HISTORICAL BACKGROUND | PHYSICAL CONDITIONS | SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT | ECONOMIC CENTER -- TOURISM | DEVELOPMENT TREND | AWARDS

I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

According to the old folks, the citys name was derived from an Ilocano term, which means, "light". History further reveals that way back in the Hispanic era, an Augustinian missionary had commented in his Diccionarios Geogratico Estatistico Historico de las Islas Filipinas that Laoag has a clear atmosphere presenting a beautiful sky - so explained its name.

History books pointed to the Ilocos Region as one of the first three political divisions of Luzon that was organized into a province at the early stage of the Spanish colonization. Toward the northern portion of the Ilocos Region is Ilocos Norte where the proposed Laoag City Commercial Complex Project designed for the central public market and the commercial complex is located.

Laoag City was converted into a city on January 01, 1966 through a plebiscite and ever since remained the provincial capital of Ilocos Norte. From thereon the city has undergone a lot of improvements. It is continuously growing and progressing because of its geographical location, the characteristics of its people and the unbelievably good peace and order situation.

The City of Laoag, the Sparkling Gem of Ilocandia, is located at the west central part of the Province of Ilocos Norte bordering the China Sea. It is along the Manila ? North Road. It is 78 kilometers from Vigan; 217 kilometers from San Fernando City; 363 kilometers from Tarlac; 420 kilometers from the National Capital (Manila); and 274 kilometers from Baguio City.