Pinili
CountryPhilippines
Parts stylepara
P 1(see Barangays)
MayorRommel T. Labasan
Vice MayorMaynard Francis R. Bumanglag
RepresentativeEugenio Angelo M. Barba
Electoratevoters (Philippine general election)
Elevation max415 m
Elevation min0 m
Time zonePST (UTC+8)
Poverty incidence% ()

Pinili, officially the Municipality of Pinili (ilo: Ili ti Pinili; Tagalog: Bayan ng Pinili), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the , it has a population of people.

History

Pinili was once a forested hilly part of the towns of Paoay, Badoc, and Batac. Pinili is both a Tagalog and Ilokano word for 'chosen'.[1]

The then vicar of the Philippine Revolution[citation needed], Gregorio Aglipay, and his Sandataan guerrilla chose the thickly forested hilly area of Pinili as the location for their last stand against the advancing American troops tasked to subdue President Emilio Aguinaldo and his followers. It is said that it was Aglipay himself who selected the name Pinili, but in fact it was the area's elders themselves who chose to unite and be one municipality after the Philippine–American War for unity and closer cooperation.[2]

Pinili was made an independent town on January 20, 1920, after then Governor General Francis Burton Harrison signed Executive Order No. 92 on December 20, 1919. Felipe Arcangel was appointed by townmate Aglipay as the first town chief executive.

During the Japanese occupation in the 1940s, bolomen from the town, headed by Mariano Gamatero, with three subordinate officers ranked major, Agustin Cabie, Cecilio Vermudez, and Florencio Tacub, fought guerrilla warfare using tactics that included ambuscades, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility, to fight the larger-but-less-mobile Japanese troops.

On January 1, 2020, Pinili's history was re-enacted at the town square after a Thanksgiving Mass in Kullabeng, the site where Aglipay used to meet up with elders of the area before it became a town. It was also there where Aglipay, then no longer a Catholic, celebrated what was to be called the first Aglipayan Mass.

Geography

Pinili is situated 38.52 kilometres (23.94 mi) from the provincial capital Laoag, and 453.15 kilometres (281.57 mi) from the country's capital city of Manila.

Barangays

Pinili is politically subdivided into 25 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

  • Aglipay
  • Apatut-Lubong
  • Badio
  • Barbar
  • Buanga
  • Bulbulala
  • Bungro
  • Cabaroan
  • Capangdanan
  • Dalayap
  • Darat
  • Gulpeng
  • Liliputen
  • Lumbaan-Bicbica
  • Nagtrigoan
  • Pagdilao (Poblacion)
  • Pugaoan
  • Puritac
  • Puzol
  • Sacritan
  • Salanap
  • Santo Tomas
  • Tartarabang
  • Upon
  • Valbuena (Poblacion)

Demographics

In the 2024 census, the population of Pinili was 17,705 people, with a density of PD/km2.

Government

Local government

Main article: Sangguniang Bayan

Pinili, belonging to the second congressional district of the province of Ilocos Norte, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.

Elected officials

Members of the Municipal Council
(2019–2022)[3]
PositionName
CongressmanEugenio Angelo M. Barba
MayorRommel T. Labasan
Vice-MayorMaynard Francis R. Bumanglag
CouncilorsMel Lawrence O. Coloma
Rey A. Gabur
Julius P. Fernandez
Amor M. Bagarino
Jerry P. Fernandez
Louie Joy D. Pagdilao
Anunciacion D. Pagdilao
Reizel A. Cabie

Education

The Pinili Schools District Office governs all public and private elementary and high schools within the municipality.[4]

Primary and elementary schools

  • Badio Elementary School
  • Barbar Elementary School
  • Bicbica Primary School
  • Buanga Elementary School
  • Bulbulala Elementary School
  • Cabaroan Elementary School
  • Darat Elementary School
  • Don Mariano Marcos Mem. Sch.
  • Godogod Elementary School
  • Gulpeng Primary School
  • Liliputen Elementary School
  • Nagtrigoan Elementary School
  • Pugaoan-Bungro Elementary School
  • Puritac-Dalayap Elementary School
  • Puzol Elementary School
  • Salanap Elementary School
  • Sto. Tomas Elementary School
  • Upon Elementary School

Secondary schools

  • Pinili National High School
  • Sacritan Integrated School

References

  1. ^ "The Philippines 'chosen' town". Manila Standard. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  2. ^ "Pinili turns its centennial page". Manila Standard. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  3. ^ "2019 National and Local Elections". Commission on Elections. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  4. ^ "Masterlist of Schools". Department of Education. January 15, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2025.