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 ragmentary
reports on written and unrecorded information
regarding the origin and founding of the town, dating
back from early Spanish domination over the islands to
the present, have been gleamed from all available
sources. It is gathered that the Spanish
Expeditionary Forces having landed at Ciudad
Fernandina, now known as Vigan, the Capital Town of
Nueva Segovia, sought for further conquest. Going
westward, they came upon the San Dunes of Mindoro and
Pantay (Vigan), overlooking the Govantes River that
serves as the natural boundary of Vigan and Sta.
Catalina. From there they noticed a small island
lying across the river. Crossing then the river with
rafts, they landed at a place called “CABITTAOGAN”, so
called because of the abundance and luxuriant growth
of a certain of specie of tree called PALOMARIA, OR
“BITAOG” in the Local Dialect.
Tired from their arduous
journey, the Spanish Forces rested a while. When they
were rested, they planted a big wooden cross, the
symbol of Christianity. They marked the
Christianization of the inhabitants of the place. No
documentary material could be found to show the exact
date as to when the Cross was planted. However, the
fact remains that the cross still stands at exactly
the same spot where it was originally planted
centuries ago, and this can be seen right in front of
the main gate of the Cabittaogan Elementary School.
Continuing their journey, the Spanish Expeditionary
Forces proceeded northward, and came upon a spring
just west of the place where the present Catholic
Church of the town now stands. The Spanish soldiers
took turns in drinking the water from the spring.
Just as their leader was about to drink, there was an
apparition, whom the oldest soldier among the group
recognized to be that of Saint Catherine of
Alexandria. From that time on, the place was named
STA. CATALINA, in honor of St. Catherine who had been
chosen the Patron Saint, and has remained up to the
present. The water from the above-mentioned spring,
so it was told from generation to generation, had some
kind of a miraculous healing power. The Spaniards and
the inhabitants as well, valued the spring so much
that they erected the Catholic Church, one of the
remaining vestiges of the Spanish Rule in the country.
Up to latter part of the 16th century,
1795, Sta. Catalina was a part of Vigan, then called
Ciudad Fernandina, founded by Juan Salcedo, the
Grandson of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The other towns
were part of Vigan were San Vicente and Caoayan.
These informations were gathered from the archives at
the Archbishop’s Palace at Vigan. The Holy Cross,
planted in barangay Cabittaogan attests that Sta.
Catalina was the mooring place for boats (rafts),
thus, a very impertinent of Vigan. But it was only in
1795 that the late Bishop Juan Ruiz made Sta. Catalina
a Parish. There was no assigned Parish Priest then, so
the clergy of Vigan did the administration. Seeing
that the Parish could well stand on its own, the next
Bishop, Most Rev. Pedro Blacquier, appointed the
Parish Priest in 1800, in the person of Rev. Fr.
Manuel de los Reyes. At the start there were only
3,000 inhabitants. By nature a devoted community,
these people were fond of remembering their dead. So
in 1837, during the incumbency of Rev. Vicente
Villanueva, the “Gofradiade las Almas Benditas del
Purgatorio” was establish. The people have, since
then, always devoted to the God. Although there was no
written record as to the exact founding of Sta.
Catalina, it can be calculated from reports, verbal
and written, that the town was founded sometime in the
latter art of the 16th century.
POLITICAL HISTORY
The Local Government of
Sta. Catalina, Ilocos Sur has felt and undergone as
many as political changes which may be grouped into
five (5) distinct periods, namely:
a) The Spanish Period
from 1723 to 1900;
b) The American Period
from 1901 to 1935;
c) The Commonwealth
Government from 1935 to 1941;
d) The Japanese
Occupation from 1941 t0 1945; and
e) The Birth of the
Philippine Republic from July 04, 1946 to the present.
The Municipal Officials
under the five distinct periods are as follows:
THE SPANISH PERIOD
|
BENEDICTO
GOROSPE |
1723-35
|
|
DIEGO
ENRIQUEZ |
1736 |
|
ANTONIO
ENRIQUEZ |
1785 |
|
FELIPE DE LA
CRUZ |
1786 |
|
PABLO SORIANO |
1788 |
|
DIEGO
ENRIQUEZ |
1789 |
|
FELIPE DE LA
CRUZ |
1782 |
|
MARCELINO
GOROSPE |
1793-95 |
|
FELIPE DE LA
CRUZ |
1805 |
|
ANACLETO DE
LOS REYES |
1806 |
|
MARIANO
GOROSPE |
1807 |
|
ANACLETO
PIZARRO |
1808 |
|
ELISEO DE LA
CRUZ |
1809 |
|
ESTEBAN
VELASCO |
1810 |
|
JULIAN
ENRIQUEZ |
1811 |
|
JUAN
CRISTOBAL |
1812 |
|
ANACLETO DELOS REYES |
1813 |
|
JULIAN DE LOS
REYES |
1814 |
|
HILARIO DE LA
CRUZ |
1815 |
|
PEDRO TOMAS |
1816 |
|
ESTEBAN
VELASCO |
1817 |
|
SINFROSIO DE
LOS REYES |
1818 |
|
JUAN ANTONIO |
1819 |
|
FELIPE
BARTOLOME |
1820 |
|
JUSTO
ENRIQUEZ |
1821 |
|
MARIANO
VELASCO |
1822 |
|
EUSEBIO
ENRIQUEZ |
1823
|
|
LECADIO
JARAMILO |
1824 |
|
MARIANO
VELASCO |
1825 |
|
MARIANO DE LA
CRUZ |
1826 |
|
MARIANO
ENRIQUEZ |
1827 |
|
JUSTOENRIQUEZ |
1828 |
|
MARIANO DE
LOS REYES |
1829 |
|
MARIANO
PIZARRO |
1830 |
|
MIGUEL
GOROSPE |
1831 |
|
ENGRACIO DE
LOS REYES |
1832 |
|
GUILLERMO
GOROSPE |
1833 |
|
EUSTAQIO DE
LA CRUZ |
1835 |
|
JUSTO
ENRIQUEZ |
1836 |
|
MARIANO
ENRIQUEZ |
1837 |
MARIANO DE
LOS REYES
|
1838
|
|
GUILLERMO
GOROSPE |
1839 |
|
CIRIACO DE LA
CRUZ |
1840 |
|
MARIANO DE
LOS REYES |
1841 |
|
SANTIAGO
ENRIQUEZ |
1842 |
|
LORENZO
NAVARRO |
1844 |
|
EPIFANIO DE
LOS REYES |
1845 |
|
ANACLETO
VELASCO |
1846 |
|
VICENTE DE
LOS REYES |
1847 |
|
EUSTAQIO DE
LA CRUZ |
1849 |
|
GEORGE
FERNANDO |
1850 |
|
FELIX GOROSPE |
1851 |
|
ANSELMO TOMAS |
1853 |
|
MARIANO
RAMIREZ |
1853 |
|
AMBROSIO
RAMIREZ |
1855 |
|
PRUDENCIO DE
LA.CRUZ |
1857 |
|
PEDRO TUGADE |
1858 |
|
TIBURCIO DE
LOS REYES |
1859 |
|
MARCELINO
RAGASA |
1860 |
JUAN DE LOS
REYES
|
1861
|
DIONISIO
RAMIREZ
|
1862
|
VICTORIO
GOROSPE
|
1863
|
ARCADIO
RANCHEZ
|
1864
|
FERNANDO
PLANA
|
1865
|
CALIXTO
GOROSPE
|
1866
|
CANDIDO ARCE
|
1870
|
PIO ARCE
|
1874
|
TELESFORO
ENRIQUEZ
|
1876
|
MARIANO
RAGASA
|
1878
|
FLORENCIO
RAFANAN
|
1880
|
TELESFORO
ENRIQUEZ
|
1882
|
LUIS VELASCO
|
1884
|
CANDIDO ARCE
|
1886
|
ALIPIO
RANCHEZ
|
1888
|
BONIFACIO
PLANA
|
1890
|
EMETERIO
PLANA
|
1893
|
THE
AMERICAN PERIOD
|
DOMINGO LAKANDULA |
1903 |
|
SANTOS RAGASA |
1910-14 |
|
JUSTINO VELASCO |
1915-18 |
|
GUILLERMO RABE |
1919-20 |
|
DOMINGO RAGASA |
1921-25 |
|
CEFERINO ARCE |
1926-29 |
|
CATALINO RESURRECCION |
1929-32 |
|
MIGUEL RABENA |
1933-35 |
|
BERNARDO RAGASA, SR. |
1936-41 |
|
BERNARDO RAGASA, SR. |
1941-42 |
|
FELIPE RAQUEL |
1943 |
|
FELICIANO ARCE |
1942-43 |
|
ANDRES GOROSPE |
1944-45 |
THE BIRTH OF PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC
FAUSTINO ABADILLA, SR.
|
1946-47
|
CLAUDIO R. RAGASA,SR.
|
1947-49
|
ERNESTO E. SOMERA.
|
1949-50
|
ADRIANO R. RABE
|
1951-59
|
JOSE R. RAPISURA
|
1960-61
|
SERAPIO R. CALIP
|
1961-62
|
|
AMANTE R. VELASCO |
1962-66 |
|
PORFIRIO G. RAPANUT |
1967-1979 |
|
EUGENIO R. RABARA |
1979-1980 |
|
PORFIRIO G. RAPANUT |
1980-87 |
|
COSMEDINE FLORENDO |
1987-9188 |
|
PORFIRIO G. RAPANUT |
1988-1992 |
|
FRANKLIN PLANA |
1992 –JUNE 1992 |
|
EUGENIO R. RABARA |
1992-1995 |
|
RODOLFO RAGUNTON |
JUL-NOV1995 |
|
PORFIRIO RAPANUT |
NOV 1995-1998 |
|
EUGENIO R. RABARA |
1998-2001 |
|
JUAN R. REDOBLE |
2001-PRESENT |
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