The Ancient Land of Samtoy

On the northwestern part of Luzon, the Ilocos range restricts a narrow stretch coastal plain throughout its entire length as the home of one of the hardiest tribes of the Malay race – the industrious, thrifty and adventurous Ilocanos. Gleanings from ancient chronicles such as that of Fray Andres Carro say that the word “Samtoy” was applied to ancient Ylokos or to the most important town of the region, where the most important dialect was spoken. The ancient land of Ylokos or Samtoy extended from Bangui in the north of Aringay in the south. Hemmed in between the reefy coast of the China Sea and the rugged mountain ranges of the Cordillera, is a long narrow strip of coastal plain, broken here and there by rivers and mountains as its rolls from the northwestern tip of Luzon into the central plains. On the western China Sea side, the land is sandy. On the eastern side, near the slopes of the mountains that separates the region from the Mountain Province, The land is rocky, leaving just a narrow strip of plain here and there for cultivation. In certain places the mountains come so close to the sea that the public highway has to wind along the steep mountain and sea. The pressure increasing population and consequent land hunger has made the people of this region, the Filipino classic example of thrift, frugality and industry. This is Ilocos Sur whose people are never weary of staring into the shadows of its past, ever watchful for a gleam of hope for better days.

Exploration

The coast of Samtoy, already familiar to Chinese and Japanese traders before Magellan’s time, was known to the Spanish colonizers in 1572 when Juan de Salcedo made his famous trip along Samtoy or what is now known as the Ilocos Provinces. Sent by the “Adelantado”, Miguel Lopez d Legaspi to explore the whole island of Luzon, Salcedo founded Ciudad Fernandina in 1574 in the heart of Yloko settlement in Bigan, in what is now Ilocos Sur. It became the center of Spanish rule and influence, and the evangelization and pacification movements. The Spaniards, after Salcedo’s exploration, created Samtoy, the whole northwestern region of Luzon into an ‘encomienda” with Villa Fernadina at Tamag (Bigan), as the capital. Salcedo was made Lieutenant Governor of Ylokos and the “encomendero” of Bigan where he died on March 11, 1576. It was due to his efforts that the settlements in Tagurin, Santa Lucia, Nalbacan, Bantay, Candon and Sinayt were pacified and made to pay tribute to the King of Spain.

Conversion of the Natives

To implement Spain’s policy, that of the sword and the cross complementing each other, missionaries came over to convert the heathen native to Christianity. A Spanish chronicler wrote: “The Ilocos are all Christians and are the humblest and most tractable. The evangelization of Ilocos Sur was allotted to the Augustinians who established parishes in Santa in 1576, Tagurin in 1586, Sta. Lucia in 1586, Nalbacan in 1587, Candon 1591, and Bantay in 1590. In 1641 they built a church in Bigan, which 117 later, was to become the cathedral of the Episcopal See of Nueva Segovia.

Dismemberment of Ylokos

The Ylokos comprised the present provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, and a part of Mountain Province. When Pangasinan was made a province in 1611, a part of La Union was taken from Ylokos and annexed to Pangasinan. A royal decree dated February 2, 1818 separated the northern part of Ylokos which became the province of Ilocos Norte. The southern part called Ilocos Sur, included the northern part of La Union and all of what is now the province of Abra. In 1854, the province of La Union was created out of the towns that had heretofore belonged to Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan. Ilocos Sur previously extended as far south as Namacpacan (Luna), and the territory south of this belonged to Pangasinan. It was the union of portions of Ilocos Sur from the Amburayan were taken from the Mountain Province and incorporated with Ilocos Sur. Abra which was one a part of Ilocos Sur, was created in 1864 with Lepanto as a sub-province to Ilocos Sur, and remained as such until March, 1971 when the passage of Act made it again a separate province.

Vigan, Capital of Ylocos

Vigan, more than any other Ilocano town, tells the story of Ilocandia. It is almost four centuries old, and was once known as “Kabigbigaan” from “biga” (Alocasia Indica), a coarse erect and araceous plant with large and ornate leaves with grows on the banks of the rivers. Its name “Bigan” was later changed to Vigan. To the Spaniards it was Villa Fernandina in honor of King Ferdinand, the Spanish ruler then. Here, one will note the aristocracy of the “babaknangs” against whom the “Kaillanes”, led by Diego Silang and his wife, Josefa Gabriela, rose in revolt 1762; the antiquity of its residences and cathedrals; and its religious fervor. Founded in 1574 by Juan de Salcedo as capital of ancient Ylocos, Vigan vied in importance and gentility with the proud city of Intramuros. Even before Salcedo came to Bigan, the town was already a center of Malayan civilization with a population of 8,000, a population greater than that of Manila then. It was already enjoying some prosperity, trading with the Chinese and Japanese who brought fine jars, silk and crockery through the nearby port of Pandan, Caoayan. To Bigan the Spaniards brought not only their religion, but also all other adjuncts of their culture – their habits and customs, their educational system, their aristocracy, and the aura of the World. This aura still pervades in Vigan with its houses of stone, formidable-looking as the old houses of Intramuros when it was still intact. With the thick walls, hardwood floors, high ceilings, tile roofs, “media-aguas”, and verandas, Vigan has been called the “Intramuros of Ilocandia”. In the 19th century, Vigan also traded for some time with Europe. Ships loaded indigo in its port for the textile mills in the Continent. The invention of chemical dyes in Germany ruined this industry. By then, the affluent citizens of Vigan had stocked their homes with statuettes of brass and iron, dinner wares, other artifacts of European civilization, fine ivory and inlaid furniture and China wares. Vigan has probably but few peers in the richness of its past. It has one claim though, that no other place in the Philippines can boast of and that is, while it does not hear anymore the hobnailed boots of the Spanish "conquistadores”, it still continues to feel the same old way, religiously, especially as it used to, in the days when the sun set on the Spanish flags.

The People - Theirs is a Granite that Makes the Ilocano Nation

Ilocos Sur is inhabited mostly by Ilocanos belonging to the third largest ethnic group of Malay origin. What were the Ilocanos like when the Spaniards found them? A Spanish chronicler wrote that “the people are very simple, domestic and peaceful, large of body and very strong. “They are highly civilized, superior to the most of the tribes in other parts of Luzon. They are a most clean race, especially the women in their homes which they keep very neat and clean.” Miguel de Loarca, in his records about 1582 noted that the Ilocanos “are more intelligent than the Zambaleños for they are traders and they traffic with the Chinese, Japanese and Borneans. The main occupation of the people is commerce, but they are also good farmers and sell their articles of good farmers and sell their articles of food and clothing to the Igorots.” Father Juan de Medina noted in 1630 that the natives are ‘the humblest and most tractable known and lived in nest and large settlements. Utility is the people’s consuming passion, and they are not wanting in vices and customs of other Filipinos. “Panguingui” has been superseded by mahjong. Cockfighting is still the game of the old. The people’s love for fiestas has its connection with patron saints’ celebration of the church. It is deeply rooted Christian tradition. The people, by their very nature, don’t spend what they don’t have, or spend beyond their means of income.

Social Institutions

Before Salcedo died in 1576, be bequeathed his encomienda to a selected group who perpetuated the tenancy system out which developed the practice of caciquism and landlordism, and consequently, usury. The aristocracy of the “babaknangs” against whom the “kaillanes” rose in revolt in 1762 is apparent. The two sections of the town – one for the “meztizos” and the other for the “naturales” are still distinct. These practices became prominent during the indigo boom at the middle of the 19th century. Caciquism, together with landlordism and usury, was the greatest obstacle to the progress of the province. Ilocos underwent the throes of these practices to be what it is today.

Agrarian Economy

Ilocos Sur’s economy is agrarian, but its 2,647 square kilometers of unfertile land is not enough to support a population of 338,579. Such agricultural crops as rice, corn tobacco and fruit trees dominate their farm industries. Secondary crops are camote and cassava, sugar cane and onions. Gov. Eliseo Quirino in 1952 bolstered the economy of Ilocos Sur by encouraging the planting of coconut trees and citrus. The rapidly growing population, the decreasing fertility of the soil, and the long period between the planting and harvesting season, have forced the people to turn to manufacture and trade. Many Ilocanos go to the Cagayan valley, Central Plains and Mindanao to sell Ilocano woven cloth. Weaving is the most extensive handicraft. This is bolstered by the installation of the NDC Textile Mills in Narvacan which supplies the weavers with yarn. Another factor that favors the industry is the deep-seated conservatism of many Ilocanos who attach a great sentiment and fondness for the durable striped cloth in woven the native hand loom. Furthermore, Ex-Gov. Carmeling P. Crisologo encouraged the weaving of native-women cloth, and which have good market in the U.S. Other industries are burnay and slipper making in Vigan, fjurniture and statue making in San Vicente, mortar and pestle making in San Esteban, and bolo making in Santa.

Migration

In the development of Ilocos Sur, the colonizers utilized free labor. Resentment to free labor brought about sporadic revolts, and those who refused to be slaves and tenants left the region and went to Abra and Cagayan Valley. From 1898 to the first decade of the 20th century, covered ox carts moved to the rich plains of Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac. In these travels, the children were amused by the tales of Lamang, Angalo and Aran, Juan Sadot and other legendary Ilocano characters. Folk songs like “Pamulinawen”, “Manang Biday”, Dungdungwen Kanto Unay, Unay”, and the Iloko “dal-lot”, to the accompaniment of the “kutibeng” were popularized. The second phase of Ilocano migration was from 1908 to 1946 when surplus labor hands migrated to the plantations of Hawaii and the American West Coast. At the height of this migration, the average density of population in Ilocos Sur was 492 inhabitants per square mile, the most dense in the Philippines then, excluding Manila. The last batch of labor migration of Hawaii was in 1946 when 7,365 men were recruited by the Department of Labor. Vigan was the recruiting center. At present, more than seventy percent of the 63,500 Filipinos in Hawaii are Ilocanos. A contemporary scholar, commenting on the Ilocano migration wrote: “The Ilocano movement has shown the way to people those vast lands. Without plan, without system, without leadership, without funds, following only the natural law of expansion, the ilocanos have spread over a considerable portion of the Northern Luzon, Central Plain and Mindanao. This is the most important contribution of the Ilocanos to the social and economic development of the Philippines.’

Uneasy peace

Possessed of rugged individualism, disciplined to be self-sufficient, and easily provoked by infringement on their rights and privileges, the people of Ilocos Sur find the history of their province with many disturbances of peace. The history of Ilocos Sur, from the beginning of the Spanish rule to the first decade of the nineteenth century was characterized by revolts in protest against tributes and forced labor, as well as the monopolies of some industries. The best known of these revolts was the Ilocos revolt (1762-1763), better known as Silang’s Revolt. This was principally a revolt of the masses aimed at the “Babaknangs” and the “alcalde-mayor” of Vigan. After Silang’s assassination on May 28, 1763, his wife, Josefa Gabriela, continued the fight until she was captured and hanged publicly on September 20, 1763. On September 16, 1817, another revolt resulted in protest against the government’s monopoly in the manufacture of “basi” the native wine. The rebels under the command of Ambaristo were defeated by a contingent of regular troops and recruits.

Ilocos Sur in the Philippine Revolution, Filipino-American War and World War II

Ilocos Sur, like other provinces in the Philippines, was quick to rally behind Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in the Philippine Revolution in 1896. Upon the capture of Vigan, the revolutionists made the Bishop’s Palace, their headquarters. On March 21, 1898, Don Mariano Acosta of Candon established the provincial revolutionary government in that town. When Gen. Aguinaldo returned from his exile in Hongkong to begin the Filipino-American War, he sent Gen.Manuel Tinio to carry on the guerilla warfare against the Americans. Vigan served as Tinio’s headquarters until its occupation by the U.S. 45th Infantry under Lt. Col. Parker on Dec. 4, 1899. On the Tirad Pass in Concepcion, east of Candon, Gen Gregorio del Pilar, covering the retreat of Gen. Aguinaldo to the Cordilleras and ultimate to Palawan, died a heroic death on December 2, 1899 in a battle against the American Forces under Major C. March. With the smoldering embers of the Filipino-American War already dying out, and with the gradual return of peace and order, a civil government under the Americans was established in Ilocos Sur in September 1, 1901 with Don Mena Crisologo, a delegate to the Malolos Congress, as the first provincial governor. About forty years later, another bloody skirmish took place in Vigan, On December 10, 1941, a contingent of Japanese Imperial Forces landed in Mindoro, Vigan; Santa; and Pandan, Caoayan. Four years later, the Battle of Bessang Pass in Cervantes, fought between Gen. Yamashita’s forces and the U.S. 21st Infantry was the climax in the fight for liberation. On April 18, 1945, Ilocos Sur was declared liberated from the Japanese.

Economic Prosperity

The first half of the 19th century was a period economic boom for Ilocos Sur and other Ilocano provinces. It was during this period when the cotton, tobacco and indigo industries were encouraged by the government. With the operations of the Real Comapaña de Filipinas, the textile industry was developed on a large scale; and the abolition of the tobacco monopoly accelerated economic progress. But the invention of chemical dyes put the indigo industry out of the business scene. Today, the premier money crop, the Virginia leaf tobacco, has been shedding millions of pesos for Ilocano coffers since the past few years. The windfall was brought about by the Tobacco Subsidy Law which was authored by the late Congressman Floro Crisologo. But sinister clouds loomed in the distance with the approval of the importation of Virginia leaf tobacco by President Macapagal. With this, Ilocos Sur may lapse once again in its progress and prosperity, into its pat economic lethargy.

Cultural Heritage

No part of the Philippines is richer in memories of Spanish culture than Ilocos Sur, especially Vigan, the heartland of ancient Ylokos. Almost everywhere in the houses of the “babaknangs” ancient artworks combining Spanish ideas with oriental crafts are found. One has to go Manila to see and witness progress in the making, but he has to go to Vigan to see history in the offing. The Ilocos Sur Museum, founded on August 22, 1970, has a sizable collection of cultural treasures to be proud of. Here, Ilocos Sur art include paintings, centuries-old sculptures and pieces of carved furniture. Here, too, are found relics of Spanish European and Chinese cultures that had influenced Ilocano life for centuries. These relics show Ilocos arts not only for their intrinsic and artistic worth, but also as part of a culture influenced by foreigners, and in turn influencing other regions of the Philippines. Chapters of Philippine history and religion are found in the Crisologo collections which includes family heirlooms, centuries –old “santos”, statuettes, ivory images, Vienna furniture, marble-topped tables, ancient-carved beds, rare Chinese porcelains, jars and jarlettes, lamps, Muslim brass wares, and Spanish and Mexican coins. The Syquia collections, including the late President Quirino’s memorabilla, vies in quality with the Crisologo collections. But in the midst of the fire scare in Vigan last year, the relics in the Syquia Mansion were transferred to Manila for safekeeping.

Recent Trends

In the person of the late President Quirino, Ilocos Sur made its greatest contribution to our nation’s colorful history, and to the gallery of illustrious Filipino and Famous Ilocanos among whom were Pedro Bukaneg, the Father of Ilocano literature; Diego Silang, the first Filipino emancipator; Josefa Gabriela Silang, the Filipino Joan of Arc; Dr. Jose Burgos, the Father of Filipino nationalism; Leona Florentino, the Ilocano poetess; Ventura de los Reyes, the first Filipino delegate to the Spanish Cortez; Mena Crisologo, the Ilocano Shakespeare; Isabelo de los Reyes, the Father of Filipino socialism and unionism; Msgr. Pedro Brilliantes, the first Bishop of the Filipino Independent Church; Vicente Singson Encarnacion, Ilocano millionaire and industrialist, and one of the “seven wise men” of the first constitutional convention; Benito Soliven, great Ilocano patriot and parliamentarian and Virginia tobacco booster. The 1960 census list 338,058 people; 64,446 dwelling units of which 2, 974 are lighted with electricity; 3227 provided with radio; 7379 served with pipe water; 25,137 served with artesian and pumped water; and 310 using electricity, kerosene and gas for cooking Ilocos Sur has 547 public schools including five general high schools, one university, one agricultural college and 56 private schools, 16 of which are Catholic. The Provincial Economic Development Council (PEDCO), organized by the first elected lady governor, Hon. Carmeling P. Crisologo, was a step forward in the economic development of the province. Among the projects undertaken were on increasing production of corn, rice, vegetables, meat, poultry and fish; improving health and sanitation through the construction of water-sealed toilets, blind drainage and compost pits; beautifying public plazas and highways; assisting cottage industries; and constructing and/or repairing roads, brides buildings and irrigation systems. Ilocos Sur is one of the few provinces of the Philippines that have tried to catch up with modern progress by its own bootstraps. Under a new leadership, with the Hon. Deogracias Victor "DV" B. Savellano as Governor, it is hoped that the next four years will be a period of peace and progress.