Vintar

Vintar, officially the Municipality of Vintar, is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the, it has a population of people.
Vintar is the largest municipality in Ilocos Norte by land area. Its patron saint is Saint Nicholas de Tolentino. It is home to one of the biggest convents in the province, which also hosts the Saint Nicholas Academy.
The town is also where the Vintar Dam, the first dam funded by the World Bank in Southeast Asia and an important cultural property listed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, is located. It is also the site of the Umok ni Siwawer Eco-Tourism Nature Park, the town's popular picnic resort.

Etymology

Vintar derived its name from the Ilocano word, "intar", which used to describe the formation or order taken by the subject from their ruler whenever the chief called them to attention. It is said that a visiting Spanish missionary heard the word and added the letter V, referring to the “V” formation that the missionary saw.

History

The town's earliest settlers are believed to be of Malay in origin. They first settled on a hill overlooking the Bislak. The town was founded by the Spanish missionaries who got lost in the woods while hunting between Sarrat and Piddig. Vintar became a visita of Bacarra but it was later established as a Parish of San Nicolas de Tolentino. Earlier in 1763, Vintar was reverted to a visita until it became independent in 1774.
In 1903, Vintar was annexed as a barrio of Bacarra. It gained its separation and independence in 1909.
The town is home to one of the biggest convents in Ilocos Norte. In 1931, an earthquake partially destroyed its church and convent. Five years later, it was restored. The convent which houses the Saint Nicolas Academy was restored in 1982.
Vintar was one of the Ilocos region municipalities where various human rights violations were documented during the martial law era, despite public perception that the region was supportive of the Marcos administration. Three indigenous community members in Vintar are documented to have been "salvaged" in 1984, the same year as eight farmers in Bangui also disappeared, while farmers from the towns of Vintar, Dumalneg, Solsona, Marcos and Piddig were also documented to have been tortured.

Culture

Vintar celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas every 10 September, a religious tradition inherited from the Augustinians lives that still practice the distribution of “tinapay ni San Nicolas”. But the Siwawer Festival, the annual town fiesta of Vintar is held from December 26–30 of every year.
The people of Vintar engage in farming, fishing and herding. The town is generally rural but famous all over the province for its beautiful women with strongly Spanish features. Hence the town has its monicker, “The Home of Beautiful People”.
Vintar is also the site of four important cultural properties listed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. These are Vintar Dam, the Old Municipal Building, San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church and the Gabaldon Building.
Vintar was once known for Abel Iloco or Inabel, especially the classic Binandera Abel, which flourished “in the north of the river,” as proven by a loom displayed at the Museo de Siwawer in Barangay Abkir.

Geography

The Municipality of Vintar is considered as the sixth major river system in the region. Its head waters are on the western Cordillera slopes at the Kalinga and Apayao borders. It flows eastward and irrigates most of the flat lands of Ilocos Norte before making its exit into the South China Sea. Vintar has the largest land area in Ilocos Norte.
It is located on a plain land surrounded by mountains. Vintar is surrounded and bordered by:

Bangui, Adams, Dumalneg, Burgos, and Pagudpud in the north;
Laoag, Sarrat, Piddig, and Carasi in the south;
Pasuquin and Bacarra in the west;
Calanasan, Apayao in the east.

Vintar is situated from the provincial capital Laoag, and from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Vintar is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Abkir
Alejo Malasig
Alsem
Bago
Bulbulala
Cabangaran
Cabayo
Cabisocolan
Canaam
Columbia
Dagupan
Dipilat
Esperanza
Ester
Isic Isic
Lubnac
Mabanbanag
Malampa
Manarang
Margaay
Namoroc
Parparoroc
Parut
Pedro F. Alviar
Salsalamagui
San Jose/Santo Tomas
San Nicolas
San Pedro
San Ramon
San Roque
Santa Maria
Tamdagan
Visaya
Sub-divisions

Poblacion
Poblacion is the center-most subdivision of Vintar. Poblacion is composed of 5 barangays namely:

1- San Roque
2- San Nicolas
3- San Pedro
4- Santa Maria
5- San Ramon

Metro Poblacion
Metro Poblacion is located on the outer-most of the center of the poblacion and composed of 5 barangays namely:

6- Parut
7- Alejo Malasig
8- Margaay
9- Lubnac
10- Parparoroc
15- Visaya

Pallas Valley
It is located at the north-east of Vintar. Pallas Valley is composed of 4 barangays namely:

11- Bulbulala
12- Namoroc
13- Mabanbanag
14- Ester

North of the River
North of the River or "Amian ti Karayan" is located north of the Bislak River from Poblacion. It is called so after the Ilocano word "Amian" which means north. Amian ti Karayan is composed of 8 barangays namely:

16- Salsalamagui
17- P.F. Alviar
18- Abkir
19- Columbia
20- Cabisuculan
21- Malampa
22- Manarang
24- Alsem

Lower Surong Valley

23- Dipilat
25- Tamdagan
26- Canaam
27- Esperanza
28- Bago
29/30- San Jose/Sto.Tomas

Upper Surong Valley
Upper Surong Valley is composed of 4 barangays namely:

31- Dagupan
32- Cabangaran
33- Cabayo
34- Isic Isic
Sitios/Puroks

Barangay #6 Parut

Sitio Pugapog
Sitio Lubong
Sitio Turod

Barangay #7 Alejo Malasig

Purok Liwliwa
Purok Saldet
Purok Namnama Proper
Purok Namnama 1
Purok Sadiri
Purok Sinamar
Purok Rang-ay 1
Purok Rang-ay 2

Barangay #9 Lubnac

Purok Rang-ay 1
Purok Rang-ay 2
Purok Namnama West 1
Purok Namnama West 2
Purok Namnama West 3
Purok Namnama East
Purok Saniata
Purok Silnag
Purok Liwliwa
Purok Sadiri
Purok Sinamar East
Purok Sinamar West

Barangay #10 Parparoroc

Sitio Bucana
Sitio Madangro
Sitio Baldi
Purok Rang-ay
Purok Saranay
Purok Sarikedked
Purok Sadiri

Barangay #17 PF Alviar

Sitio Diaton
Sitio Baybayawas
Sitio Salsalamagui
Purok 1 - Sirmata
Purok 2 - Rang-ay
Purok 3 - Namnama
Purok 4 - Saranay
Purok 5 - Ragsak
Purok 6 - Gin-awa

Barangay #18 Abkir

Sitio Lubong
Sitio Salinong
Purok 1 - Rose
Purok 2 - Rosal
Purok 3 - Sampaguita
Purok 4 - Gumamela

Barangay #19 Columbia

Sitio Maapgad
Sitio Bacsil
Sitio Columbia Centro

Barangay #20 Cabisuculan

Sitio Maipangal West
Sitio Maipangal East
Sitio Maipangal Centro
Sitio Turod
Sitio Marabanos Proper
Sitio Marabanos West
Sitio Marabanos East

Barangay #21 Malampa-Peninaan

Sitio Malampa Proper
Sitio Upper Peninaan
Sitio Lower Peninaan
Sitio Marabanos

Barangay #26 Canaam

Sitio Masadsaduel
Sitio Canadem
Sitio Borbor
Sitio Mangrapon
Sitio Gubang
Sitio Casgayan
Sitio Hacienda

Barangay #29/30 San Jose/Sto. Tomas

Sitio Lipay
Sitio Saricao
Mount Baguinsuso

Mount Baguinsuso, also known as Mount Masadsada, is among the most recognized landmarks located in Barangay 15-Visaya.

Climate

Vintar is divided into two types of climate:

90% or the Western Part: Two pronounced seasons, dry from December to May and wet from June to November. Maximum rain period is from June to September.
10% or the Eastern Part: No very pronounced maximum rain period, with a short dry season lasting only from one to three months.
Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Vintar was 35,051 people, with a density of.

Economy

Transportation

Vintar can be reached through air via Laoag International Airport at Laoag City, then hiring a tricycle or any other public transportation. From Manila by bus, it will take about 10 to 12 hours in reaching the center of Vintar. Farinas and Maria De Leon are the major companies that have a daily trip to Vintar.

Festival

Siwawer Festival is the annual festival of Vintar. This festival of the town is being celebrated in honor of the Siwawer, the local name of the brahminy kite species of eagle that soars the skies of Vintar. The Festival starts on December 4, which is also Vintar Day, the foundation of the municipality when it was separated from the town of Bacarra in 1909.This festival was later seconded by the Imalawa tribe that resides in Vintar which is believed to be the first tribe that settled there—living within the boundaries between Vintar and Dumalneg.

Government

Local government

Vintar, belonging to the first congressional district of the province of Ilocos Norte, 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.

Municipal Elected Officials

Municipal seal

The shield is derived from the provincial seal of Ilocos Norte.
The letter V stands for the word Vintar, the name of the municipality.
The eagle represents the native hawk, commonly called Siwawer by the old folks and after which the people of Vintar are referred to.
Landscape, plow, rice stalk, onion, garlic, mango, eggplant and tobacco leaf, at the left side of the shield representing the municipality's principal farming industries.
Dam, gate valve, water and fish at the right side of the shield represent Vintar-Laoag-Bacarra irrigation system. The dam also stands for the Umok ni Siwawers, a resort the town is famous for; the fish symbolizes one of the main income-generating products of the locality.