Physical Profile

Geographical Location. The City of Batac is situated in the mid south-western portion of Ilocos Norte. It is bounded by the municipalities namely: San Nicolas on the north; Sarrat and Banna on the east; Nueva Era on the southeast; Pinili on the South; Currimao and Paoay on the west.

The city falls within Latitudes 17° 07' north and Longitude 120° 32' to 120° 28' east.

The city is 19 kilometers to the Capital City of Laoag; 275 kilometers to the Regional Center, San Fernando, La Union and about 472 kilometers to Metro Manila.

Topography

Elevation. The city has summits as high as 520 meters above sea level in Barangay Maipalig. An elevation of not more than 100 meters is located at Barangay Tabug while an elevation of more than 100 meters is found in the eastern part of the city.

Terrain/Relief/Water Surface. The city is flat or level to rolling and hilly to very steep. The broad valleys are mostly around the poblacion and smaller plains are found between the hills located in Barangays Camandingan, Nagbacalan and San Pedro. Generally, soil types are poorly drained to the heavy texture of most of the sub-soils and also, there are depressions where water accumulates during strong rains. The riverbank soils are drained by the Quiaoit River and Garasgas River and runs from the boundary of Batac and Pinili on the south, traverses the poblacion and then bends westward to the Municipality of Paoay while Garasgas River drains north and northwest of the Poblacion of Batac City.

Depression has poor external and internal drainage. Level areas have good external but mostly poor internal drainage. Sloping areas have good to excessive external drainage and fair internal drainage to the shallow portions of depressed areas which are planted with rice during the rainy season.

Slopes. Lands within the poblacion and all the barangays surrounding poblacion are level to flat which have slopes of 0 - 8% with a total area of 8,1173.807 hectares. These lands are suitable for crop production and for housing. All the rural barangays except Maipalig, Quiom and part of Biningan have slope of 8% - 30% composed of 5,685.72 hectares. These lands are characterized from level to hilly, suited for grazing pastures, cogon production and tree crops. Portions of all rural barangays including Maipalig, Quiom and Biningan have slope of 30% - 50% characterized for its rolling and undulating crop growing. These forest lands have a total area of 2,036.80 hectares of which 1,780.15 forest reserved of the city.

Climate. The climate of Batac is Type E Arid, characterized by more dry than wet months, There are at most 4 1/2 wet months with less than 2.4 inches of rainfall per month. A very pronounced wet season takes place during the month of June to October. The average annual rainfall is 114.07 inches. Great seasonal temperature ranges befall the city. The highest temperature is in April and May, when average is as high as 34.1o C. The area is exposed to southeast monsoon and cyclotonic storms. It is frequent that 30% of these disturbances which hit the Philippines every year dash across Batac City, Ilocos Norte. However, it is shielded from the northeast and trade winds by the mountain ranges of the cordilleras. Average relative humidity is 78.4%.

Soil Types. The city have different soil type with varied slopes and soil characteristics and capabilities. These are the Bantay Clay Loam, San Fernando Clay, San Manuel Silty Clay Loam, San Manuel Clay Loam, Bantog Silty Clay Loam, Bantog Clay, Faraon Clay Loam, San Manuel Loam, Bantog Clay Loam, San Manuel Silty Clay, Riverwash, Wet Spot and San Manuel Silty Loam.

Flood Prone Areas. The barangays along the Quiaoit River and Sta. Rosa creeks are eroded and flood prone areas. Flood usually occurs during the rainy season especially in August and September.

Demographic Profile

Population. Batac City posted a total population of 47, 682 persons as of the 2000 National Census (Batac was a municipality then). This recorded a 4.50 percent increase (2,148 persons) over the 1995 census.

Among the 43 barangays of the city, Brgy. Caunayan of the urban area has the most populated barangay with a 2.49 percent share of the city's total population, followed by Brgy. Aglipay with a percent share of 2.23. On the otherhand, Brgy. Tabug of the rural area posted the most populated barangay having a share of 6.36 percent of the city's total population followed by Brgy. Baay with a 5.91 percent.

Population Density. The gross density of Batac City with a population of 47,682 in 2000 was 3.00 persons per hectare wherein the total land area is 16, 101 hectares. With an urban population of 11,408 in 2000 and a total land area of 199.9786 hectares, the gross urban density is 57 persons per hectare. On the otherhand, the total rural land area is 15,901.0193 hectares and the rural population is 36,274 as of 2000, the population density is 2 persons per hectare. (see table above)

Household Population and Average Household Size. In the 2000 National Census, Batac has a total household population of 47,610. The urban population share was 23.88%, while the rural area share was 76.12%. On the otherhand, the total number of household in 2000 was 9,882. Out of it, 2,441 or 24.70% were residing in the urban area and 7,441 or 75.30% were residing in the rural area.(see table at the right). The average household size for the same period was five (5) persons per household.

Land Area. Batac City has a total land area of 16,101.00 hectares. Out of this total, 199.9786 comprises the fourteen (14) Urban Barangays and 15,901.0193 for Rural Barangays. Maipalig is the largest barangay with an area of 1,273.5770 hectares while Brgy. Lacub is the smallest with only 7.3391 hectares.

General land use. Batac City has a land area of 16,101.00 hectares or 161.01 square kilometers comprising of 43 barangays. The urban area is about 1.24% of the total land area and the 98.76% is distributed among the different barangays at the rural area.

The largest general land use category that occupies the City of Batac is agriculture, which has an area of 8,313.14 hectares. On the other hand, barren or idle land occupies the smallest which has an area of 22.00 hectares.

History

Batac is one of the oldest towns in Ilocos Norte. It was founded by the conqiustador Juan de Salcedo in 1577, shortly after he had consolidated Spanish rule in Vigan.

In the early 1867, the first site of the town of Batac was San Josef, now Brgy. Palpalicong. Two separate communities existed at the time. One was a Christian community headed by a chief called Captain Bazar, and the other a non-Christian community called "Itneg", headed by Captain Tagley, at Sitio Nagalisan, now a part of Brgy. Payao.

As Spain pushed further into the hinterlands, the non-Christians were converted and assimilated into the growing Christian community. The united communities grew into the town of Batac.

Cityhood

In 1998, Municipality of Batac qualified to become a city. Nine years later, Republic Act 9407, the law that converted the Municipality of Batac into a component city in the Province of Ilocos Norte, to be known as Batac City, was overwhelmingly ratified by the people in a plebiscite conducted on June 23, 2007.

However, Batac lost its cityhood, along with 15 other cities, after the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines, and declared the cityhood law (RA 9389) which allowed the town to acquire its city status, unconstitutional. The said cities, the court ruled, did not meet the requirements for cityhood, as mandated by Republic Act 9009, which increased the income requirements for prospective cities.

More than a year later, on December 22, 2009, acting on the appeal of the so-called "League of 16 Cities" (of which Batac is a part of), the Supreme Court reversed its earlier ruling as it ruled that "at the end of the day, the passage of the amendatory law (regarding the criteria for cityhood as set by Congress) is no different from the enactment of a law, i.e., the cityhood laws specifically exempting a particular political subdivision from the criteria earlier mentioned. Congress, in enacting the exempting law/s, effectively decreased the already codified indicators. As such, the cityhood status of Batac is effectively restored.

August 27, 2010, Batac City in Ilocos Norte is now plain old Batac again. It shares the fate of 15 other cities, after the Supreme Court reinstated a 2008 decision declaring as “unconstitutional" the cityhood laws converting 16 municipalities into cities.

A previous law required towns aspiring to become cities to earn at least P100 million annually, which none of the 16 did.

Voting 7-6, with two justices not taking part, the SC reinstated its Nov. 18, 2008 decision declaring as unconstitutional the Republic Acts (RAs) converting 16 municipalities into cities.

On February 2011, the supreme court upheld the cityhood of Batac and 15 other cities.

Origin of the town's name

The word "Batac" in a local dialect translates as "pull". More loosely, it refers to "the people's pulling their efforts together."

Batac has an interesting colloquial origin of its name. According to a legend, set in pre-settlement Batac, a man fell into a deep hole while he was digging for the root crop "camangeg". He struggled to get out but could not despite his best efforts. He cried for help but nobody was around. He waited for hours and had given up hope of being saved. Fortunately, two men from the neighboring town of Paoay happened to pass by. They heard the man shouting and traced it to where he was trapped. Upon seeing him, they heard the man say "Bataquennac! Bataquennac!" The two men did not understand until the man explained that he was saying, "Pull me up! Pull me up!" They did just that. When the two men reached their hometown, they told their story to their friends. Since then, the town has been called "Batac," which is derived from the word "bataquennac." but that is only a tale, the true origin of the Batac was named by the Batak tribe who exist five hundred years ago. Before the Spanish colonization. And the ancient tribe of Batak in Ilocos Norte is related to the Batak Tribe of Toba Lake In the province of North Sumatra Indonesia.

Education

Batac National High School (BNHS) is the most popular high school in the city. It has three campuses: Poblacion, Bungon and Payao.

The Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) is a high-degree granting university that has several branches throughout the province. MMSU doubles as a tourist destination, given its picturesque views and its rich educational and cultural endowments. Its main campus is in the city.

Geography

Batac City is located in the mid southwestern portion of the province of Ilocos Norte. It lies approximately within altitude 17º17’ north and longitude 120º28’ east. Its boundaries include the Municipality of San Nicolas on the north; Municipality of Sarrat on the northeast; Municipality of Marcos on the east-northeast; Municipality of Banna on the east; Municipality of Pinili on the southeast; Municipality of Currimao on the southwest; and the Municipality of Paoay on the west. It is about 472 kilometers north of Metro Manila, about 18 km. south of Laoag City, the capital of the province; 275 km. north of San Fernando City, the regional center of Ilocos Region and 11.2 km east of the eastern shore of South China Sea.

Travel time by motor vehicle at this time is very convenient because of well paved roads and is 15 – 20 minutes to Laoag City and 8 – 9 hours to Metro Manila.

Batac City has a total land area of 16, 101 hectares. The terrain of the municipality ranges from flat to rolling and hilly and to very steep. The broad valleys are mostly located in the poblacion with a slope of 0-8%. All the rural barangays except those in the eastern part have a slope of 0 -30%. There are various soil types that are poorly drained due to the heavy texture of most of the subsoil. There are two rivers that cut across Batac, the Quiaoit River (Pagdanuman) and the Garasgas River.

Batac City lies within the tropical rain forest climate zone (Köppenzone Af), and experiences two distinct seasons. From the later part of May to October is the wet season, with an annual average rainfall of 114.07 inches (PAG-ASA, 2000). The dry season lasts from November to April.

City Government Officials

Term of Office: June 30, 2010 - June 30, 2013
Mayor: Jeffrey Jubal C. Nalupta
Vice-Mayor: Ronald Allan M. Nalupta
Councilors:

• Bismark Angelo A. Quidang
• Eugenia Violeta D. Nalupta
• Medeldorf M. Gaoat
• Bernardo K. Marders
• Florencio P. Laud
• Orlando C. Mangapit
• Mary Coleen Columbia L. Cajigal
• Avelard Ibarra F. Crisostomo
• Elmer D. Pungtilan
• Amable A. Abellon

ABC President: James Paul C. Nalupta
SK President: Jarius Mark D. Nalupta

Barangays

Batac is politically subdivided into 43 barangays, 14 of which constitute the poblacion.