# San Esteban, Ilocos Sur

San Esteban, officially the Municipality of San Esteban (Ilocano: Ili ti San Esteban; Filipino: Bayan ng San Esteban), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 8,381 people.

## Etymology

The Spaniards named the pueblo (the equivalent of a municipality in present-day terms) San Esteban (formerly known as Cabagbagototan) purportedly in relation to reports they received about a vagabond named Iban having been stoned to death and beheaded by hostile natives in the place called "Naglawlawayan," which is an early place of worship by the natives and currently the site of the municipal cemetery. "Iban" is the Ilocano equivalent of "Stephen," hence the pueblo being named San Esteban.
San Esteban was founded by Augustinian friars in 1625, but was always attached to Nueva Coveta (present-day Burgos) and the municipality of Santiago until 1911. It was once a visita of Narvacan because of a shortage of ministers.

## Geography

San Esteban is 363 kilometres (226 mi) from Metro Manila and 44 kilometres (27 mi) from Vigan City, the provincial capital. It is bordered by the municipality of Santa Maria to the north, Burgos to the east and Santiago to the south.

### Barangays

San Esteban is politically subdivided into 10 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* Ansad
* Apatot
* Bateria
* Cabaroan
* Cappa-Cappa
* Poblacion
* San Nicolas
* San Pablo
* San Rafael
* Villa Quirino

### Climate

Climate data for San Esteban, 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) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19 (66) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 20 (68) | 23 (73) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 10 (0.4) | 10 (0.4) | 14 (0.6) | 23 (0.9) | 80 (3.1) | 103 (4.1) | 121 (4.8) | 111 (4.4) | 119 (4.7) | 144 (5.7) | 39 (1.5) | 15 (0.6) | 789 (31.2) |
| Average rainy days | 5.2 | 3.9 | 6.2 | 9.1 | 18.5 | 21.4 | 22.9 | 19.8 | 19.8 | 16.2 | 10.5 | 6.1 | 159.6 |
| Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2020 census, San Esteban had a population of 8,381. The population density was 430 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,100/sq mi).

## Economy

Poverty incidence of San Esteban
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 2000 35.06
* 2003 14.28
* 2006 19.00
* 2009 15.67
* 2012 18.59
* 2015 10.87
* 2018 4.84
* 2021 21.63
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Government
### Local government

San Estaban, belonging to the second 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 | Kristine Singson-Meehan |
| Mayor | Ray M. Elaydo II |
| Vice-Mayor | Ray A. Elaydo |
| Councilors | Godofredo E. Tabila |
| Councilors | Arlene A. Europa |
| Councilors | Ariel L. Santos |
| Councilors | Marvin B. Ong |
| Councilors | Elfren A. Elaydo Jr. |
| Councilors | Helen A. Eleccion |
| Councilors | Roger C. Ysmael |
| Councilors | Henry A. Eleccion |