HISTORY OF VIGAN POBLACION BARANGAYS

Vigan has a total of 39 barangays, nine of which are poblacion barangays. For this ethnography, the nine poblacion Barangays are clustered according to their geographic location relative to the poblacion Barangays into western and eastern Barangays.

Sixteen Barangays comprise the eastern cluster and they are as follows: Capangpangan, San Julian Sur, San Julian Norte, San Jose, Nagsangalan, Purok a bassit, purok a dakkel, Rugsuanan, Raois, Cabaroan Daya, Cabaroan Laud, Cabalangegan, Bongtolan, Camangaan, beddeng daya and Beddeng Laud.

The 14 western Barangays, on the other hand are: Ayusan Norte, Ayusan Sur, Paoa, Bulala, Paratong, Pong-ol, Barraca, Salindeg, Tamag, San Pedro, Mindoro, Pantay Daya, Pantay Laud and Pantay Fatima.

Interestingly, many of the barangay’s names reflect certain characteristics (i.e. physical, economics, historical) of the area and its people.



KASANGLAYAN

Most parts of Barangay I and II comprise a section called kainsikan /Kasanglayan (from Intsik, Sangley or Chinese) or kamestizoan (from mestizo or half-breed, owing to the fact that the area was, and is still is inhabited largely by Chinese merchants. Recently, this section has been referred to as the Vigan Heritage Village, and is declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as it is only the remaining vestige of the Spanish colonial era of town planning in the Philippines having kept intact most of the houses built during the said period. The Kasanglayan section used to be both a residential and commercial area, however, business activity within the section was limited to light commerce in the recent decades to protect this historic center.

Likewise, the political and religious centers (i.e. City Government Building, Archbishop’s palace, St. paul Metropolitan Cathedral) had been kept within barangay I. Nonetheless, it is necessary to mention that parts of barangay III, IV,V,VI,VIII and IX, with their ancestral houses and historic buildings (e.g. Burgos House, provincial capitol, provincial Library, old public school buildings like Burgos Elementary School East and Vigan central School, Sto. Cristo Chapel and Cemetery), also belong to the historic core of Vigan City.

The northeastern part of barangay II is still referred to as Amianance, from the Iloco word amianan, which means north.

The city’s present commercial center stretches within parts of Barangays I, III and VIII, along Quezon Avenue to the Vigan Public market in Jose Singson Street.


HOLLYWOOD

The northern portions of Barangays II and IV, along the southern banks of the Govantes River, cover a settlement named Hollywood. It is said that its name was derived from the fact that most of the settlers in the area were actors in zarzuela groups. With a few houses in the late 1950’s, the area is congested with 96 houses and about 150 families, all believed to be informal settlers. Many of the residents came from any parts of the town, especially from Barangay IV itself. However, a number of residents came from other provinces such as Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Tarlac and even from the Visayas.

The settlement gradually encroached a large portion of the Govantes River, choking the river flow and contributing to its deteriorating condition.

PAGPARTIAN

A certain part of Barangay V is called Pagpartian, which means “a place for slaughtering”, because the city’s pagpartian or slaughterhouse is located in this area, along the western side of the Mestizo River.

Due to the proximity of the source of meat, Pagpartian residents, as well as of neighboring Capangpangan on the eastern side of the Mestizo River, are well-known for home-based eat processing activities and enterprises. Vigan’s famous lonnganisa (Ilokano sausage) and bagnet (deep fried and crunchy pork chunks) are made in these areas. Similarly, chicharon (puffed and crunchy pork skin), lechon (roasted pig), dinardaraan (pork blood stew) are prepared here. Notably, longganisa and bagnet makers in other Barangays originated from either Pagpartian or Capangpangan.

PAGPANDAYAN

Most parts of Barangay VI and the eastern part of Barangay VIII comprised what was popularly known as Pagpandayan. Pagpandayan is an Iloco word meaning “blacksmithing area”. The community was (and still is) so called because it was where steel weapons, particularly paltik or revolvers, were made, among others.

The paltik industry flourished especially during the “saka-saka Period”. With paltik-making declared as illegal, the panday (blacksmith) eventually went out of commission. Hearsays, however, are heared about the continued secret existence of the illegal paltik industry.


CABASAAN

Another part of Barangay VIII is also called Cabasaan due its being easily flooded during the rains, and because it was near the rice fields. While Cabasaan keeps its name, the rice fields nearby have been turned into an important business area in the last 20 years – starting with the construction of the Vigan Public Market to the more recent commercial buildings in the area.

STA. ELENA

The southernmost portion of Barangay VIII and IX is called Sta. Elena. The hilly portion shared by both Branagay VII and VIII is called Panpantoc, which means “hills” and it serves as the town’s former garbage dumping area on its eastern half, and as the City Public Cemetery on its western half.

CUTA

Beside Sta. Elena is Cuta, which is still used to refer to Barangay IX. Cuta is a Spanish word meaning “fort”, which is adopted as kuta in Filipino/Iloco. It is the belief of some people that Cuta was given such a name due to the fact that it is located at the southern entrance of the poblacion where a fort was built during the olden days to protect Ciudad Fernandina from the Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese and Moro attacks. Interestingly, the first chapel established by the Spaniards is said to have been built in this area, right at the bank of the Mestizo River. Unstudied evidence of the chapel’s existence, constituting mainly of brick and stone remnants, can be seen in that portion of the silted river, although politically belonging to the Beddeng Laud side. Likewise, the old Cadre or the province’s military headquarters was located nearby, in Barangay Tamag.

PGBURNAYAN

Pagburnayan, meaning, “a place where burnay is made”, covers most of barangay VII and the southwestern part of Barangay VIII. The district was so called because the Chinese burnay jar-making technology was done here. As such, the Chinese artisans who introduced the technology and the native craftsmen resided in this area, near their place of work. With at least 7 burnay jar jar factories up until about 1950’s, only three exist at present and are located within Barangay VII.


SOLID WEST

Barangay IV which is otherwise known as Solid West was formerly called Naturales at a certain period of Vigan history. At another period, it was called Barraca ti Ili. It was called Naturales because natural-born Filipinos inhabited the place at the time. As for Barraca ti Ili as a name, it was mooring place of galleys and other sea crafts during the Spanish regime. Information had it that ships could nav9igate as far as a portion of the Mestizo River, north of the St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace. Solid West as a name was given to this area due to the unity exhibited by the populace.