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SINAIT “GARLIC CENTER OF THE NORTH”

Located at the northernmost tip of the Province of Ilocos Sur, bounded by Badoc, Ilocos Norte in the north, by Cabugao in the south, by the Ilocos Coastal Range in the east and the South China Sea in the west.

Land Area: 7,800 has. / 78 sq. kms. No. of Barangays- 44 Inc0me Classification: 3rd Class Municipality Population- 24,894 (2007 Census) Distance from Service Centers: Sinait - Manila- 444 kms. (296 miles) Sinait-Laoag – 48 kms. Sinait-Vigan – 32 kms.

Creation : Named “SIN-NAIT” by Salcedo in 1575, a word in the local tongue which means “CONTEST”

and later in 1913 through a Municipal Council Resolution adopted SINAIT as the official name to the effect.

LEGEND' : Before Magellan discovered the Philippines in 1521, the locality was only a small village of little over a hundred natives who were called Tirongs. By nature, these primitive inhabitants were sea-fearing war-like. In their fast and picturesque sailboats, they traveled to adjoining and distant places, most particularly to settlements and villages along the Ilocos Coast, in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, and even Zambales. In those adventures, the “Tirongs” always challenged the people encountered to tribal wars and fought small battles against them. Often, those sturdy and brave natives came out victorious, even in their daily chores, those people showed their ferocious characteristics. When the renowned Iberians came, Salcedo was sent to explore and colonized the Ilocos territory during the early Spanish regime, he found the “Tirongs” of Sinait in apogee of the social state. Small battles were daily occurrence so that in the year 1535, when the locality was organized and established as a “Pueblo. Salcedo named the community as “SIN-NAIT”, a word in the local tongue which means “CONTEST”. As a pueblo, SINAIT embraced and included in its territorial limit such as distant places as “RANCHERA DE PAUR”, now the Municipality of Nueve Era in Ilocos Norte and southern barrios of Badoc of the same Province. The vast territory, however, was reduced to present 78 square kilometers. In the year 1575, the natives fully realized the hardships of pronouncing the term “SI-NAIT” and to go away with the trouble, Salcedo declared that one of the letters “N” be dropped. Since then, this Municipality has been called “SINAIT”. Nevertheless, it was only in 1913 when the same was “deeded” by the government upon the initiative of the late Don Calixto Cabacungan so that the Municipal Council enacted a resolution to that effect, that SINAIT was adopted as official name of the community to which said resolution was duly approved by the Provincial Board of Ilocos Sur and by the Defunct Philippine Legislature.

TOURISM: Historical Landmarks, Tourist Spots & Destinations

San Nicholas de Tolentino Parish Church (“APO LAKAY”) Home of Santo Cristo MilagrosoItalic text

Established in 1574 and completed in 1598, considered as one of the oldest religious edifices in the orient and a pilgrimage site in the region, if not in the whole country. It was initially administered by the Augustinian Friars and given to the secular clergy in 1772 until it was handed back to the Augustinians in 1854. This life-size crucifix of impressive countenance and of very dark brown color was recovered by fishermen of SINAIT at the shoreline of Logo Dadalaquiten in the year 1620. Sculptured on hard wood, it stands 18 feet high. The statue was then placed inside the church of Sinait and immediately became a spiritual attraction of the region, being a miraculous provider to the needy and a healer of the afflicted. St. Nicholas de Tolentino Parish, being the Sanctuary of the Black Nazarene, earned also its name in the spectra of Pilgrim Tourism as the “Quiapo of the North”.

Logo, Dadalaquiten Norte

Townsfolk consider the shores of this small sitio in Barangay Dadalaquiten Norte a sacred ground. Logo earned this recognition in the history of Sinait because it is where the Sto. Cristo Milagroso (Apo Lakay) was recovered in the early 1600s. The image is now enshrined at the San Nicholas de Tolentino Parish church. A replica of this statue, however, is installed in a small chapel along the shores of Logo.

Teppeng Cove

The shores of Teppeng Cove are attractive with its fine sand and multi-colored shells while coral reefs and other marine resources abound farther west of the shoreline. The place is also a good fishing ground.

The shore is lined with “bittaog” tress and visitors can lounge at the beach, take a dip in the calm waters or cool off under the thick foliage of trees nearby.

Imelda’s Cove

Located at Barangay Cabangtalan, boast of fresh air and tranquility where visitors can spend quite moments, commune with nature or take time out for soul searching before taking a swim in the blue waters.

Visitors can enjoy the sugarfine sand and take pleasure in riding on motorized banca on the sea or keep busy scouring the reefs for exquisite corals and seashells, or trap a basketful of bunog and dariway by using the crude local fishing gear batbateng.

LITEHAUZ- Inn and Restaurant Italic text

Adjacent from Imelda Cove, it has a small function hall overlooking the fine white sand beach and it is where you can spend the day spending the sunset with your loved ones.

You can also stay overnight here at their first class rooms, fully furnished with air condition and comfort rooms.

Dayvee’s Hotel and Resort

Located at Barangay Cabangtalan, Sinait, Ilocos Sur along the China Sea with its fine white sand. All rooms are air-conditioned, with hot and cold water. They offer lucrative rooms with affordable prices.

Visitors can enjoy swimming either at the beach or at their spacious swimming pool. A mini gym is also situated at the rooftop, adjacent to its function hall, where guests can relax and unwind.

Aran Cave Italic text

Located at Barangay Marnay where abundant “Guano” can be found.

Pikkang Falls

Located at Barangay Nagcullooban. Visitors can enjoy their picnic spree right at the waterfalls.

Libunao Protected Area landscape

Sinait’s second growth forest covers 1217 hectares. Including the 48 hectares watershed reserve and the 49 hectares DENR reforestation area, forest claims a total area of 1265 hectares.

Surrender site of General Manuel Tinio (Filipino-American War)

Barangay Cabulalaan is a remote barrio near the mountain ranges of the Cordilleras. It is one of the eight upland Barangays of the town of Sinait and a foremost landmark of Philippine history dating back to the Filipino-American War. Forces of General Manuel Tinio retreated to Cabulalaan after heavy fighting with the American Expeditionary Forces until he was cornered and forced to surrender to the foreign soldiers in November 1900.

Brigade Headquarters of General Tinio (Filipino-American War)

The place holds the distinction as the last bastion of General Manuel Tinio’s brigade during the Filipino American War. This brigade, with military jurisdiction covering the Northern Luzon area was credited as one of the revolutionary forces that delayed the capture of General Emilio Aguinaldo when he escaped from Manila to Palanan, Isabela.

Burial Ground of Victims of Japanese Atrocities

Barangay Pacis is a mute witness to the atrocities and senseless killings of innocent citizens in the community having been the burial ground of executed Sinaitenians at the close of the Japanese occupation in 1945. Most of he Japanese troops turned to be ruthless and hostile while retreating to safer grounds, away from pursuing liberation forces from Ilocos Norte. In a desperate attempt to make up for the inevitable defeat, the Japanese Kempetais mercilessly bayoneted people they encountered, including children. Victims were buried near the river bank of Barangay Pacis.

Sinait National High School

The first public high school north of Vigan, locally known before as Sinait Provincial High School. It started with a humble beginning of two cogon and bamboo classrooms and four teachers when it was formally opened in June 1947.

Now, the eight-hectare site is the proud home of an enviable administrative building, a spacious library, a science laboratory, scores of bigger classrooms, a computer room, a social hall, student canteens, a school clinic, a supply room and other school facilities for the convenience of thousands of students and hundred of teachers and administrative staff.

THE EXOTIC PRODUCT:

Garlic ( Allium sativum), is known in the native tongue as “BAWANG”. It is an indispensable ingredient in many Filipino menus for its flavor and appetizing effects. This exotic cash crop differs from other produce in other regions because of its spicy aroma. Besides its conventional use, the garlic bulb can also be used as medicine. It has a good potential cash crop because it can be harvested within a period of 90 days and can be sold at anytime the farmers need cash, thus it really yields a good income . . . a lucrative venture.

Why the GARLIC CENTER OT THE NORTH?

It was a long hard climb before the municipality has attained this eminence. Sometime in the 70’s, there was a nation-wide dip in the production of garlic. As a result, it suddenly went into high demand everywhere in the country due to scarcity of supply in the market, which the price of this spice naturally soared. Not to be outdone and seeing a good chance, the smart Ilocano farmer shifted to planting garlic on a commercial scale. This was the beginning of the introduction of garlic production in the locality which then spread everywhere in all Barangays.

Sensing a bright future of the industry which eventually became like hot cake to Sinait farmers, a Garlic Trading Center was established right at the frontage of the old public market. So, the farmers were requested to bring their products during Fridays, the prime market day. Because at that time, unscrupulous buyers went directly to their farmlands for their trading spree not to exclude relentless profiting scheme which were not favorable to the hardworking tiller but to the industry itself. The strategy prospered that as far other regions like Bicol and Manila flocked and converged at the center to buy volumes and truckloads of the commodity. Then the Municipality of Sinait slowly marked its name and identity on the Philippine map as the Trading Center in the entire Ilocandia, in the Commerce and Trade spectra. Garlic and onions displayed in a 500- meter stretch commercial zone on both sides of the Manila North Road.

Sinait is known as the “Garlic Center of the North” since 1970 because of the fact that the said Municipality found in the northernmost tip of the province of Ilocos Sur is the center of garlic trading in the whole Northern Luzon in which thousands of traders and buyers coming from all parts of the country flock every Friday to the Sinait Public Market now the Sinait Food Terminal Center (SFTC) just to buy famous garlic of Sinait.

One Town One Product

Through One Town One Product (OTOP), every municipality takes lead in identifying, developing, and promoting a specific product which has a competitive advantage.

Since Sinait a primarily an agricultural town and is the main source of garlic in the region, the municipality celebrates the Annual Garlic Festival to showcase their primary product, “Bawang”, as it is called in the Iloco dialect. It is the main source of pride of the town due to its unique aroma and taste compared to larger imported garlic. The Municipality chose the commodity garlic as its OTOP to improve yields, develop the garlic industry and to make Sinait as the Garlic Capital of the Philippines.