One, Novo, New India, ME, JTC, and ØNE Ø 5IVE are popular shopping centers. Robinsons Malls Ilocos located in Barangay Nangalisan East (Laoag) and San Francisco (San Nicolas) is only 5 minutes ride from Laoag City Hall.
Megaworld has also secured project to be developed in Barangay Calayab along the coast to be called "Ilocandia Coastown," its 34th township. The mixed-use is an 84-hectare parcel of land with beach line adjacent to Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel. Other townships under construction are the EL Sands Residences in Barangay Talingaan, and Bramasole Residences in Barangay Zamboanga. Robinsons Homes, Hanalei Heights, and Camella are located closely to the airport.
Meanwhile, San Guillermo Complex located east of Aurora Park is on its first phase of construction. It will feature a modern shopping center, a high-rise hotel and Saint Luke's Medical Center.
The Laoag Cathedral was built in 1612 by Augustinians to replace a wooden chapel. It also serves as the seat or central church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Laoag. Built with an Italian Renaissance, the church has an unusual two-story façade, supported by two pairs of on each side of the arched entrance architecture design and at the top of the facade holds a recessed niche that showcases the image of the city's patron saint, William of Maleval.
The dramatic increase in tourist arrivals also prompted the establishment of a Chinese people consulate to oversee the security of Chinese citizens living or visiting the city. A new immigration policy was made to simplify entry of Chinese tourists into the country by issuing visitor visas at the airport upon arrival to entice more guests to come. Laoag City has been named as one of the top tourist destinations in Ilocos Region and in the country.
Several large bus companies serve Laoag City making connections to North and Central Luzon provinces including Metro Manila. These transportation services are provided by GV Florida Transport, Viron Transit, Maria de Leon Bus Lines, Partas and Fariñas Transit Company. Laoag is from Manila via South Road Access of Laoag and via North Access of Laoag from Metro Manila.
Mode of transport within the city includes taxi, jeepney, tricycle, and kalesa. Mini buses have daily routes to and from Pagudpud, Batac, Vigan and Carmen among others.
The Laoag bypass linking Paoay on the western part serves as diversion road to long wheeler trucks without crossing the city proper. Another bypass road east of the city is under construction linking Bacarra and San Nicolas towns will help decongest traffic upon completion.
The Schools Division Office of Laoag City governs all public and private schools within the municipality. There are three schools district offices which manage the operations of elementary and high schools, namely Laoag City Schools District I Office, Laoag City Schools District II Office, and Laoag City Schools District III Office. Most of the lower-level schools are government-owned comprising a total of thirty-three elementary schools. Ten private elementary schools are also present including a Chinese school. In addition, there are eight private and six public high schools, and significant rise of integrated schools.
FM Stations
Other higher education institutions in the city:
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