AGRICULTURE

Generally, agriculture is the major occupation of the people of San Vicente. A total of 1120.4784 hectares or 94.45 percent is classified as agricultural land. Cauliflower, cabbage, onion, sweet pepper, and tomato are the major produced cash crops of the municipality. For cabbage and cauliflower, there have been over supply, from 2,400 tons to 9,900 tons per year. If there had been stable price of these commodities, there had been a better income. However, this has been a perennial problem of the growers, the low or no price support and marketing outlet of these produced commodities.

Providing technical assistance to farmers are the personnel from the Municipal Agriculture Office. Among the agricultural programs extensively implemented by the technicians are the conduct of training/dialogue to farmer clientele on the latest technology on agriculture such as: the proper use of fertilizer, safe and judicious use of pesticides, conduct of farm demos, farm and home visits, and farm plan and budgeting. The Municipal Agriculture Office promotes, establish and maintain clientele organizations or group for multipier effect in the transfer of Package Technology including Agrarian Reform and other laws and regulations that provide obligations, rights and privileges of farmers.

Livestock and Poultry Sector

San Vicente is blessed with wide areas of pasturelands suitable for livestock production. The project is considered important to the local livestock industry, thus providing farmers with additional income.

Livestock production in the locality is considered economically viable, technically feasible and socially acceptable. However, there is insufficiency of meat supply because large animals raised by farmers are utilized as draft animals. Poultry production also includes game fowls.

Like other coastal municipalities, San Vicente has also a wide area for fishing grounds and fish production. It is blessed with an area of 45 square kilometers of fishing grounds, 41.09 hectares of river waters are being used to culture bangus, tilapia, oysters, and prawn. More or less 147 fishermen engaged with this livelihood project.

Potential Livelihood Projects

The most commonly known livelihood projects of the Municipality are: vegetable production, which comprises the largest area contributing the highest income of the farmers; corn production, benefited from the availability of livestock and poultry raisers and government price support; fishery and livestock fattening, as secondary income source of some 500 farmers and 147 fishermen. Source of funding for these projects comes from the three multi-purpose cooperatives, Rural Bank and Land Bank in the form of loans.

INDUSTRY

Based on the data provided by the Municipal Treasurer’s office and the Department of Trade and Industry, there are 82 registered manufacturing establishments operating within the Municipality and 61 non-registered. The Inventory of these establishments by the office of the Municipal Treasury as well as the primary survey of the Municipal Planning Team, it is confirmed that there are no large scale industries except a handful of small industries classified as market oriented and footloose industries.

Resource oriented industries are found more prevalent to a number of Barangays, namely:

Antique style wooden furniture industry are commonly  found in Barangays Pobalcion, Bantaoay, Bayubay Norte, Lubong and Bayubay Sur. Quality products are being used locally as well as for market abroad. Sculpturing is also a potential industry located in Poblacion and Bayubay Sur. These industries should be developed in this Municipality due to the abundance of skilled workers.

A number of rice-mills  are found in Bantaoay, Bayubay Sur, Pudoc, and San Sebastian. These milling industries are very relevant in the Municipality since it compliments to agriculture, the dominant occupation.

Another profitable industry in the town engaged in by some 61 households is the salt industry found in Barangay San Sebastian. The salt making industry in this town contributes 40 percent of the total production of salt in the province.

Other businesses classified as footloose industries are welding shops and hollow blocks making.

COMMUNICATION

Postal Facilities and Services

The San Vicente Postal Office is housed at the ground floor, north east wing of the Municipal Hall. One mail box is located at San Sebastian. This entity serves the seven barangays in the selling of stamps, and delivery of incoming mails. Aside from the postmaster, the office has two letter carriers and 1 mail sorter.

For the past three years, the estimated volume of incoming letters is not available while the estimated outgoing letters were 35,395. There were no records available for stamping machine, postal station, circuit and mail transport vehicles. The two motorcycle that were being utilized by mail carriers to transport mails to the different barangays were privately owned. The post office itself is used as mail distribution center. Just like any postal office in the province, the  post office of the municipality undertakes postal money order activities. Postal services rate is the same with other postal offices, uniform nationwide as the cost of stamps and services.

Telex

The telex facility available in the municipality is the government owned Telecommunications Office located at the eastern side of the municipal building. The facilities of TELOF are still inadequate and cannot well serve local needs. Only one employee is doing the job. The transactions made for the last three years of sending and receiving message through telex switching were about 1,901 services. There is an average service ratio of 1:633 rendered yearly. However, due to single personnel, efficiency of delivery is minimal.

Telephone

Digital Telecommunication, a private telephone enterprise located at Bantay, Ilocos Sur is the one giving phone services to the municipality. At present, there are 251 subscribers served and 25 potential ones from the six barangays. San Sebastian is the only barangay that has not been served by this phone company. Service is still very low which is only 13.24 percent of the total establishment of the municipality.

Broadcast Media

San Vicente has no radio, television nor cable TV station. The people rely mainly on the radio stations in Vigan, Candon and neighboring provinces. Cable TV serving the municipality is located in Bantay and television relay stations in Baguio City.     

Print Media

All national dailies, local newspapers and magazines available in the municipality come from Manila. There were no publishing house, printing press available in San Vicente. If people wanted to be informed of local news within the province and nearby towns, they rely on the weekly papers circulating in Vigan such as Timek and other weekly magazines from neighboring provinces.

COMMERCE

The  Municipality  of   San  Vicente  is  not   as progressive as    other municipalities when it comes to commercial development due to limited commercial establishments. There is a public market that caters to the day to day needs of the residents.  The market operates daily and has Friday as grand market day.  Market vendors from the place nearby towns take advantage of this market day by selling commodities such vegetables, meat, fish and fruits.

PROTECTIVE SERVICES

San Vicente is still adjudged a peaceful municipality. To date, the town has 19 policemen who maintain peace and order of the municipality.  The present policemen to population ratio is 1 to 533 population.  Comparing this to the standard ratio of 1:1,000, the town has sufficient policemen.  In case of fire incidence the Fire Protection Bureau in Vigan is the one to respond to the calls of the municipality.

The police  headquarters of San Vicente is presently housed at the adjacent building of the Municipal Hall  with an area of 200 sq.m. The Philippine National Police of San Vicente is equipped with 10 0.38 caliber, 10 9mm, 10 M16, 6 M14 guns, a Finger Kit, 1 base 2 way radio, 1 motorcycle, 1 patrol car and 1  owner type jeep.  There is no existing Fire Protection Bureau in the Municipality. Other facilities are two police outposts located at Bayubay Sur and San Sebastian with an area of 32sq.m. respectively.

The  barangays  partly  participate  in  the  maintenance  of peace and order. Pursuant to the Local Government Code, each barangay has created the “Lupong Tagapamayapa” composed of the barangay captain as the chairman and has at least ten members. This Lupon meets regularly to provide a forum of exchanging ideas among its members and the public on matters relevant to the amicable settlement of disputes within the barangay tanods who act as peace officers closely supervised by the DILG.  The barangay  tanods is headed a chief tanod who is responsible to the barangay captain.

There are 121 barangay tanods in San Vicente maintaining peace and order in their respective  barangays. These Tanods conduct surveillance and “rondas” services especially at night and on special occasions.

There are 353 organized volunteer members of the various Barangay Disaster Councils of the Municipality headed by the barangay captains.  Supportive to Municipal Disaster Council,  they are in-charge with the responsibility of giving assistance to victims of calamities.  These Coordinating councils are composed of operating teams in-charge with the extension of medical services,  transport/evacuation of victims and distribution of relief items.