Ilocos provinces celebrate 205th founding anniversary
Ilocos Norte marks its 205th founding anniversary on Thursday (Feb. 2) with ceremonies at the provincial capitol grounds. (Photo courtesy of Ilocos Norte provincial government)
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte—Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur marked their founding anniversary on Thursday (Feb. 2) after the two provinces were separated 205 years ago.
In Ilocos Norte, Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc led the celebration during a commemoration activity at the provincial capitol grounds on Thursday.
Manotoc described the occasion as “historic” as he reminded residents and local officials alike to “carry on with a great sense of humility, yet also a great sense of responsibility and urgency.”
“To remember to be humble enough, to remember that we are a vessel, we are a symbol, and we only occupy the seats that we do for the people and ultimately our positions, our seats, are not ours but are of the people of Ilocos Norte,” he reminded local officials.
The original Provincia de Ilocos, which straddled the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, and La Union, was divided by virtue of a Spanish royal decree on Feb. 2, 1818, due to a series of uprisings by residents against the Spanish colonial government’s monopolies in tobacco, “basi” (sugarcane wine), and vinegar.
Ilocos Sur government agencies and civic organizations come together in a grand parade to mark the province’s 205th foundation anniversary on Thursday, Feb. 2 (Photo courtesy of Ilocos Sur provincial government)
“History unfolds that before the coming of the Spaniards, the coastal plains in northwestern Luzon, stretching from Bangui (Ilocos Norte) in the north to Namacpacan (Luna, La Union) in the south, were as a whole known as a progressive region called ‘Ylocos,’” according to an executive order issued by Ilocos Sur Gov. Jeremias “Jerry” Singson.
Celebrations in Ilocos Norte will be highlighted by the return of the Tan-ok ni Ilokano (Greatness of the Ilocano) Festival of Festivals on Feb. 24, the province’s grandest cultural event.
In Ilocos Sur, Singson emphasized that even before its foundation centuries ago, the province has been the region’s “heritage province,” where a myriad of cultures and histories converge to become a living museum of a spirited past.”
Ilocos Sur’s celebration on Thursday was marked by the “One Ilocos Sur” grand parade and the coronation night of the next Miss Ilocos Sur.
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