History

The coast of La Union was well-settled in pre-Spanish times. Agoo was once referred to as "Puerto de Japon" or port of Japan for it was the center of an active trade between the inhabitants and the Japanese and the Chinese. Another settlement, Apuley, in what is now Bauang, was also a well ordered, thriving settlement. Both settlements were important centers of gold trading in exchange for Chinese and Japanese ceramics.

On rumors of gold mines in the region, Spanish explorer Juan de Salcedo led an expedition to the area in 1572. His expedition met stiff resistance but the Spaniards prevailed and established themselves in the region and hoarded fifty pounds of gold to Manila. The Augustinian missionaries established towns along the coast and reduced the residents to Christianity. The region remained important gold-panning districts and a jump off point for Spanish raids on the rumored gold mines of the Igorots.

In 1661, Andres Malong of Pangasinan tried to seize the region as part of his realm. In a decisive victory at Agoo, the Spaniards defeated the forces of Malong and signaled the defeat of the Malong's partisans who had endeavored to establish a separate kingdom in Pangasinan.

Beginning in the late 18^th century, Ilocano migrants in search of more land began to push south from the province of Ilocos and settled in the region. By the middle of the 19^th century, the Ilocanos had displaced the Pangasinenses as the predominant ethnic group in the area.

The province was created through a Decreto Superior issued on March 2, 1850 by Governor General Antonio Maria Blanco. It was carved out of some towns of the provinces of Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan. Its status as a province was formally approved by a Royal Decree of Queen Isabela II of Spain on April 18,1854. The name La Union was used to signify the fusing of two sections from different provinces.

People, Culture and the Arts

San Fernando is the administrative regional center for Region I. It is also a national port of entry servicing both domestic and international shipping. Its location at the juncture of Central Luzon and the northwestern provinces has also made is a commercial and business center. Ilocanos comprise the overwhelming majority of the people in La Union, although there are Kankana-ey and Ibaloi Igorots in the eastern fringes bordering Benguet. Ilocano is the lingua franca, although English and Filipino are widely spoken and used as the basic media of instruction in schools.

The La Union Ilocanos share much of the culture of their brothers from the north. La Union's major industries are fishing and farming. The province is particularly noted for producing grapes, about the only province that commercially raises the fruit. Ilocano cottage industries like blanket-weaving, basketry, shellcraft, broom making, pottery-making, blacksmithing, and jewelry making, are also found in La Union. Manually operated wooden looms are still being used today to weave the noted Ilocano blankets in Bangar.

Furniture manufacturing is another industry, for which La Union is noted. It is also well known for the distilling of basi, native wine fermented from sugarcane juice, that is boiled with pounded duhat bark and guava leaves. These ingredients give it a distinct reddish color.

La Union showcases its rich cultural heritage in museums and historical sites through out the province. The Museo Iloko, located beside the Agoo Municipal building houses religious artifacts, antique furniture, porcelain wares and miniature dolls depicting Ilocano traditions. The Museo de la Union showcases archaeological finds from the region. The Pindangan Ruins also attracts tourists to La Union. The remnants of this first church of San Fernando, built of coral in 1674, was the core of the settlement that was to later to become the capital town.

Trade and Investments

Sitting at a crossroads of commercial, communications and economic avenues, La Union is the principal economic center of the Ilocos region. Less than a five-hour drive from Manila, La Union covers an area of 149,309 hectares occupying a strip of coastline from the Lingayen Gulf and north towards the South China Sea. The mountains hold valuable mineral deposits such as gold and iron as well as non-metallic resources like limestone, clay, sand and gravel. The province possesses a reliable 300,000 strong labor force that is amply trained and highly motivated to take part in industrial activity.

La Union is linked to the major commercial centers of the island of Luzon by a network of excellent roads. The San Fernando feeder airport and seaport allow easy access for both air and sea borne traffic of people, commodities and supplies in and out of the province. The facilities at the sea and airports are being upgraded to improve transportation links. There are four telecommunications companies providing the people of La Union with land and cellular lines. There is available potable water and irrigation can sustain agricultural ventures. The province is the site of the 215 megawatt Bauang Private Power Plant and is linked to the Luzon Grid, providing industries with ample power sources. Fifty banking institutions do business in La Union, providing crucial financial support for province-based businesses. The existence of major educational and training institutions, such as the Regional Manpower Training Center, also provides the La Union labor force a competitive advantage over other provinces.

The province has chiefly relied on agriculture and fishing as major economic activities. Rice, tobacco, banana, coconut, mango and root crops are major products along with fresh and dried fish. The province, however, is moving to strengthen its industrial sector to take part in the growing industrialization of the country. The Poro Point Economic and Freeport Zone, where both the sea and air ports are located, is being developed to provide investors a range of opportunities to set up light industrial, agro-industrial as well as tourism related ventures. The Bacnotan Regional Agri-Industrial Growth Center, on the other hand, is being developed for medium and heavy manufacturing.

Investors can still take advantage of the skilled craftsmen to produce an assortment of gifts, decorative items and handicrafts for an export market. The favorable climate in La Union’s highlands holds many possibilities for ornamental plant and cutflower production.

La Union is also a major tourist destination. The ever increasing number of tourists who visit the province’s sandy beaches and who take advantage of the surfing and other water sports possibilities, makes investments in tourist facilities like hotels, inns, dive and surfing shops as well as restaurants and souvenir shops highly attractive.

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