SANTA, ILOCOS SUR

The history of Santa dates back in its old–first town hall site, now known as Barangay
Nagpanaoan, for which the accounts of this town are as thrilling as any other in the whole
archipelago. Old Santa was one of the oldest settlements founded by the Spaniard in the province
of Ilocos Sur sometimes in 1574. Since then, the town hall has been transferred three times due
to dreadful erosions.
A destructive flood called “Layos Bungsot” (literal: "Flood of Rotting") of 1852 eroded the first
poblacion founded in 1576 and caused the town center to be transferred to a new site, which is
about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of the first site.
In 1905, another destructive flood, “Layos Nawnaw” (literal: "Dissolving Flood") motivated the people
to transfer the poblacion to Pasungol in the southern part of the town in 1907. The presidente
municipal (town mayor), transferred the government, and the new poblacion was laid out.
Circumferential roads were laid out in the shape of a spider web with the town plaza in the middle. [9] 

The municipality of Santa was formerly called Santa Catalina de Alexandria, Virgen y Mártir, after
the town's patron saint Saint Catherine of Alexandria. According to folk stories, after the devastation
of the town by the first flood in 1852 (Layos Bungsot), the name was shortened to Santa Catalina de
Alexandria. The present name of Santa came to be, after the second flood of 1905 (Layos Nawnaw).
It was believed that by changing the name after the disasters would save the town from further
devastation.

Santa is one of the coastal towns of the Province of Ilocos Sur, bordering the municipalities of Bantay, in
the north; Vigan and Caoayan in the west; the town of San Quintin in Abra province in the east and
Narvacan, in the south. Santa is 386 kilometres north of Manila and 21 kilometres south of Vigan, the
capital of the province. Its northern border,
forming the baseline of the triangular land and
running in the east-west direction, follow the
ever-changing course of the Abra River from the
Banaoang Gap in the north-east corner of the
town to the sea for about 18 kilometres. Some
islands of the river delta are settled by the
people of Santa. The largest island, Barangay
Rancho, is connected by a bridge to the main
town. Another island occupied by Brgys.
Dammay and Oribi is only accessible by boat.
Santa has an area of 109.1 square kilometres
(42.1 sq mi), which is distributed in twenty-six
barangays, (Ampandula, Banaoang, Basug,
Bucalag, Cabangaran, Calungboyan, Casiber,
Dammay, Labut Norte, Labut Sur, Mabilbila Norte, Mabilbila Sur, Magsaysay District , Manueva, Marcos ,
Nagpanaoan, Namalangan, Oribi, Pasungol, Quezon , Quirino, Rancho, Rizal, Sacuyya Norte, Sacuyya Sur
and Tabucolan) and constitutes almost 4.2% of the entire area of the province of Ilocos Sur. It can be
reached by bus, jeepney and other motorized means of transport by the National Highway.