Dumanon Tayo Apo: San JuanBy Jaymee B. Quindara

Our province of La Union is slowly gaining popularity local and international tourists and when you ask most tourists that visit our province one place they can never fail to mention is the humble town of San Juan. San Juan gained popularity with its rich culture, different products, scenic places, and the peoples genuine hospitality.

San Juan is a second class municipality with a land area of 5,186 hectares. San Juan has 41 barangays. And according to the latest census it has a population of 38, 292 people in 5, 950 households.

San Juan is located in the west of the province of La Union. It is located along the Manila North Road. San Juan is bounded on the north by the municipality ofBacnotan and on the east by the municipalities ofSan Gabriel and Bangulin. On the south, it is bounded by the City of San Fernando and on the west by the South China Sea

By way of the Manila North Road, San Juan is some 8 kilometres north of San Fernando City. It is about 277 kilometres north of Manila which can be travelled by road in about 5 hours or 7 hours at most. If you are coming from the City of San Fernando it is just a 15 minute drive before you reach the town proper and about 2 hours and 30 minutes if you will come from Baguio City. However the streets of San Fernando is always busy with lots of commuters, tricycles and buses so just be ready with the heavy traffic.

Like the rest of the towns and municipalities in our province the climate in San Juan is generally "dry" from November to April and generally "wet" from May to October. The southwest monsoon brings abundant rainfall during the wet season, whereas the northeast monsoon passing over the Cordillera Mountainsto the east brings the drier conditions. The average annual temperature is 27.2C.The exact date when the town of San Juan was founded is not yet determined since according to Dr. Adriel Obar Meimban in his book la Union, The Making of a Province three friars, namely Julian Martin, Salvadr Font and Elviro Perez differ in opinion on the dates of San Juans foundation. Martin claimed San Juan was founded in 1806, Font recorded 1803 while Perez claimed it was established in 1585.Whichever is the exact date of its founding, it is a fact that San Juan was already a town when La Union was created as a province in 1850 and one of the 12 original municipalities that comprised it.The town of San Juan is formerly called Baratao some sources call it Baltao. It was formally accepted as a Ministerio de Baratao and was composed of a federation of settlements of towns, namely the settlements of Bauang, Mapatnag, Allangigan and Dayawan; the settlements of San Miguel de Bacnotan, San Juan Bautista de Baltao, San Guillermo de Dalangdang, San Vicente de Balanac and the settlement named Bona or Boa. The center of the Ministerio was at San Juan Bautista de Baltao, now San Juan.In 1587, Baratao became the center of an encomienda that belonged to Captain Bernardo Sandi. At that time, Father Agustin Nio arrived and transferred the Ministerio to Bauang. The transfer of the Ministerio from San Juan Bautista de Baratao to Bauang made San Juan an alternative visita (a settlement without a parish priest) of Bauang and Bacnotan. It was only in 1807 that a permanent parish priest was assigned to San Juan.During the revolution of 1896, the whole town was razed to the ground. After the Spanish-American War, Filipino priest took over the spiritual needs of the parish. Reverend Mariano Gaerlan, a native of San Juan, was the first Filipino priest to be assigned in this town. He supervised the reconstruction of the church that was burned during the revolution. His successor Reverend Eustaquio Ocampo continued the construction of the church until it was finished. At that time San Juan ceased to be a parish. The parish priest assigned in San Fernando took over the spiritual needs of the people. Later in 1918, San Juan became a parish again.Jose delos Angeles was the first Captain Municipal of San Juan in 1782.During the Second World War, the entire town of San Juan was devastated. The economy of the town was disrupted. After the War, however, San Juan underwent rehabilitation.Today, San Juan with a total area of 5,186 hectares is the most sought after municipality in the province for a residential area due to its proximity to San Fernando city. It is also home to world class resorts and hotels along the four kilometer shoreline facing the China Sea. The beaches along Urbiztondo are also ideal for surfing and have been favorite venues for international and local surfing competitions.Barangay Taboc is also famous for its pottery making industry where clay products ranging from home and garden decorations where the indigenous dalikan (clay hearth) are produced.Agriculture remains to be the main source of livelihood of the people of San Juan. With an area of 4,968 hectares, 1,765 hectares are planted with rice, 722 hectares with tobacco and corn and the rest are planted with vegetables and root crops. The rest of the total land area is timberland and pastureland.A 30-hectare land, called Hill 118, in Barangay Urbiztondo, San Juan is also the site of the proposed relocation of the Philippines Air force from the Wallace Air Station.So much with the towns history, lets talk about San Juan and what makes it famous.When we talk of San Juan we cannot talk about surfing. Of course one of the main attraction in San Juan is its strong and magnificent waves that attract surfers not only from nearby towns or provinces but all over the country, in addition the waves of San Juan are slowly gaining popularity to the international scene thats why along the beach, youll see some foreign surfers and as well as foreign tourists who just wants. Even local celebrities visits San Juan as well as politicians and one of them is our Former President now Pampanga Congresswoman Gloria M. Arroyo. The town of San Juan is a haven as the town claims, for local and foreign surfers. I find this true; there are a lot of tourists there swimming, surfing, and skimboarding. I also see some who are playing Frisbee and beach volleyball. Some just lay their mats on the sand and enjoying the view of the cerulean see. And it was not yet summer time when I visit mind you! Expert surfers are not the only one who enjoys the waves of San Juan but also those who are beginners since some resorts offer surfing lessons to tourists who want to experience riding the waves of San Juan. One of the famous Surf Schools in San Juan is TheBillabong Surf Schoolwhich was established in 2003 by Filipino-Australian surfer Luke Landrigan. It enjoys its reputation as the #1 surf school in thePhilippines. It is located withinLa UnionsfamousSan Juan Surf Resort also known to all as the Surf Camp.

With the increasing popularity of the great waves of San Juan, a lot of resorts sprouted like mushroom near the seas shore that offers a superb quality of service to their costumer at reasonable prices. Some resorts in San Juan offer package deals to tourists. Planning to stay for a night or two in San Juan? No need to worry, resorts near the sea shore offers tourists with good amenities where they can stay. However during peak seasons hotel rooms and lodge houses are full packed but worry not, there are several hotels that are located in the City of San Fernando.

Besides surfing and swimming, there are also several activities you can do. Some resorts also offer kayak boats to visitors, body boards, skim boards, jet skis, banana boat and pedal boats that for sure youll find exciting to do, too.

If you are looking a place to dine the resorts near the beach offers sumptuous dishes at affordable prices. But if you really like to feel the real beach vibe then why not go for ihaw-ihaw foods? The town market is just a few drive from the beach and everyday freshly caught fishes and freshly butchered meat are sold in the market. There are also a lot of food stalls/ canteen around serving Fresh seafood and traditional Ilocos dishes.

On the other hand, San Juan is also known for its pottery industry, which is notable with its huge earthen pots along the national highway and in barangay roads. If one travels up north, they (he/she) would right away be captivated by the magnificent pots displayed along the narrow borders of San Juan, La Union, particularly in Barangay Taboc. And this has already served like a mark for me that I am entering San Juan. Earthen wares like the famous dalikan or the traditional cooking stove, bricks, jars, fountains, lamps of variety of sizes contour and designs, all of excellent quality, are sold at reasonable prices. And according to the potters in San Juan, even people from as far as Manila buy their paso since it is of high standard and cheap. Pottery has been a livelihood of many potters in San Juan and according to some potters that I have interviewed, they have inherited the business from their fathers and grandfathers and the skill as they say runs in the family since most of their children knows how to create a piece of art a single lump of clay. They are also proud that through pottery, they are able to send their children to school.Making pots is not easy, since it has a precise process to be followed to make a high quality pot.

At the town center are to be found San Juans Municipal Hall, town plaza and St. John the Baptist Church, all designed with a charming and nostalgic touch of a bygone Spanish era. Nearby on the seaside is the municipalitys historic Baluarte (watchtower ruins) and farther inland is the untouched Candaroma Hidden Spring.