Balaoan
Municipality
Municipality of Balaoan
Balaoan town center
Flag Seal
Nickname:  The Sea Urchin Capital of the North
Map of La Union with Balaoan highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Balaoan Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°49′N 120°24′E / 16.82°N 120.4°E / 16.82; 120.4
Country	Philippines
Region	Ilocos Region
Province	La Union
District	1st district
Barangays	36 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
• Mayor	Aleli U. Concepcion
• Vice Mayor	Carlo Castor U. Concepcion
• Representative	Pablo C. Ortega
• Municipal Council	Members Joanna Katrina L. Ledda Rogelio O. Concepcion Rogelio E. Opinaldo Michael D. Marron Rosie M. Is-isa Herminia M. Ordinario Emiliana P. Portacio Marife C. Hermosura
• Electorate	26,142 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	68.70 km2 (26.53 sq mi)
Elevation	47 m (154 ft)
Highest elevation	311 m (1,020 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	40,339
• Density	590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
• Households	10,204
Economy
• Income class	1st municipal income class
• Poverty incidence	3.2 % (2018)[4]
• Revenue	PHP 1,067,287,083.40 billion (410.46%) (2021)
• Assets	PHP 1,757,187,696.71 billion (99.14%) (2021)
• Equity	PHP 1,700,436,716.76 billion (112.55%) (2021)
• Expenditure	PHP 175,850,099.75 million (-42.80%) (2021)
• Liabilities	PHP 56,750,979.95 million (-31.10%) (2021)
Service provider
• Electricity	La Union Electric Cooperative (LUELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2517
PSGC	013305000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)72
Native languages	Ilocano Tagalog
Website	www.balaoan.gov.ph

Balaoan, officially the Municipality of Balaoan (Ilocano: Ili ti Balaoan; Filipino: Bayan ng Balaoan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,339.^[3]

Etymology

• Dr. Camilo Osias - name of a former senator who was born in Balaoan
• Nagsabaran (as Nagsabaran Norte & Nagsabar Sur) – This name (meaning "place where [the road] branches out") was given to the place because the national road branched out to this barrio. The root word is sabar, meaning "to branch out".
• Pantar (as Pantar Norte & Pantar Sur) - Ilocano term of "lively".

History

According to William Scott, "Balaoan itself was an emporium for the exchange of Igorot gold."^[5]

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 (others have olive skin, which is still lighter than the skin tone of villagers). 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?" ("Awan bala?" in modern spelling, 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", which is pronounced on its modern town name "Balaoan".

During the Spanish colonization of 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 had 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.

Geography

Balaoan is situated north of Bacnotan, south of Bangar, east of Luna and west of Santol. Located 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of San Fernando City, the provincial capital of La Union and the regional capital of Region I. Balaoan is 299 kilometres (186 mi) north of Metro Manila. Barangay Paraoir is Balaoan's pristine coastal community on the South China Sea.

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

Its land area of 6,870 hectares (17,000 acres) consists mostly of agricultural lands. It occupies 4.3% of the total area of the province.

Demographics

In the 2020 census, the population of Balaoan was 40,339 people,^[3] with a density of 590 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,500 inhabitants per square mile.

The dominant language spoken in Balaoan is Ilocano.

Economy

Festivities

The church of Balaoan is under the advocacy of the town's patron saint, 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.

Government

Education

Notable personalities

• Camilo Osías, former Senator
• Magnolia Antonino, former Senator

Gallery

• 
  Welcome arch
• 
  Municipal hall
• 
  Public market
• 
  Street view
• 
  Tricycle terminal

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balaoan.

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System