Tagudin, a town at the boundary with La Union province, is the gateway to Ilocos Sur province.
Understand
[edit]Tagudin is one of the oldest settlements in Ilocos Sur. It existed as a trading center during the precolonial era before it was conquered by the Spanish in 1586. It lies at the mouth of the Amburayan River, which separates the town from Sudipen and Bangar in La Union province and was a key highway for Chinese, Japanese and other foreign traders interacting with the Ilocano inhabitants and Igorot tribespeople from the Cordilleras.
From 1908 to 1920, Tagudin was the capital of Amburayan, a subdistrict of the Mountain Province encompassing the highland ethnic groups of the Amburayan River Valley. In 1945, the Battle of Bessang Pass, one of the bloodiest encounters of World War II, began in Tagudin, as American and Filipino forces began a five-month struggle to dislodge Japanese forces hiding in the Cordillera Mountains on their way to Baguio.
Tagudin is primarily an agricultural and commercial town. It is also the main market town for settlements in the hinterlands of the Amburayan valley such as Alilem, Suyo and Sugpon, and is also at the terminus of a road leading to Cervantes and Mountain Province via Bessang Pass.
Get in
[edit]Tagudin is along Route 2 (Manila North Road). Buses also ply this highway, with some bus companies operating limited direct services from Metro Manila.
Get around
[edit]Tricycles are the main form of transportation in town, particularly as downtown Tagudin is further inland from the coast.
See
[edit]- 1 Saint Augustine Parish Church (Tagudin Church), Ambrocio Street, Rizal. Tagudin's main Roman Catholic church, built during the Spanish era in the Baroque style in the 19th century. Its belltower, built separately from the church building, also functioned as a watchtower guarding against pirates and foreign invaders from the South China Sea. The church's grounds also hold one of two sundials that were built in Tagudin during the Spanish era in 1841 and are the oldest in the country. The other is in the town plaza
- 2 Tagudin Town Plaza, San Antolin Street, Real. A recreational and civic space surrounded by the town church and the old municipal hall. It contains memorials to the Battle of Bessang Pass, when the plaza was turned into a Allied field hospital, and one of two sundials that were built in Tagudin during the Spanish era. The other is in the yard of Tagudin Church.
- 3 Farola Lighthouse, Farola. A lighthouse overlooking the South China Sea built to commemorate the arrival by boat in the area of Belgian missionaries who replaced the Spanish friars in their task of evangelizing Tagudin and the animist highland areas in 1910. The surrounding beach is a mixture of black sand and pebbles.
- 4 Bimmanga Bangka, Bimmanga. A small ecotourism venue featuring a creek surrounded by mangroves and other estuarine vegetation.
- 5 Ilocos Sur Welcome Arch, Manila North Road, Bio (past the Amburayan Bridge). A massive archway marking the boundary between Ilocos Sur and La Union provinces. At the left side of the arch, if coming from the south, is a small visitor center with rest area.
- 6 Amburayan Bridge, Manila North Road, Bio. A two-lane bridge overlooking the extensive riverbed of the Amburayan River that marks the actual boundary between Ilocos Sur and La Union provinces. On one side is a panoramic view of the river descending from the Cordillera mountains into the coastal plain while on the other side is an equally panoramic view of the river as it reaches the South China Sea. At the bottom of the bridge are some shacks ideal for those who want to take a swim.
Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]- 1 Tagudin Public Market, Del Pilar Street, Lacong.
- 2 Puregold Tagudin, Manila North Road, Lacong (inside Tagudin Town Center).
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Gigacell Resort Hotel, Abkir Street, Lacong.
- 2 Hotel Tagudan Kubo, Farola.
- 3 , Farola.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Tagudin |
| Vigan ← Santa Cruz ← | N  S
|
→ Sudipen → San Fernando |
| END ← | W  E
|
→ Suyo → Bontoc |