Municipality of Bacarra
An emerging third-class coastal municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Bacarra is blessed with rich fertile lands toiled by its highly skilled and hardworking people.
About Bacarra
HISTORY
Historical files state that the place now known as Bacarra was first settled by an Igorot named “Baksalandok”. Baksalandok was hunting in the areas near the Bacarra-Laoag boundary when he took notice of the beauty and vegetation of the place. He made his hut at the site where the Roman Catholic Church and Convent now stand. Other Igorot settlers followed suit, and soon afterwards, other tribes settled the town. The community was called Baraniw which was retained as the name of a barrio west of the Poblacion. The Eastern settlement was called Vira and the Middle one was called Parparia. Records indicate that these settlements started in about 1600 AD.
When the Spanish occupation began, areas with the most number of inhabitants were the ones that were pacified first; its inhabitants converted to Christians, and became the first tribute payers. The populous areas in Ilocos Norte during those times that were first conquered and made into pueblos were Badoc, Batac, Laoag, Dingras and Bacarra, with Bacarra founded in the year 1590. The first Spanish encomienda in the province was later established in Bacarra in 1591, granted to Andres de Hermossa who collected one thousand tributes from four thousand persons
In 1778, Bacarra was formally established as a town with its own gobernadorcillo, with Don Manuel Paras as the first town executive. Nearly 250 years later, Bacarra has metamorphosed and evolved to its present state, as an emerging Third-Class Municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, and five-time Seal of Good Local Governance awardee since 2017.
About Bacarra
Municipal Profile
The majority of the land area of Bacarra consists of agricultural lands. The estimated 4,843.56 hectares of croplands and agro-forest lands are used primarily for agricultural production planted with rice, corn, and high value crops. Bacarra is one of the leading producers in the province of rice, corn, as well as for garlic, pepper, and onion.
Immediately adjacent to the capital city of Laoag, Bacarra is rapidly urbanizing at a pace driven by the steady increase in population driving demand for diverse economic activities. Whilst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic growth is evident especially in the last two years where the Municipality has seen the construction and operation of medium to larger scale commercial businesses, coupled by the aggressive Build, Build, Build Program (now Build, Build More) of the national government, promoting trade and further economic activities in the locality. At present, the municipality’s urban (built-up) areas comprise only 782.32 hectares or 11.91% of the total, of which 67.79% (of total built-up areas) are residential, 2.16% are commercial, 4.08% institutional, and 0.24% are industrial in nature.
The Municipality of Bacarra has a total population of 33,496 (PSA Census, 2020), which has grown by an average rate of 0.78% per year between 2015 and 2020. Total number of households was at 8,620, with an average household size of the 3.88 family members.
Population density is 5.10 persons per hectare, with the average gross urban density recorded to be 45.15, while in the rural barangays it is 3.81.
Based on the historical growth of population between 2015 and 2020, the projected population of the municipality is computed to increase to 34,827 in 2025 to 36,782 in 2032.
The Municipality has 26 elementary schools and 3 high schools, where an average of 7,000 students enroll every year. Health services are provided through the Rural Health Unit (RHU) operated by the LGU and augmented by the operation of ten Barangay Health Stations (BHS), and the assignment of one barangay nurse for each of the 25 rural barangays in the Municipality. Services may also be availed at the Bacarra Medical Center, a Private Level 1 Hospital located in Brgy. Libtong, and a number of private clinics located mainly in the Poblacion.
Sanitation services are provided through the implementation of the Zero Open Defecation Program of the DOH, as well as through the municipal-wide garbage collection and operation of the sanitary landfill and materials recovery facility in Brgy. 27A Pungto.
The delivery and provision of social welfare services is the primary responsibility of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO), whose key programs include the provision of supplemental parental care to young children, employment assistance, provision of financial, medical, food, funeral, transport, educational, and referral and counselling services through the Aid in Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, provision of family and community welfare services, provision of programs for disabled and elderly, emergency assistance, and women’s development, among others.
Meanwhile, peace and order and public safety services are rendered by the Philippine National Police with its 21 uniformed personnel, augmented by the Office of Public Safety or OPS with 15 personnel, the Bureau of Fire Protection with its 15 firefighters, and the Municipal Coast Guard with its 9 personnel. Several Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) occasionally provide support in the maintenance of peace and order and disaster management activities in the locality.
The Municipality of Bacarra is a third class municipality. The core economic activity is the production sector based on crop production. Its 2,865 hectares of land are planted to rice, corn, vegetables and root crops. Garlic, mongo, tobacco, sugarcane, onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, eggplants are also extensively grown. Some 5,348 individuals are employed in agriculture sector, of which 19.3% are women.
Records from the Business Permitting and Licensing Office (BPLO) show that the total number of registered businesses in 2021 was 961, with majority (91.35%) involved in the service sector. Businesses are mainly micro and small enterprises.
The tourism sector of the Municipality is in its early development stages. Most of the tourist traffic in Bacarra are day tourists, receiving more than 20,000 visitors in its tourist attractions in 2019 of which 98.5% were domestic/local tourists. A surge in volume of tourists is normally experienced during the summer months and in November during the municipal fiesta.
The road network of the municipality consists around 250 kilometers of roads connecting it to adjacent towns Laoag, Vintar and Pasuquin. The primary mode of public transport within Bacarra is by tricycle, served by 1,059 active units (March 2022).
About 99.61% of households in the Municipality are connected to the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC), the sole service provider of power in the province. Power is generally stable and available year-round. Meanwhile, main provider for Level III water in the town is PrimeWater Ilocos Norte, but only currently serves 33 out of the 43 barangays. Barangay Paninaan is served by the Paninaan Rural Waterworks and Sanitation Association Inc., while the remainder rely on Level I water supply extracting from shallow and deep wells.
Mobile telecommunications and internet service is present however, some areas remain to be unreachable. Providers present are Smart, Globe, DITO, PLDT, Cignal, Innove, and Converge ICT.
The majority of the land area of Bacarra consists of agricultural lands. The estimated 4,843.56 hectares of croplands and agro-forest lands are used primarily for agricultural production planted with rice, corn, and high value crops. Bacarra is one of the leading producers in the province of rice, corn, as well as for garlic, pepper, and onion.
Immediately adjacent to the capital city of Laoag, Bacarra is rapidly urbanizing at a pace driven by the steady increase in population driving demand for diverse economic activities. Whilst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic growth is evident especially in the last two years where the Municipality has seen the construction and operation of medium to larger scale commercial businesses, coupled by the aggressive Build, Build, Build Program (now Build, Build More) of the national government, promoting trade and further economic activities in the locality. At present, the municipality’s urban (built-up) areas comprise only 782.32 hectares or 11.91% of the total, of which 67.79% (of total built-up areas) are residential, 2.16% are commercial, 4.08% institutional, and 0.24% are industrial in nature.
Vision
Statement
“RANGKADA BACARRA: A progressive agro-commercial and tourism center of Ilocos Region; nurtured by an empowered people, living in a safe and resilient community thriving in a sustainable economy; guided by compassionate leaders inspiring exemplary governance”.
We are Proud!
Awards &
Recognition
Seal of Good Local Governance
Municipality of Bacarra
12/13/2023
Gawad KALASAG 2023
Municipality of Bacarra
12/27/2023
Subaybayani Award
Municipality of Bacarra
09/21/2023
Our Offices
Office Directory
Office
Tel No.
Office Of the Mayor
+63-920-842-7856
Office of the Vice Mayor
+63-917-127-3262
Municipal Budget / Humar Resource Office
+63-928-552-3923
Municipal Planning And Development/ Local Economic Development And Investment Promotions Office
+63-917-193-0047
Municipal Accounting Office
+63-917-558-1098
Municipal Assessor's Office
+63-917-193-0057
Municipal Treasurer's Office
+63-917-193-1143
Municipal Civil Registration / Public Employment Service / Community Training & Employment Office
+63-917-193-1131
Municipal Health Office
+63-976-374-5952
Municipal Social Welfare & Development Office
+63-917-193-1033
Municipal Agriculture Office
+63-917-193-0052
Municipal Engineering Office
+63-917-193-0058
Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office
+63-917-193-0046
Municipal Tourism Office
+63-956-722-0148
Office of the Senior Citizen's Affairs
+63-968-381-9423
Office of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office
+63-919-005-6300
Your Public Servants
KEY OFFICIALS
Hon. Nicomedes Dela Cruz Jr.
Mayor
Hon. Jose Pilar Jr.
Vice Mayor
Hon. Bryant Ramos
Councilor
Hon. Jonathan Blas Ramit
Councilor
Hon. Winston Corpuz
Councilor
Hon. Jonathan Daniel Sagario
Councilor
Hon. George Padre
Councilor
Hon. Mario Lazo
Councilor
Hon. Richard Arquillo
Councilor
Hon. Dondee Visaya
Councilor
Hon. Derek B. Velasco
LIGA President & Ex-Officio Member
Hon. Reichel C. Faylogna
SK Federation President & Ex-Officio Member
Contact Us
- Bacarra Municipal Hall
- Barangay 01 Sta. Rita, I. Castro St. Bacarra Ilocos Norte
- 0920 842 7865
- lgu_bacarra@yahoo.com
