# San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur

San Ildefonso, officially the Municipality of San Ildefonso (Ilocano: Ili ti San Ildefonso; Filipino: Bayan ng San Ildefonso), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,190 people. The town was named after Saint Ildephonsus, a 7th century scholar and theologian.

## History

San Ildefonso, like many other places in the provinces at the beginning of the Spanish Regime, did not have a name. Stories have it that sometime in 1625, the town's inhabitants decided to give it a name, but nothing came out after more than five hours of discussions. So while thinking of a name, they decided to go fishing for a week. And while preparing to go fishing, they saw a box floating not far from shore. Wading to reach the box and carrying it ashore, they opened the box to find a statue of Saint Ildephonsus.
The young women of the place carried the statue to the center of the village, where it was enshrined in a small hut for many years. He became the patron saint of the municipality, and his name was decided to become the name of the fledgling municipality.
San Ildefonso was a former rancheria of Bantay before it became a municipality, but because of its size it was annexed to Santo Domingo as a barrio. In 1921, Assemblyman (and future Philippine president) Elpidio Quirino worked to convert San Ildefonso into a municipality again.

### 200th Anniversary of Basi Revolt

On September 28, 2007, San Ildefonso officials (Governor Deogracias Victor Savellano and Rep. Ronald Singson) commemorated the Basi Revolt. Recently, the Sangguniang Bayan of San Ildefonso approved a resolution declaring September 16 as a non-working holiday and named the old road in Barangay Gongogong as Ambaristo street in honor of Pedro Ambaristo, leader of the Basi Revolt. Mayor Christian Purisima enrolled basi as their entry into the “One Town; One Product” (OTOP) program of Governor Savellano.

## Geography

San Ildefonso is 411 kilometres (255 mi) from Metro Manila and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Vigan City, the provincial capital.

### Barangays

San Ildefonso is politically subdivided into 15 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* Arnap
* Bahet
* Belen
* Bungro
* Busiing Norte
* Busiing Sur
* Dongalo
* Gongogong
* Iboy
* Kinamantirisan
* Otol-Patac
* Poblacion East
* Poblacion West
* Sagneb
* Sagsagat

### Climate

Climate data for San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 33 (91) | 34 (93) | 33 (91) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 31 (88) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19 (66) | 19 (66) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 19 (66) | 22 (72) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 9 (0.4) | 11 (0.4) | 13 (0.5) | 23 (0.9) | 92 (3.6) | 122 (4.8) | 153 (6.0) | 137 (5.4) | 139 (5.5) | 141 (5.6) | 42 (1.7) | 14 (0.6) | 896 (35.4) |
| Average rainy days | 4.6 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 9.1 | 19.5 | 23.2 | 24.0 | 22.5 | 21.5 | 15.2 | 10.5 | 6.0 | 166.3 |
| Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2020 census, San Ildefonso had a population of 8,190. The population density was 720 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,900/sq mi).

## Economy

Poverty incidence of San Ildefonso
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 2000 32.00
* 2003 17.13
* 2006 16.80
* 2009 15.36
* 2012 10.36
* 2015 10.16
* 2018 3.84
* 2021 14.06
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
The town is rich in rice, corn, sugarcane, malunggay, katuday & fruit-bearing trees such as star apple, chico, mango, camachile & atis. Its main product is basi, a wine made from fermented sugarcane juice; as well as cane vinegar. They also make nutritious ice cream made up of vegetables in Barangay Bungro, and is being popularized by the town's local government.

## Government
### Local government

San Ildefonso, belonging to the first congressional district of the province of Ilocos Sur, 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) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Deogracias Victor B. Savellano |
| Mayor | Christian Daniel A. Purisima |
| Vice-Mayor | Robert R. Riego |
| Councilors | Nona T. Purisima |
| Councilors | Mariano M. Pamo Jr. |
| Councilors | Luzminda D. Padua |
| Councilors | Nelson T. Retreta |
| Councilors | Efren J. Pola |
| Councilors | Renato P. Pecho |
| Councilors | Richard A. Palomares |
| Councilors | Cesar R. Revibes |

## Education

* Belen National High School
* San Ildefonso Central School
* Bungro Elementary School
* Sagsagat Elementary School
* Busiing Elementary School
* Philippine Science High School - Ilocos Region Campus
* Day Care Centers (different barangays)