San Gabriel, La Union
Encyclopedia
San Gabriel is a 5th class municipality in the province of La Union
, Philippines
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 15,803 people in 2,830 households. It is the largest municipality in La Union in terms of land area.
s.
Sitio Burnotan became the ideal place to settle because of the wide plain along the river and its fertile soil. Intermarriages between Christians and pagan settlers greatly contributed to the increase in population. On April 19, 1897, the Roman Catholic Church, through the late Fr. Redondo, indoctrinated the pagan settlers with Christian teachings. He established a church and introduced the image of Saint Gabriel to be their patron saint. As a result, many of the pagan inhabitants embraced Christianity and many of them were baptized. The people later decided to change the name of their place to San Gabriel in honor of their patron saint.
San Gabriel was made into a township in 1906 under the sub-province Amburayan, Mountain Province with Don Pablo Waggay as its first “Presidente.”
In 1920, it became a municipal district of Amburayan. It was in 1922, after the settlement of the boundary dispute between La Union and Mountain Province, that San Gabriel became a municipality. Finally in 1947, San Gabriel was converted into a regular municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 72 issued by President
Manuel Roxas
through the sponsorship of the former Speaker Pro-Tempore Francisco Ortega in the House of Representatives.
Bananas and tiger grass are also abundant in San Gabriel, which harvests materials for soft broom production on a weekly basis.
La Unión
La Union or La Unión may refer to:-Colombia:*La Unión, Antioquia*La Unión, Nariño*La Unión, Sucre*La Unión, Valle del Cauca-Peru:*La Unión Province, Peru...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. According to the latest census, it has a population of 15,803 people in 2,830 households. It is the largest municipality in La Union in terms of land area.
Barangays
San Gabriel is politically subdivided into 15 barangayBarangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
s.
- Amontoc
- Apayao
- Balbalayang
- Bayabas
- Bucao
- Bumbuneg
- Lacong
- Lipay Este
- Lipay Norte
- Lipay Proper
- Lipay Sur
- Lon-oy
- Poblacion
- Polipol
- Daking
History
The town of San Gabriel is within the easternmost part of the province of La Union. It was formerly called sitio “Baka-Burnotan”, the name derived from the game of the old folks that means “binnornutan” or tug-of-war. Sitio Baka-Burnotan was the place where people in the nearby sitios gathered daily to graze their cattle while playing binnornutan. The games were played between the Christians and the pagan settlers of the Kankanaey tribe. During the later years, the name baka-burnotan was shortened to burnotan.Sitio Burnotan became the ideal place to settle because of the wide plain along the river and its fertile soil. Intermarriages between Christians and pagan settlers greatly contributed to the increase in population. On April 19, 1897, the Roman Catholic Church, through the late Fr. Redondo, indoctrinated the pagan settlers with Christian teachings. He established a church and introduced the image of Saint Gabriel to be their patron saint. As a result, many of the pagan inhabitants embraced Christianity and many of them were baptized. The people later decided to change the name of their place to San Gabriel in honor of their patron saint.
San Gabriel was made into a township in 1906 under the sub-province Amburayan, Mountain Province with Don Pablo Waggay as its first “Presidente.”
In 1920, it became a municipal district of Amburayan. It was in 1922, after the settlement of the boundary dispute between La Union and Mountain Province, that San Gabriel became a municipality. Finally in 1947, San Gabriel was converted into a regular municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 72 issued by President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948...
through the sponsorship of the former Speaker Pro-Tempore Francisco Ortega in the House of Representatives.
Economy
San Gabriel is an agricultural town. In its early days, the people of San Gabriel were engaged mainly in highland farming as their means of livelihood. They produced rice, corn, sweet potatoes and other root crops. As years passed, crop production decreased due to massive soil erosion in the uplands. Nevertheless, the inhabitants decided to improve their farming techniques and started making terraces. The perseverance of the people in constructing rice terraces and irrigation system along the hills and mountains of San Gabriel caused agricultural productivity to rebound.Bananas and tiger grass are also abundant in San Gabriel, which harvests materials for soft broom production on a weekly basis.