The town of Bacnotan was formally founded in 1599 as part of Ilocos Sur. In 1785, during the administration of then Governor-General Jose Basco, Bacnotan became a part of Pangasinan. When La Union was created in 1850, Bacnotan was one of the original twelve towns that formed the province.
In the past, Bacnotan was only a vast expanse of wilderness inhabited by a band of natives with a crude form of government. There was a time when it was ruled by a despotic chieftain who had absolute control over all his constituents. Disobedience to his directives meant severe flogging for the culprit. After several years under the tyrannic rule of the chieftain, people successfully overthrew him and gave a him a dose of his own medicine. They flogged their chieftain to death. The work “bakunuttan” had become a byword among the inhabitants, hence the name of the town.
During the Spanish period, the name of the town was changed from “Bakunutan” to “Bacnotan” as evidenced by the communications that are still kept intact at the National Archives in Manila.
The town’s history is linked with the deeds of the heroic men who fought, bled and died for their own native and. At the turn of the century, during the Spanish – American War, Dumarang (now Quirino) was a scene of the carnage and plunder. Quirino is now the site of the Bacnotan Cement Corporation.
In December 1941, the first organized resistance against the Japanese invaders that landed in the north in their advance southward to Manila was at Barrios Baroro and Bacsil. It was a painful and pitiful sight for the inexperienced trainees in their early twenties to be massacred by the Japanese soldiers both in number and in arms and ammunition, the youthful soldiers valiantly defended the Baroro bridge against the advancing enemy forces. Those who fell died a hero’s death.
The civilian populace suffered much among the Japanese occupation but they never bowed their heads to the arrogant and ruthless invaders. Instead, some of them fled to the mountains and joined the underground movement.
After the war in 1945, Bacnotan became the provisional seat of the provincial government. San Fernando was then in ruins. As a consequence of this transfer, the La Union High School followed afterwards. The transfer of the provincial high school in Bacnotan resulted in the establishment of the North Provincial High School.
In 1949, the vast mineral deposits for cement production were discovered in Barrio Dumarang (now Quirino). Within a year, a huge cement factory, then called Cebu Portland Cement (CEPOC) was established. On May 11, 1957, the CEPOC, a government-owned corporation, was turned over to the privately-owned Bacnotan Consolidated, Industries (BCI). The BCI is the manufacturer of the famous “Union Cement”.
On June 18, 1960, by virtue of RA 2692 sponsored by then Congressman Francisco Ortega, the La Union Agricultural School was established. Nestling cozily at the foot of the mountains in Barangay Sapilang, the 600 hectare agricultural school underwent phenomenal progress and was later named Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU).
In 1965, an attempt was made by the Provincial Board of La Union to create a municipality out of the town of Bacnotan to include barngays Quirino, Ballogo, II and Narra. Then President Diosdado Macapagal acted favorably to the proposal by issuing an executive order on November 29, 1965 which provided that the new municipality be created upon the appointment of a mayor, vice-mayor and councilors. However, no appointment of a municipal council was done, hence no new municipality was created.
The town of Bacnotan was recently adjusted the Cleanest and Greenest Municipality of Region I and as national finalist to the Gawad sa Kapaligiran Search. |
