La Union

La Unión, "The Union" in English, was formed in 1850 when the Spanish colonial government of Governor-General Antonio Maria Blanco merged the three southern towns of Ilocos Sur province, the nine northern towns of Pangasinan, and the western towns of Benguet to the east (Eastern Pais del Igorotes in the Cordilleras). Pangasinans were the majority in the new province because most towns had been in the province of Pangasinan.

On October 29, 1849, Governor General Claveria issued a promovido to fuse the Pangasinan-Ilocos-Cordillera areas into La Union. On March 2, 1850, Governor General Antonio Maria Blanco signed the Superior Decreto of La Union (34th province from Cebu-1565), with Captain Toribio Ruiz de la Escalera as the first Gobernador Military y Politico. Isabella II of Spain decreed the province's creation on April 18, 1854.[3]

In 1896, the people of La Union began a revolt against the Spaniards, who had called La Union "Una Provincia Modelo" ("A Model Province"), led by Manuel Tinio Y Bondoc under Emilio Aguinaldo. The Americans collaborated with the Filipinos to end the Spanish.

Dr. Lucino Almeida became the Presidente Provincial of the American regime, followed by the appointment of La Union's first civil governor in 1901, Don Joaquin Joaquino Ortega.[4]

La Union had great strategic significance both for allied and Japanese forces.

On December 22, 1941, the Japanese 4th Tank Regiment and the 47th Infantry Regiment under the command of Col Isamu Yanagi supported by a massive flotilla of navy ships tried to land in Agoo to make it one of three major beachheads for the Japanese Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, although weather dispersed their forces and made them deploy on a wide stretch of beach that ranged from Agoo to as far south as Damortis. These forces later met the commonwealth defence forces - consisting of the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts), the Philippine 21st Division, the Philippine 11th Division, and the newly formed Philippine 71st Division - in what would later be called the Battle of Rosario.[5]

On January 4, 1945, La Union was liberated by the Battle of San Fernando and Bacsil Ridge.[3]

Although economically affected by the rapid peso devaluation brought about by unbridled election spending heading into the 1969 presidential elections,[6][7] political life in La Union was not significantly impacted by Ferdinand Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law in 1972.[8]

The powerful family factions which had dominated La Union politics since before the American colonial era largely remained in place, although the family of Congressman Jose D. Aspiras became much more prominent after he became Marcos’ Tourism Minister. The main political change was the increased power of regional and provincial offices of national agencies, whose directors were answerable directly to Marcos.[8]

This technique used by Marcos to consolidate political power did not get much resistance in the Ilocos Region,[8] including La Union, which had strong ethnic associations with the Marcos family.[9] The Marcos administration’s use of violent methods for stifling dissent thus mostly took place in other, non-Ilocano provinces, such as nearby Abra, Kalinga, and Mountain Province.[9]

But there were still La Union natives who were willing to object to the authoritarian practices and abuses of the Marcos administration, despite personal risk.[10][11] This included San-Fernando-raised student activists Romulo and Armando Palabay, UP Students and La Union National High School alumni who were imprisoned for their protest activities, tortured at Camp Olivas in Pampanga, and later separately killed before the end of Martial Law.[12] The martyrdom of Romulo (age 22) and Armando (age 21) was later honored when their names were etched on the Wall of Remembrance at the Philippines’ Bantayog ng mga Bayani, which honors the heroes and martyrs who fought the authoritarian regime.[13]

Agoo, La Union native Antonio L. Mabutas had become Archbishop of Davao by the time of Martial Law, and spoke actively against the Human rights abuses of that time,[14][15] particulaly the torture and killings of church workers. The pastoral letter he wrote against Martial law, “Reign of Terror in the Countryside,” is notable for having been the first pastoral to be written against Marcos' martial law administration.[14]

From the mid-2000s to the early 2010s, an influx of entrepreneurs began putting up establishments such as boho-chic-style art hostels and third-wave coffeeshops in San Juan and Agoo.[16] They were initially attracted to the already-established surfing scene of Barangay Urbiztondo in San Juan, but eventually envisioned business in the province as an alternative to the stresses of city-based employment.[17][18] This coincided with the phase-by-phase opening of the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX), which made La Union more accessible to tourists from Metro Manila.[19]

Alongside the rising influence of social media outlets Twitter and Instagram, these factors led to a drastic tourism boom which made San Juan - previously been seen as just one of the Philippines' many surfing venues - a major backpacker’s destination whose attractions centered on surfing and art.[20][21]

San Juan began to be featured prominently in independent films such as Jay Abello’s 2015 film Flotsam[22] and JP Habac’s 2017 film “I’m Drunk, I Love You”,[21] and the province began to be referred to by the colloquial initialism “ElYu.”[23]

La Union comprises 19 municipalities and 1 component city, [25] all of which are organized into two legislative districts.[24]

Political map of La Union

La Union has a total of 576 barangays comprising its 19 municipalities and 1 city. [25]

The most populous barangay in the province is Sevilla in the City of San Fernando with a population of 10,612 in the 2010 census. If cities are excluded, Central East (Poblacion) in the municipality of Bauang has the highest number of inhabitants, at 4,249. Caggao in Bangar has the lowest with only 170. [25]

La Union is governed by Francisco Emmanuel "Pacoy" R. Ortega III, the chief executive, his vice governor, Mario Ortega, and 13 board members.[40]

• Lucino Almeida (1901)
• Don Joaquin Joaquino Ortega (1901–1904)
• Joaquin Luna (1904–1907)
• Sixto Zandueta (1907–1909)
• Francisco Zandueta (1909–1912)
• Mauro Ortiz (1912–1916)
• Tomas de Guzman (1916)
• Mauro Ortiz (1916–1918)
• Pio Ancheta (1918–1921)
• Thomas de Guzman (1922–1923)
• Juan Lucero (1923–1928)
• Thomas de Guzman (1928–1931)
• Pio Ancheta (1931)
• Mauro Ortiz (1931–1934)
• Juan Rivera (1934–1937)
• Francisco Nisce, (1937–1940)
• Bernardo Gapuz (1940)

• Jorge Camacho (1941–1942)
• Bonifacio Tadiar (1942–1944)

• Agaton Yaranon (1946–1947)
• Doroteo Aguila (1948–1951)
• Juan Carbonell (1952–1955)
• Bernardo Gapuz (1956–1959)
• Eulogio de Guzman, (1960–1967)
• Juvenal Guerrero (1968–1977)
• Tomas Asprer, (1977–1986)
• Robert V. Dulay (1986–1987)
• Joaquin Ortega (1988–1992)
• Justo O. Orros (1992–2001)
• Victor F. Ortega, (2001–2007)
• Manuel C. Ortega (2007–2016)
• Francisco Emmanuel R. Ortega III, (2016–present)

The Supreme Court of the Philippines recognizes La Union (inter alia) regional trial courts and metropolitan or municipal trial courts within the province and towns, that have an overall jurisdiction in the populace of the province and towns, respectively.[41]

Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, "The Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980", as amended, created Regional, Metropolitan, Municipal Trial and Circuit Courts. The Third Judicial Region includes RTCs in La Union xxx Sec. 14. Regional Trial Courts. (a) Fifty-seven Regional Trial Judges shall be commissioned for the First Judicial Region. Nine branches (Branches XXVI to XXXIV) for the province of La Union, Branches XXVI to XXX with seats at San Fernando, Branches XXXI and XXXII at Agoo, Branch XXXIII at Bauang, and Branch XXXIV at Balaoan;

The law also created Metropolitan Trial Courts in each metropolitan area established by law, a Municipal Trial Court in each of the other cities or municipalities, and a Municipal Circuit Trial Court in each circuit comprising such cities and/or municipalities as are grouped together pursuant to law: three branches for Cabanatuan City; in every city which does not form part of a metropolitan area, there is also a Municipal Trial Court with one branch, except as provided: Two branches for San Fernando, La Union;[42]

The courts of law are stationed in Halls of Justices of the Province and towns. In La Union, the Regional Trial Court is stationed at the Bulwagan ng Katarungan or Halls of Justice in San Fernando, La Union and other Regional Trial Courts in Bauang and Agoo, La Union.