Santo Tomas, La Union

Not to be confused with Santo Tomás La Unión.

Santo Tomas
Municipality
Municipality of Santo Tomas
Welcome arch
Flag Seal
Map of La Union with Santo Tomas highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Santo Tomas Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 16°17′N120°23′E / 16.28°N 120.38°E / 16.28; 120.38
Country	Philippines
Region	Ilocos Region
Province	La Union
District	2nd district
Founded	1764
Barangays	24 (see Barangays)
Government   [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Bayan
•  Mayor	Severino C. Carbonell
•  Vice Mayor	Winnie N. Doctolero
•  Representative	Sandra Y. Eriguel
•  Municipal Council	Members Carlito M. dela Cruz Jr. Anthony M. Villanueva Aldreyn Rey S. Cabico Celiaflor M. Bejar Noel G. Basi Leonor J. Tagubat Lorenzo R. Medina Jr. Vilea R. Capinpin
•  Electorate	25,929 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	64.00 km2 (24.71 sq mi)
Elevation [3]	42 m (138 ft)
Highest elevation	308 m (1,010 ft)
Lowest elevation	−2 m (−7 ft)
Population  (2020 census) [4]
• Total	40,846
• Density	640/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
•  Households	10,392
Demonym	Tomasian
Economy
•  Income class	4th municipal income class
•  Poverty incidence	3.37 % (2018) [5]
•  Revenue	₱ 144.1 million (2020)
•  Assets	₱ 787.7 million (2020)
•  Expenditure	₱ 129.1 million (2020)
•  Liabilities	₱ 82.55 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	La Union Electric Cooperative (LUELCO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	2505
PSGC	013317000
IDD  :  area code	+63 (0)72
Native languages	Ilocano Pangasinan Tagalog
Website	www.santotomaslaunion.gov.ph

Santo Tomas, officially the Municipality of Santo Tomas (Ilocano : Ili ti Santo Tomas; Pangasinan : Baley na Santo Tomas; Filipino : Bayan ng Santo Tomas), is a 4th class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,846 people. ^[4]

Santo Tomas is 230 kilometres (140 mi) from Metro Manila and 39 kilometres (24 mi) from San Fernando, the provincial capital.

History

On December 22, 1941, units of the 192nd and 194th Tank Battalion of the United States Army Forces in the Far East engaged the Imperial Japanese Army's 4th Tank Regiment in Damortis, and lost with the capture of the Commanding Officer Lt. Ben R. Morin. This was the first time that the United States Army has had a tank=to=tank battle. The armored battalions of the USAFFE fought continuously until during the Invasion of the Philippines, until April 7, 1942, two days before the Fall of Bataan. ^[6]

Geography

Barangays

Santo Tomas is politically subdivided into 24 barangays.  ^[7] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

• Ambitacay
• Bail
• Balaoc
• Balsaan
• Baybay
• Cabaruan
• Casantaan
• Casilagan
• Cupang
• Damortis
• Fernando
• Linong
• Lomboy
• Malabago
• Namboongan
• Namonitan
• Narvacan
• Patac
• Poblacion
• Pongpong
• Raois
• Tubod
• Tococ
• Ubagan

Climate

Climate data for Santo Tomas, La Union
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	30 (86)	32 (90)	33 (91)	34 (93)	33 (91)	31 (88)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)	31 (88)
Average low °C (°F)	20 (68)	21 (70)	22 (72)	24 (75)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	25 (77)	24 (75)	23 (73)	22 (72)	21 (70)	23 (74)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	15 (0.6)	16 (0.6)	24 (0.9)	33 (1.3)	102 (4.0)	121 (4.8)	177 (7.0)	165 (6.5)	144 (5.7)	170 (6.7)	56 (2.2)	23 (0.9)	1,046 (41.2)
Average rainy days	6.3	6.6	9.5	12.8	20.6	23.5	25.4	23.4	23.2	21.4	14.0	8.2	194.9
Source: Meteoblue [8]

Demographics

Population census of Santo Tomas

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1903	5,446	—
1918	8,046	+2.64%
1939	10,352	+1.21%
1948	12,897	+2.47%
1960	14,929	+1.23%
1970	19,482	+2.69%
1975	21,341	+1.84%
1980	22,610	+1.16%
1990	27,352	+1.92%
1995	28,192	+0.57%
2000	31,204	+2.20%
2007	33,604	+1.03%
2010	35,999	+2.54%
2015	39,092	+1.58%
2020	40,846	+0.87%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [9] [10] [11] [12]

In the 2020 census, the population of Santo Tomas, La Union, was 40,846 people, ^[4] with a density of 640 inhabitants per square kilometre or 1,700 inhabitants per square mile.

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Santo Tomas, belonging to the second congressional district of the province of La Union, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council
(2019–2022) ^[20]

Position	Name
Congressman	Sandra Y. Eriguel
Mayor	Severino C. Carbonell
Vice-Mayor	Winnie N. Doctolero
Councilors	Carlito M. Dela Cruz Jr.
	Anthony M. Villanueva
	Aldreyn S. Cabico
	Celiaflor M. Bejar
	Noel G. Basi
	Leonor J. Tagubat
	Lorenzo R. Medina Jr.
	Vilea R. Capinpin

Tourism

Santo Tomas has attractions and interesting points.

Santo Tomas' coastal areas are suitable for fishing, hence, making the town famous worldwide for its Damortis dried fish (daing stalls along the national highway) local trade, and exports. Local puto, Bibingka, Nilatekan, and Patopat are the delicacies expertly prepared by the locals.

The town holds its Daing Festival held every April 20 and annual town Fiesta every April 24 and 25. Its Pamahalaang Bayan (Municipal Town Hall) is nestled on top of a hill. ^[21]

The town boasts of the Agoo–Damortis Protected Landscape and Seascape and the 2002.10-hectare BFAR Mariculture Park-Portal project at south-western portion of Barangay Narvacan cove which has 2 Cage Structures, a Mooring system, Boundary Markers, Floating Guard House and Wharf. Its marketing facility is at Damortis Fish Port and Ice Plant. ^[22]

DENR designated Regional Center for Inland Fisheries Research, Santo Tomas is proud of its Institute of Fisheries (fisheries and fishery education diploma courses about fisheries technology with major in different fields). ^[23] In this regard, the town's "Nutri-Enriched Seaweed Noodles" bagged the First Place in the Aquatic Technology Competition and Marketplace, Phil. Council Aquaculture and Marine Research and Development on January 28, 2010.

La Union's Damortis barangay of Santo Tomas is dubbed as the 'Tabo-an of the North’ because of its priceless 'danggit' (often associated with the small malaga), the dalag-baybay, espada, sapsap, pusit, turay, dilis, and shrimp, a local fish, 1 foot basasong, dried bangus (milkfish), patis (fish sauce), alamang, and bagoong. ^[24]

Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Mar Cautiva Parish Church

Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Mar Cautiva Parish Church

The natives are deeply religious as demonstrated by their devotion to the Senora Virgen del Mar Cautiva (Virgin of the Sea, patron saint of the town fishermen, whose Feast Day is celebrated every 26 April) at Poblacion, and the Holy Guardian Angels Parish Church. ^{[25] [26]}

Santo Tomas' cultural treasure is the 1785 Holy Guardian Angels Parish Church, which celebrates the Patronal Fiesta on October 2. Its Parish Priests are Father Raul S. Panay & Fr. Emmanuel Bahiwag ^[27] under the Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier under Vicar Forane, Fr. Joel Angelo Licos, ^{[21] [26]} under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando de La Union (Latin: Dioecesis Ferdinandopolitanus ab Unione, Dioecesis Ferdinandopolitana ab Unione, Suffragan of Lingayen – Dagupan), a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese was established in 1970 from the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. ^{[28] [29]}

In 1845, Padre Santiago Romero, Kura Paroko's devotion to the "Virgin of the Rosaries" caused the carving of 3 religious statues for the Church: the Blessed Mother, St. Michael the Archangel, and the Holy Guardian Angels (patron of the Church).

"Matutina" through the China Sea is held yearly on July, where the 3 images are inserted in 3 boxes and delivered to Santo Tomas by sailboat.

In Bolinao, Pangasinan, Jolo pirates seized the "Matutina" and threw the 3 boxes of the statues into the sea, after severing the left forearm of the Virgin Mary. The 2 boxes sank but the Virgin's miraculously floated dry and sent to the Santo Tomas' parish priest.

Nuestra Señora del Mar Cautiva statue was enthroned at the Church on July 19, 1845, amid innumerable miracles, conversions, healing, including safe and easy childbirth. ^[30]

Augustinian friar, Padre Lorenzo Rodriguez replaced the holy statue's lost arm with a golden forearm, then with an ivory arm but to no avail, until the natives merely used metal strings to tie the same, until this day. ^[27]

Gallery

• 
  Town hall
• 
  View of downtown from Town Hall hill top
• 
  The Town Plaza
• 
  St. Mary of the Sea Academy

Panoramic view of Santo Tomas

References

1.   Municipality of Santo Tomas | (DILG)
2. "2015 Census of Population, Report No. 3 – Population, Land Area, and Population Density" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. Quezon City, Philippines. August 2016. ISSN   0117-1453. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
3. Error: Unable to display the reference properly. See the documentation for details.
4. Census of Population (2020). "Region I (Ilocos Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 8 July 2021.
5. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
6. "December 22 – The First US Tank in Combat During WWII - Museum of The American G.I." americangimuseum.org. Museum of the American GI. 22 December 1941. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
7. "Province: La Union". PSGC Interactive. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 12 November 2016.
8. "Santo Tomas: Average Temperatures and Rainfall". Meteoblue. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
9. Census of Population (2015). "Region I (Ilocos Region)". Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. Philippine Statistics Authority . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
10. Census of Population and Housing (2010). "Region I (Ilocos Region)" (PDF). Total Population by Province, City, Municipality and Barangay. National Statistics Office . Retrieved 29 June 2016.
11. Censuses of Population (1903–2007). "Region I (Ilocos Region)". Table 1. Population Enumerated in Various Censuses by Province/Highly Urbanized City: 1903 to 2007. National Statistics Office.
12. "Province of La Union". Municipality Population Data. Local Water Utilities Administration Research Division. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
13. "Poverty incidence (PI):". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
14. "Estimation of Local Poverty in the Philippines" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 29 November 2005.
15. "2003 City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 23 March 2009.
16. "City and Municipal Level Poverty Estimates; 2006 and 2009" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 3 August 2012.
17. "2012 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 31 May 2016.
18. "Municipal and City Level Small Area Poverty Estimates; 2009, 2012 and 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 10 July 2019.
19. "PSA Releases the 2018 Municipal and City Level Poverty Estimates". Philippine Statistics Authority. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
20. "2019 National and Local Elections" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
21. Local Government Units: Municipality of Santo Tomas - Province of La Union :: Official Website
22. BFAR Mariculture Portal
23. "Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University - South la Union Campus - Fisheries". Archived from the original on 2012-01-10. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
24. La Union town is the 'Tabo-an of the North’ because of its 'danggit' - Yahoo! News Philippines
25. Holy Guardian Angels Parish Church
26. "Nfo.ph - nfo Resources and Information".
27. Luzon Shrines: Nuestra Senora del Mar de Cautiva
28. Catholic-Hierarchy
29. Diocese of San Fernando de La Union
30. The mystery behind the ivory forearm of the Blessed Virgin Mary image in Santo Tomas Church La Union | Tarabitab- All About Ilocos, Pangasinan and Baguio City Philippines

External links

• La Union Website
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System