# Piddig

Piddig, officially the Municipality of Piddig (Ilocano: Ili ti Piddig; Filipino: Bayan ng Piddig) is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,475 people.
The town is known for its role in the Basi Revolt which was led by Pedro Mateo, a native of Piddig. Today, Piddig is known for its basi and for their sariwagwag, a dish made out of gabi leaves with fresh shrimps that are freshly gathered from their rich river. The municipio (town hall) is located on top of a hill offering panoramic views of fields and mountains.
Piddig is also the birthplace of Teófilo Yldefonso, a Filipino swimmer who is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to win an Olympic medal, and the first Filipino to win multiple medals.

## Geography

Piddig's terrain is primarily hilly, with rice plains interspersed in between. It sits at an elevation higher than most towns in Ilocos Norte. The terrain is ideal for hiking given its variety of rivers, forests, and fields.
Piddig is 18 kilometres (11 mi) from Laoag and 505 kilometres (314 mi) from Manila.

### Barangays

Piddig is politically subdivided into 23 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* Ab-abut
* Abucay
* Anao (Poblacion)
* Arua-ay
* Bimmanga
* Boyboy
* Cabaroan (Poblacion)
* Calambeg
* Callusa
* Dupitac
* Estancia
* Gayamat
* Lagandit
* Libnaoan
* Loing (Poblacion)
* Maab-abaca
* Mangitayag
* Maruaya
* San Antonio
* Santa Maria
* Sucsuquen
* Tangaoan
* Tonoton

### Climate

Climate data for Piddig, Ilocos Norte :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 27 (81) | 28 (82) | 30 (86) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 27 (81) | 29 (85) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20 (68) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 38 (1.5) | 37 (1.5) | 37 (1.5) | 49 (1.9) | 181 (7.1) | 214 (8.4) | 264 (10.4) | 251 (9.9) | 243 (9.6) | 229 (9.0) | 129 (5.1) | 96 (3.8) | 1,768 (69.7) |
| Average rainy days | 11.6 | 10.7 | 12.4 | 15.2 | 22.6 | 25.0 | 26.1 | 24.9 | 24.3 | 19.2 | 16.4 | 15.4 | 223.8 |
| Source: Meteoblue ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1903 | 9,172 | — |
| 1918 | 11,301 | +1.40% |
| 1939 | 10,511 | −0.34% |
| 1948 | 10,496 | −0.02% |
| 1960 | 11,614 | +0.85% |
| 1970 | 13,065 | +1.18% |
| 1975 | 13,933 | +1.30% |
| 1980 | 14,774 | +1.18% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1990 | 17,078 | +1.46% |
| 1995 | 17,797 | +0.78% |
| 2000 | 19,059 | +1.48% |
| 2007 | 20,034 | +0.69% |
| 2010 | 20,606 | +1.03% |
| 2015 | 21,497 | +0.81% |
| 2020 | 22,475 | +0.88% |
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority :
In the 2020 census, the population of Piddig was 22,475 people, with a density of 100 inhabitants per square kilometre or 260 inhabitants per square mile.

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Piddig
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 2000 33.69
* 2003 35.12
* 2006 20.60
* 2009 16.29
* 2012 13.56
* 2015 11.37
* 2018 5.59
* 2021 7.75
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Government
### Local government

Piddig, 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.

### Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council (2019–2022) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Sandro Marcos |
| Mayor | Georgina Salazar Guillen |
| Vice-Mayor | Edwin E. Salazar |
| Councilors | Zaida Hershey S. Mandac |
| Councilors | Dexter M. Yapo |
| Councilors | Wilbor A. Bringas |
| Councilors | Lendell Benedict M. Chua |
| Councilors | Nenita T. Alejandro |
| Councilors | Marianito P. Foronda |
| Councilors | Rey M. Nicolas |
| Councilors | Romulo E. Hilario |

## Culture

| Site name | Province | City or municipality | Address | Coordinates | Image |
| Don Claro Caluya Monument | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | Estella Street | 18°09′58″N 120°42′56″E﻿ / ﻿18.166165°N 120.715461°E﻿ / 18.166165; 120.715461﻿ (Don Claro Caluya Monument) | |
| Rizal Monument | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | Piddig Municipal Grounds, Estella Street | 18°09′59″N 120°42′54″E﻿ / ﻿18.166350°N 120.714976°E﻿ / 18.166350; 120.714976﻿ (Rizal Monument) | |
| Raquiza House | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | Barangay Cabaroan | 18°10′01″N 120°42′55″E﻿ / ﻿18.166878°N 120.715381°E﻿ / 18.166878; 120.715381﻿ (Raquiza House) | Upload Photo |
| Teodoro Pacairo House | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | #004 Barangay Cabaroan | 18°10′00″N 120°42′56″E﻿ / ﻿18.166677°N 120.715575°E﻿ / 18.166677; 120.715575﻿ (Teodoro Pacairo House) | Upload Photo |
| Santa Ana Church | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | Poblacion | 18°09′58″N 120°43′00″E﻿ / ﻿18.166240°N 120.716648°E﻿ / 18.166240; 120.716648﻿ (Santa Ana Church) | |
| Bell tower of Santa Ana Church | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | Poblacion | 18°09′58″N 120°42′59″E﻿ / ﻿18.166144°N 120.716395°E﻿ / 18.166144; 120.716395﻿ (Bell tower of Santa Ana Church) | |
| Saint Anne Academy | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | Poblacion | 18°09′57″N 120°43′01″E﻿ / ﻿18.165898°N 120.716915°E﻿ / 18.165898; 120.716915﻿ (Saint Anne Academy) | |
| Basi Revolt Monument | Ilocos Norte | Piddig | Poblacion | 18°09′50″N 120°42′52″E﻿ / ﻿18.163759°N 120.714569°E﻿ / 18.163759; 120.714569﻿ (Basi Revolt Monument) | |

## Education

Almost each barrio or barangay in Piddig has its own elementary school. The town's poblacion Anao, historically had two, Piddig Central (North) and South Piddig Central elementary schools. Both schools are situated next to each other in the northern part of the town. The schools' rivalry was said to have been legendary. In the late 1980s the schools merged as one, Piddig Central.
Another one is Ab-abut Elementary School - whose original name was Ab-abut-Sucsuquen Elementary School but was later parsed ostensibly because the whole name could not be accommodated in the gate that was installed.
There are three high schools in Piddig: Piddig National High School, Roosevelt High School, and St. Anne Academy (Catholic). However, many students attend high schools in nearby Laoag City.