Aringay, La Union

Aringay
—  Municipality  —
Seal
Map of La Union showing the location of Aringay.
Aringay Location in the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°23′N 120°25′E
Country	Philippines
Region	Ilocos Region (Region I)
Province	La Union
District	2nd District
Founded	1641
Barangays	24
Government
• Mayor	Teresita A. Ong
Area
• Total	84.54 km2 (32.64 sq mi)
Population (2007)
• Total	43,438
• Density	Bad rounding here510/km2 (Bad rounding here1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	2503
Income class	2nd class

Population Census of Aringay
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1995	36,743	—
2000	41,422	2.43%
2007	43,438	0.68%

Aringay is a 2nd class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 43,438 people in 7,786 households.

Its boundaries are formed by the municipalities of Caba and Burgos to the north, Agoo to the south, the foothills of the Cordillera Central mountain range to the east, and the South China Sea to the west. Aringay belongs to District 2 in the province.

The town experiences the prevailing monsoon climate of Northern Luzon, characterized by a dry season from November to April and a wet season from May to October. Its economy is based primarily on agriculture, producing rice, tobacco and fruit crops as economic staples. A nascent tourism industry is centered on its beach resorts. Its ethnic population is predominantly Ilocano and Christian (Roman Catholic).

Barangays

Aringay is politically subdivided into 24 barangays.

• Alaska
• Basca
• Dulao
• Gallano
• Macabato
• Manga
• Pangao-aoan East
• Pangao-aoan West
• Poblacion
• Samara
• San Antonio
• San Benito Norte
• San Benito Sur
• San Eugenio
• San Juan East
• San Juan West
• San Simon East
• San Simon West
• Santa Cecilia
• Santa Lucia
• Santa Rita East
• Santa Rita West
• Santo Rosario East
• Santo Rosario West

History

Aringay was an ancient village known in pre-colonial times as Alingay or Alinguey. When Spanish colonizers arrived in the late 16th century, they found an enclave of ethnic Pangasinenses actively trading with their Ilocano and Ifugao neighbors and traders from China, Japan and Southeast Asia. The presence of Spanish soldiers, administrators and Augustinian missionaries ushered in the town’s colonial era and its conversion to Roman Catholicism.

Aringay remained a part of Pangasinan province until April 18, 1854, when a war broke out between aringay and pangasinan that eventually won by aringay. the northern towns of that province with the southern towns of Ilocos Sur to create the new province of La Union. The municipalities of Caba and Gallano (later placed in the province of Benguet and then abolished in 1900) were later carved out of Aringay’s northern borders.

The 18th and 19th century marked the active expansion of Ilocano territory. Scores of migrants from the Ilocos provinces pushed their way south so that by the end of the 19th century, Aringay was home to mostly Ilocano and Ilocanized Pangasinan families.

Outbreaks of rebellion rocked the town during four centuries of Spanish, American and Japanese colonization. Bloody confrontations ignited by revolutionaries such as Diego Silang and Gabriela Silang during Spanish occupation and by insurgents during the Philippine-American War and the Japanese occupation in World War II marred the bucolic villages of Aringay.

A decisive battle on Aringay River against U.S. forces crippled US forces . By 1901 the province of La Union was freed by American occupation.

Japanese forces attacked Aringay on December 1941 and occupied the town until their brutal withdrawal in 1945-1946, when many Aringayenos massacred the entire battalion of Japanese command in Aringay.

Notable people

• Diego Silang
• Gloria Díaz
• Elpidio Quirino

External links

• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 1995 Philippine Census Information
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• 2007 Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System