On 1572, Juan de Salcedo, fresh from his conquest of Southern Luzon, was ordered by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to explore the Northern Luzon and “pacify the people in it” (this is according to Mendoza-Corte in the book Pangasinan: 1572-1800). The area then was a dynamic trading center especially of gold for the Japanese and Chinese merchants. On June of that year, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi landed at Atuley (now known as Bauang) before he headed to Purao (now Balaoan). He found the natives friendly but did not establish settlements. It was the Augustinian friars that built towns along the coast and converted the residents to Christians. The region became a base for the Spanish colonizers to exploit the gold mines in the uplands.

Bauang was a pre-colonial settlement in the country that became one of the first missions organized by the Augustinians in Northern Luzon. It used to belong to the federation of towns and settlements jointly known as “Baratao, Buratao and Balitao”. In 1587, Bauang became the center of the “ministerio” of Baratao and was first placed under the patronage of Sts. Peter and Paul. Fr. Miguel Sano, an Augustinian missionary, was the first priest of the Parish of the Chair of St. Peter which was later on reverted to its historical titular Saints Peter and Paul.

426 years ago, on January 5 year 1586, the Parish of Bauang under the patronage of Sts. Peter and Paul was created according to the accounts of Fr. Gaspar de San Agustin, an Augustinian Chronicler. It was also of the same year that our town was accepted “as a house of the Order” and was later on confirmed in 1590 according to Fr. Pedro Galende, O.S.A. in Libro de Gobierno del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus de Filipinas at the Augustinian Archives in Spain.

It was officially recognized as a town in 1765 as part of the province of Pangasinan with Don Francisco delos Reyes as its first gobernadorcillo.

There are a few versions of how our town got its name. First, from “bua” or betel nut which was in abundance at the site (now Barangay Nagrebcan) where the old Spanish Church was built. Another and more popular is the Ilocano term for garlic that was also in abundance when the Spaniards came. The third version came from the word “buang” which means “river split into two,” before flowing into the sea. As it is, the Bauang is split into two by a delta.

Like other towns in the province, Bauang also had its share in the devastating invasions of Moro pirates. In the stillness of the night, they would swoop upon the town without any warning, killing people and kidnapping women and children only to be sold into slavery. They stole cattle, looted the town and broke into the church and robbed it of its silver and gold.

These invasions gave rise to the construction of watchtowers, locally known as balaurte, by then Gobernadorcillo Don Juan Mallare along the coast and at the mouth of the Bauang River. These watchtowers served as fortress against the invading pirates. It was also utilized as a refuge for the inhabitants who had no time to flee to the hills whenever the pirates were sighted.

Bauang was part of the dozen towns that originally formed La Union which includes Sto. Tomas, Agoo, Aringay, Caba, Naguilian, San Fernando, San Juan, and Bacnotan from the province of Pangasinan and Purao (now Bangar), Namacpacan (now Luna) and Balaoan from Ilocos Sur in 1850.

During the later part of 1890, Bauang residents succeeded in wrestling the town from the tyrannical administration of the Spaniards after fierce and bloody encounters between the “cazadores” (Spanish soldiers) and the “revolucionarios” (Filipinos). The revolucionarios were led separately by Remigio Patacsil and Mauro Ortiz.

In 1913, some barrios of Bauang were assigned to San Fernando namely: Pagudpud, Pagdalagan, Sevilla, Bungro, Tanquigan, and Siboan-Otong.

During the Japanese occupation, many unknown and unsung sons of Bauang fought gallantly and spilled their precious blood on the beaches of the town, Lingayen Gulf, Bataan, and Corregidor in defense of freedom. Majority of the youth joined the underground movement. They enlisted in various regiments of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines (USFIP-NL) without any promise of reward or remuneration. Among the many who were executed by the Japanese were Manuel Arguilla, a poet and journalist, and Major Alberto Fenit of the USAFFE. They met their death at the dungeons of Fort Santiago.

Many continued the fight with gallantry and valor in the mountains of Bessang Pass until the country was liberated from the Japanese oppressors.

In the early 70’s Bauang earned the appelation as the Beach Capital of the Philippines because of the calm water, fine sand and languidly swaying coconut trees along shoreline of Baccuit Sur to Pagdalagan Sur.

Bauang is also famous for its grapes and guapples grown in barangays Payocpoc Sur, Santiago, Bagbag and Urayong. The grapes industry is an additional income for farmers among the residents in these barangay until imported varieties came in.

A. Peace & Order / Protective Services
The municipality remains to be a very peaceful town conducive to progress and development. This is attributed to the effective and efficient coordination of the local government and the local police force coupled with the active participation and support of the populace.Bauang is among the municipalities all over the country that has the lowest yearly crime volume.

B. Health & Nutrition

Health Facilities
There is no government hospital in the municipality but there is one (1) Rural Health Unit (RHU), 11 Barangay Health Stations (BHS) and a lying-in, maternity and geriatrics clinic. Likewise, thirty-six (36) barangays have functioning Barangay Health Centers. Other health services are provided by 5 private medical and 11 dental clinics.

Health Manpower
The municipality has 1 doctor, 3 nurses, 1 dentist, 1 medical technologist, 12 midwives, and 3 sanitary inspectors. The existing health work force is augmented by the services of 274 Barangay Health Workers.

Health Workers
Number
Health Worker to Population Ratio
Doctors
1
1:72,391
Nurses
3
1:24,130
Nutritionists
–
Medical Technologists
1
1:72,391
Dentists
1
1:72,391
Midwives
12
1:6,032
Sanitary Inspectors
3
1:24,130
Barangay Health Workers
274
1:265
Barangay Nutrition Scholars
39

*Source of Data: Municipal Health Office

Malnutrition

 Pre-school (0-5 years old)

Of the 8,245 children weighed, 93.57% or 7,715 children have normal and above normal weights. The remaining 6.43% or 530 children have below normal weights.

Barangay Pugo has the lowest malnutrition rate at 1.83%, followed by Barangays Carmay (1.89%); Central West (2.10%), Dili (2.22%), and Payocpoc Sur (2.47%).

On the other hand, Barangay Urayong has the highest malnutrition rate at 16.41%, followed by Barangays Palintucang (13.73%); Payocpoc Norte Este (13.33%); Bucayab (12.84%), and Palugsi-Limmansangan (11.73%).     

Infant Mortality Rate/Mortality Rate of Children Aged 1-5

In 2010, twenty-two (22) infants died due to various causes. Data show that Infant Mortality Rate considerably increased from 7.14% to 16.57% per 1,000 live births between 2009 and 2010. The Municipal Health Office recorded twelve (12) deaths due to prematurity and seven (7) due to pneumonia.

Likewise, the mortality rate of children aged 1-5 is still very low at .087%.

CAUSES OF INFANT MORTALITY: CY2009-2010

2009
2010
CAUSES
NUMBER
RATE
CAUSES
NUMBER
RATE
Pneumonia
4
3.17
Prematurity
12
9.04
Accidental Fall
1
.79
Pneumonia
7
5.27
Congenital Heart Disease
1
.79
Congenital Heart Defect
2
1.51
Hydrocephalus
1
.79
Septicemia
1
.75
Rheumatic Heart Disease
1
.79
Severe Dehydration
1
.79
                                               Total
9
7.14
                                                Total
22
16.57

Maternal Mortality Rate

No maternal death was recorded in 2009 and 2010.

C. Commerce & Trade
Bauang is generally an agricultural municipality. A significant portion of the population derives their income principally from farming. Of the total land area of 7,160 hectares, 60% or 4,302.09 hectares serves as agricultural production areas. However, lowland agricultural areas have been dwindling over the years due to conversion.

Crop production is typically rice-based produced in 1,722 hectares. Most of the palay are produced in rainfed areas which constitute 81.42%, the rest are produced in irrigated areas totalling only around 320 hectares.

The Bauang Beach, which is characterized with fine grayish sand beach, is the major drawing tourist appeal of the area extending from Barangay Pagdalagan Sur to Barangay Baccuit. Several beach resorts continually dotted the shoreline with about 12 foremost tourist accommodation facilities.

D. Water & Power Supply

Water
There is adequate water supply for residential & commercial purposes. Potable water supply is available thru the (Metro La Union Water District) MLUWD and water station establishments.

Power
Bauang is 100% energized by Electriciy through LUELCO & LUECO.
The municipality host the 1590 Energy Corporation and TransCo

E. Transportation & Communication

ROAD NETWORK

All 39 Baranggays can be accessed by either paved or gravel roads
Traversed by 2 major national roads, from north to south by the Manila North Road (McArthur Highway) & from east to west by the Naguilian Road going up to Baguio City

AIRPORT and SEAPORT

Close to San Fernando Airport & Seaport which is about 20- 25 minutes from Bauang town proper.
TELECOMMUNICATION

Advanced communication facilities (digital landlines, cable, internet providers, cellsites)

Location of PLDT’s International Cable Landing Station of the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) Fiber Optic System.

* AAG will provide a welcome boost to BPOs, call centers and other growth industries that depend on advanced telecommunications services and thus further propel the country’s economic development.

F. Education
On education, the municipality has an existing 28 elementary schools and 9 secondary schools (6 public and 3 private) distributed in 24 barangays. Only one school offers tertiary education.

The teacher to pupil ratio as well as classroom to pupil ratio is within the standard of 1:45. This signifies that the municipality has adequate teachers and classrooms at the elementary level. However, with a classroom to pupil ratio of 1:50, more classrooms were needed at the secondary level.

G. Industries, Infrastructure Facilities and Utilities

1590 Energy Corporation

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The Bauang Diesel Power Plant formerly owned by the Bauang Private Power Corporation (BPPC) is a diesel-fired power plant which commenced operations in July 1995 with a 215 MW-capacity. State-owned National Power Corporation and the First Private Power Corp. (FPPC) entered into a Build-Operate-Transfer Agreement for the BPCC for a period of 15 years.

On July 26, 2010, after the BOT expiration, it was turned-over to the NAPOCOR and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) and later to the Provincial Government of La Union. BothViviant Energy Corporation and Gigawatt Power, Inc. under the 1590 Energy Corp. presently operates the Bauang power facility provide the much-needed additional supply to the Luzon grid.

Major facilities inside the plant include a substation, two 100,000 bbl steel fuel storage tanks, sludge treatment plant, and five auxillary buildings consisting of an administration building (812 sq.m), maintenance building (981 sq.m), warehouse building (591 sq.m), guest house (583 sq.m), bunk house (660 sq.m), and a canteen (550 sq.m).

The world’s largest medium speed power station in Bauang maintains an IMS certification for ISO 9901:2000, ISO 14001:2004, and OHSAS 18001 from Certification International.

PLDT Asia-Pacific Cable Network (APCN) in Baccuit Sur

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A Digital Optical Cable System for telecommunications services linking Hongkong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines is strategically located at the coastline barangay of Baccuit Sur in Bauang, La Union.

The world-class facility, owned by the Philippine Long Distance Telecommunications Company, aims to benefit the users of telecommunications services and consequently stimulate the rapid expansion of business and government intercourse between the Philippines and the foreign countries to be served. 

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

Bauang stretches along a portion of the shoreline of the West Philippine Sea at the western portion of the province of La Union. It falls within the longitude 16° 20’ to 16° 40’ and latitude 120° 30”. The municipality is about 10 kilometers south of the City of San Fernando, 50 kilometers west of Baguio City, and 250 kilometers north of Metro Manila. Bauang is bounded on the north by the City of San Fernando; on the east by Naguilian; on the south by Caba and on the west by the West Philippine Sea.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION

Bauang is politically and administratively subdivided into thirty-nine (39) barangays; these barangays are composed of puroks. Four (4) of its barangays are categorized as urban, namely Calumbaya, Central East, Central West and Quinavite by the National Statistics Office (NSO) and thirty five (35) are rural. Subdivided into 39 Barangays

Acao Calumbaya Pagdalagan Sur Pottot
Baccuit Sur Carmay Palintucang Pudoc
Baccuit Norte Casilagan Palugsi-Limmansangan Pugo
Bagbag Central East Parain Oeste Quinavite
Ballay Central West Parian Este Santa Monica
Bawanta Dili Paringao Santiago
Boy-utan Disso-or Payocpoc Norte Este Taberna
Bucayab Guerrero Payocpoc Norte Oeste Upper San Agustin
Cabalayangan Lower San Agustin Payocpoc Sur Urayong
Cabisilan Nagrebcan Pilar

LAND AREA

The Municipality has a land area of 7,315 hectares. Its constitutes 4.90% of the provincial area of 149,309 hectares. Barangay Sta. Monica is the largest barangay in terms of land area whis is about 711 hectares or 9.72% of the total land area of Bauang, followed by Barangay Casilagan (676 hectares), Upper San Agustin (470 hectares), Acao (444 hectares) and Cabalayangan (424 hectares). Barangay Pilar is the smallest Barangay with a land area of approximately 17 hectares. Its size continually dwindles over the year due to severe coastal erosion. Barangay Guerrero has a land area of 29 hectares. comprising .040% of the total land area of the municipality. Other Barangays with a land area below 50 hectares are Pagdalagan Sur (31 hectares and Nagrebcan (34 hectares).

BARANGAY AREA/HA PERCENTAGE OF LAND AREA
ACAO 444 6.07
BACCUIT NORTE 64 0.88
BACCUIT SUR 68 0.93
BAGBAG 107 1.47
BALLAY 382 5.22
BAWANTA 140 1.92
BOY-UTAN 229 3.13
BUCAYAB 194 2.66
CABALAYANGAN 424 5.8
CABISILAN 273 3.74
CALUMBAYA 95 1.3
CARMAY 56 0.76
CASILAGAN 676 9.25
CENTRAL EAST 92 1.25
CENTRAL WEST 53 0.72
DILI 78 1.06
DISSO-OR 90 1.23
GUERRERO 29 0.4
LOWER SAN AGUSTIN 120 1.63
NAGREBCAN 34 0.47
PAGDALAGAN SUR 31 0.42
PALINTUCANG 176 2.41
PALUGSI-LIMANSANGAN 378 5.16
PARIAN ESTE 93 1.27
PARIAN OESTE 136 1.86
PARINGAO 122 1.67
PAYOCPOC NORTE ESTE 129 1.76
PAYOCPOC NORTE OESTE 80 1.09
PAYOCPOC SUR 196 2.68
PILAR 17 0.23
POTTOT 52 0.71
PUDOC 114 1.56
PUGO 194 2.65
QUINAVITE 145 1.99
SANTIAGO 365 4.99
STA MONICA 711 9.72
TABERNA 87 1.19
UPPER SAN AGUSTIN 470 6.43
URAYONG 171 2.34
TOTAL 7,315 100%

EXISTING LAND USE

Of the total area of 7,160 hectares in Bauang, about 91.55 percent or 6,555 hectares are certified alienable and disposable lands while 605 hectares or 8.4 percent are public forestlands. Public forests are located in barangays Sta. Monica, Cabalayangan, Ballay, and San Agustin. The protected forest area, those with a slope of more than 50% or over, is estimated to be 464 hectares. Basing from the 1990 land use map of the municipality, most of the areas, however, are classified as grassland or shrub land.

PROPOSED LAND USE

Of the total area of 7,160 hectares in Bauang, about 91.55 percent or 6,555 hectares are certified alienable and disposable lands while 605 hectares or 8.4 percent are public forestlands. Public forests are located in barangays Sta. Monica, Cabalayangan, Ballay, and San Agustin. The protected forest area, those with a slope of more than 50% or over, is estimated to be 464 hectares. Basing from the 1990 land use map of the municipality, most of the areas, however, are classified as grassland or shrub land.

POPULATION

As of 2020, Bauang has a total population of 78,449 or 9.5% of the Province Population (Source of Data PSA-Census of Population 2020)

BARANGAY BARANGAY CATEGORY POPULATION
ACAO RURAL 4,628
BACCUIT NORTE RURAL 2,553
BACCUIT SUR RURAL 2,775
BAGBAG RURAL 1,359
BALLAY RURAL 1,749
BAWANTA RURAL 1,106
BOY-UTAN RURAL 1,083
BUCAYAB RURAL 1,389
CABALAYANGAN RURAL 1,784
CABISILAN RURAL 732
CALUMBAYA RURAL 2,530
CARMAY RURAL 519
CASILAGAN RURAL 1,184
CENTRAL EAST URBAN 4,185
CENTRAL WEST URBAN 4,001
DILI RURAL 2,242
DISSO-OR RURAL 1,198
GUERRERO RURAL 1,085
LOWER SAN AGUSTIN RURAL 1,054
NAGREBCAN RURAL 1,570
PAGDALAGAN SUR RURAL 2813
PALINTUCANG RURAL 981
PALUGSI-LIMANSANGAN RURAL 1,552
PARIAN ESTE RURAL 1,929
PARIAN OESTE RURAL 1,286
PARINGAO RURAL 4,229
PAYOCPOC NORTE ESTE RURAL 1,197
PAYOCPOC NORTE OESTE RURAL 2,008
PAYOCPOC SUR RURAL 3,003
PILAR RURAL 410
POTTOT RURAL 1,241
PUDOC RURAL 1,895
PUGO RURAL 3,317
QUINAVITE URBAN 3,880
SANTIAGO RURAL 3,891
STA MONICA RURAL 1,279
TABERNA RURAL 2,106
UPPER SAN AGUSTIN RURAL 1,245
URAYONG RURAL 1,461
TOTAL 78,449

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

About 92% of the population is Roman Catholic; 2% belongs to Iglesia ni Cristo. The remaining 6% is distributed among other religious denominations.

LANGUAGE DIALECT

The dialect spoken by the majority of the people of Bauang is Ilokano, although there are Tagalog, Pangasinan, and other minor dialects. English is understood by many but is not widely spoken.

LITERACY

In terms of literacy, about 99.52% 10 years old and over are literate.

 

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