Towns

Paoay

December 9, 2008

The municipality of Paoay has traditionally been known for its weavers of inabel. The fabric, which gained international popularity as sailcloth during the Spanish colonial period, is fast gaining international attention as high couture material. The coastal town prides itself with the Church of St. Augustine, better known as Paoay Church, which has been inscribed in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The townscape is equally as beautiful as the church and reveals the colonial periods that it has gone through.

Year established: 1593 as a town; 1701 as a municipality
Land Area: 10,879.8 hectares
No. of Barangays: 31
Market days: Tuesday and Saturday
Fiesta: May 1 to 5
Population: 23,117

Suggested Itinerary

An outstanding physical feature of the town is Lake Paoay, known in earlier days as Nanguyudan.
Maharlika golf course
Malacañang of the North
Standing as a beacon to welcome all visitors, the church and belfry of Paoay mark the center of the town which it most obviously dominates. It was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.
The streets surrounding the church are lined with heritage house that are sure to delight architectural buffs and provide beautiful backdrops for photographs.
Paoay is also known as the home of the best weavers of Ilocos Norte. The textile is called inabel and is woven in pedal frame looms.

Famous People

Valentin Diaz (b. Nov. 1, 1845 – d. 1916)
Was a native of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, a Katipunero, patriot and a revolutionary colonel. Before, his family resided to Tondo, Manila they came from Tayug, Pangasinan, from Ilocos Norte. He joined the La Liga Filipina, where he met Andres Bonofacio and they founded the brotherhood called Katipunan on July 7, 1892. When the revolution in 1896, broke up he was already an army major. He was one of the signatories of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897. He joined the revolutionaries that were exiled in Hong Kong to keep the condition that was set in the “Pact”. Later returned to the Philippines during the Philippine-American War, he served as an army Colonel in the revolutionary government.