Ilocos Region— Region — The Ilocos region or Region I (Ilokano: Rehion ti

Ilocos, or Deppaar ti Ilocos ;Pangasinan: Rihiyon na Sagor na Baybay na Luzon

(Region at the Northwest Coast of Luzon)) is a Region of the Philippines and is
located in the northwest of Luzon. Itborders to the east the regions of the Cordillera
Administrative Region and CagayanValley and to the south the region of Central
Luzon. To the west north is the SouthChina Sea. The region is composed of four
provinces, namely: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Unionand Pangasinan. Its
regional center is San Fernando City, La Union. Ilocano speakerscompose 66% of
the region, and Pangasinan speakers are 27%, and the Tagalogscompose
3%.[1] The Ilocanos are descendants of Austronesian-speaking people
from southern Chinawho reached northwestern Luzon. The families and clans
arrived by boats called virayor bilog. The term Ilocano originated from the word looc,
meaning cove or bay. SoIlocano means “people of the bay.” The Ilocanos also refer
to themselves as Samtoy,a contraction from the phrase sao mi ditoy (our language
here). The Ilocanos are known to be frugal, resilient, industrious, patient,
and resourcefulpeople. These traits vital for survival are the results of the harsh
geographicallocation and extreme weather patterns of their homeland, the Ilocos
Coast.PhysicalRegion I occupies the narrow plain between the Cordillera Central
mountain rangeand the South China Sea. It also occupies the northern portion of the
Central Luzonplain, to the north-east of the Zambales Mountains.Lingayen Gulf is the
most notable body of water in the region and it contains anumber of islands, including
the Hundred Islands National Park. To the north of theregion is Luzon Strait. The
Agno river runs through Pangasinan and empties into the
Lingayen Gulf. The riverflow into a broad delta in the vicinity of Lingayen and
Dagupan City.[edit]Demographics The Ilocos provinces of the Ilocos Region is
the historical homeland of the Ilocanosincluding Former Philippine President
Ferdinand Marcos. The Ilocanos compose 66%of the region, the Pangasinan people
compose 27%, and the Tagalogs compose 3%.[1]Pangasinan is the historical
homeland of the Pangasinenses including FormerPhilippine President Fidel Ramos.
The population of Pangasinan comprises
approximately 60% of the total population of the region. The Pangasinenses
presentlyconstitute around 50% of the population of the province.[1] The Ilocanos
were notoriginally inhabitants of Pangasinan. They started migrating to Pangasinan in
the 19thcentury.[2] Pangasinan was formerly a province of Region III (Central Luzon),
butPresident Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 1, 1972, incorporating it into
RegionI. Minority groups include the Tinggian and Isneg communities that inhabit
thefoothills of the Cordillera mountains. The population is
predominantly Roman Catholic with strong adherents of Protestantism such
as the Aglipayan denomination further north of the country. Thereare also adherents
to other Christian denominations, such as Iglesia ni Cristo,Mormons, and the like.
There is also an undercurrent of traditional animistic beliefsespecially in rural areas.
The small mercantile Chinese and Indian communities areprimarily Buddhists,
Taoists, and Hindus.[citation needed][edit]HistoryRegion 1 was first inhabited by the
aboriginal Negritos before they were pushed bysuccessive waves of
Malay/Austronesian immigrants that penetrated the narrowcoast. Tingguians in the
interior, Ilocanos in the north, and Pangasinense in the southsettled the region.From
the data on the population distribution of Region 1, it is clear that not all theinhabitants
are Ilocanos. Around one-third are non-Ilocanos and yet there is a
popularmisconception that all the inhabitants are Ilocanos.[1] The use of the term
IlocosRegion promotes the wrong notion that all the residents of Region 1 are
Ilocanos.Before the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, Pangasinan was not a part
of theregion.[3] The Spanish arrived in the 16th century
and established Christian missions andgovernmental institutions to control the
native population and convert them to theRoman Catholic Church. Present-day Vigan
City in Ilocos Sur province became thebishopric seat of Nueva Segovia. Ilocanos in
the northern parts were less easilyswayed, however, and remained an area filled with
deep resentments against Spain. These resentments bubbled to the surface at
various points in the Ilocos provinces'history as insurrections, most notably that
of Andres Malong and Palaris of Pangasinan, Diego Silang and his wife Gabriela
Silang in 1764, and the Basi Revolt inthe 19th century. However, it was the
Pangasinenses in the south who were the lastto be stand against the Spaniards.[4]In
1901, the region came under American colonial rule, and in 1941, under
Japaneseoccupation.
During 1945, the combined American and the Philippine Commonwealth
troopsincluding with the Ilocano and Pangasinese guerillas liberated the Ilocos
Region from Japanese forces during the Second World War.Several modern
presidents of the Republic of the Philippines hailed from the Region:Elpidio Quirino,
Ferdinand Marcos, and Fidel V. Ramos.Before the formation of the Cordillera
Administrative Region, Region 1 also includedthe provinces of Abra, Mountain
Province, and Benguet. Before Region 1 was modifiedby Ferdinand Marcos,
Pangasinan was not part of the region.[edit]EconomyAlthough the economy in the
southern portion of the region, esp. Pangasinan, isanchored on agro-industrial and
service industry, the economy in the northern portionof the region is anchored in the
agricultural sector. The economy in Pangasinan isdriven by agro-industrial
businesses , such as milkfish (bangus) cultivation andprocessing, livestock raising,
fish paste processing (bagoong), and others. At thesame time the importance of
trading, financial services, and educational services inthe economy cannot be denied.
Income in the Ilocos provinces or northern portionmostly come from cultivating rice,
tobacco, corn, sugarcane, and fruits; raisinglivestock such as pigs, chicken, goats,
and carabaos (water buffalos). The distribution of the economic activity in the
region may be seen from thecollection of tax revenue of the national government.
The bulk of the collections comefrom Pangasinan, which posted 61% of the
total.[5] The service and light manufacturing industries are concentrated
in the cities.Dagupan City is mostly driven by its local entrepreneurs, which have
started toexpand its network up to the national level. San Fernando City in La Union
also has aninternational shipping port and the upgraded and soon to be developed
San FernandoInternational Airport. While Laoag City in Ilocos Norte has an
international airport. The tourism industry, driven by local airlines and
land transportation firms in the arealike Farinas Transit Company and Partas,
focuses on the coastal beaches and on eco-tourism. There are fine sands stretching
along Bauang, La Union and the rest of theregion. Opportunities to engage in other
water sports and activities abound. Eco-tourism takes advantage of the marine and
forest resources in the region anddisplays the natural beauty of the Region 1.[citation
needed] The region is also rich in crafts, with renowned blanket-weaving
and pottery.[citationneeded] The Ilocanos' burnay pottery is well known for its dark
colored clay.[citationneeded]
Ilokano literature
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