# Tagudin

Tagudin, officially the Municipality of Tagudin (Ilocano: Ili ti Tagudin; Tagalog: Bayan ng Tagudin; Spanish: Municipio de Tagudín), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 41,538 people.

## Etymology

The name of the municipality was derived from a native cotton drying rack called "tagudan." A Spaniard who came to the place asked for its name, wrote it as the settlement when told by a resident, who thought that he was asking the name of the traditional apparatus she was using.

## History

According to William Scott, "Chinese and Japanese ships bartered gold in Tagudin in Juan de Salcedo's day."
Records of Saint Augustine's Parish record that Spanish Conquistadors headed by Juan de Salcedo, together with the Augustinian missionaries, started to move northward from Manila in 1571. On 5 January 1586 they founded the first towns of Laoag, Bulatao, Kaog and Tagudin.
In 1818, Tagudin became a part of Ilocos Sur and thus the southern gateway to the province. The first two sundials were constructed in Tagudin in 1841 and 1845, respectively, by Father Juan Sorolla.
On 18 August 1908, Tagudin replaced Alilem as the capital of the sub-province of Amburayan, which included Lepanto (that became a sub-province now included in the province of Benguet), Angkaki (now Quirino), Suyo, and Alilem (now with Ilocos Sur), and Sudipen, Santol, and San Gabriel (formerly with Ilocos Sur but became part of La Union).
Tagudin was made the site of the Base Hospital of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL) in 1945 during World War II. It was also the site of the military general headquarters of the USAFIP-NL 121st Infantry Regiments under the Philippine Commonwealth Army. The decisive Battle of Bessang Pass started in this municipality, at Bitalag.

## Geography

Tagudin is 316 kilometres (196 mi) from Metro Manila, 91 kilometres (57 mi) from the provincial capital Vigan City, and 125 kilometres (78 mi) from Sagada via Bessang Pass. It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Santa Cruz to the north, Suyo and Alilem to the east, and the province of La Union to the south by Bangar and Sudipen, La Union.

### Barangays

Tagudin is politically subdivided into 43 barangays.  Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
* Ag-aguman
* Ambalayat
* Baracbac
* Bario-an
* Baritao
* Becques
* Bimmanga
* Bio
* Bitalag
* Borono
* Bucao East
* Bucao West
* Cabaroan
* Cabugbugan
* Cabulanglangan
* Dacutan
* Dardarat
* Del Pilar
* Farola
* Gabur
* Garitan
* Jardin
* Lacong
* Lantag
* Las-ud
* Libtong
* Lubnac
* Magsaysay
* Malacañang
* Pacac
* Pallogan
* Pudoc East
* Pudoc West
* Pula
* Quirino
* Ranget
* Rizal
* Salvacion
* San Miguel
* Sawat
* Tallaoen
* Tampugo
* Tarangotong

### Climate

Climate data for Tagudin, 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) | 32 (90) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20 (68) | 21 (70) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 26 (79) | 26 (79) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 21 (70) | 24 (74) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 27 (1.1) | 31 (1.2) | 40 (1.6) | 71 (2.8) | 207 (8.1) | 237 (9.3) | 286 (11.3) | 261 (10.3) | 261 (10.3) | 254 (10.0) | 88 (3.5) | 46 (1.8) | 1,809 (71.3) |
| Average rainy days | 9.4 | 9.3 | 12.7 | 17.0 | 25.4 | 26.8 | 27.4 | 26.1 | 25.0 | 21.0 | 15.5 | 10.6 | 226.2 |
| Source: Meteoblue (modeled/calculated data, not measured locally) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1903 | 8,503 | — |
| 1918 | 11,237 | +1.88% |
| 1939 | 13,115 | +0.74% |
| 1948 | 15,637 | +1.97% |
| 1960 | 18,191 | +1.27% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1970 | 19,575 | +0.74% |
| 1975 | 22,887 | +3.18% |
| 1980 | 23,432 | +0.47% |
| 1990 | 29,295 | +2.26% |
| 1995 | 30,697 | +0.88% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 2000 | 34,427 | +2.49% |
| 2007 | 35,791 | +0.54% |
| 2010 | 38,122 | +2.32% |
| 2015 | 39,277 | +0.57% |
| 2020 | 41,538 | +1.11% |
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority :
In the 2020 census, Tagudin had a population of 41,538. The population density was 270 inhabitants per square kilometre (700/sq mi).

## Economy

Poverty incidence of Tagudin
* 10
* 20
* 30
* 40
* 50
* 2000 43.64
* 2003 25.36
* 2006 23.70
* 2009 20.55
* 2012 22.59
* 2015 13.51
* 2018 6.40
* 2021 19.32
* Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

## Government
### Local government

Tagudin, 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 (2022–2025) :
| Position | Name |
| Congressman | Kristine Singson-Meehan |
| Mayor | Roque S. Verzosa Jr. |
| Vice-Mayor | Evangeline Ingoy-Verzosa |
| Councilors | Bernardo F. Tovera Jr. |
| Councilors | Gladys L. Andaya |
| Councilors | Manuel Pedro Q. Bunoan |
| Councilors | Fatima L. Pagaduan |
| Councilors | Onofre Emerito L. Bayuga |
| Councilors | Rosalinda Q. Mina |
| Councilors | Corazon L. Villanueva |
| Councilors | Guilbert L. Lazo |
| ABC President | Eugene L. Fernandez |