Agoo is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. Its name is usually attributed to "aroo" or "agoho," a pine-like evergreen tree (Casuarina equisetifolia or Whistling Pine) that thrived in the western coast during the pre-Spanish Period. People living here is called Agoeno (read as ago-wen-nyon).
History
Before the Spanish
Before the province of La Union was established, Agoo was part of Pangasinan, and was a settlement of people of the "same race as those of Pangasinan." (de Loarca,1582) These people traded with Chinese merchants long before Columbus even sailed to the new world. Later, the Japanese came and established their first settlement in the Philippines. At this time, Agoo's coast was shaped in such a way that it was a good harbor for foreign vessels coming into Lingayen Gulf. Miguel De Loarca referred to Agoo as “El Puerto de Japon” - the Japanese Port.
Rosario Mendoza-Cortes, in her book "Pangasinan 1572-1800" suggested that Agoo was likeliest to be the region's primary port of call for Japanese and Chinese traders - the only other candidate being Sual, Pangasinan. This was because there was a Japanese colony there, because traders at Agoo would have access to a greater number of people, and it was nearer to China and Japan. The main product traded from the area was deer pelt, which was shipped to Japan.
Agoo's role as a port deteriorated when the Spanish closed the Philippines to foreign trade. When foreign trade was allowed again, it was Sual that became the dominant port.
Discovery by Juan de Salcedo
In 1572, Juan de Salcedo, fresh from his conquest of Southern Luzon, was ordered by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to explore Northern Luzon and “pacify the people in it” (Mendoza-Corte, Pangasinan:1572-1800).
In June 1572, he was traversing the Angalakan River, when he saw and attacked three Japanese ships. When they fled, Salcedo followed them until they landed at a Japanese settlement. After paying tributes, the Japanese were allowed to remain. These Japanese would leave when the port of Agoo was later closed, but not without first teaching the natives their methods of fish culture, rice cultivation, deerskin tanning, duck breeding, and weapons manufacturing.
A permanent settlement was established in Agoo in 1578 when two Franciscan Missionaries, Fray Juan Bautista Lucarelli of Italy and Fray Sebastian de Baeza of Spain, constructed a nipa and bamboo church in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Agoo became the center of their campaign of pacification and conquest, not only of the surrounding towns that would later become La Union, but of the mountain tribes in the Cordilleras as well.
The two missionaries formally proclaimed Agoo as a civic unit. naming it after the river along whose banks it was built. At the time, the riverbank was forested with pine like trees locally called "aroo" or "agoho" (Casuarina equisetifolia, or Whistling Pine).
Development by the Augustinians
Most of the Town's early development can be attributed to the efforts of the Augustinian Order. They took over from the Franciscans and administered the town off and on throughout the Spanish occupation until the secular priests took over in 1898.
They changed the Town's patron saint to Santa Monica. They established a school where reading, writing, industrial works, and catechism were taught. They relocated the town center, laid out the streets and public buildings, and established roads leading to the nearby towns.
To facilitate the construction of churches, public buildings and bridges, they taught the people brick and lime making, brick-laying, and stone-quarrying. They introduced the “moro-moro”, the singing of “pasyon”, new farm implement and new plants.
Father Aquilino Garcia constructed a church, and by the end of the 15th century the image of Nuestra Senora de Caridad (Our Lady of Charity) was installed in it. This church was destroyed in 1796 and a new one was built when the original settlement was moved to what has ever since been the town center.
Integration into the Province of La Union
On March 2, 1850, the province of La Union was created by Governor–General Antonio Maria Blanco. It comprised the northwestern towns of Pangasinan and the towns of Ilocos Sur south of the Amburayan river. Agoo was the oldest town to be integrated and was listed as having a population of 6,936 people.
Barangays
Agoo is politically subdivided into 49 barangays.
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source: http://en.wikipedia.org/
Agoo is now a picture of economic, religious, cultural and political development. The town is now an educational center in this part of the province. Agoo has one state university (Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University), 2 National High School (Elpidio Quirino National High School and San Miguel National High School); a private college (Congress Collge), 3 private technical school (PAMETS and Agoo Computer School and Parisienne Learning Center and Vocational Institute), 3- privately owned High School (Agoo Academy, Congress College High School and Saint Mary’s Academy); 23 elementary school and 70 pre-schools. This was further boosted by the establishment of day care centers in almost all of the town’s barangays.
The town is also identifies as trade and commerce center. The accelerating development of trade and commerce could be seen by the fruition of business establishment, banking institutions, industrial and influx of traders and businessman from the neighboring towns.
The municipality now has five (5) banking institutions, thirteen (13) drug store, eight (8) construction supplies, three (3) gasoline station, eleven (11) tobacco trading centers, ten (10) education and office supplies, two (2) freed mills, eighteen (18) rice mills, one (1) movie theater, twenty(20) apartments, boarding houses, one (1) class “AAA” restaurant and eighty-eight (88) other restaurants/canteens/fastfood/carenderias/refreshments, and 423 other different commercial and industrial establishments. For communication services, Agoo Postal Service Office serve as one transient office of the towns of Aringay., Tubao, Pugo, Sto. Tomas and Rosario, because all mails are being dispatch in Agoo Postal Office, other communication service facilities. With regards to health services, Agoo has the Provincial Hospital which serves the entire province especially the towns in the second district. Complementing the health services of the municipality are the twelve (12) barangay health centers located in 12 different barangays and the main rural health center which is located at Poblacion, eight (8) medical clinics and thirteen (13) dental clinics.
Through this inter-related economic venture of the town and political and administrative management of the present administration the municipality was elevated from 4th to 3rd to 1st class status.
