San Juan, Ilocos Sur

San Juan, formerly Lapog, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 23,146 people in 4,866 households.

Barangays

San Juan is politically subdivided into 32 barangays.

I visited relatives in Solotsolot in 2000 and 2003. It's a pleasant village strung out along the seashore with farms stretching back into the valley behind. There's a wonderful beach but the locals generally are too shy to wear any swim suit so for the occasional swim, they wear full clothing of T-shirts and jeans. The beach was the place the enormous Japanese invasion force landed in 1941. The total population might now be more than 1000. There's a school, no health infrastructure, and a dozen or so small shops. Almost all the houses now have electricity. Many people speak English and most are kind and pleasant (with only a few obnoxious exceptions). For income, US$10 is big money: teen girls work harvesting onions or beans in blazing fields for about 50 pesos per day (or just over US$1) and a tube of lipstick for them is about 60 pesos. It's not easy to get in to the village. The buses roar through nearby San Juan fairly often but one needs a local 'tricyle' (motorbike+sidecar taxi) to go along the back dirt road out to the village - the fee is about 50 pesos but the driver will often ask for more (if you seem to be a gringo, they can ask for huge amounts without really expecting to get them). There's no inn or hotel and sleeping near the beach is not a good idea. We stayed in a local house with relatives and we were the celebrities of the place for the week we were there - they put on a fiesta with a roast pig and VERY GOOD local singers, dancers, and guitar players - and we gave about 1000 pesos to help with the cost - many other local families gave 500 pesos each - they really wanted us to settle there (where we would have been a huge boost to their economy and a huge source of prestige and entertainment). There are 'captains' in charge of each neighbourhood and I imagine one would make a major effort to please a suitably pleasant, respectable visitor: not welcome are any patronizing, rudeness, indecency, or dishonesty. We plan to visit again in 2008.

External links

• Pasyalang Ilocos Sur
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• 2000 Philippine Census Information
• Lapog ... our town, our home
• Lapoguenio Perspectives

Coordinates: 17°43′45″N 120°27′39″E / 17.72917, 120.46083