Santo Domingo | ||
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Municipality | ||
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Map of Ilocos Sur showing the location of Santo Domingo |
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Location within the Philippines | ||
Coordinates: 17°38′00″N 120°24′30″E / 17.6333°N 120.4083°ECoordinates: 17°38′00″N 120°24′30″E / 17.6333°N 120.4083°E | ||
Country | Philippines | |
Region | Ilocos (Region I) | |
Province | Ilocos Sur | |
District | 1st District | |
Barangays | 36 | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Amado T. Tadena | |
Area | ||
• Total | 55.49 km2 (21.42 sq mi) | |
Population (2015 census) | ||
• Total | 27,975 | |
• Density | 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi) | |
Time zone | PST (UTC+8) | |
ZIP code | 2729 | |
IDD : area code | +63 (0)77 | |
Income class | 3rd class | |
Website | www |
Santo Domingo is a third class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 27,975 people.
Santo Domingo is politically subdivided into 36 barangays.
The name of the municipality came from its old moniker, "Paggappuan ti Santol ti Domingo," an Ilocano term meaning "The source of the Santol sold every Sunday." Santol (Sandoricum koetjape) is the name of the tree bearing round, yellowish fruits growing in abundance in the municipality, notably in Barangay Pussuac.
During the Spanish era, an enlisted man of the Spanish Civil Guard looked for the source of the santol being sold in the markets of Ciudad Fernandina (now Vigan City) on Sundays during the months of June to August. To do so, he asked for a leave of absence from his platoon leader to trace the source of the fruits. With his Ilocano guide, he searched the lands north of Villa Fernandina. He found nothing in the neighboring towns of Bantay, Santa Catalina, San Vicente, and Bantaoay (now San Ildefonso). He finally found lots of santol-bearing trees in a place north of Bantaoay now called Barangay Pus-uac. He has found the "Paggappuan ti Santol ti Domingo." The town was named Santo Domingo on account of this feat.
Don Pablo Arguero was claimed to be the founder of the municipality on May 12, 1742, with Father Tomas Millan as the first parish priest. Father Millan laid the foundation of the belfry, where the great Filipino hero Diego Silang once worked as a boy.
In 2010, the University of Northern Philippines opened a campus in Quimmarayan. It houses the university's agricultural, fishery and research courses; and the Environmental Research and Training Center.