| 1711
(April 23) |
Lapog
was annexed to Cabugao Parish. (1) |
| 1732 |
Lapog had
1,075 souls. (1) |
| 1775 |
Bishop Miguel
Garcia of Nueva Segovia reports Lapog had only 900 souls. (1) |
| 1795 |
Lapog became
an independent parish under the advocation of San Juan Bautista. (1) |
| 1799 |
Fr. Gervacio
Pizarro was the acting parish priest. (1) |
| 1799-1829 |
The Governadorcillo
in a report signed with his barangay heads testified that the construction
of the church started in 1799, four years after it became an independent
parish. The municipal treasury did not give any money for the construction.
The people volunteered their labor and what little else they could, "as
much as poverty afforded us." (1) |
| 1800 |
Lapog had
only 3,160 souls that included two Spanish mestizos and seven Chinese mestizos.
(1) |
| 1807 |
Ambaristo
(Basi) revolt (2) |
| 1808 |
Smallpox epidemic
(2) |
| 1829 |
First bell
made for belfry on order of Fr. Francisco Escobar. (1) |
| 1839 |
Burning of
the entire southern part ofthe poblacion (6) |
| 1848 |
From Augustinian
missionaries, Lapog was put under a secular priest. (1) |
| 1874 |
Opening of
a gap through a hill called Bessang on the southern part of the town. (2) |
| 1882 |
Cholera epidemic
(6) |
| 1887 |
Second bell
for belfry made. (1) |
| 1888 |
Anthrax and
cholera killed almost all the work animals and afflicted the people. (6) |
| 1891 |
Augustinian
Father Provincial agreed to hand over Lapog to the diocese in exchange
for three Abra parishes: Bangued, Tayum, Dolores. (1) |
| 1893 |
The agreement
was confirmed. (1) |
| 1894 |
The changing
of the Governadorcillo into Capitan Municipal (6) |
| 1895 |
Maura Law
(6) |
| 1900 |
American forces
burn the municipio. (2) |
| 1902 |
Cholera epidemic
hit Lapog. Almost 400 people died. (6) |
| 1903 (May,
June, July) |
Appearance
of locusts that destroyed crops. (2) |
| 1907 |
The Santisimo
and other church equipment were stolen on June 7. (6) |
| 1909 |
Swarm of worms
("arabas") destroyed crops. (2) |
| 1914 |
Construction
of the present highway through the poblacion.(6) |
| 1917 |
Parish priest
Lapogueño Rev. Fr. Wenceslao Filler ordered the third bell for our
belfry. (1) |
| 1918-1919 |
Smallpox epidemic
hit San Juan again. It afflicted almost 80 percent of the young generation.
(3) & (6) |
| 1922 |
Swarms of
locusts appear again in Lapog. (6) |
| 1927 |
Digging of
four artesian wells as source of safe drinking water for the people in
the poblacion (6) |
| 1928 |
Construction
of a two-room school building north of the poblacion (6) |
| 1930 |
Construction
(original) of the Municipal Hall by Mr. Melchor Padua, Sr. (local chief
executive, 1929-1931) (6) |
| 1932 |
Construction
of the tennis court (6) |
| 1934 |
Laying of
the cornerstone of the Rizal monument by teachers (6) |
| 1937 |
Construction
of the Kiosko (6) |
| 1941 |
Starting December
10, 1941, Japanese forces occupy San Juan.(3) |
| 1942 |
Establishment
of the Japanese Puppet Government - This would last until 1944. (6) |
| 1943 |
Japanese suspend
operations of public schools. (3) |
| 1944 (Sept.
24) |
Japanese soldiers
detain hundreds of Lapoguenio parishioners inside the church. |
| 1944 |
Bombing of
the church, the municipal hall and the entire town. Only the south
and north central schools and a few houses survived the inferno of fire
and explosion from USAF planes that came to flush out suspected troop concentration.
(3) |
| 1944 (Oct.
16-18) |
Bombing of
Lapog Bay (3) |
| 1945 |
Liberation
from Japanese forces - The town was in ruins caused by the bombings.
The south central and north central schools served as evacuation centers.
Soon Lapogueños were living in nipa huts. (5) |
| 1946 |
SAKADAS -
The second batch of emigrants to Hawaii leave San Juan via Salomague Port
in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur. (5) |
| 1948-1951 |
Golden Age
of San Juan Public Market - Market days boomed Saturday after Saturday.
The prevailing peace and order under Mayor Rafael Vera Cruz was no doubt
the key to market prosperity. Every Saturday two busloads of
cloth vendors from Vigan and Sto. Domingo came to sell their wares. (5) |
| 1948 |
Foundation
of Lapog Educational Institute (now the San Juan Institute) by Atty. Serapion
Guerrero and his friends that included Engr. Zacarias Guerrero, Miguel
Alviar, and Engr. Pio Valle. It was the first part of education revolution
in San Juan. (5) |
| 1949-1951 |
HUKBALAHAP
scare - Soldiers armed with machine guns are seen on top of some buses
going to Manila. The old kiosk served as temporary municipal hall
surrounded with chest deep trench and sand bags for protection. A
10th BCT platoon encamped behind the puericulture center, where a telephone
company building is now located. (5) |
| 1951 (May
15) |
San Isidro
is made a separate parish which included Saoang, Guimod Sur, Guimod Norte.
Rev. Fr. Enrique de Leon was the acting parish priest. (1) |
| 1953 |
Presidential
elections - It was the beginning of post-war poll terrorism and fraud.
Violence led to court conviction of perpetrators. (5) |
| 1953-1955 |
Mayor Francisco
Quilala Administration - Reconstruction of WW II bombed municipal
hall begun. Lapogueño civil engineer Isidro Alcantara, Sr.
was the contractor. (5) |
| 1954 |
Reconstruction
of church and convent by Rev. Fr. Cosme Fang (3) |
| 1954-1955 |
Virginia tobacco
was introduced in the town of San Juan by Harry Stonehill (PTFC) through
Mamerto Vega. It was a break from liberation-era poverty and the
beginning of a new era of progress. It was the first part of post-war
economic revolution in San Juan. There was "face-lifting" all over
the town as bamboo and nipa houses were replaced with G.I. roofs, hollow
block walls and concrete foundation/flooring. Many people begun sending
their children to college. They also bought transistor radios. (5) |
| 1954 |
The beginning
of cooperativism with the establishment of the FACOMAs (Farmers Cooperative
Marketing Association) (5) |
| 1954 |
The first
public tree planting rites at the plaza was organized by Department of
Education Principal Francisco Savella. (5) |
| 1954-1956 |
Rafanan scare
- Dionisio Rafanan was a wartime soldier turned outlaw. Many killings
and robberies were attributed to him but most were never proven.
Rafanan and his armed band became the object of military operation led
by Lt. Mencias and PC Provincial Commander Major Artemio Bahia, Sr.
At the height of fear, many people from the poblacion slept in the convent.
(5) |
| 1955 |
Local elections
- The first candidates' forum in San Juan was organized by parish
priest Rev. Fr. Cosme Fang who urged all four mayoralty candidates to refrain
from terrorism and fraud. In that forum spoke candidates: Delfin
Guerrero, Atty. Ernesto Centeno, Former Mayor Rafael Vera Cruz and Honorio
Padua. Honorio Padua and his running mate Victorio Vega, Sr. won
and held office until 1959. (5) |
| 1956 |
Reconstruction
of the Municipal Hall (6) |
| 1956-1957 |
Municipal
Health officer Ernesto Villa, M.D., Sanitary Inspector Onofre Vibangco
and Dept. of Education Principal Francisco Savella, assisted by the police
and BSP, launched a successful campaign that eliminated all stray animals
from the streets. In the 1970s, Dr. Villa and Sanitary Inspector
Vibangco, with the help of the PC, launched a drive for water-sealed toilets.
For the first time in San Juan, houses had 100% water-sealed toilets. (5) |
| 1959 |
Local elections
- Melchor Padua, Jr. won his first term. Vice Mayor was Dr.
Abelio Vera Cruz. (5) |
| 1960 |
Beginning
of miracle rice production with the IR 8 - San Juan joins the Green Revolution
in rice production. From 21-26 cavans of palay/hectare, farmers now harvest
80-100 cavans/hectare of the high yielding variety. (5) |
| 1961 (May) |
Crisologo
was ambushed by goons at Bessang Hill. This was the first attempt.
The second was in a shootout at Sabangan, San Juan. The three would-be
assassins of Crisologo were killed by the former's PC security men. (3) |
| 1961 (June
18) |
"Lapog" is
renamed "San Juan." (4) |
| 1962-1971 |
The age of
SAKA-SAKA - There was unprecedented wave of assassinations, terrorism,
election frauds, candidates' withdrawal and massive disenfranchisement
of voters. During this period, Vice Mayor Orencio Vaquilar and Councilor
Nicolas Vaquilar were assassinated; Vice Mayor Abelio Vera Cruz resigned,
so with Councilor Mauro Alviar leaving councilor Emilia Pablo Guerrero
to become acting mayor. She ran for mayor in the 1963 elections.
Also during the SAKA-SAKA of 1962-71, Police Chief Marcial Gorospe and
Police Chief Federico Veneracion were assassinated by goons. There
was a shootout between goons at the plaza and policemen who were entrenched
inside the municipal hall (1963-64) during a dance party at LEI (now SJI).
Political history happened when re-electionist Melchor Padua, Jr., detained
for alleged double-murder and campaigning by radio from behind bars, bested
his two rivals in the 1963 local elections. His opponents were Cristobal
Valle, Sr. and Emilia Pablo Guerrero. Padua was later cleared by
the Court of First Instance together with his co-accused, police
bodyguard Alfredo Torres. (5) |
| 1968-1980 |
Mayor Feliciano
Quilala's first administration which was extended by Martial Law.
This was a time characterized by massive road and bridge building in the
barangays. It was also towards the latter part of his term that three secondary
schools were added to the San Juan Institute: Bacsil, Solotsolot and Nagsuputan
public high schools. (5) |
| 1972 (Sept.
21) |
Martial Law
- Presidential Decree 27 on Land Reform begun emancipating hundreds of
San Juan farmers from the degrading and dehumanizing age-old bondage of
feudalism. (5) |
| 1975 |
Start of electrification
of San Juan by the Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative (ISECO) - This revolutionized
the lifestyle and modernized the attitudes of people and was a boon to
cottage industries and agricultural production in terms of power generation
for irrigation. ISECO facilitated the multi-crop agricultural production
of San Juan making this town a vegetable bowl in its own right, just like
Sta. Catalina, Ilocos Sur. (5) |
| 1975 |
Second wave
of Lapogueño diaspora - Massive emigration of Lapogueños
just like millions of Filipinos not only to the USA but this time to the
Middle East and East and Southeast Asia and to Europe. It was a time
of massive emigration of Lapogueños in search of greener pastures.
This is the beginning of the second part of economic revolution in San
Juan. (5) |
| 1978-1984 |
Introduction,
rise and fall of the cotton industry with the P40 million ginnery at Brgy.
Labnig sitting inside a 20-hectare cotton experimental station, now an
idle white elephant due to poor planning, bureaucracy and lack of political
will to help cotton farmers. (5) |
| 1984 |
Revival of
Cooperativism - The St. John Credit Cooperative was established followed
four years later by government-assisted cooperatives in every barangay.
(5) |
| 1986 (February) |
EDSA revolt
- Lapogueños remain unfazed by Cory/Ninoy phenomenon and majority
remain as Marcos loyalists. OIC Governor of Ilocos Sur is Lapogueño
Jose Burgos, Jr. Melchor Padua, Jr. was appointed DILG Regional Director
but lost his bid for a seat in congress. (5) |
| 1986-1988 |
NPA scare
- Four are massacred in Barbar. Brgy. Capt. Loreto Villegas is abducted
allegedly by NPA and never seen again. (5) |
| 1988 |
Election of
Mayor Benjamin Sarmiento - With bigger fund allotments, aids from
the national government and eventually Republic Act 7171, phase two of
massive infrastructure building, upgrading and remodelling was carried
out. (5) |
| 1990-1992 |
Establishment
of Msgr. Cosme Fang Youth Center with its basketball court and grandstand
and with San Juan's most modern lighting system for basketball courts.
This paved the way for a redefinition of the art of grassroots seminars
and conventions and refinement of basketball tournaments. (5)
This also
became the venue of the 7-year long (1992-1998) Vivencio Soria, Sr. Memorial
Cup Kiddie Basketball Tournament. (3) |
| 1993 |
Establishment
of San Juan's first hotel and beach resort - KATIB - providing the first
full-time, year-round tourism facility in San Juan with 9 air-conditioned
rooms, a restaurant, beach huts and a conference hall. (5) |
| 1993 |
Introduction
of computer training in San Juan's secondary schools (5) |
| 1994 (June
3) |
Collapse of
the historic belfry |
| 1994 (July
26) |
Inauguration
of the Northern Sky Cable TV, Inc. (5) |
| 1995 (May) |
Benjamin Sarmiento
wins the mayor's post in the May elections. (3) |
| 1995 (June
24) |
Parish celebrates
200th anniversary with Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI, D.D, keynoting
the liturgy on June 24, 1995. (3) |
| 1996 (March
21) |
Inauguration
of the Museo de San Juan Bautista (3) |
| 1996 |
First of the
biennial Lapoguenians Operation Tulong Salun-at launched. The mission is
led by Mr. Jose Villegas, Mrs. Rosalia Villegas, and Mr. Romeo Villaluz
from California. |
| 1998 |
Bernard Sarmiento,
son of Benjamin Sarmiento, wins in the May 1998 elections. (3) |
| 1999 |
Telephone
lines are installed in San Juan and Lapog gets connected to the World Wide
Web. (3) |
| 2001 |
Bernard Sarmiento
gets re-elected as Mayor in the May 2001 elections. Adela Asuncion Miranda
and Gerry Rosales also ran for the post. (3) |
| 2004 (May
10) |
Benjamin Sarmiento
is again elected as Mayor. Amelia G. Bitonio ran against him in the May
10, 2004 elections. (3) |
